Finished Arranged by Catherine McKenzie. I received a copy of this from the publisher.
After her latest relationship ends, Anne Blythe* is unsure of what to do. She wants to get married and have kids, but she keeps picking the wrong guys. She finds a business card for what she thinks is a dating service. When she finally decides to give it a try, she learns it’s a company that actually creates arranged marriages.
Even so, she eventually decides to go for it and when she meets Jack, there is an instant connection. But can there be a happy ending when you marry a stranger?
I don’t know that I would have picked this book for review if I hadn’t already read and loved her earlier book, Spin. I don’t read the literary equivalent of romantic comedies very often. But I DID love Spin and I was pretty sure that Catherine McKenzie would pull this off, too. (Spoiler: she did.)
Yes, this book is fluffy and sounds like a really bad Katherine Heigl movie. But it’s incredibly funny and smart and Anne is a wonderful narrator.
And Anne is fantastic. Yes, she rushes into things without considering potential consequences, but she’s also a wonderful person—good at her job, fiercely loyal to her friends and someone who loves completely. So while she’s got flaws, she’s also more than the sum total of those flaws.
The love story between Jack and Anne is rushed (and unconventional, to say the least) but it also feels genuine. And that is what I love about Catherine McKenzie’s books. The synopses sound like other books (or movies) but when I read them, they are so realistic and, yes, genuine.
Highly recommended. I cannot wait for her next book.
* = not a coincidence. Her full name is Anne Shirley Blythe.
