Desert Isle Keeper

Jack and Hallie meet at Colin and Olivia’s wedding (from Mr. Wrong Number) where Hallie is bartending to earn extra cash to pay off her student loans. After Jack’s jealous date loses her temper and throws wine on Hallie, Jack and Hallie end up having a one night stand. Despite enjoying themselves, they decide to just be friends but are soon surprised to see they have matched on a dating app, Looking4TheReal (which Jack snarkily refers to as the Soulmate-Home-Shopping-Network app). They decide to be friends and help each other find their soulmates. And, yes, they make a wager on who can find true love first.

Hallie is looking for someone who likes her more than anyone else in the world. She calls the night at the hotel with Jack her “Rock Bottom Night” because she literally snuck out by crawling out the door and didn’t even know his last name. She isn’t interested in dating someone she had a one night stand with so she signs up for the dating app.  Jack tells her he’s ready for someone important in his life. He knows he doesn’t “get” relationships as well as he might. For example, he couldn’t see that he and his ex didn’t have much in common. He’s realized he was in love with the idea of being in a relationship and wanted to be in one so bad. He still wants to find that person and he thinks he could use some help doing so.

Their dates with potential candidates had me grinning. Hallie’s first date asks her to do his taxes (she’s a tax professional) and he doesn’t react well when she says no. She has another date who is independently wealthy, gets up at noon and plays video games all day. #manchild  Jack has a date that is beautiful but only speaks in monosyllabic answers and another that–you’ll have to read it!–gets upset at him about orangutans, which was funny. These encounters bring wonderful humor to the novel–I literally kept laughing out loud!

After each date, Jack and Hallie send texts to each other discussing how the dates went. These missives are also hilarious. Hallie shares that she picked her first date by choosing the first guy without a dead creature in his profile picture. My favorite is when they try speed dating together and end the evening at Taco Hut, eating and laughing as they discuss their insane speed dates. They are just so entertaining together.

Jack and Hallie are both fun-loving and successful. Jack is a landscape architect and Hallie, a corporate tax accountant. It is a nice breath of fresh air that neither one is struggling with major baggage. Their obstacles to happiness in life are that they’re both lonely and want to find someone to truly love. Of course, once Hallie starts to meet dates she likes, Jack finds he is jealous of Hallie’s dates. And it’s not too long before Hallie notices how beautiful Jack’s dates are…

As the two become friends, they become… something more. Jack helps her move into her new apartment and they watch movies together with her new cat, Tigger. Hallie tells Jack that she needs a date for her sister’s wedding in Colorado because her date backed out on her. The wedding stresses her out.

Her ex, Ben, will be the best man at the wedding and she is afraid she will look pathetic if she goes alone. (Ben broke up with her after several years of dating. He said he didn’t love her and she has been feeling insecure ever since.) Jack offers to come with her, as her fake date, and Hallie finds she is looking forward to being in Vail with Jack. When they get to the resort hotel in Vail, of course there is only one bed in their room and soon they are having an awesome time and things get hot.

But, there are still a few more hurdles for them to work through and I thought this part dragged a little. I would have liked to have seen them communicate their feelings sooner, but still, this story kept me smiling and I finished it happy I’d read it.

One of the great strengths in this book is the secondary characters. Jack has a close friend named Colin who, along with Jack’s sister, Olivia, try and help Jack with his dates. Colin and Olivia are the ones who help him sign up for the dating app and I enjoyed watching their efforts to try and help Jack find his soul mate. Another fun character in the story is Hallie’s roommate, Ruthie. She is ridiculous and wonderful; she rides a motorcycle year round, is part of a secret boxing club, and loves to bake. Hallie is ready to move into her own apartment but is afraid to tell Ruthie because she is so unpredictable.  The interactions between the two women are funny and the animal lover in me loved that a cat is involved.

I happily recommend this feel good romance. It made me laugh and root for Jack and Hallie. I think you will too!