Wild Goose Chase

A rivalry that's spanned decades, Olivia and Dezz have been fighting since they were five years old. Through the playground, high school, and now at a New York magazine he's always known how to push her buttons. Fed up with their childish bickering, their boss banishes them from the office and sends them on a two week timeout. The setup is a bit contrived, but the banter is snappy and the road trip is fun.

I enjoyed the first half of the book, but had a hard time buying these characters as contemporary 29 year olds. Without the few scattered technology references, you'd think this book was set in 1992 there was so much disconnect. I also didn't think that two people who got together and broke up every five minutes should have rushed down the aisle. What's wrong with dating until you've worked all the kinks out? Are they keeping a divorce lawyer and priest on retainer for when they get divorced and remarried every other Thursday?

Still, a pretty decent beach read on par with Susan Elizabeth Phillips' fare.

Every now and again I find an author with a new book release who I just have to tell the world about. Jan Romes and her new book Wild Goose Chase are just that author and book!
Olivia Pence and Dezz Casey have known each other forever - literally! From kindergarten, through grade school, to high school where they were co-valedictorians. They even work at the same magazine as writers.
Dezz has loved Olivia since the first moment he saw her, and like any little boy does, he showed his love in annoying, obnoxious little boy ways, like tripping her in school, or teasing her at the worst moments possible. Unfortunately, he continued that means of showing his affection into adulthood.
The duo have a relationship that not only pits them against one another, but that pushes them towards competing with one another, something they both seem to thrive on and which works for them. Up to a point, that is.
Dezz is quite literally a thorn in Olivia's side in every way imaginable and all she wants to do is be free of him. Or does she?
I don't like spoilers so I won't go too much into the plot line because you should really read this charming story for yourself.
What I will tell you is that Ms Romes has a very easy writing style with true-to-life dialogue that trips off the page. I had planned on reading just a little at a time, but found myself devoting a whole day to finishing it because I just had to know what was in store next for these two lovable and appealing characters. I was rooting every page of the way for Dezz to finally win over his girl. With every step that he seemed to move forward, their relationship moved ten back. I love stories like this!
A sweet romance filled with charm, heart, and love, Wild Goose Chase is a lovely book to add to your summer reading list.

Cute friends/frenemies to lovers story. It's nice to know my husband isn't the only adult male who still likes to channel his inner 4th grader.

This author is new to me, but I won't hesitant to pick up one of her books in the future.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGallery, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a charming story about a young couple, who is desperately in love with one another (to the delight of both their families) but who fail to see or acknowledge that love until they are forced to do so. They express their love instead through competition and teasing.

Olivia is determined to be a successful journalist, and the way that she intends to do so is to best Dezz, her lifelong rival in almost everything. Dezz, however, knows that he is in love with Olivia, but he needs her to recognize it. Both are strong well-developed characters that captivate the reader with their humorous antics and tender moments.

While the setting of a journalistic scavenger hunt for two weeks is a bit contrived, which Ms. Romes acknowledges in the novel, the events that occur are both laugh out loud funny, a bit scary, and very tender. The hunt enables the reader to get to know the characters and discover the love that they have for one another as well.

Overall, I found this to be a refreshing story reminding us that sometimes you can go far and wide and still find love next door.

The story is OK.
But I found the main characters frustrating and I really wanted to bash there heads together.

Olivia said it best when she stated that Dezz was irritating. He is, but in an endearing way. I loved the way that while Olivia was determined to separate herself from him, the universe, and her heart, would not allow that to happen.

It was a light, easy read with plenty of funny moments.