The Accidental Proposal - Matt Dunn

Edward Middleton is finally getting married, or so he thinks. He cannot be sure whether the night before was a true proposal or simply an informal talk about his feelings on marriage with Sam. Needless to say, Edward perseveres with the wedding, and things only get much tougher from thereon. Their ideas of the perfect wedding clash (with Edward wanting a wedding with all-the-frills and Sam wanting to keep it a more low-key affair), Edward’s ex-girlfriend Jane returns, Sam may be cheating on Edward, and Edwards wakes up the morning after his stag night to see a mystery woman leaving his side in his hotel room. Will Edward and Sam’s wedding ever take place, or will their relationship survive?

Having enjoyed the previous 2 books in the series, The Accidental Proposal was a disappointing read. It felt overlong and Edward’s constant rambling and obsession about his love life is ever more present this time around. He jumps to conclusions, and refuses to listen to sensible advice (although it does come from Dan). Edward is a more frustrating and annoying character this time around. Dan’s story is that he wants to change who he is to win “The One Who Got Away” Polly back at Edward’s wedding. Apart from that, there isn’t much of a plot. Actual events are few and far in between as most of the text is taken up with Edward’s obsession about his relationship.

Although the book is overlong, the story ends at an odd place as it leaves many things unresolved (is there another sequel in the pipeline? Could I take another sequel?). Edward has so many insecurities and trust issues that it is questionable whether his marriage can be a success. If things are this bad now, they can only be amplified later. Sam is far too good for him, and whether Dan reforms his character and manages to win back the girl remains unanswered.

Not the best of sequels to a promising and funny series. 2 stars.

Ex-Girlfriends United - Matt Dunn

Dan Davis is not a happy chappy – he is finding it hard to meet women, and it is all thanks to new website Slate Your Date, where he has truly been slated. Dan knows that this is not good – for his sex life and his career, in which he has just won the part of aptly-named Wayne Kerr in the new ITV5 soap, Close Encounters. He hatches a plan with his best friend Edward to get rid of these bad reviews before he starts appearing on-screen. Meanwhile, Edward has troubles of his own: things with his girlfriend, Sam, couldn’t be better, but he didn’t account for the return of his ex, Jane, and it seems that she wants him back…

A sequel to The Ex-Boyfriend’s Handbook, Matt Dunn presents another easy reading tale featuring the characters we got to know in the first books. Dan is still as obnoxious and arrogant as ever, Edward is still naïve and manages to land himself in the most luckless of situations but both provide good entertainment.

Although the blurb suggests it is more about Dan, the story actually focuses on Edward more, who has to deal with Jane’s return ever since she suddenly left him in the first book. It becomes plainly obvious that Edward should cut off all ties with his ex, but this doesn’t seem to enter his head, and the situation escalates until it reaches the heights of arghhhhhh! Soon, Edward is in danger of losing his smart, funny and beautiful girlfriend. We also see another depth to Dan’s character. At first glance, he appears shallow and heartless but there is one woman whom he truly loved…and lost: Polly. Dunn’s development of the characters and their relationships (for instance, Edward’s friendship with Dan, his relationship with Sam) is excellent, and this is a great read. It waivers slightly when Edward dithers about Jane and what he wants but I enjoyed reading this, although it wasn’t as good as the first book in my opinion. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Accidental Proposal. 3.5 stars

Best Man by Matt Dunn

Adam is shocked to learn that best friend Nick is getting married and even more shocked to meet Nick's fiancee, Sandra. Clearly she is far from suited to Nick and only interested in his money but how can Adam persuade his best friend to see this, especially as he is asked to best man for their upcoming wedding?

Best Man is a well written, funny and crude story. Although the story is centred around Nick's wedding, it takes a closer wedding at Adam and his views on love & commitment, & how his world is turned upside down after meeting Charlie, an applicant for a PA role at his internet porn company. Adam's story is witty but emotional as he is faced with deciding what he wants from life. Although the themes and events are nothing new, this is a solid read from Dunn. 3 stars

My Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook - Matt Dunn

This story slightly parallels Lindsay Kelk’s “A Single Girl’s To-Do List” in that it follows a break up of a relationship and the main character’s journey into transforming themselves to be a different and stronger person. Instead, it follows a man’s journey, Edward, who has been “dumped” by his girlfriend, Jane. His womanising minor-celebrity friend, Dan, takes it upon himself to produce an Excel spreadsheet listing the changes that Edward must go through in order to become more attractive and win Jane back, and agrees to help him personally to achieve this. Dan is a horrible character in terms of his attitude towards women, but at times, his stupidity can be endearing, and it is shown that he really values Edward as a friend, despite his clumsy attempts to help him. Dan’s interaction with the barmaid Wendy, who is angry with Dan for the way he mistreated her flatmate, is spiky and punchy, and did lead me to wonder whether the two would get together at the end of the book. What eventually happens to Dan and who he ends up with at the end is a surprise.

Edward is a character you can sympathise with, and as the story goes on, and more about his relationship with Jane is revealed, you do start to wonder whether Edward should be concentrating on winning her back, and it is a question that Edward does come to ask himself. Dunn has managed to craft a great story and good characters who gel really well together. The different things Edward does as part of the Excel spreadsheet are hilarious and the dialogue is well written. By the time Edward sees Jane again, what happens is quite a poignant moment. This book is a great read, I couldn’t put it down and managed to finish it in a day! It is interesting to see how a failed relationship plays out from a male perspective. 4 stars