THE EX-BOYFRIEND'S HANDBOOK

Author: Matt Dunn ISBN: 9781402243455 12/2010 CONTEMPORY Publisher: SOURCEBOOKS

"It's not me—it's you." After ten years, Jane's had enough of Edward Middleton. "You've let yourself go," she tells him. "So I'm letting you go too." Determined to get her back, Edward realizes he must learn how to make women want him again. But right now, he's the kind of man who puts the "ex" in "sexy." One thing is certain: if he's going to be Jane's Mr. Right, he needs to turn himself around. From Atkins to Waxing, Edward begins working his way through the makeover alphabet. But is a change in appearance what Jane really wants? Can cuddly Teddy really become sexy Eddie? Or is there more to the dating game than meets the eye?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I shouldn’t have liked this book. I generally don’t like chick lit written by men, and I don’t read British fiction as a rule (it frustrates me when I don’t get British slang or references). However, from the first page of THE EX-BOYFRIEND'S HANDBOOK, Matt Dunn had me laughing, and he kept me laughing through to the end. A twist on the “Now that I’ve got the guy, I’ve let myself go” tale, it is Eddie who’s no longer the man he was when he and Jane first started dating. He thinks everything between them is still going along swimmingly—until Jane moves to Tibet and leaves him a note saying she’ll be back in three months, and things better have changed by then. Thus ignites a fire in Eddie as he endeavors to fix all his flaws and win Jane back...just as soon as he figures out what he did to lose her.

THE EX-BOYFRIEND'S HANDBOOK was really a lot of fun. Eddie is quite funny, as are his best friend Dan and the other friends that fill Eddie’s little circle. This book will keep you laughing and rooting for Eddie, even as he starts to question whether or not he really wants Jane back after all.

Melissa Stratford