Is She Really Going Out with Him had me laughing so hard I was crying! This snappy contemporary romance features a journalist who agrees to go out on dates that her children choose and then she writes articles about each encounter. It’s a sweet romance with hilarious banter and I loved it!

Anna Appleby writes for a lifestyle and culture magazine and is worried when a new investor tells the staff he wants articles that will reach a younger audience. He specifically wants articles about dating and nightlife and though Anna’s been divorced for over a year, she hasn’t felt ready to date again. But she’s willing to do it if it means keeping her job!

When she shares with her boss that her young son wants her to go out with his classmate’s dad, her boss jumps on the idea and expands on it, asking her to let her two kids choose her dates for her weekly articles. He’s noticed a cynical tone to her recent articles about dating and he tells her readers want to see more hope and optimism. Will Havern is a popular and handsome food critic at the magazine and when he overhears them, he suggests that he do a column as the ‘man about town’ who only has time for apps to contrast with Anna’s stories (a working mum, looking for love in real life).

Anna is frustrated with Will for worming his way into her idea. She sees him as the golden boy at the office that can do no wrong. Women in the office love to flirt with him and the boss thinks he walks on water ever since he brought in an investor. Will can tell Anna’s upset with him and he explains that he is trying to expand his portfolio and wants to write about other things and not be just the food guy, but Anna sees him as a rival and she gets snarky with him when they work together on their new project.

It’s so funny to see Anna on her dates that the kids choose. Her first date takes her fishing and somehow the fish hook ends up stuck on her date’s face – oops. There are more hilarious moments when her son tells her to go out with a fun waiter they meet at a restaurant. He invites her to a party where they are swept up in the music and dancing – I don’t want to give too much away, but they both fibbed about their ages and then she realizes he and his friends are over ten years younger than her (she is thirty-eight). There are more dates, even one with a famous movie star who’s in town (in Bath) starring in a theater production and then there’s the date where she wakes up the next morning with a tattoo! This is Sophie Cousens’ humor at her best!

Meanwhile, Anna’s ex, Dan, has a new twenty-five-year-old Swedish girlfriend he met at his gym and she’s just moved in with him. When Anna checks out her social media, she sees a picture of her doing a headstand in front of a bed – oh boy! Dan and Anna were married for fourteen years and while she thought they made a good team, he started to make changes. He got a new job and joined the triathlon club and they grew apart. She and the kids are adjusting to their lives since the divorce and it’s sweet how her son and daughter are all in for the dating project and come up with men and ideas for her dates.

Anna is getting ready for one of her favorite events at work, her annual trip to a Literary Festival, when Will announces he will be on one of the panels. He and Anna’s dating columns have become popular and Will suggests they drive together – it’s a two-hour car journey – so they can brainstorm new ideas for their columns. He asks her to go to dinner with him after he’s done with his panel. He has asked her out several times (he thinks she’s beautiful) but she turned him down because he’s younger – thirty – and her rival.

But the more she’s around him, she sees how good-looking and kind he is and wants to know more about him. They flirt over dinner and I loved the fun banter between them. They become close as they share about their families and goals in life. He wants a job where he can see more of the world. She wants to laugh again and loves her home in Bath with her kids and her sister nearby. That night, She and Will see each other through their windows and things begin to get steamy as they watch each other under the full moon. Anna is excited they might be starting something, but the next morning, Will suddenly has to leave the conference and he doesn’t explain why, then she sees him getting into a car with a beautiful woman. But there’s more to the story and its special when we see Will spend time with Anna and her kids and they take a chance on love.

There are lots of colorful characters in this story between all the people they meet on their dates and the places they go around town. The ending is pretty sudden, but I loved seeing Anna enjoying life as she makes new friends and finds love again. This is another feel-good story from Sophie Cousens with lots of humor and romance and I highly recommend it.