Is She Really Going Out With Him? - Review

Is She Really Going Out with Him?

By: Sophie Cousens

Publication: November 19, 2024 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

368 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A hilarious love story about a disillusioned divorcée who agrees to let her children play matchmaker.

Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat, and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column, and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children.

From awkward encounters to unexpected connections, Anna gamely begins to put herself out there, asking out waiters, the mailman, and even her celebrity crush. But when a romantic connection appears where she least expected it, will she be brave enough to take another chance on love?

Anna is struggling with the fallout from her divorce. She's hurt, angry, and bitter. She's putting all her energy into her kids to ensure they're okay. She is a columnist at a struggling magazine, and her column has been lacking in personal connection. But Will, her work nemesis, has been gunning for her column. And she can't figure out why he keeps trying to steal her spot or one-up her.

The magazine gets bought and new management is looking to see who to keep and who to let go. Anna has to prove her worth to the column because losing her job is the last thing she needs. The idea of a 10-edition column co-written by Anna and Will on dating will be the test for the two writers. Anna must date people she meets in real life, namely men her children pick out, and Will must find his dates online--such a fun concept. 

Anna has no interest in dating for real, but she can go on a few dates to keep her job, and she doesn't have to get her heart involved. Her column goes from distinctly impersonal and devoid of real emotion to funny and eventually deeply moving. 

Anna's kids seem so realistic as a mother. Her son is about the same age as my oldest two kids and her daughter is slightly older. Seeing them navigate the challenges of their parent's divorce and their dad's subsequent new girlfriend to even more changes feels realistic. And I think because divorce has become so common, people can blow over the trauma that kids experience as a result. I know that some divorces really are for the best, but as a Christian, I hate to see how commonplace it has become. And regardless of faith, I didn't love the story behind Anna's divorce. It was realistic, but also depressing at the lack of effort put in between the two. Her ex-husband was a punk even though I did enjoy seeing a glimpse of some good in him. He wasn't an evil character even though he was the source of much pain for Anna. Just an imperfect person for the most part. 

Anna has a range of experiences on her dates. She goes out with a dad from one of her kids' friends at school. He was also bitter about his divorce and seemed to need some anger management therapy. There was a much younger guy who Anna spent a very crazy night with. Thankfully, nothing too traumatic happened on that date. There's a guy whose world is Jane Austen--even to the point of dressing in period costume daily. There's a famous actor that she manages to score a date with and pretty much the only date she abandons early. There's a grumpy neighbor that she has been feuding with since before her divorce. The dates caused a range of emotions in Anna. I enjoyed seeing Anna find more and more of herself through the book. 

Of course, we can't leave out Will. Because Will seems to be constantly one-upping her at work, Anna is antagonistic towards him. He responds with banter, and you can tell that he has no animosity towards her so I don't know if Is She Really Going Out With Him? can be classified as enemies to lovers. Will's backstory was so well planned out. He was just such a good guy despite her initial estimation of him. 

Is She Really Going Out With Him? was surprisingly good to me. I've never read a book by Sophie Cousens before, but I would check out her other books based on this one. I am trying so hard not to spoil anything even though I wouldn't say there are huge twists. I liked that everything felt realistic like this story could really and truly have been written about real people. Is She Really Going Out With Him? gets 4.5 Stars. Have you read Is She Really Going Out With Him?? What did you think? Let me know!