Dating-ish (Knitting In The City #6) - Penny Reid
My Review - 5 Stars
I recently read an old Modern Love column about a writer and her pet tortoise who became a litmus test for her relationships. After 20 years together, Minnie the tortoise died and she grieved deeply but not everyone understood. She wrote: "People told me about their dogs and cats who had died, and I thought, it’s easy to love the beautiful, the normal. But what about the gifts of loving the strange, the uncommon, the odd?"
When I read this line, I immediately thought of Penny Reid, for what writer traffics in "loving the strange, the uncommon, the odd" better than her? No one, that's who.
Penny's characters are one of a kind. They all have distinct personalities and quirks. No matter their imperfections or what's in their past, they are worthy of being loved. They make me wish I could be friends with them in real life. With Marie, however, I recognized myself.
I didn't have much of an impression about Marie before this. She was always helpful to her friends but she tended to stay in the background, with the exception of her role in Happily Ever Ninja. She struck me as an Enneagram Type Two, someone who is more comfortable giving than receiving and who is always looking to help others. It was wonderful to see Marie in action and to see how much she means to everyone in the group, especially the men. I loved how they looked out for her and how they wanted the best for her. She is one of those genuinely good people in the world. I did not expect to relate to her as much as I did.
Granted, Marie and I are different in some key ways. She's a journalist who has passed the bar twice without ever attending law school. Also unlike me, she hasn't given up on online dating, which is where her story begins.
Marie ends up going on a date-gone-wrong with an online connection. When Matt turns out to be her friend Fiona's neighbor, Marie learns she was part of an experiment that will be used to build a Compassion AI (think Lars & The Real Girl but with a robot). Matt, in all his social unawareness, informs her she's like every other woman in her demographic. In other words: nothing special. OUCH.
Matt is strange and uncommon, a true nerd. He was so confident about his work (and, ahem, in another area) but insecure about what he deserves from others. His backstory made me want to give him a hug. It helped me understand why he thought Compassion AI was a good idea. I loved his sense of humor and every single thing about the way he interacted with Marie, after their initial meeting, that is. They were so good together, first as friends and then as a couple. It's a perfectly paced slow burn.
Marie is assigned a story about the ways technology and services have made it so romantic relationships are no longer necessary. The services are handled with such compassion.
Matt and Marie's conversations about Compassion AI, especially regarding ethics, were fascinating. When you're reading a Penny Reid book, you're going to learn a lot and I highly enjoyed my education in all things robot. Robots already play a more extensive role in our lives than I would have guessed!
As they spend time together, Marie realizes she misjudged him and a wonderful friendship emerges. Matt tells Marie he's not made for serious relationships and that's what she wants. She figures friendship will have to be enough because it's better to have Matt in her life than not.
I experienced every disappointment, every dashed hope right along with Marie. Being friends with a guy you have feelings for is so hard and this dredged up some memories. As Marie grappled with her feelings about Matt, tears were involved. Sometimes we want to be wanted, y'all.
"You should have someone who adores you. Who is worthy of you, Marie." His mouth firmed into a determined tight line. "Never settle for less."
I loved how Marie realized Matt was becoming a crutch, no matter how much she loved their friendship, and how she then took steps to have a healthier balance. That this then led to Matt taking action was the icing on the cake! Cue happy sigh.
I also appreciated the way Marie navigated Matt's emotional baggage. It was spot on. Matt has to recognize his own worth and I'm so glad Marie recognized this.
While I did cry a few times, the rest of the time I was smiling because of how delightful it was. The characters are so interesting and witty, which often made me laugh out loud.
I've loved every book in the Knitting in the City series but none grabbed my heart and soul the way this one did. Ultimately, this story gave me hope. Dating-ish reminded me I'm worthy of my own love story. I don't know how Penny Reid manages to write such consistently amazing novels but I hope her brand of magic never ends.
Synopsis
There are three things you need to know about Marie Harris:
1) She’s fed up with online dating,
2) She’s so fed up, she’s willing to forego the annoyance and consider more creative alternatives, and
3) She knows how to knit.
After the most bizarre and irritating first date in the history of human kind, Marie is looking for an alternative to men. With the help of her friends, she quickly identifies a few possibilities:
Need a cuddle? Use a professional cuddler. Need affirmation? Get yourself a life coach. Need an orgasm? Try orgasm meditation! Why does she need the hassle of a romantic partner when she can meet all her needs with paid services?
But then her irritating date resurfaces. And he’s not at all the person she thought he was. And he suggests a different—and crazier—solution to her dilemma . . .
As everyone knows (or will soon come to realize), traditional relations between humans are a thing of the past. Robots are our future. And if robots are our future, then why do we need other people at all?
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Disclosure: I received an ARC from Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review. Affiliate links included in this post.
