Twenty-one Truths About Love - Matthew Dicks

I think there might be mixed feelings about the format of this book—told mostly in lists—but I thought it was engaging and made for a fast-paced read.

 

(yes, you know I’m totally going there with the lists)

 

This book has so much going for it:

  1. a smart, charming, funny protagonist…
  2. who quits his job to open a bookstore.
  3. Ok, yeah, so that was really enough to get me to read it.

 

But, as we all know, owning a bookstore is not a get-rich quick scheme. So, when the business starts to fail (or actually, never really gets off the ground),

does Daniel Mayrock decide to:

  1. Host author events
  2. Promote the store in social media and in town
  3. Talk to his wife?

 

No, he does not. Instead, he comes up with an idea to get out of debt that is:

  1. Spectacularly far-fetched
  2. Kind of insulting, at least to this reader.

 

What happened to smart Daniel?

  1. He became a wimp
  2. The story went off the rails
  3. I kept waiting for him to say, “yeah, I was kidding. It was a joke.”
  4. He did not.

 

But wait, you gave it 4 stars!

  1. The writing was so engaging that I finished it despite being annoyed.
  2. I am hoping that next time Dicks stays true to his character, because Daniel deserved better.
  3. But I can’t wait for the next one, because this was a story with heart.
  4. I am a sucker for heart.
  5. Who isn’t?