Let's Pretend This Will Work

This is a quirky contemporary coming-into-herself story about a woman who is trying to find what she needs out of life.

I loved the premise of this book but not the execution of the story. I thought the story got bogged down with repetition with Mimi's whirlpool of angst and poor decision-making volleying readers back and forth between Mimi and her two love interests. If I'm being honest, I wanted her to find a BFF rather than end up with either of those guys. 

Truth time: I strongly dislike 'doormat' characters and Mimi might as well have 'welcome' written across her forehead. She's sweet and you want this very naïve woman to succeed and find her way, but she keeps making unbelievably silly decisions that get her nowhere and as a reader that got aggravating. 

There are interesting themes (family, friendship, parenting ..) but they weren't explored in depth and there were a couple issues - a quick friendship (with an unlikely character) and the 180 degree change in two young characters' attitudes towards Mimi that weren't explained. The Co-op daycare setting was interesting, and the children added levity, but I gave up trying to remember their names, connections and their personal issues and that of their parents.

With bits of humour, a titch of magical realism and a lot of family dysfunction, this story has a lot going on but was too drawn out for my tastes. This wasn't my favourite book from this author, but I would recommend reading her earlier book, The Survivor's Guide to Family Happiness.

Disclaimer: I received this book as part of the Amazon First Reads program.  All opinions are my own.

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Author: Maddie Dawson

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Type and Source: ebook from Amazon First Reads

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

First Published: June 1, 2024

Book Description from GoodReads: The search for happiness turns a woman’s life upside down in a warm, quirky, and bighearted novel about the joys and chaos of finding love by the bestselling author of Matchmaking for Beginners.

After too many dates, thirtysomething Mimi Perkins is still single, unmoored, and longing for love. So when Ren Yardley—a handsome, divorced fellow drama teacher and single father—falls in love with her and proposes, she’s sure this is at last the good news her psychic predicted.

Soon after proposing, Ren receives the devastating news that his ex-wife has been in a debilitating car accident, prompting him to temporarily move back into his former home to care for her and his daughters. The unfailingly loyal Ren also wants to keep Mimi close, so she packs up her life in New York City and follows him to New Haven, Connecticut. There, she finds a job and unexpected community at a quirky local daycare. But as time goes by, it begins to seem that Ren and his estranged family might be slowly reuniting, and Mimi has to figure out what she’s willing to fight for and what she needs to let go of.

One thing is for she would have never guessed that her psychic was right after all. Life’s twists, turns, and disasters just might lead her to unexpected happiness.