Book Review: "Ex-Girlfriends United" by Matt Dunn

Summary from BN.com: Ever wish you could let the world know just what you think of your ex?

Thanks to SlateYourDate.com, Dan Davis has discovered that long after he's dumped them, ex- after ex-girlfriend is dumping on him-all over the Internet. And it's ruining his dating life.

Faced with the prospect of a lifetime of singledom, Dan must track down his many exes in order to put things right. Along the way, he discovers he has much to learn about himself. Particularly when he meets up again with Polly-and realizes he wants her back. Can Dan convince his former love he's changed? Can his friend Ed convince him he needs to change in the first place? And can the two friends use their newfound knowledge to help other men in the same boat?

As The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook was one of the funniest books that I've read this year, I was thrilled to see another book featuring those lovable characters again. If you are a fan of British chick lit and are interested in seeing how things are from a guy's point of view you will love this book. I would recommend reading Ex-Boyfriend first because it really gives good background info about the characters that is crucial to understanding them in this volume. Plus it's a hilarious read.

From the description of the book, I thought this story was going to be focused solely on Dan and told from his point of view about his relationships with women. Instead the book is still mostly about Edward and his relationships with some focus on Dan, his past relationships and how he tries to change himself. I have no problem with this because I enjoy Edwards POV, but I still think it would have been interesting to see things from Dan's side. Then again the thought process we get from him through Edward seems a bit illogical at times so maybe it's best we don't.

To be honest, when the ending of the book comes around, I still don't really think that Dan has changed all that much. Yes he's come to understand that he's been a real jerk and he's learned the reason of why he does act like this towards women. But as for actually changing his entire personality and how he will treat women in the future remains to be seen.

What I love best about this book is that Dunn's writing is so funny and fresh. Edward, Dan, Sam and all the others literally leap off the pages and take you into their lives. There were many, many, many times when I burst out laughing while reading. There were also many times when I groaned because I couldn't believe after everything that happened from the last book, Edward is still that dense. It really does help to explain how guys think though. Dan has the knowledge, but he's a jerk. Edward is a nice guy with good intentions, but he's absolutely clueless. Put them together minus the bad bits and you have the perfect guy?

Since I love these characters so much, I was thrilled to see that there's a third book featuring all of them again, but as of now I believe it's only published in the UK. Hopefully soon it'll be in the US because I cannot wait to read it. I honestly feel like the author had a fun time writing this book because the story just moves along so fluidly and characters say things that make you guffaw. I had such a fun time reading it and if you share any of my tastes at all, I believe you will as well. HIGHLY recommended.

Ex-Girlfriends United by Matt Dunn is published by Sourcebooks Landmark (2011)

This review copy was provided by the publisher