Book Review: “Not The Girl You Marry” by Andie J. Christopher

“Not The Girl You Marry” by Andie J. Christopher (2019)

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

Page Length: 320 pages (electronic review edition)

Synopsis:

Jack Nolan is a gentleman, a journalist, and unlucky in love. His viral success has pigeon-holed him as the how-to guy for a buzzy, internet media company instead of covering hard-hitting politics. Fed up with his fluffy articles and the app-based dating scene as well, he strikes a deal with his boss to write a final piece de resistance: How to Lose a Girl. Easier said than done when the girl he meets is Hannah Mayfield, and he’s not sure he wants her to dump him.

Hannah is an extremely successful event planner who’s focused on climbing the career ladder. Her firm is one of the most prestigious in the city, and she’s determined to secure her next promotion. But Hannah has a bit of an image problem. She needs to show her boss that she has range, including planning dreaded, romantic weddings. Enter Jack. He’s the perfect man to date for a couple weeks to prove to her boss that she’s not scared of feelings.

Before Jack and Hannah know it, their fake relationship starts to feel all too real—and neither of them can stand to lose each other. (description from Goodreads)

Review:

Set in Chicago this book is loosely based off of the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days with a gender-role swap. The two leading characters in this romantic comedy are Jack and Hannah. Jack is a journalist and Hannah is an event planner who are trying to move up in their careers. They have been out of a relationship for a long-time since they haven’t met someone good until they meet each other. They immediately hit things off and start dating with a catch. Hannah needs this relationship to work to get a promotion and Jack is working on a story of how to lose a girl in order to write the big name political pieces he aspires to. Can they keep up the charade?

I love romantic comedy books and I was excited to read about this book as soon as I heard the synopsis. While the novel is mostly lighthearted it also tackles issues such as careers, relationships, dating apps, and racial identity. Hannah has struggled with previous relationships because her exes try to put her in box or label her as exotic. She is comfortable with her identity, but wants someone to see her as her for who she really is. Jack has been struggling with his career for some years and wants to be independent. He doesn’t want to fall back in his family’s business and knows that he’s worth more than the fluff pieces his family gives him.

I love these two together! The cheeky banter, humor, and they way they really connect with one another is so genuine. You can see that they truly care for one another and their feeling run deep. They make such a good couple and reading the hilarious antics of their dates made me enjoy the book even more. It’s also full of many steamy moments. Its a well-balanced romance novel and it’s full of good characters, an exciting setting, and a fun plot. I want to read more books by Christopher and I’m going to check out her other romance reads.

Final Verdict: