Not the Girl You Marry

by Andie J. Christopher

How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days gets a millennial makeover in this romantic comedy by USA Today bestselling author Andie J. Christopher.

“The way Jack sets out to win Hannah back is really the stuff of true romance.”—NPR

Jack Nolan is a gentleman, a journalist, and unlucky in love. His viral success has pigeon-holed him as the how-to guy for a buzzy, internet media company instead of covering hard-hitting politics. Fed up with his fluffy articles and the app-based dating scene as well, he strikes a deal with his boss to write a final piece de resistance: How to Lose a Girl. Easier said than done when the girl he meets is Hannah Mayfield, and he's not sure he wants her to dump him.

Hannah is an extremely successful event planner who's focused on climbing the career ladder. Her firm is one of the most prestigious in the city, and she's determined to secure her next promotion. But Hannah has a bit of an image problem. She needs to show her boss that she has range, including planning dreaded, romantic weddings. Enter Jack. He’s the perfect man to date for a couple weeks to prove to her boss that she’s not scared of feelings.

Before Jack and Hannah know it, their fake relationship starts to feel all too real—and neither of them can stand to lose each other.

• ISBN10: 1984802682
• ISBN13: 9781984802682
• Publish Date: 12 November 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Berkley
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781984802682

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

>YESSSSSS
>How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, (one of my favs) Gender swapped meets The Wedding Planner
>Think the premise & gender swapping is brilliant and worked. 
>Perfect for fans of Nicole Byer’s Why Won’t You Date Me? Podcast
>I really enjoyed it, devoured it. 
>Guess you’ll either love it or hate. I don’t get the hate, TBH. To each their own. 
>Hot steamy make outs and sex scenes
>Totally down for a sequel following another couple
>Liked the characters, fell in love with Hannah quickly. Jack had to grow on me with his too perfect nice guy shtick. But he did. 
>Yay BFFs! Opposites that balance and have the right similarities. This one is not as pathetic and put down as the one in the movie. 
>Oral sex with pubic hair!
>Man with mommy issues and divorced parents
>Hannah is biracial and dealt with an awful hotep ex. 
>I thought it was obvious why Jack was calling Hannah “dutchess” given MEGAN FUCKING MARKLE.
>Jack’s How To article wasn’t as moving as the original in the movie
>Liked this ending better, no complication with moving to further a career
>This is my first Andie J. Christopher book and I’ll be reading more!

[Pigpen.Reads]

This was relatable as a woman of color. It hit close to home in some scenes/situations.

Going into this, I was thinking ot would be more of a "sweet" rom-com. I was wrong, lol. There are some swear words and sexy times scenes. Totally here for it.

I liked the story and the flow of it. A little predictable, but that didn't take away from the story. I enjoyed it!

[bookperson]

This book sitting on my bed side table for some time now and I have no desire to pick it up. I'm dnfing it at this point. (Also reviews from the people I trust aren't great and I don't have time for this stuff)

[blackbibliophile]

DNF @ 16%. I wanted it to work

[Sam@WLABB]

What lengths will people go through for a promotion? He needed to lose a girl. She needed to keep a guy. In this game of mutual "using", they developed real feelings, but would their relationship survive once the truth came out?

This year has been a year of many rom-coms, and I have welcomed them with open arms. I love romance and I love to laugh, so rom-coms fulfill so many of my basic needs as a reader. It didn't take long for me to clearly see the influence of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. But, that's not a bad thing, because I loved that film, and sure enough, I had a great time reading this book.

First and foremost, Christopher gave us a fantastic heroine and fabulous hero. I adored both Jack and Hannah so much. They seemed so put together on the outside, but they were both dealing with some issues and insecurities underneath it all.

Hannah was a pistol. She was a go-getter, and I loved her fire. Her apathy towards love was due to some dismal relationships, and her pain was compounded by her struggle with her personal identity. Every time she brought up an ex-boyfriend, my heart broke for her, because she was wonderful and worthy of so much more. My heart soared, when she started "dating" Jack, because he was one wonderful unicorn of a man.

Jack was handsome and affable. He enjoyed a certain level of professional success, and was known for bending over backwards to please the women in his life, yet these same women had no problem walking away from him, time and time again. Jack talked about his past relationships with a smile on his face, but there was definitely a undercurrent of pain there beneath the smile.

I think I was rooting for these two, because they seemed to connect via their painful pasts, and they just had this ease with each other. They could simply be themselves, and that was ok. They had fire and sparks and banter galore. They were a fantastic match, and I really enjoyed watching real feelings develop between the two.

I was also a big fan of the amazing female friendship Hannah had with her bestie, Sasha. These two were really there for each other, and I loved their dynamic. I was especially excited about the path Christopher set them on towards the end of the book, because it was fun and perfect for them.

But, Jack had a fun bunch of fab friends too. Their interactions were usually quite humorous, but he enjoyed some really deep talks with his friend, who was also a priest. Not only were his friends great, his family was also beyond wonderful. The first time he brought Hannah home put a huge smile on his face. Though this story takes place in Chicago, the men in Jack's family would fit in well with my NYC relatives, and I think catching glimpses of my family members in them simply endeared them to me even more.

I feel like I got what I came here for. I was promised a rom-com a la How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and I got that with a bit of spin and a modern twist.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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