[Book Review] Save the Date

Save the Date

(Better Date than Never #4)

by Susan Hatler

June 30, 2013

 Hatco, Inc.

Contemporary Romance, Chick-Lit

Links: Goodreads // Amazon

Book Info:

Kristen knows men hide things. Case in point, her last boyfriend turned out to be married. Just like anyone else, Kristen is devastated. However, since Kristen evaluates people for a living, her ex’s duplicity has her searching for a new career as well as swearing off men.

Touring history museums with her sexy friend Ethan doesn’t count, because he has a girlfriend, and has only shown friendly interest in Kristen. He even helps with her career counseling tasks. Although Kristen has a secret crush on Ethan, spending time with him is safe. Until she discovers he’s actually single. Gasp. And now he’s flirting with her, too.

Suddenly, Ethan is way too dangerous. Not to mention tempting. Sure, he seems like sixty shades of perfect, but how’s a girl with bad judgment supposed to detect what skeletons he has in his closet?

Rating:

★★★★★

Review:
A cute, quick-read about being burned at love and yet finding the courage to try again.

I'm pretty sure that most of us has experienced being hurt, especially when it comes to the person we love. Heartbreak is not exactly an easy ordeal to go through. And when heartbreak is coupled with betrayal, now that's an entirely different story.

In Save the Date, we meet Kristen, a marriage counselor who finds out that her boyfriend was actually married, and she was actually his "other woman". Of course it breaks her heart into a thousand pieces because he betrayed her. And aside from her heart, he also left her nursing her severely damaged self-esteem and confidence. She completely lost her faith in her ability to dole out relationship advice to other people because she felt that being blinded by her own boyfriend's betrayal did not qualify her to do so. I kind of understood why Kristen didn't trust herself in giving out advice to other people. There's this "Who am I to give out relationship advice when I couldn't even handle my own?" drama inside Kristen. It's a logical consequence of her failed relationship, but sometimes, I just want to bash her head for being tactless.

At the outset of the novel, the problem was easily established by the author. I have to admit that I kind of guessed early on where everything was going, which is to say that it was a little predictable. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the interaction between Kristen and Ethan. It's also understandable why she was wary of the opposite sex, and why she felt safe when she thought that Ethan was in a relationship.

I would have to say that a large part of this story is about Kristen's journey through heartbreak and restoring her self-esteem. She experienced a lot of bump in the road to recovery, and some of them might make her a little unlikeable, but I really appreciate that when Kristen finally overcame her problems, she became a little stronger than before.

All in all, aside from being a little predictable, this book is perfect for those looking for a quick, romantic read.