YOUR BIG BREAK

Author: Johanna Edwards ISBN: 0425207846 3/2006 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: BERKLEY

Dani Myers has become an expert at romantic breakups ever since she was hired to "facilitate" them for clients of Your Big Break, Inc. In other words, she dumps people for money. But company rule #5 (do not get personally involved) is getting harder to obey. One of her dumpees is turning out to be the kind of guy she might just want to pick up on the rebound. and a new client has just walked in, begging for Dani's help breaking up with The Big Jackass, who's been leading her on all this time-and now turns out to be married. It would be a routine job except for one problem: the so-called Big Jackass is married to none other than Dani's mother.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Johanna Edwards's new novel is called YOUR BIG BREAK. YOUR BIG BREAK is a funny, light hearted and just plain entertaining read. Ms. Edwards compassionately takes on a topic that we all at one time have gone through—the break up of a relationship. So, grab your favorite reading chair and take some time to enjoy this book.

Dani Myers breaks up relationships for a living. Sort of. She works for a company that gently helps people who want to end relationships. Not only romantic relationships, but also job resignations and friendship break ups. It's part of Dani's job to let each person down easy and help them transition from being a couple into being single. It's not always easy, and yes, sometimes she even gets emotionally involved with certain clients.

Lately Dani seems to have her hands full. She has a client whose ex girlfriend can't seem to leave him alone, a client who wants to break up with her boyfriend right after his father passed away, and then there's the client who wants to break up with the older man she's been seeing. Unfortunately for Dani, that older man is her father.

At times, YOUR BIG BREAK is witty and charming and other times it is heartbreaking. Dani is a caring and compassionate person. It is very easy to like her and become involved in her problems. Actually, all the characters in YOUR BIG BREAK are likable. You can't help but want everything to work out and for the book to have a happy ending. And it does, just not the way you think it's going to work out.

I would recommend YOUR BIG BREAK. It's an easy read and perfect for that lazy summer day.

Julie Kornhausl