NOT THE GIRL YOU MARRY

A genderbent How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days for the millennial set.

Sparks fly when struggling Chicago professionals Jack and Hannah meet in a Wicker Park speak-easy. He’s a good-looking Catholic boy who makes how-to videos for a digital media company but longs for a chance to do serious journalism. She's a no-nonsense, successful event planner whose dating history has soured her on finding true love. Jack’s editor offers him a political assignment in return for a story on how to lose a girl at the same time that Hannah wants her boss to think she’s in relationship so she’ll be allowed to branch out to planning weddings. Neither Hannah nor Jack knows the other's motivation; this has Hannah deftly thwarting Jack’s attempts to be a terrible boyfriend, making for a very funny read. Christopher (All Hours, 2019, etc.) explores the identity issues Hannah faces as a single biracial woman in an era of hookups and dating apps: “Most guys think I’m just a sex vending machine.” Unfortunately, the poignant racial issues Hannah identifies seem to vanish when she's with Jack, who's white. Jack’s image as a man with “good manners and the choirboy smiles” belies a neediness and insecurity stemming from childhood family dynamics. As Jack and Hannah get to know one another in bed and out, their charade becomes harder to maintain yet lasts longer than some readers will have patience for.

Two go-getters find their career and relationship goals at odds in a humorous and heartfelt take on dating.