Meet Cute by Helena Hunting

3*

Major spoilers:

On the first day of law school, Kailyn collides with former child star and her massive crush Daxton Hughes while she’s “visualizing success” with her eyes closed and he’s running to catch a Frisbee. She gushes like a fangirl, embarrassing herself in the process. Minutes later, she trips in class and lands in his lap for a 2nd time. From this "meet cute”, they carry on a flirty rivalry until graduation when he screws her over to be first in class. Fast forward five years and he walks into her office with his parents to establish a trust for his little sister. He doesn't understand the reason for her hostility, remembering them as friendly rivals. A few months later, a tragedy and ensuing custody battle draw them together again. An inevitable (borderline unethical) romance blossoms, but is it strong enough to survive grief and betrayal?

There are several problems with this book. First, it is too predictable. Hunting uses the same tired tropes and fails to elevate the story beyond the norm. We learn enough about the characters to form opinions, but the witty dialogue and depth of feeling are in short supply.

Second, it seems very dated. Feminism flies out the window when Dax calls Kailyn to help him buy sanitary products and then gags at the idea of menstruation and Kailyn, a short, curvaceous brunette, feels she can’t compete with blond Barbies for the hot guy’s attention and then gives up a great promotion to win him.

Finally, it has several implausible plot points. Would a former teen heartthrob really fall in love with a 30-something woman who still wears and uses memorabilia from his show? Although not spoken aloud, Kailyn says “Freaking teenage crushes die hard.” Can an aunt with a dubious reputation and 3 failed marriages, and who was removed as guardian 6 months prior to the parent’s death, really have a case for custody? There is also no way that two busy Los Angeles police officers would show up at a school dance to “mediate” because minors were caught with booze. How is it that two lawyers fail to see the clues that are right in front of them? For example, Emma’s journal is missing from the same locker where they found the booze and, days later, the aunt is using pages from the same journal to try to discredit Dax.

Bottom line: it’s entertaining enough to read through, but the implausibility of several situations makes it difficult to fully buy in to the story.


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Forever Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.