Book Review: "The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook" by Matt Dunn

Summary from publisher: "It's not me—it's you."

After ten years, Jane's had enough of Edward Middleton. "You've let yourself go," she tells him. "So I'm letting you go too."

Determined to get her back, Edward realizes he must learn how to make women want him again. But right now, he's the kind of man who puts the "ex" in "sexy." One thing is certain: if he's going to be Jane's Mr. Right, he needs to turn himself around. From Atkins to Waxing, Edward begins working his way through the makeover alphabet.

But is a change in appearance what Jane really wants? Can cuddly Teddy really become sexy Eddie? Or is there more to the dating game than meets the eye?

Are you in the need for a funny book? Do you want something that will make you forget about your own problems? Looking for a light read after all that heavy reading? Have you ever wondered what goes on in guy's mind? Do you like hot British guys? If you said yes to any of these questions, then this is the perfect book that will fulfill all your needs and more.

Oh Edward. What can I say about you? Nice guys always wonder why they never get the girl? Well, if you're like Edward, it's understandable why. His long time girlfriend has left him with only a note saying that, yes it is him, as to why she left. But he can't figure out why she has. Therefore the whole book is his quest to become the guy Jane wants and be the guy that is her Mr. Right. This includes everything from changing his car, his apartment, his eating habits and hiring a personal trainer.

Ok, there were times when reading that I wanted to throttle Edward for being so dumb. Oh my gosh, he was so clueless at times! I kept putting my head in my hands and groaning and his lack of knowledge or for just being so dense at a lot of things. There's a scene that Edward recalls about why he never got Jane flowers while they were dating because of an incident involving stopping at a gas station, getting expired roses, and her telling him never to do that again and him literally taking her word for it to mean to never get her flowers again. I was like "ohhhh, no you didn't Edward" over and over again during the first half of the book. The poor guy is literally absolutely dumbfounded as to why Jane left him but as he reveals more and more stuff about their relationship, it's easy to understand why she did. He's not a bad guy at all. In fact, he IS a good guy, in fact he's a really nice guy. But just being nice isn't going to cut it if you're not a good boyfriend.

Granted, Dan wasn't the best person to teach Edward things. He's a total playboy (if this was ever made into a movie, this role would be perfectly portrayed by Jude Law) who pretty much forgets about the girl he was with the next morning. There's quite a bit that he has to learn as well and it's fun watching him grow throughout the book and seeing his character change. Still, most of the advice he gives Edward is food for thought and there is some good changes he instills on him.

This book pretty much had me a fan from the first page. It's really nice to see a chick lit novel written from the guy's perspective. Women always complain about how we never know what a guy is thinking and that he's absolutely clueless when it comes to treating us right. Well, if men are anything like Edward, well then they ARE absolutely clueless! But what makes Edward stand out is that he was willing to change. He wanted to become what he thought Jane wanted and while doing so became the guy that truly was meant to be. This sounds a bit cliched but it's true. I really loved reading this book (hot British guys with accents!) and it's made me fall in love with Matt Dunn's style of writing. I see that he has several books in his backlist so I will definitely be checking those out in the near future. Single, dating, married, doesn't matter what stage of life you are in, this book is TONS of fun. HIGHLY recommended.

The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook by Matt Dunn is published by Sourcebooks Landmark (2010)

This review copy was provided by the publisher