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Most of us could tell some blind date horror stories—about the set-up that went terribly wrong. And in Then I Met You by author Matt Dunn, a couple is sent on an ill-advised blind date that goes from bad to worse before turning into something that could possibly have potential.
The story goes on an unexpected blind date with Simon, a lonely barista who gave up on love two years ago, after the love of his life was killed in an accident. Convinced that Simon needs to get himself back on the market, his best friend, Will, sets him up on a blind date for a feature in the local paper—without Simon’s knowledge. He soon meets Lisa, who has horrible taste in men. The two bicker and clash, but they eventually begin to realize that it might not be the worst date ever.
From the start, Then I Met You is filled with ups and downs—even more than the typical relationship. It definitely doesn’t help that Simon nearly runs Lisa over with his car before they even meet—and what follows is just one disaster after another. It’s pretty obvious that these two just don’t get along—yet the author keeps hinting that there’s something else there. At first, it’s a thought or two. Simon starts to realize that maybe it is time for him to start thinking about meeting someone else. Lisa starts to realize that, even if Simon isn’t the guy for her, maybe there are better guys out there—that she can be loved as she is. Of course, there’s more to this story—and as one mishap after another keeps the two together, their long, lingering, disaster of a date turns into the hint of something else.
The biggest problem here, though, is that, often, the characters aren’t especially likable. Sure, they may have a history of heartbreak, but that doesn’t really excuse them from being obstinate and rude. Since it’s a romantic comedy, readers are supposed to root for this unlikely pair to overcome the obstacles and their differences and meet in the middle in the end—but, at times, you’ll feel so bad for the person on the other end of the childish behavior and nasty comments that you’ll just want them to go their separate ways and put each other out of their misery.
Matt Dunn knows how to take the typical rom-com and turn it into something new, but this isn’t his best. While Then I Met You definitely some fun twists on the same old story, the characters won’t exactly leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
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