haleigh's heart strings

Haleigh Berkshire has been dating for ten years, and even though she is only 25, she is exhausted by bad dates. She’s been using dating apps and just having no luck at all. After her best friend Jack had to rescue her from a bad date that surprised her because the texting energy had been so good, Haleigh decides to take a break from the apps. Instead, before she takes a break from dating altogether, she’s going to give her family and friends a shot.

Five friends and family members get two dates each to find her a match. But each potential date has to fill out Haleigh’s questionnaire, so she has some idea of what she’s getting into with each match. She calls it Haleigh’s Heart Strings, and it includes questions like Would you rather drive your friend’s getaway car or help them bury a body? and Eat only French fries for the rest of your life or never eat them again? and Be on The Bachelor or Survivor? And the answers help Haleigh feel out who is a good match or not.

She is hoping to start out strong with these dates, but instead Haleigh meets a guy with an emotional support cockatoo. She goes on a hike with a woman she has nothing in common with. She goes out to a fancy restaurant with a man who wants to fix her finances and tries to force feed her oysters. She’s about to give up when she meets a veterinarian, Brian, who is happy to drive the getaway car or help bury the body. They have great chemistry, and Haleigh starts to feel hope again. Which is good, since other parts of her life are in need of work.

She lives with roommate Stanton, but he’s moving in his boyfriend Ryan, so Haleigh feels like it may be time for her to find a new place. That means finding a full-time job, since her dog walking and freelance editing isn’t going to be enough to pay for rent and utilities. And Jack seems to be struggling at his job, feeling more stress than usual. One of the things that brought Haleigh and Jack together and kept them together as best friends since elementary school is their struggles with anxiety. They have learned how to be there for each other during difficult times, and this is one of those difficult times in life, for them both.

But while the dates with Brian seem to be going well, Haleigh had agreed to go through with all ten dates, no matter what happened. And Jack still has one pick left. And he chooses: himself. After a trip to Hawaii that turned romantic and then disastrous many years before, Haleigh and Jack had made a pact not to date each other and not to talk about Hawaii. But when Jack names himself as Haleigh’s tenth date, they are revisiting the possibility of becoming a couple. And Haleigh has to decide: will she stick with the new guy who she really likes, or go with the guy she’s been in love with her whole life, potentially losing her best friend?

Jenny L. Howe’s How to Get a Life in Ten Dates is a celebration of living as a plus-size woman and finding love and joy with those who know you best. It’s a rom com, but it’s also about finding friends who genuinely understand and support you and taking chances to find the life that you love. Howe is known for writing strong women who are passionate and also happen to be larger, and Haleigh is no exception. She is outspoken and funny and smart, and it’s just so easy to root for her.

I really enjoyed How to Get a Life in Ten Dates. I have had one or two dating disasters myself along the way, and it was fun to read about someone else’s. I especially loved Haleigh’s Heart Strings questionnaire and the answers that the potential dates come up with. It’s surprisingly revealing and could be used by anyone actively looking for the right match for life.

Egalleys for How to Get a Life in Ten Dates were provided by St. Martin’s Griffin through NetGalley, with many thanks.