What does every single (and not so single) woman really want? A bad boy of course.
Well, at least that’s the opinion of Seattle Times reporter Tracie Higgins , in this ultimate chick lit novel, Bad Boy, by Olivia Goldsmith. As it happens though, the very man that knows all of her individual quarks and deepest secrets is as far from the “bad boy” persona as humanly possibly. Nevermind that though– Tracie, as tradition would have it, steels away each Sunday night for coffee and a rant about life with long-time friend, Jon Delano.
Jon is everything Tracie claims she doesn’t want in a man: sweet, caring and considerate. On top of that, Jon makes a six-digit salary, working for a high-end technology company called Micro/Con. What woman would want that anyway … right?
From the get-go, Tracie despises her job, making plays to get the scoops and big stories, but always getting assigned the fluff pieces about the best cupcakes and meatloaf in Seattle. Rightly so, she’s convinced her boss has it out for her, and makes it a point to assign her the free publicity piece for every holiday throughout the year-in between his affairs with the other female employees that is.
After their usual Sunday night coffee and heart-to-heart about relationship troubles, Jon is convinced he has to do something if he wants to end this loneliness. Tracie, clearly not worried about how Jon will take it, tells him point blank why he’s not attracting the ladies: he’s too nice.
By the night’s end, Tracie has said more than enough, and Jon is on a new mission: convince Tracie to teach him to be a “bad boy.”
Later, in the arms of her musician turned poet boyfriend, Phil, Tracie decides to give it a shot– if only to further her career at the least. She has little hope for Jon becoming a heartbreaker, but her sights are soon set on writing a successful feature piece over the entire makeover process. The only problem is … well, Jon doesn’t know she’s writing it. Whoops.
Goldsmith does a fabulous job interweaving the lives of Jon and Tracie, infusing them with a little humor and real life situations. The writing is almost too real in some parts, which left me feeling disdain for the character Goldsmith had painted with Tracie, and feeling sorry for Jon. Tracie often comes off as self-centered and shallow, while Jon starts out as just plain wimpy.
With only small inaccuracies in research, like being able to take flights from Tacoma to Seattle (one airport serves both of those cities), this book really captures the essence of chick lit. It’s many steps above your typical trashy romance novel, but still a love story unfolding before the reader’s eyes.
The theory on life I saw carried throughout the book was: you never really know what you have until you’ve lost it. The things you thought you wanted in life change drastically as experiences amount, and sometimes true love is right there under your nose.
Although this fast-paced novel may not get any standing ovations from male readers, it’s a woman and chick lit fan’s guilty pleasure. It’s been on the shelves for eight years now, but still as relevant to real life as it was in the year of the release. Don’t hesitate to pick it up from your local library or bookstore. And ladies–have a tissue handy.