REVIEWS+

The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook

by Matt Dunn
Sourcebooks Landmark. Nov. 2010. c.368p. ISBN 9781402243455. pap. $14.99. F
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There's a fair amount of debate over the term chick lit. One definition is a novel about a young woman in her twenties or thirties facing life's challenges, typically career- or family-related, and dealing with her romantic life. This describes Dunn's (Best Man; From Here to Paternity) latest novel. Edward Middleton is bereft when his long-term girlfriend leaves him by saying, "It's not me, it's you. You've let yourself go." Jane is heading to Tibet on a spiritual quest, leaving Edward three months to change himself into the man who can win her back. Along his path of self-improvement, Edward changes his body, his habits, and his home decor. But will it be enough? And will he even want Jane back, especially after other romantic opportunities arise?
VERDICT Dunn's book is funny and sweet. Tonewise, it has more in common with Sophie Kinsella's "Shopaholic" series than, say, Nick Hornby's lad lit. Recommended for readers of modern romance. [This novel sold over 100,000 copies in Britain and was shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award.—Ed.]
Reviewed by Amy Watts, Univ. of Georgia Lib., Athens , Nov 01, 2010
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