No-One Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday

by Tracy Bloom

[Leah]

I read and very much enjoyed Tracy Bloom’s second novel Single Woman Seeks Revenge, so when it was announced that her debut novel No One Ever Has Sex On A Tuesday had been snapped up by Arrow, I was super chuffed for Tracy! And, of course, I knew I would have to read the book, having been waiting ages and ages and was very happy to be sent a copy to review, which was ever so kind of the Arrow ladies! I couldn’t wait to dive in, because it sounded like such a fun, bonkers read and Tracy is a very good writer, so I settled in, anticipating a fun, enjoyable read, but sadly, I finished it feeling… not very much at all.

I will preface my review by saying about 80 pages in I stopped to watch the series finale of How I Met Your Mother, my favourite sitcom, and it rather destroyed me (in a good way, I thought it was amazing, but it was also really, really sad because no more brand new episodes of HIMYM) so I went back to my book kinda down, and I was sort of hoping the book would pep me up! It was by no means a bad book, I just didn’t feel it lived up to my expectations. I expected it to be a bit wittier than it was, but I never laughed once, but I suppose can you ask that of a plot that’s about a girl who doesn’t know who the father of her child is?

I think that’s why it took me so long to read it – it’s not my kind of plot. When I read the synopsis, the last thing I expected was to find out Katie and Matthew were both attached (although why else would Matthew be at the ante-natal class, I now realise…). There’s no mention of spouses and boyfriends, so it initially seems Katy and Matthew’s one-night-stand was a bit of fun, instead of downright cheating, on both their parts. I wasn’t a fan of that, I don’t agree with cheating and both their reasons for doing it – Katy as “revenge”, Matthew was “drunk” – again, and it just wasn’t really my thing. Katy’s boyfriend was lovely. A bit childish, perhaps, but y’know that’s what you get when you date someone in their twenties! For the character, I liked Katy, I think she was a bit naive, a bit stupid, but not a terrible person (though you must be something if you sleep with a guy even after commenting on him being married), but it was Ben who kept me reading as I liked him so much! Matthew irritated the life out of me, I’ve never met anyone so stuck-up and arrogant and his actions in the birthing suite were embarrassing.

I wanted to love No One Ever Has Sex On A Tuesday as much as I did Single Woman Seeks Revenge, and it makes me sad I didn’t. There were some good bits, and I did enjoy a few scenes (the scene at Charlene’s wedding, any scene Daniel appeared in) but it just wasn’t really my type of book, which is entirely on me and my own prejudices – I don’t like cheating, and you have to write something really, really good for me to change my mind) and I just feel the book would have been so much better if Katy was just more honest, earlier on and instead it had hinged on that rather than Katy keeping the secret. I look forward to Tracy’s next release, but this one just wasn’t my cup of tea, though it will be many others.