Goodnight Tweetheart

December 1, 2010

Novelist with writer's block falls for a charming mystery man she meets on Twitter.

Although her swank Plaza Hotel digs might signal otherwise, once-promising writer Abby Donovan's career is not exactly sizzling. Blessed (or cursed) with early fame, she struggles mightily in writing her second book, which is long overdue to her publisher. So when her publicist suggests she promote herself through online social networking, she reluctantly agrees—if only to find another way to procrastinate. Shortly after signing up for Twitter, she catches the attention of Mark Baynard, who quickly recognizes her to be a Tweet virgin. Sharing with her that he is a divorced college professor on sabbatical from Ole Miss, he wins her over with his sarcastic humor and exhaustive knowledge of pop culture. But when he reveals he is actually traveling through Europe for a year, her imagination runs wild, especially when he sends her photos of all the romantic destinations he is visiting. The two quickly develop a rapport, share details of their lives, even go on virtual "dates." A lot can happen in 140 characters or less. Well aware of the false sense of intimacy possible in cyberspace, Abby begins to wonder if taking their relationship to the next level is even possible. Why risk losing what they have? She soon discovers (of course) that her dream man is not exactly who he says he is. She is then left to sort out his truth from the lies, as well as manage her own conflicted emotions. 

Medeiros (The Devil Wears Plaid, 2010) gives her well-matched Twitter couple some very funny exchanges, although a melodramatic plot twist toward the end comes across as a little heavy-handed.

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