[NOVEL] Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens

Backlog #9

I actually loved this one.

By now I think I've read several books that have age gap romance, but maybe it's the first time where I truly felt like people belong to different age demographic and FMC really had adult vibe to her.

Plus it has such a great outlook on the modern dating in general.

A hilarious love story about a disillusioned divorcée who agrees to let her children play matchmaker.

Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat, and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column, and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children.

From awkward encounters to unexpected connections, Anna gamely begins to put herself out there, asking out waiters, the mailman, and even her celebrity crush. But when a romantic connection appears where she least expected it, will she be brave enough to take another chance on love?

I think the best thing I liked about it is how it handles dating, both online and offline.

Anna actually did not plan to date ever again, her kids were growing up, she had her job, everything went fine. Her marriage happened to be a disappointment because despite supporting her husband through the most depressing period of time and doing everything for the family, her husband did not see her efforts and decided to move on and move out. Basically seeking an easy way out in my opinion, he took care of his health, got into gym, divorced, saw his kids only few days a week, pretty neet that he didn't even do kids laundry when they were at his place, less obligations with his new girlfriend, also having audacity to give passive agressive remarks about how Anna looked. It's obvious I didn't like her ex-husband as a character.

I wasn't actually a fan of his girlfriend as well, because she passed as this vegan girl, who will scare your kids with bloody videos and traumatize them for life. She has no say in their upbringing, but feels the need to call themselves family etc. Girl, you're not their mom, chill. You're not even officially a wife, double chill.

In the midst of coming out of her divorce the publication she works for is being bought out and she may lose her job, now she has to bear more of herself and write thing demanded of her to keep it. So even if she's not happy about it, she chooses to follow through.

This is how her dating story for the column begins.

But on the opposite side of her is the younger co-worker who feel like he wants to take away her column. Ambitious and outgoing and it feels like he never had problems with dating. Hell, he might have dated every woman she knows at work.

Although his portrait in her head is like that, full of prejudices, the real person is way different from her impression and there is a reason for everything and he doesn't hate her at all.

Back to dating. This was an interesting part full of rollecoaster emotions. Because all men were so different.

For example the online dating guy who could not keep up with the previous topics happened to use a proxy when looking for dates, basically she never talked to the person in question before the date.

Or someone's dad from the school who seemed a pretty fine person, but when he started to pour shit on his ex and do some red flag things you were honestly worried for Anna's safety.

But there were also good people, like the mailman, they may have had a great date, it was unusual and in the end they could become friends.

Despite the even amount of weirdos and nice people it still held some sort of feeling of - don't be afraid of asking people out, try new things and maybe you will like them.

And along that line we have her rival Will Havers. At least she considershim a rival since they feel like clashing at work and she's the only woman not charmed by him.

Unlike Anna, Will is single, always sophisticated and good-looking as if he wakes up at 5am every day. But the real Will is so much more. He indeed has ambitions, he wants to do things greater than what he has now, but he stuck at this place for the sake of his family. He wants to expand his portfolio, this is why he wants to join Anna on this venture of dating with strangers. Will never disliked Anna, I think on the contrary he had something for her for some times. But their work together forced them together.

I kinda liked that the relationship may not be anything huge, but emotionally at least for Anna it was a rollecoaster. Like sometimes flirting, sometimes becoming daring, then doubtful, then disappointed, it was a whole array of emotions she went through. She came to like him a lot, but what is love sometimes - ability to let go. And this is what she planned to do. She knew his past, knew what he wanted to for his career, knew he was capable of more and did not want to bind him to herself and this relationship or having long-distance relationship or promise something where she already had a life and children and she did not want to deprive him of it when she knew he mentioned wanting kids, so she used his past story to hurt him and push him away.

It's lovely she had the bravery to fix it and confess on a large scale.

It was so fun to see how in the result of this venture she got several friends, told her husband what's on her mind and found new love.

I am truly great I found this novel randomly and decided to read it. The characters felt more dimensional, kids were like kids (annoying lol))) and the emotional ride felt multi-faceted and interesting.

Note: the novel isn't spicy, I mean you know they did the thing, but it does not go into descriptions of it and I'm not mad at it, it's a great emotional journey, a fun story.

RATE: 4,5/5.