HOW TO GET A LIFE IN TEN DATES

Forgoing the apps, a 25-year-old freelance editor allows her family and friends to set her up on 10 dates.

Haleigh Berkshire is ready for a break from dating, but her family keeps putting pressure on her to find her forever plus-one. None of them understand why she isn’t dating her best friend, Jack, but they don’t know that five years ago Haleigh and Jack hooked up in Hawaii, almost ruining their friendship forever, and have been following strict friendship rules ever since. She concocts this plan to let her loved ones choose her dates if they’ll agree not to bother her about dating for at least six months afterwards if none of them work out. She has only a few requirements for the dates: They can be of any gender, height, and weight, but they must fill out a questionnaire beforehand, telling her about themselves, and they must know that she’s fat: “There are people out there who are very not okay with that.. . .and I don’t want any of you to inadvertently subject me to that.” The dates go badly until Haleigh hits it off with veterinarian Brian Lee—and when Jack starts breaking their friendship rules, Haleigh has to figure out if she can truly move on from him or if it’s time for a second chance. Howe deftly balances humor with realistically depicted struggles with anxiety. However, it’s clear from the start that Haleigh and Jack are meant to be, and the other dates and an eventual love triangle just distract from their story and create too many pages of them without each other. It’s satisfying when they finally get together, but since it hinges on Jack finally admitting his feelings, not getting his viewpoint in the Haleigh-focused narrative makes for a novel lacking buildup and tension.

A charismatic heroine can’t save this meandering romance.