New Uses for Old Boyfriends by Beth Kendrick

About this book: (from the publisher) After growing up in privilege and marrying into money, Lila Alders has gotten used to the good life. But when her happily-ever-after implodes, Lila must return to Black Dog Bay, the tiny seaside town where she grew up. She’s desperate for a safe haven, but everything has changed over the past ten years. Her family’s fortune is gone—and her mother is in total denial. It’s up to Lila to take care of everything…but she can barely take care of herself.

The former golden girl of Black Dog Bay struggles to reinvent herself by opening a vintage clothing boutique. But even as Lila finds new purpose for outdated dresses and tries to reunite with her ex, she realizes that sometimes it’s too late for old dreams. She’s lost everything she thought she needed but found something—someone—she desperately wants. A boy she hardly noticed has grown up into a man she can’t forget…and a second chance has never felt so much like first love.

About the author: Beth Kendrick is the author of Cure for the Common Breakup, Week Before the Wedding, The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service, and Nearlyweds, which was turned into a Hallmark Channel original movie. Although she lives in Arizona, she loves to vacation at the Delaware shore, where she brakes for turtles, eats boardwalk fries, and wishes that the Whinery really existed.

Genre: Fiction/Women’s Fiction/Chick Lit

Why I read this book: Because it looked like fun.

If this book were a movie, I would rate it: PG-13 for occasional profanity and sexual innuendo

Reminds me of…Jennifer Weiner, Lauren Weisberger, Helen Fielding

This story matters because…it warns of the danger of getting so caught up in what everyone else thinks that we fail to go after what we really want.

My take: This booked looked like fun to me, and so it was. A quick read–I think it took me all of four days–and every page a pleasure. A bit of a guilty pleasure, perhaps, because there wasn’t much too it in terms of takeaway. This is escapism, folks. But still–fun, filled with witty dialogue, a likable heroine, and some clever twists on familiar romantic themes. And it wasn’t altogether vacuous–there were some redeeming themes, such as realizing the impossibility of people-pleasing. It was relatively clean too: it had some mostly mild language, and anything “adult” happened off-stage. All in all, it was an enjoyable, lighthearted read–perfect for packing in a bag for the beach this spring.

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Thanks to NAL/Penguin Books for providing me a free copy to review. All opinions are mine.

After words: New Uses for Old Boyfriends takes place on the Delaware shore, one of the author’s favorite getaway spots. What are some of yours? Leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of her book for your next getaway!