From Publishers Weekly
In this debut offering, you can see Jane date, but why would you want to? Borrowing heavily from Animal Husbandry and Bridget Jones's Diary, Senate's modern romantic comedy of errors follows struggling assistant editor Jane Gregg through the falls and foibles of singledom in her late 20s on the notoriously difficult turf of Manhattan. This territory is so well mined that it is clear on the second page of the novel where Jane's romantic exploits will land her, though the path to that obvious ending is inoffensive enough. Jane herself is alternately sympathetic and annoying, and her often abrasively judgmental inner monologue leads the reader to sympathize with her hapless dates rather than with Jane herself. The most promising aspect of the novel is also its most original the friendship that blooms unexpectedly between Jane and her old nemesis, the perfect Natasha Nutley, whose autobiography Jane has been assigned to edit. In a refreshing change of pace from the standard "girl-makes-good-and-revels-in-success-over-perfect-rival" route, this warm and sometimes surprisingly poignant development carries the bulk of the emotional weight and the reader's interest. The revelation that Little Miss Perfect isn't quite is not a new turn by any means, nor is it managed particularly inventively, but it hits a chord. Without a well-developed or unique voice to carry the story, however, this account of one girl's adventure in dating remains bogged down by its predictability. Senate is attempting to capitalize on a successful formula, and the result is unsurprisingly formulaic. (Nov.)imprint started by Harlequin Enterprises Limited to capitalize on the urban single female market.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Jane Gregg, a 27-year-old New Yorker, is an assistant editor at Posh Publishing, where, to her chagrin, she's been assigned the memoirs of Natasha Nutley, a small-time actress who made headlines after bedding a major movie star. Jane has known and resented Natasha since high school, when pretty, popular Natasha was the envy of every girl. Jane also has her cousin's wedding weighing on her mind because she lied and told her family that she has a boyfriend, and now she has to find a date. Her helpful friends Eloise and Amanda send her on a series of blind dates. The first few are disastrous, but then she finally meets a man who might be the perfect wedding date, and maybe more. It's fun to watch Jane bumble her way through the singles scene and find out that sometimes people aren't what they first appear. Senate's debut, part of a hip new line of romances aimed at young single women, is both witty and snappy.
Kristine HuntleyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
