February Reads: 500 pages

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda is the title of my 500 page read by Tara Lee Reed. It is a grown up adventure novel about a young woman, Elle Masters navigating the dating world.  It is an easy read that is fun that you would enjoy on the beach or on a plane. I was great at first dates in my twenties not so great at second or third dates. Or if I made it to regular dating I wasn't quite sure how to transition to being boyfriend/girlfriend or if we were. It was fun and at times uncomfortable reliving those memories. I was famous for picking the same type and then wondering why it did not work out. Until my friends reminded me that what I thought was my type was not working. My first long term relationship that was an actual relationship was with L. And he's a great catch! I love him. 

Most of the other relationships I had I wondered many of the things Elle wonders in this book. To give him your number, turn to section 87. To take his number, turn to section 3. To leave a message after the beep, turn to section 38. To hang up and try again, turn to section 21. To let it go, turn to section 73. To tell him what you think, turn to section 47. Clearly each of these choices you go into thinking are valid options. What should I do? Sometimes you revert to the silly rules of dating and other times you throw caution to the wind or try to guess where it might lead or what he is thinking. And then sometimes what you thought was a solid choice is not the best choice. 

It was a little unnerving reading from a second person voice. Generally most novels are written in first person or third person. This level of interaction influenced many of the choices I made. But then after my scenario would end I had to go back and pick the second option or other back options just to see what woulda or coulda happened. 

I finally figured out midway through that the aim might be to get married. It's a tricky route to get there. However reading the scenario choices you start to feel for Elle, or you, and sometimes this Nick character is a real jerk in some scenarios. So by the end sometimes after you had read the worst case scenarios where he is not a gentleman you wonder in the other best case scenarios if really this is what Elle wants. So to get married (don't worry I won't give it away) I came across a scenario on the opposite page to my scenario END and decided to follow it back. Hey! We've all done it with adventure novels. It kinda kills it then however and you end up reading the scenarios out of order multiple thumbs in multiple pages considering where each choice might lead you and wonder if there is a second outcome that also leads to a proposal. There is. Yay! 

Eventually I read it somewhat linear if I came to a page where I had not encountered that choice I followed it until I reached a page where I knew where I was. And so I read all 510 pages. Likely if I was not on a quest to finish a book with 500 pages I would have given up much earlier because it seemed a little ridiculous after awhile.

There are a few good dating rules. Some are subjective. It is not an advice book. A good dating rule to pick up from this book is to not abandon your girlfriends in favor of a date. The only time this advice doesn't stick is when you are asking him to hang out with your girlfriends for the first time and one of the girls asks you to make a choice essentially picking sides between the girls and his point of view. Advice don't hang him out to dry in an already uncomfortable situation. You can apologize to friends after but also call them on their behavior. Also good advice after you get serious stay busy. Have a life. 

I liked the format a lot and thought this would be a fun way to write a book. On the authors blog you can find a post where she writes about a new novel under way but also considered if she were to make a sequel to this novel with Elle having a second option. What if one of those choices led to something else or someone else. I like the picture she has of post it notes tracking the sequence of options. It gives a look into how complex it would be. 

I think it is fascinating that this author decided to publish this novel independently. Kuddos! That would not be an easy choice. I also love that she is Canadian! Even though the book is set in San Francisco there are a few references to Canada. I hope a future novel by Tara Reed is entirely set in Canada.