Whatever you do, do not judge this book by the cover, because it’s guaranteed to give you pause. It looks like the couple ran into each at Starbucks and started ripping their clothes off. I figure it must have been chosen because the book is set in New York City, where there is a Starbucks on every corner. But then why not show them groping each other at the Met? Or the Statue of Liberty? How about the subway? Anyway, once I got past that and my initial apprehension about reading another mismatched-pair story, I really enjoyed this book.

Ask Me Again is a reunion romance of sorts. Jace Hoffman and Patience Maghee attended college together. They were acquaintances at best; they had nothing in common and each was irritated by the other. Five years later they meet at a friend’s wedding party. Patience is still a feisty unconventional thing (she has all the necessary rebel accessories a leather jacket, wild curly hair!). Jace is still an uptight and serious adult, but now he looks like Matt Lauer. The two shake hands and are lust-struck. Late in the evening neither can sleep – they are in strenuous denail about their attraction.

After that, variations of the same thing happen. Patience and Jace avoid each other until they can’t stand it, then go on dates that illustrate how incompatible they are (she eats bacon cheeseburgers late at night! He has an ulcer!). Physical attraction overtakes them and still they try to convince themselves that they are “just friends” or “just having a fling” until they find themselves in a relationship. There are no outside obstacles to overcome, just heaps of angst.

This plot is so old it should be in the Smithsonian, but it’s strong proof that when it’s done right, it’s still a darn fine plotline. The characters grew on me. It’s rare to find a heroine like Patience, quirky and hip without being a ditz. Jace is adorable with his salad spinner and aversion to mildew. He’s also inflexible and stuffy, and sometimes a jerk – but darn it, he tries. As the story progressed, I realized that their conflict wasn’t the superficial differences between them. It was that they were two individuals, set in their ways, struggling to find common ground, something many couples encounter.

This is not a book for everyone. You have to ask yourself: when two people are doing the “will we or won’t we” dance, do you (a) get frustrated and yell, “Tell her how you feel, moron,” but keep reading ,or (b) get frustrated, stop reading, and use the book as a coaster? If it’s (b), I’m sure you have enough coasters, so try something else. For me, it was like getting a year’s worth of sitcom in an hour and a half, but even more gratifying because there were no commercials.