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If we’re being truly honest, most women will admit that, at some point, we’ve met some smart, funny, handsome guy—and before the waiter had even brought dessert, we’d already planned the wedding. For those who regularly find themselves planning the honeymoon before the second date, there’s Love Rehab, the irreverently insightful novel by Jo Piazza.
Love Rehab follows newly-dumped Sophie on the twelve steps to recovery. After long-time boyfriend Eric leaves her for his floozy secretary, Sophie escapes her life in Manhattan and hides out in her late grandmother’s house in New Jersey, where she spends her days cyber-stalking her ex and leaving him pathetic voicemails.
When Sophie joins her hard-partying best friend, Annie, at a court-ordered Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, she’s hit by a sudden realization: she’s a love addict. So, with some help from Annie and her new counselor, Joe, Sophie starts her own support group—Love Addicts Anonymous—for women who need to recover from their addiction and get their lives back on track.
Even if you haven’t wrestled with your own love addiction, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve known someone who was deeply, madly in love with the thought of being in love. Never satisfied with the single life, she (or maybe even he) would bounce from one obsession to the next. She’d rehash every conversation, analyze every word in every email. Then, when the object of her obsession failed to answer her fourteenth call of the day, she’d phone you in tears, wondering what she did wrong. And you’re sure to see that friend (and maybe even yourself) in the pages of Love Rehab. You’ll smile and nod as you read about the group’s members and their tales of lost love, relating their stories to your own.
Still, Love Rehab isn’t just wickedly observant and brilliantly thoughtful. It’s also genuinely funny. If you think you’ve been unlucky in love, just wait till you read some of the stories told by the members of Sophie’s new support group. Though it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of all of the women and their stories, you’ll enjoy reading each one.
Of course, there’s also a touch of romance woven into the story—it wouldn’t be chick lit without it. But while you may be tempted to roll your eyes at the predictability and needlessness of the romantic subplot, give this one the benefit of the doubt—because while it definitely isn’t necessary, it’s handled surprisingly well.
If you’re married (or happily attached), Love Rehab is sure to bring back memories of your single days—and it’ll make you all the more thankful that you’re no longer out there. If you’re single, however, it can be used as both wildly entertaining chick lit and self-help handbook. From time to time, even the strongest of women get caught up in the quest for coupledom—and this fun-filled novel will serve as a friendly reminder to take things one day (and one date) at a time.
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