I've seen the weather maps of the USA in the past few weeks and we're in the dog days of summer. Thus, I bring you...a great summer book. Read it at the beach, in the AC curled up on your couch, or even at the pool. Don't worry about dropping this book to run after your kid, your lover, or even your dog. This book is pure fun.

Sure, it tries to tackle some gritty topics, but really, it's just a lot of fun. Alisa Kwitney creates a cute lil NY town for a rough & tumble city gal ends up as she sacrifices one year of her life so her daughter can attend a fabu school that will address her learning disability. But you know the thing about life long NYers, right? Most of them don't know how to drive. Now you get why it's "Flirting in Cars" because a lot of the book takes place in a car.

Zoe, our protagonist, is a feminist, single mom, Jewish, hetero, and life long NYer. Thru out the book we see her deal with finding just the right guy. On page 6 she sums up her search:

The only thing she missed now was the sex, which had been surprisingly good. No telling when good sex might reenter the picture, either, since Zoe was now intent on holding out for a man who understood the distinction between being politically savvy and being politically correct.

After moving to her new town Zoe quickly meets Mack, mechanic/driving instructor/EMT/Iraq War vet and we get this delish description on page 52:

The owner of that wry, laconic voice was a good-looking young man in faded jeans and a plaid flannel shirt worn over a black tee. He had the kind of straight-back posture that suggested some time in the armed forces, and shaggy blond hair that said he wasn't intending to head back there in a hurry. I remember when all the guys my age looked like this, thought Zoe, before they went bald and their bodies began to resemble papayas.

I found the story was best when dealing with Zoe's fish out of water situation. Trying to find decent take-out (she learns to cook, kinda), decent bagels, and of course, other liberals. While the book is funny, one of the rare times I really laughed out loud was when she meets the town liquor store owners:

Zoe felt like doing a jog. Lesbians! She had found a pair of lesbians! If the town was hospitable to wine-savvy same-sex couples, there was hope for other unexpected delights -- Indian take-out, for example, or an internet cafe.

I felt the next scene should had been her marking off "lesbian" on her small town Bingo card.

Zoe does wear on you as she spends most of the book whining about her situation and focused on 'fixing' her daughter in order to get back to NYC. It's not until she goes back home and spends a non-ideal weekend with her BFF, her twins, and her absent husband, that Zoe realizes that isolation can happen in a town of 2,000 or a metropolis of millions. The love story between Zoe and Mack didn't hit me as too dashing. Hmm...maybe I need to read more romance. It was believable, but it wasn't as steamy as the hubby thought it was when he peeked a glance at a page.

I wish there had been more development of Zoe's daughter, Maya. She was the whole reason for the move and yet, I feel like I didn't get to know her despite all the pivotal moments that revolved around Maya.

All that said, it was a good read. I recommend it as a vacation book where you don't want to use much of your brain. Judith Butler this is not. But small town politics, romance, mother-daughter relationships (Zoe is estranged from her parents), and absent (physically & emotionally) fathers give you just enough to chew on to work the noggin. In the end, the big question is "What are you willing to sacrifice or change about yourself for the sake of your child(ren)?"

And isn't that always the $10 billion question?


Meaning that I get an Amazon.com giftcard for posting this review. We do not have to post positive reviews in order to be paid. I'm as honest as I get with this book.

Labels: Books