Opening Line: “The last thing Nina Askew needed was Fred.”Newly divorced Nina Askew has just turned forty and found her freedom. Of course freedom from her stuffy husband and suburban home comes at a cost and Nina now finds herself a tad on the lonely side. Rambling around her apartment, watching old movies and drinking Amaretto milkshakes with her BFF just aren’t cutting it anymore. She needs something else. What she needs is a puppy; a perky, rambunctious, adorable puppy. What Nina gets is Fred. (Personally I’ve always believed that your dog finds you) And in return Fred finds Alex for her, the decade younger, hunky E.R doctor from downstairs.Fred. This really is his book, he absolutely steals the show here and I found that instead of falling for the hero (which is usually the case) I fell for Fred. Those opening chapters where Nina adopts his depressed, smelly, vertically challenged, morose self from the pound while trying to get herself a cheerful puppy are just brilliant. “Nina turned to the attendant, and said, “I’ll take him.” The attendant raised an eyebrow, “That’s your idea of perky?” Nina gestured to the puppies, “They’ll all be adopted right?”“Probably”Nina took one last glance at the tumbling, chubby puppies. Prozac with four legs and a tail. Then she looked at the other dog, depressed alone. Too old to be cute anymore if he ever had been. “I have a lot in common with this dog” she told the attendant. Yup, dejected, moaning, bra stealing, Oreo eating, smelly, overweight, great lump of a dog. What’s not to love? Anyone But You was my first Jennifer Crusie read and it was a pleasure. With a sweet, uncomplicated (older woman/younger man) romance and relaxed writing style; I can see why Crusie is so popular. This just put a smile on my face which honestly I needed because it’s been a rough month.My only issues would be that their friendship seemed to develop really fast. They met and bam, they were instantly familiar, spending all their time together, watching movies, jogging and hanging out, there was no getting to know period. I also felt that the ending was a bit rushed (word count?) but these are just minor gripes The secondary characters are engaging and addictive and I can’t help but hope they got their own stories (have to check into that -written in 96.)I was also pleasantly surprised by the steaminess of the love scenes. Yeah, nice! And how great is it to read about a 40 year old woman grabbing the younger hot guy. Sure she had some body issues (saggy, things not where they used to be) but this just made it all the more realistic. Cheers 357jb3.5
So after a couple of years of having an on-and-off love affair with the Bitches over at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books - I finally decided to commit. So I went with one of their must-read Romance Authors - Jennifer CrusieI chose to start my Harlequin education with Anyone But You because I figured worst comes to worst, I would love the dog. Needless to say, Fred (the canine protagonist), made the book come to life from page 1. I absolutely loved the hero, Alex, despite the fact that he was self-confident and perfectly content in himself. Huh? Well, I considering my preference in the tortured!hero in every genre, it is somewhat surprising that he resonated with me. And as for the heroine, Nina, I loved her almost as much as Alex - despite her hang up over his age.Halfway through the book, I was high as a kite. I couldn't imagine a book getting any better than the gold I had in my hands. At that moment, the book was warm, comfy, toasty, melted-butter popcorn comfort. I honestly felt wholly content while reading the frigging thing. It was almost disturbing how much I enjoyed it.But I do have one fairly major complaint that ended up knocking the book down to three and a half stars - the last forty pages. The forty pages where Jennifer Crusie decided that the characters getting together meant it was time for them to go bonkers and completely change personality. There was epic confusion, family drama, job crises, and, well, it went on. But for only forty pages. It was just plain odd. I mean, obviously, Crusie sorted it out by the end - but why it was there in the first place still confused me. I wish I could back and unread the last forty pages - because before them I had been ready to write a gushing, fangirling, five star review. Those pages ripped me out of the wonderfully comfortable world I had just gotten used to - and it was pretty shocking to the system.The book is also a little dated. Written in the mid-nineties, the cultural references aren't so out of date - but the thinking kinda is. It was a contemporary romance, without a doubt, but still the assumptions that the characters had to get over just seemed rather redundant. Maybe it's because my generation has a lot fewer barriers to leap over when it comes to love, but I really did have to push myself into believing that the relationship obstacles, were, you know, obstacles.Over all, I consider my first foray into contemporary romance section pretty darn positive. I look forward to reading other Cruise books, and of course continuing my work through the Smart Bitches Rec Pile!
What do You think about Anyone But You (2006)?
Jennifer Crusie never disappoints. Her books are always cute, funny and over-the-top sexy, something a lot of romantic comedy authors can't seem to balance well. All of this is evident in Anyone But You, a story about a forty-year-old woman, softer and droopier than the twenty-somethings her thirty-year-old neighbor dates, who is making a name for herself after her divorce from her stuffy ex. It is cliche as most romantic comedies are, but Jennifer Crusie doesn't allow her book to become some kind of boring prototype. She adds character, humanity, sexuality and personality, even to the melancholy Fred, a dog with a love for Oreos and wonder bras.
—Kristyn
Nina, newly turned 40 and starting her life afresh after a recent divorce, is an instantly likeable character. Her emotional plight, defiance at turning 40 and determination to finally live life for herself are universal themes and it’s easy for anyone to sympathise with and engage with her. Alex, similarly, is dealing with the tension of tracking a life course, facing pressures to choose a career path from his successful family.Nina and Alex have an enviably, and fully realistic, repartee. Despite the brevity of the novel their relationship is not instant and is well crafted by Crusie, blossoming from a friendship with sexual tension to a wonderfully romantic match. The development of their relationship is true to life and doesn’t seem forced or convenient. You can easily imagine that the characters will come across further bumps down the line, but that’s what makes their relationship feel so realistic. The humorous situations are laugh out loud funny without being ‘out there’, the obligatory ‘dramatic’ moment that brings about a watershed of romantic tension works on me every time and I always get that little pitter-patter at the revelation of characters’ emotions.Full review at Rosie Reads Romance
—Rosie Read
What a pleasant surprise this book was!! I loved it from start to finish. Nina's character was just so real, with her insecurities about being 40 in a world that idolizes the looks of a 20-year-old. And Alex's ignorance of the realness of her insecurities was also very true-to-life. Nina is somewhat recently out of a very one-sided marriage, and all she wants is her independence and a dog. And of course, everyone knows that a good pet can be a good connection for friendship - which is all Nina wants, since she's through with marriage. Alex, however, takes one look at Nina and definitely wants more, and the fact that he's ten years younger doesn't bother him a bit. Being a smart guy, he eventually discovers how to build that friendship into more - once he gets past his own insecurities about not being rich.So I guess I'm a convert to Jennifer Crusie, and will definitely try another of her books.
—BJ Rose
