Title: The Dating Bender
Author: Christina Julian
Genre: Chick Lit/Romantic Comedy
Release Date: August 22, 2017
Blurb
Here I am, on my knees in front of the Trevi Fountain, hoping like hell the legend is true. That the fountain gives you solace and love by a mere toss of a coin.
Why am I here, exactly? Let’s see…
It started with my parents telling me to get married. Of course, being the good Catholic girl I am, I did.
Needless to say, that marriage nosedived, and my parents weren’t exactly happy about it.
Newly ditched and shamefully disowned, I decided to follow the advice of Babs, a tart-of-a-mentor, who offered me a job in Colorado.
Her advice? Sex…and lots of it.
The temptation of freedom, to do whatever—whoever—I wanted was too damn strong for me to say no.
And that’s how it all started. The men, the sex, the journey…
The dating bender.
Because everybody deserves a do-over.
Sorry, this is late. School starts this week and I’ve been running around with my head cut off. The kid starts 7th grade (Juinor High here) and I start working on Thursday. Anyways, here you go.
This book had me laughing out loud at times, cringing the next moment and then sighing in the end. This is a great coming of age story about a woman that has been repressed her whole life. I’m not Catholic so the guilt that most mothers put on their daughters I just don’t get but I have a niece that is Catholic and her mother smothered her and it shows at almost 22. It’s sad and I just hope that she doesn’t end up like Samantha in the end. But what I did get is that Samantha needed to get on with her life, with or without her family.
The dysfunction was funny at times but since I’m seeing someone close to me go through her ups and downs (more downs) than most, it made me cringe. I felt sorry for Samantha in the end but more importantly for her family with their treatment of her. I’m a firm believer that some things are just not for everyone, marriage included. I waited until I was 37 to get married and I married and have stayed married for all the right reasons. I love my husband. Samantha never had a chance to do that.
Babs is a great character for Samantha in the sense that she can finally be herself and figure out her own life…ON HER OWN. Without the Catholic mother telling her what is going wrong, telling her what to do, etc. It grated on my nerves at times but I realize that Ms. Julian was trying to make a point and she did. I’ve had other people read this book and tell me that it was like a Sex in the City mash-up. Guess what? I never watched one episode of that show so I have no reference point. Sorry.
Overall, I truly loved Samantha and how she finally became her own person. I won’t even begin to tell you most of the story and if she ever finds someone to love or even how much sex she has. You need to read the book to find out. Catholic guilt or not. 🙂
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Author Bio
Christina Julian writes snarky rom-coms that celebrate the underdog and live to make people laugh. She adores dysfunctional leading ladies and the tangled twisty lives they lead. She adamantly believes there is nothing in life that can’t be conquered with a bodacious wine, strong cup of coffee, or a generously iced cupcake. When she is not tapping out her next novel or wrangling her 3-year-old twins, she can be found sipping and swirling in the name of research as a wine and food columnist in Napa Valley. She strives always to live her life to the extreme.
Christina’s work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Wine Enthusiast, California Home + Design, 7×7, Weddings California, NorthBay Biz, Napa Valley Register, Napa Valley Life, Bohemian, Weekly Calistogan and beyond.
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