Oh, boy. I hate giving bad reviews, but this is going to have to be one of them.
I picked this up at Target because it was 20% off and I thought the name was clever. I skimmed the back cover and it seemed like a typical chick lit story, so I picked it up.
If you love chick lit, you may like this. Personally, I like a dose of reality and common sense in my chick lit, so I didn’t. I finished it because I paid more than my typical $5.99 bargain book price and my frugal self made me finish it.
Chose The Wrong Guy, Gave Him The Wrong Finger is about Quinn, a thirty-something year old bridal shop owner. When she was twenty-one, she was about to walk down the aisle with her high school sweetheart, Burke, only to have Frank, the best man (and Burke’s brother) burst into the bridal suite to tell her that Burke had cheated on her multiple times and she should consider not marrying him. She doesn’t. She runs off to Vegas with the best man and sleeps with him—once. The story flashes forward ten years.
The writing was decent, which was really the only thing tethering me to the novel. I enjoyed Harbison’s writing style, though there were some bits that I could have done without (IE, the MC speaking to the reader…”You probably think I’m silly, but…”).
Quinn’s character was an attempt at being multi-dimensional, quirky, and self-assured, but came out whiny and petty. She hates the happy brides who come into her shop, calling them manipulative or fake. She provides commentary on how skinny and perfect their bodies are, and tries to mention how much she eats—only to tear herself down for it. It’s very strange.
I was annoyed by her gay friend, Glenn. He was extremely flat as a character, and served one purpose: to be the person she cried to and who challenged her to live her damn life. Not once was she there for him, not once did he have the chance to open up to her. So she’s also a shitty friend.
I was also annoyed at how long it took her to get over these men. Ten years? Ten years. For ten years she wallowed in pity, didn’t date, didn’t move on, didn’t live, didn’t travel, didn’t do anything. No, she literally didn’t start living until some dude (who will remain unnamed so I don’t ruin the story for you) came to town and proposed out of the blue. Seriously. That’s the ending. Her life is miserable and dreary until Prince Charming rides in and proposes.
In a nutshell, it was an obnoxious piece of chick lit. I might try another one of Harbison’s books, but this one wasn’t for me. I rated it 2/5 on Goodreads.
lifebetweenreads.com 