Book 195: CURE FOR THE COMMON BREAKUP Review



Cure for the Common Breakup by Beth Kendrick
ISBN: 9780451465856 (paperback)
ISBN: 9781101635971 (ebook)
ASIN: B00FX7R6CA (Kindle edition)
Publication date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: NAL Trade (Penguin Group)


Welcome to Black Dog Bay, a tiny seaside town in Delaware known as “the best place in America to bounce back from your breakup.” Home to Better Off Bed-and-Breakfast, the Eat Your Heart Out bakery, and the Whinery bar, Black Dog Bay offers a haven for the suddenly single.

Flight attendant Summer Benson lives by two rules: Don’t stay with the same man for too long and never stay in one place. She’s about to break rule number one by considering accepting her boyfriend’s proposal—then disaster strikes and her world is shattered in an instant.

Summer heads to Black Dog Bay, where the locals welcome her. Even Hattie Huntington, the town’s oldest, richest, and meanest resident, likes her enough to give her a job. Then there’s Dutch Jansen, the rugged, stoic mayor, who’s the opposite of her type. She probably shouldn’t be kissing him. She definitely shouldn’t be falling in love.

After a lifetime of globe-trotting, Summer has finally found a home. But Hattie has old scores to settle and a hidden agenda for her newest employee. Summer finds herself faced with an impossible choice: Leave Black Dog Bay behind forever, or stay with the ones she loves and cost them everything…


What do you do after a near-death experience and an almost engagement quickly followed by a breakup a few days later while you’re recuperating in a hospital? If you’re Summer Benson you head for Black Dog Bay, Delaware, reported breakup capital of America. This is a place where you can wallow in your grief at the Better Off Bed-and-Breakfast, drown your sorrows at the Whinery Bar, or eat as many sweet and chocolate confectionaries to soothe your soul at the Eat Your Heart Out Bakery. You can even shop til you drop at Retail Therapy where clothing is actually divided into categories suitable for your breakup/grief stage.

All her life Summer has been a love-’em-and-leave-’em party girl. Now that she’s been dumped by her almost fiancé after a near-death experience in a plane crash, she’s somewhat lost. She doesn’t know what she really wants and refuses to allow her stepsister, Emily, to “help” her recover, even if it might mean a date with Ryan Gosling (I know…she’s obviously in need of professional help). The last thing she needs is to become emotionally involved with anyone, especially not with the townsfolk of Black Dog Bay, the town’s mayor Dutch Jansen, or the mentor to Dutch’s teenage sister, Ingrid. Unfortunately that is exactly what she does and it all starts with her taking on one of the most notorious summer people in the town and then following it up by taking on the town bully, Hattie Huntington.

Cure for the Common Breakup was a fast and hilarious read. Seriously, I’m talking laugh-out-loud funny due to some of Summer’s antics not to mention her conversations with Hattie Huntington. This is more than just a love story, even though there is quite a bit of romance. Summer recovers from her breakup only to realize that she wants to put down roots, and that she cares more for the people of Black Dog Bay than she ever dreamed. She allows herself to be emotionally blackmailed by Miss Huntington and what ensues are those laugh-out-loud confrontational conversations, steamy romance scenes between Summer and Dutch, and Summer’s ability to put the cares and needs of others before herself. Who knew being an airline steward could have so many practical applications? I loved all of the characters in this story, from the emotionally stunted and comical Summer, to the striving to be perfect teen Ingrid, and even the elderly and bitter Hattie. Ms. Kendrick has crafted an amazingly fast read that pulled me in with the comedy and drama of Summer Benson’s life. You’ll definitely want to add Cure for the Common Breakup to your summer reading schedule, but be warned that your laughter may elicit a lot of unwanted attention. (This was the first book I’ve read by Ms. Kendrick and it certainly won’t be my last. I’m going to be reading as many of her previous books as possible over the next few months.)

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free for review purposes from BookSparks as part of the Summer Reading Challenge via NetGalley. I was not paid, required or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Author: thebookdivasreads

I'm a reader, an avid reader, or perhaps a rabid reader (at least according to my family). I enjoy reading from a variety of different genres but particularly enjoy fiction, mystery, suspense, thrillers, ChickLit, romance and classics. I also enjoy reading about numerous non-fiction subjects including aromatherapy, comparative religions, herbalism, naturopathic medicine, and tea.

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