Getting Over Mr. Right

July 1, 2012
Ashleigh and Michael met at a party. Ashleigh and Michael dated for two years. Michael dumped Ashleigh. Ashleigh, unable to get over the breakup, spirals deeper and deeper into a heady mix of depression, frantic self-improvement, and a little light sorcery. Even if you've never knitted a voodoo doll of your ex-boyfriend (but perhaps thought about it), you'll relate to Getting over Mr. Right, a quirky, funny tale of one woman's recovery from a particularly bad breakup. Manby gives a common chick-lit trope some needed gravitas as Ashleigh's attempts to pull herself out of her relationship drama prove that a pint of ice cream and a good cry aren't always the magic cure for heartbreak. While some of Ashleigh's actions seem outlandish, those who've been rejected, wronged, or just rebuffed will see glimpses of themselves in Manby's protagonist. The prose is light and witty, with all loose ends neatly wrapped up by the book's final pages. Ideal for the beach-reading season and loyal chick-lit fans, the novel is alternatively cringe inducing and deeply relatable.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)