Bad Bachelor by Stefanie London

When I was in college there was an app that was popular for a short amount of time that allowed women to rate and review men that they dated.  My friends and I used to frequent the app and look up our male friends or ex-boyfriends to see what the scoop was.  I don’t know anyone that genuinely used the app to vet dates, however, and most of the reviews ended up being complete jokes.  Apparently the app eventually turned into a regular dating app, but I haven’t heard of it since (until I googled it just now), so I imagine it’s not all that successful.

I swear this story is leading somewhere…

Bad Bachelor is the name of an app that allows women to review New York’s most eligible bachelors, but as Reed McMahon discovers not all the reviews are accurate. Some are downright lies.  He tries to ignore the buzz he’s getting from the app—after all, he’s in PR and isn’t all press good press?—but soon his job and reputation are at risk and the app isn’t so funny.  He needs to find a way to turn things around before he loses everything he’s worked for.

Darcy Greer knows all about asshole men and she wants nothing to do with them—no matter how handsome they are—so when Reed McMahon walks into her library offering his assistance with fundraising she only has one question: What’s in it for him?  However, the more time they’re forced to spend together for the good of the library the more she finds herself questioning the app’s validity.  Maybe Reed can’t be boiled down to his negative reviews.  Maybe there’s more to him than his womanizing ways.

While reading Bad Bachelor by Stefanie London I found myself somewhat disgusted.  In college the LuLu app didn’t seem so freaking awful, but as an adult reading about a similar program I felt my stomach twisting.  How easy it is to ruin someone’s reputation from behind the safety of a keyboard.  As the book progressed and the trouble from the app increased I felt my pulse racing and my heart demanding justice for Reed.

My disgust did not extend to the plot or characters of this novel, thankfully, and I actually quite enjoyed reading about Darcy’s love for her library and Reed’s love for his father (and their developing love for each other, of course).  The insults and sparks flew between these two characters and the app causes more than its fair share of conflicts for their budding romance.  They were so utterly frustrating together, but that made their coming together all the more enjoyable.  It felt like winning a first place prize after a really grueling race.

Anyone who loves their men to be ungodly handsome, cocky, and unable to commit will love Reed McMahon (not everything said in the app was untrue, after all).  Those who love their women fiercely independent, tatted up, and spunky as can be will enjoy Darcy.  Those who love drama will enjoy the explosive relationship between the two.  Fun for everyone, right?

The writing was engaging and the plot was full of little surprises here and there, with some big ones at the end (like who exactly is running this Bad Bachelors app and what are they trying to accomplish by tearing down some of the sexiest men in town?)  A captivating read for many reasons.  Scoop yourself a paperback or Kindle edition here (it's out March 6th!).