My Single Friend - Jane Costello

I picked up this book after reading the blurb and settled down for a read, and I managed to finished this book in one day! This book is about Lucy, a successful career woman who has a string of unsuccessful dates. She lives with her best friend, Henry, who is completely lost in the world of love. Lucy, and her two friends, Dominique and Erin decide to give Henry a makeover to turn him into the “perfect man” and by the end, Henry is a gorgeous, charming ladies’ man – which was the goal of Project Henry. Little does Lucy know that this project has another effect – she begins to have feelings for Henry.

In an earlier review, I gave the book 3.5 out of 5, but I would be tempted to give it a 4 now. Jane Costello has written a great story in her plot, writing style and characters. Sometimes, I disliked the way that the book was a bit too adult but this was a minor inconvenience. Lucy is a great, sassy character and her dating disasters are hilarious to read, especially the incident with the nail! Henry, Dominique and Erin are also likeable characters – which is a first for a book that I’ve read. There are plenty of modern cultural references, which I enjoyed as I was able to understand them. Usually, some chick-lit that I have read refers to instances in the 80s which I don’t have much knowledge of, so it was good to understand things this time round!One major plot point is the leaking of confidential documents about an advertising client – I thought the most likely suspect would be Lucy’s nemesis, Drew, but I thought that Donique’s new partner, Justin, seemed a bit shifty, so maybe he was the one who leaked it to the press. Instead, it turns out that Drew was the culprit, but it did lead to an important event in Lucy’s story. Towards the end, there is an unexpected twist and as I was nearing the end of the book, I was wondering whether the expected happy ending would surface, but the ending of My Single Friend left me satisfied. I think that the first half of the book was stronger that the second but on the whole, it makes for a solid, enjoyable read. Not perfect (but I don’t dish out 5s so readily!) but a great way to spend a day. 4 stars.