Single Woman Seeks Revenge by Tracy Bloom, published April 2013 by Arrow.

Read: August 2015
Genre: Adult/Contemporary/Romance/Humour
Source: Goodreads First Reads
#Pages: 368
Get It Now: Wordery

Goodreads Synopsis: What do you do when you find your love-life in ruins? Get revenge on every man who ever broke your heart, of course… Suzie Miller, a disillusioned agony aunt, can’t believe she’s been dumped from a great height yet again (this time by text, straight after they’d had sex… twice!). So she decides the time is right to make every one of her ex’s feel the pain she felt when they carelessly cast her aside.

Her methods are unusual but humiliation on a grand scale is no less than they deserve. Euphoric that she’s finally stood up for herself, she starts suggesting outrageous ways for her readers to deal with their relationship nightmares too. Suddenly everyone wants Suzie’s advice. Finally content with being single and enjoying her blossoming career it seems as though happiness is within her grasp. That is until a man gets in the way.

The Review

I went through a phase in my teenage years of reading copious amounts of “chick-lit” (I despise the genre name, but I intend to do a rant-fuelled post on that later). Either the YA genre didn’t really exist when I was a teen, or I was blissfully unaware of it. I certainly don’t think it was as well-rounded as it is now. But I digress. I gobbled up SO much chick-lit in those formative years, that I sickened myself off the genre and hadn’t read it for a long time. Eventually, the stories became formulaic, the characters identi-kits of themselves. I stumbled upon Single Woman Seeks Revenge while browsing Goodreads Giveaways – the title and blurb called to me, so I tentatively jumped back in to the chick-lit genre…

I was cautious when I started reading this book, not sure of what to expect from the story-line, afraid I would be disappointed by a “weak” female lead and boisterous “bad boy” who would, of course, be the answer to her prayers. I was very, very pleasantly surprised. The story is reasonably fast-paced, with well-developed side characters, and a solid sense of humour. I have to admit though, that I often struggle with humour in the chick-lit genre. Many times jokes will get a snort from me, or a mild giggle of appreciation, but rarely do I laugh out loud, for the simple fact that humour often translates better on-screen in Rom-Coms than in written form. That being said, if a book gets a snort from me, it’s likely a good’un, something to bear in mind if using my review as a point of reference.

I loved the revenge plots, and sadly (but fantastically) some of the break-up scenarios really did hit close to home in their realism! I’ve seen some other reviewers condemn Bloom for Suzie’s inner-monologue, specifically when she thinks some not-too-nice-thoughts about another female’s weight. If I’m being perfectly honest, yes those things may not be politically correct, however I dare you to find me someone who wouldn’t think negative thoughts about a woman (your ex best friend!) who sleeps with and runs off with your then fiancée. Anyone? Didn’t think so.

I really adored the love interest, Drew. Even if the story-line was a little predictable in places, I was still left wondering would-they-or-wouldn’t-they? A testament to Bloom’s writing ability. It has to be said, if you’re having a cynical week (even the best of us suffer from it!), it’s probably best to steer clear of the genre and this book – you just won’t enjoy it. But every once in a while, even the most cynical of us love to languish in a light-hearted, if sadly unrealistic, romantic comedy. While the ending was quite typical of the genre, overall this was a very enjoyable read, which has restored my faith in reading more chick-lit in the future.

The Rating

3.5/5

Have you read Single Woman Seeks Revenge? Or any other chick-lit books you would recommend? Let me know in the comments!