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For Better, for Worse: A Novel
 
 
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For Better, for Worse: A Novel [Paperback]

Carole Matthews (Author)
3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)

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Book Description

April 16, 2002

After her marriage to Damien ended in disaster, Londoner Josie Flynn -- thirtysomething and single again -- is flying across the ocean to her American cousin's "big mistake" wedding. In her present "love stinks" frame of mind, the last person she expects to be seated next to on the flight is someone like Matt Jarvis. A recently divorced rock journalist, Matt is sensitive, good-looking, and remarkably attentive -- and before their plane touches down, Josie's smitten. So how can she hope to convince her cousin to cut and run when Josie is all ready to leap into love again -- with a stranger, no less, who might be just another Mr. Totally Wrong in Mr. Seductively Right's clothing?

The point is rendered moot, of course, once they deplane and she and Matt go their separate ways. After all, Josie's got prenuptial confabs to worry about and that dreaded lilac chiffon bridesmaid's dress to wear. But Dante himself couldn't have dreamed up the hell this wedding is proving to be -- and when her dream hunk reappears and throws himself into the mix, Josie finds herself wondering how she -- or any unattached modern woman, in fact -- can hope to survive the new romantic rules of the twenty-first century.

Already a bestseller in the U.K., Carole Matthews's For Better, for Worse is a deliriously droll, dead-on tale of marriage, sex, monogamy, and modern love.


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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Josephine Josie Flynn is a latter-day Bridget Jones, but without the cuteness, the sardonic humor or the wry introspection that made Ms. Jones so lovable (and her story so profitable). In this novel by bestselling English author Matthews, Josie is newly single and en route from London to her American cousin's wedding in New York, when she meets Matt Jarvis, an aspiring rock journalist who captures her attention and asks for a date as soon as their plane touches down. When they just miss each other at the appointed restaurant, madness ensues as Josie's ex-husband decides to jet to the wedding to win her back, and Matt becomes entangled with a publicist for a regrettable boy band, which covers the Beatles but doesn't even know who they were. There are moments of comedy and others of introspection in Matthews's book about the single life and how singletons strive to overcome their lot (often, it seems, by attending weddings, even ones to which they haven't been invited). Despite some humorous inventions (such as the Conversation Termination Sequence, an escape hatch from endless phone calls with her bodily functions¤obsessed mother) and melancholy revelations ( somehow she was going to have to let the barriers down again, otherwise no one would ever get inside her protective shell to find the real Josie hiding there ), Matthews mostly fails to mine a deeper meaning from the characters and situations she creates as she entertains her readers with serendipitous trysts and near-misses. Still, Josie, unlike Bridget, never carps about her weight, and for that women readers can be thankful.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The cute journalist sitting next to her on the flight from London to New York is exactly what Josie Flynn needs to take her mind off her cheating ex-husband and her mother's I-told-you-so's. When he shares his own divorce story, buys her a drink, and invites her to dinner in New York, she feels pretty smug about the way her life is looking up. Then he doesn't show for the date, the wedding Josie is attending turns into a fiasco, and her ex-husband flies in from London to try to charm her back. And that doesn't include what happens to the cute guy when he tries to track her down in New York with no more information than a bride's first name. British author Matthews makes her American debut with this light, funny novel. A natural for the beach, it will charm Bridget Jones fans on both sides of the Atlantic; film rights have already been sold. Patrons will want to be first in line to read this one. Recommended for all public libraries. Kim Uden Rutter, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; 1 edition (April 16, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0380820447
  • ISBN-13: 978-0380820443
  • Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,393,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carole Matthews is an internationally bestselling author of hugely successful romantic comedy novels. Her unique sense of humour has won her legions of fans and critical acclaim all over the world.

As well as appearing on the Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller lists, Carole is published in 24 different countries. Her novel Welcome To The Real World was shortlisted for the RNA romantic novel of the year award.

In the USA, the hilarious For Better, For Worse was selected by one of America's top TV book clubs - Reading with Ripa on LIVE with Regis and Kelly - as their book of the month. As a result it went straight into the USA Today and New York Times Extended bestseller lists.

Carole co-edited two editions of the hugely popular Girls' Night In charity series called Girls' Night Out - one for the USA and one for Canada. All proceeds go to War Child. She has recently contributed a story to an anthology for the Romantic Novelists' Association, Loves Me, Loves Me Not. Carole has presented on television and is a regular radio guest.

Born in St Helens, Merseyside, Carole has always been an avid reader and dreamed of being a teacher, an air traffic controller, a travel guide or a hairdresser - writer never featured once. Leaving Liverpool for London after a torrid holiday romance in Torquay, she worked as a secretary, an ice-cream lady, a shop assistant and a beauty therapist. It was when she was working in a completely mad holistic clinic that she first thought 'one day I should write a book about this.' She still hasn't got round to it.

 

Customer Reviews

78 Reviews
5 star:
 (22)
4 star:
 (21)
3 star:
 (16)
2 star:
 (8)
1 star:
 (11)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.4 out of 5 stars (78 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Tiring, After a While, January 27, 2003
This review is from: For Better, for Worse: A Novel (Paperback)
I started off really enjoying For Better, For Worse. It was a light, humorous romantic comedy told from an omniscient perspective instead of the typical first-person narrative. I found that refreshingly different. Josie Flynn leaves her native London and her pining, cheating exhusband for a brief trip to New York to be the maid of honor in her cousin's wedding. While on the plane, she meets Matt, a charming English man, and they hit it off immediately. Sometime after Jo arrives in NYC, the novel starting losing most of its appeal. All the characters began behaving rather idiotically and the whole thing became annoying. I realize you must suspend your disbelief with a romantic comedy, but most of the occurences were a little too much, for various reasons, for this to be an enjoyable novel.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Definitely different..., October 4, 2004
By 
Always Reading (sunny california) - See all my reviews
This review is from: For Better, for Worse: A Novel (Paperback)
This book started off good, and I really liked the way it was written - focusing on a bunch of different characters one by one and seeing what they were up to at that moment in conjunction with the plot. So that was cool. As the book went on, though, I began to get a little annoyed. Am I supposed to believe that after one great day, two strangers can think of nothing but each other and are going to such great lengths because they've both fallen in love with each other? I wish they'd either been together a little more at the beginning or at the end, as I didn't really feel any chemistry between them. It was an OK book overall - although the ending seemed rushed and I wish I could have known what happened after that, it wasn't very satisfying for me - but I'm rather disappointed that I bought this book at full price and am now stuck with it, since I'll probably never reread it. I'd recommend this to you only if you buy it at a used bookstore or check it out from the library and aren't expecting the best book in the world. Maybe if I'd set my expectations lower, I would have enjoying it more. :-/
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Wrong couple???, September 18, 2005
This review is from: For Better, for Worse: A Novel (Paperback)
I have to admit that I did like the book, in terms of the writing style. However, the ending was so abrupt and unbelievable. I wanted to know what happened with their relationship after those first five minutes back together. Also, I think Matt should have ended up with Holly, since he spent more time with her than the heroine of the book! Are we really supposed to believe that he's in love with Josie after everything he did with Holly?!?! You can probably tell that I was annoyed by this book A LOT, but it was funny!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
"I still think about you." Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
wedding manor, courtesy room, duty manager
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Uncle Nunzio, Matt Jarvis, Josie Flynn, The Cat Formerly Known As Prince, John Lennon, Long Island, Uncle Hymie, Holly Brinkman, Bill Gates, Aunty Dolly, Central Park, Azekal's Manhattan Motel, Damien Flynn, Glen Donnelly, Jack Daniel, Josephine Flynn, Zeppe's Wedding Manor, Martha Rossani, Battery Park, Big Apple, Brad Pitt, Royal Doulton, South Park, Yoko Ono
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