I recently got my hands on an ARC copy of the List by debut novelist Carmen Shirkey. ARCs are one of the best things about being a reviewer, because you get a chance to see behind the scenes. My ARC had five chapter twenty-threes, and this lovable quirk fit right in with the heroine (though I'm pretty sure the real copy has only one chapter twenty-three). How does having five chapter twenty-threes tie in with a heroine who has a penchant for type-A list making? Because the novel is about the heroine learning to loosen up and let her hair down when it comes to finding Mr. Perfect and life in general (though to a lesser extent.)

The tagline of the novel is Can Perfect be Put on Paper? The heroine, Candace Saunders, has had a series of dates that could make most women hang up their stilettos and refuse to leave their apartment again. The beginning sort of reminded me of Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter where the heroine is met while on a bad first date with a new potential Mr. Right. Every bad date ends up adding qualifications to the on-going list she has made for the position of her Mr. Right. Some are funny like not a vegetarian and others are pretty standard like not an ass, but just as funny.

In the spirit of Catherine from Wuthering Heights and Bella from the The Twilight Saga, soon after the disastrous date with Mr. Sex Addict, Candace meets two great guys. One is nearly Mr. Perfect and is checking off more on her list as days go by and the other screams Mr. Not Perfect. Candace is about to fall and fall hard... but will she do it with the right one?

It's a light read and certainly a happy one. I can picture it being made into a movie and featured alongside How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Runaway Bride. Totally different themes but same spirit and certainly as entertaining. I love how it took a common idea that many women have (the list) and turned it into a sweet parody of that idea. So in the spirit of the novel I must ask... what's on your list?

Rating: 4 Stars

Originally posted 2009-02-13 05:17:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Categories:

4 Stars, ARC, Comedy of Manners, Contemporary, Entrepreneur, Mistaken Identity, S-U, United States of America

Tags:

Alexandra Potter, Carmen Shirkey, chapter twenty-three, darcy, list, list making, mr. not perfect, mr. perfect, mr. right, runaway bride, twilight saga, wuthering heights