Bad Bachelor

It's been a year since Darcy has even thought about dating. Her almost wedding, her mom's constant nagging and her ex are all reasons she's avoided the dating world. Darcy's two best friends have decided it's time for her to start dating again and introduce her to the "Bad Bachelors" app. They offer to help her find "the one" via the app.

Reed, a PR expert, is asked to help raise money for a neighborhood library. Reed hates libraries, but wants to help his assistant, so he agrees to offer free PR services. Reed shows up at the library to discuss fundraising plans and meets Darcy, the librarian. Reed has no clue who Darcy is, but Darcy knows EXACTLY who Reed is. Even though he's the cutest man she's ever met, he's the bachelor with the worst ratings on the Bad Bachelors app.

As Darcy and Reed work on fundraising ideas, Darcy starts to wonder if some of Reed's reviews aren't completely true. As Darcy begins to unravel the mystery behind who Reed really is, she realizes how judgemental she's been. Reed's abandonment issues, his father's poor health, and poor reviews on Bad Bachelors combine to make Reed an unhappy person. His bosses are on his back because he's losing clients and his dad continues to give him grief. The only thing that makes Reed happy, is his time spent with Darcy. Can a combat boot wearing, goth-dressed woman be what he's missing in his life?

I absolutely loved the idea of a story based on an app!!! So unique! Bad Bachelors reminded me a lot of my experiences with Match.com. Apps, in general, are catchy, fun, and informative. BUT....you can't always believe what you read or see. In this day of technology, photos can easily be fake. Profiles are just words to make one look good, but aren't necessarily a good description of who they really are. I LOVED the opening scene where she and her friends destroy the dress in celebration of a non-wedding. I wish I had thought of that upon my divorce! There was one part I didn't like, but can't mention as it would definitely be a spoiler. Overall, an AWESOME novel! I read a gifted copy and all opinions stated are my own.

Oh, this was so much fun! It's laugh-out-loud hilarious, while still managing to have quite a few poignant moments, and a pretty interesting look at the effects of social media. It also has my favorite last sentences of a book I've read in a while. To be completely honest, this review is going to have a ridiculous amount of book quotes because I absolutely adored the writing and the humor, plus it features my absolute favorite "opposites attract" trope. I cried with laughter, I cried happy tears, I cried because, my goodness, these are some broken characters who get to find their way to a HEA.

“'Apparently, someone started this app that has all the single guys in New York listed and you can rate and review them.'
'You’re kidding.' Darcy blinked. 'So it’s Yelp…for guys?'
'Or Uber? You know, go for a ride and then rate your driver,' Remi said[.]”

Reed has the distinction of being the worst-rated bachelor on the Bad Bachelors app. Initially, he finds it hard to care, as he knows exactly what persona he presents to the world, and his dates: well-dressed, polished but remote, and not interested in any of those pesky emotion things. Working in PR, he understands how to present an image to the world. Darcy, on the other hand, seems like his complete opposite. She's not the stereotypical librarian, with her tattoos and tongue piercing, her 90s goth girl wardrobe (band shirts and jeans, usually all black), and her snarky attitude. At one point, Reed calls her the "human version of Grumpy Cat." Darcy is certainly not impressed by him when her library wins a contest where the prize is pro bono PR representation, provided by Reed himself.

So, of course, they end up working together, and discover that, beneath their personas, neither is quite what they seem, and they may be more similar than either want to admit. While Darcy is attracted to him from the start, she has very good reasons to avoid dating, and his rating on Bad Bachelors (60 reviews!) seem to back that up. Their banter is the best part of the book - part flirtation, part outright snark, part game. The sexual tension from the beginning is excellent, and I loved how at different points in the book each character was the pursuer in the relationship.

“'How did you find Claimed by Cthulhu? It had mixed reviews.' His eyes danced with unconcealed amusement. 'Are you well-versed in tentacle porn?'
'It’s not porn,' she said with a sniff. 'Giant squid monsters deserve love too, you know. It was quite an endearing romance.'”

Besides the banter, there's a fascinating exploration of "crafting a persona" versus "living a lie." Everyone puts forth a certain image to the world, and every day people make choices - through what they say, or wear, or post on social media - to reinforce that image. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, until maintaining that image becomes all that matters, regardless of whether or not it fits you anymore. There's also a very pointed lesson about the effects of social media, and some of the shaming that comes with it.

So, if you're looking for a smart, hilarious opposites-attract rom-com, this is definitely the book for you!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This story was perfect, I love the frenemies to lovers storyline and this book was absolute perfection. From the minute Darcy meets Reed she has preconceived notions about him. She did after all read about him being number one on a bad bachelor app, he definitely did not have any good reviews if you thought you wanted a relationship with him. Reed meets Darcy when he shows up at the library she works at and offers to run a fundraiser for her library. Even though they are opposites there was an attraction between the two. But Darcy knew to stay away because of the reviews on that app. The banter between these two was awesome. Just the way they went back and forth you could sense the sexual tension even though they both wanted to deny it. What worked for them is that they didn’t try to change one another or change themselves for the other person. Reed was able to open up to Darcy just a little bit because when she first met him she didn’t fall all over him like he is used to women doing. Darcy treated him like the cocky jerk she thought he was because of the app and because of that she was honest with him and that made him see her differently.
It was nice seeing Darcy’s strained relationship with her mom somewhat mirror Reed’s relationship with his dad. When Reed and Darcy finally got together it was HOT. This book will definitely be a re read for me, I loved everything about this book. My only complaint was that it had to end.