Eve has been introduced to Ben multiple times during their college years. They socialize in the same circles, but not near enough that she ever remembers him. Until the one time when it sticks, and the two fall in love. Staying in love will be a different story.
I read this book weeks ago and struggled with what to say about it. This is one of those books where not a lot happens, it just meanders along until you reach the end. And then you move on to the next read.
Cohen crafts a believable story of two bright young people working through the what now of a privileged white 20 year olds in the US. With the Ivy League education behind them, living in New York, what happens next? The jobs that don’t live up to the hype, the Miss/Mister Right Nows rather than The Ones, the banality of clubs and bars…
Most of the story is from Eve’s perspective, and we get to watch her grow up. It’s done well, but it can be frustrating to watch. It’s a shame we don’t get to see Ben’s growth in parallel. He ends the story roughly the same as he begins it, and that’s a shame. It might have been interesting to see what she would have done with him.
Ultimately, I don’t know who I would recommend this book to. It’s not romance. It’s fiction, possibly women’s fiction. But I struggle to think of when I might bring it up in conversation. While the marketing blurb compares it to When Harry Met Sally, it lacks the humor and charm of Ephron’s work to really live up to that comparison. So, we’re left with a somewhat relatable small-scale story in which not much happens and the characters are borderline unlikeable.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in order to facilitate this review.
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