Review: Flirting with Forever

Do you ever want to tell a book, "It's not you, it's me?" I don't know for sure if it was my fault or Flirting for Forever's but I didn't really enjoy my time spent with Cara Bastone's latest novel. I know it can happen from time to time but, man, do I ever get frustrated when a book lets me down.

Here's the synopsis:

Sometimes you get a second chance at a first impression
Mary Trace is bright, bubbly and back in the dating pool in her midthirties. All of her closest friends are in love, and she refuses to miss out on romance. So when a regular customer at her trendy Brooklyn boutique wants to set Mary up on a blind date with her son, she gives a hesitant yes. John Modesto-Whitford is gorgeous and well-groomed, so maybe dinner won’t be a total bust—until he drops a less-than-flattering comment about Mary’s age.
Desperate to be nothing like his snake of a politician father, public defender John Modesto-Whitford prides himself on his honesty and candor. But his social awkwardness and lack of filter just blew it with the most beautiful woman he’s ever dated.
Luckily, Mom’s machinations keep Mary and John running into each other all summer long, and soon they resort to fake dating to get her to back off. When their pretense turns to real friendship—and some surprisingly hot chemistry—can these two stubborn individuals see past their rocky start to a rock-solid future together?

I know I sound like a broken record but I have got to stop reading romance novels that are part of a series. I don't care if they're supposed to be standalones. Too many of them aren't done well enough to actually stand alone. With Flirting with Forever I felt like I was being bombarded with SO many characters and backstories that I didn't feel like I was actually getting to know the main couple. There was too much and it was the first thing to drive me bonkers with this story. I was too busy trying to figure out how Mary was connected to her friends Sebastian and Tyler who were clearly loved up and had been the focus of the previous two books. But even with that, I didn't get a real friendship from them. Oh, sure, they guys were there for her with their girlfriends when Mary had something bad happen (outside of the romance and  I don't want to give it away) and you could tell they cared and there was history but...I guess I was being told that they cared and had history instead of it being shown to me. Oh and that dog on the cover? Not their dog. He belongs to one of the previous couples. John, in fact, has a cat.

I didn't particularly care about Mary and John. They were nice enough people but I would have been happy to have been told, "Oh, they worked out their issues and now they're living Happily Ever After. The end." Though, John had to work just as hard to win me over as he did Mary. He was a total dick to her on their first date and repeatedly discusses with friends that he is, in fact, a dick. Except...he's not. He's an incredibly kind and giving person who may have a few issues with social niceties especially when faced with a woman he's immediately, overwhelmingly attracted to. His behaviour just really didn't make sense and as a hero he wasn't a standout. He was also super hung up on how Mary had lots of money (how did she have so much money?) and he didn't. It's hard to judge in that sort of situation but he was so focused on it and it bothered me. Poor John. He didn't have a shot with me.

I also have to take issue with the book description. The first thing is going to come across as ridiculous and possibly age-ist but here we have it: Mary's 37. Not quite what I'd call mid-thirties. I'm turning 34 this year and I would consider myself in my mid-thirties. 37 is late thirties. But, I guess that doesn't sell as well? Second issue: John and Mary don't actually fake date. It's a convoluted storyline where Mary says she'll date someone else that John's mom is trying to get her to date but she's only doing that so John and Mary end up going home together. But that, my friends, is not fake dating as we know and love the trope. Finally, it talks about their hot chemistry. Um. Nope. Their chemistry is not not hot but it's a super slow build and then they give into it but would we call a drunken make out session hot? Meh. Not so much. It might be a bit much to be so frustrated with a description but I was expecting a different kind of character and a different kind of story so, yeah, I was frustrated.

I think contemporary romances are, for some reason, not for me right now. Normally I adore romances in all forms but I'm having a really hard time getting into the sweet and fun stories. Maybe Flirting with Forever would be a winner for another reader but Cara Bastone's latest novel really disappointed me.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Harlequin, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*