Sophie Cousens (Before I Do; Just Haven't Met You Yet) has crafted a lovely story of second chances in Is She Really Going Out with Him?, a novel perfect for fans of Annabel Monaghan or Sophie Kinsella. Anna Appleby, a magazine columnist in Bath, England, is managing single parenting as best as she can. Her sister is encouraging Anna to rise from the ashes of her recent divorce and start dating again, but as Anna says, "I am not a phoenix. I am a dazed pigeon, looking for crumbs."
When Anna's magazine is bought out and rumors of staffing cuts begin, she realizes she needs to up her game in order to keep her job. So Anna devises a new angle for her column: she'll go on dates with people chosen by her children, seven-year-old Ethan and 12-year-old Jess.
Yet Anna's increasingly odd dates--with the postman, the father of one of Ethan's classmates, and a famous actor--are somehow freeing. Newly open to the possibilities of love, Anna finds a connection in an unexpected place. Will she be brave enough to go after what she wants?
Smart and poignant, Is She Really Going Out with Him? is a little bit about love and a lot about fresh starts. Readers who have questioned where life has brought them are sure to relate to Anna's joys and sorrows as she navigates circumstances she never saw coming (fishing hook stuck in a date's face, anyone?). Occasionally laugh-out-loud funny and often introspective, Is She Really Going Out with Him? is a delight. --Jessica Howard, freelance book reviewer and former bookseller