Ricki Schultz

This book was as it promised to be--light women's fiction with a lot of laugh out loud moments. Though it wasn't the deepest, the humour was lovely.
 
Rae's tone was absolutely fantastic--she's super witty and it's hilarious. I loved how she commented on the world and how I could very easily imagine her as someone I knew in real life. The way she interacted with the app was highly entertaining, and I adored how she and her friends were first grade teachers--not exactly what I had expected. I'm not the biggest fan of characters who are writers trying to be published simply because it's overused, but she at least had a great tone.
 
I did feel like Rae had the tendency to be quite judgemental--there was one scene in particular where she finds one guy with something wrong with him physically, and it's never quite clear if he just had a bad circumcision or some birth deformity, but nonetheless, something about how he looked was enough for her to lose interest in him despite how she had been completely into him prior. It fits with her character, but sometimes she really passed too much judgement.
 
This is mainly a book about guys, but Rae at least acknowledges that. She has an inherent mistrust of men in general and doesn't think that she'll find love, yet she seems to spend most of her time thinking about them or at the bar trying to pick one up. Quite contrarily, the ultimate message of this book seemed to be that Rae was happy when she had a man.
 
This was quite opposing to her strong friendship with fellow female teachers. Though she wasn't particularly supportive at time and seemed to want to ignore problems, she did value them quite a lot. A few of the scenes at the end of the book were quite heartening.
 
Oh, and she strangely uses hashtags all over the place... and it's really annoying. Not sure why the author decided to do that.
 
While this book will not teach you any underlying messages, it's a quick and easy book with some lovely scenes.
 
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (mere)

Blanche Carter is the manager of Literature and Legislature--a book store in Washington DC. She also runs a side business to help women connect with men. As part of Blanche's services, she takes control of the client's dating profile and begins the small talk with potential dates until the meet up. Then they switch back. This has never been an issue until klutzy Ansley picks an old flame, Henry--who is Blanche's best friend, Isla's brother-in-law. Henry and Blanche had a one night stand on New Year's three years ago. Henry is the adviser to House Representative Byrd. Blanche helps Ansley become comfortable around men Ansley finds attractive by guiding and talking Ansley through her dates. Until finally Ansley is ready to meet Henry. Unlike with her other clients, Blanche doesn't pretend to be Ansley when chatting online with Henry. Blanche blurs the lines between Blanche and Ansley. The more Blanche chats with Henry the more she falls in love with him. Blanche decides to distance herself from Henry by expanding her own love life through a gorgeous book store customer that Ansley spilled hot coffee on--Cliff. But Cliff is not what he appears to be. Can Ansley and Henry find the sparks or are the sparks only online with Blanche and Henry?… (mere)

Blanche Carter has a pretty decent life. She manages a beloved bookstore in Washington, D.C., close to one of her best friends from college, and lives with one of her great co-workers. She also has a side hustle as an online dating consultant, subbing in for her clients through the awkward online messaging section and helping them snag the right men for them. Which works great right up until one of her clients gets matched with Henry, a man Blanche has a history with full of attraction and bickering. Can she pretend to be her client with Henry? And does she want to actually set him up with someone else or snag him for herself?

I read this romance novel pretty quickly and enjoyed the premise and the depth Schultz gave the supporting characters but I could never quite pin down Blanche. She moves all over the map emotionally and her jaded-ness about romance leaves me questioning how she ever became a such an adept giver of advice in that realm. I also couldn't pin down her age at all, which makes it hard to figure out if it's believable for her to be managing a bookstore that's a thinly disguised Politics & Prose. It was a fun read and there were sections that were genuinely funny but I find the more I think about it critically the less I like it.… (mere)

Ms. Schultz does something unique with her love of romance. She masterfully pens a tale of girl power that is strongly inspired by chick flicks. Online dating, unwanted matchmaking and the goofiness that is friendship, are at the center of this feel good read. Rae is the friend you can't help but love quirks and all. Her snark may be frustrating but adds to her charm. Every word that needs to be said, but I could never say is what Rae could voice without a second thought. Get ready to LIVE OUT LOUD (vicariously through Rae) .… (mere)