LIGHT, FUN, HILARIOUS SITUATIONS ~ My Great Ex-Scape by Portia MacIntosh

TITLE: My Great Ex-Scape
AUTHOR: Portia MacIntosh

RELEASED: January 16, 2020
PUBLISHER: Boldwood Books
FORMAT: eBook [AD – ARC]

GENRE: Romantic comedy
GOODREADS RATING: 3.88

TRIGGERS: Stereotyping gay men by parent [once]
REPS: LGBTQIA+

SYNOPSIS
Rosie Jones has been dumped by every boyfriend she’s ever had – most recently by Dinosaur Dave, live on TV, during the ‘phone-a-friend’ segment of a quiz show.
After the footage goes viral Rosie receives a bunch of flowers with a message:

I love you, I should have never let you go, I want you back x

But who sent them?

At a loose end and with £50,000 prize money in her back pocket, Rosie decides to take a trip down memory lane, visiting each of her ex-boyfriends to see not just if they are the one who sent the flowers but if they are the one.

Her journey takes her back to the house she grew up in and on a transatlantic cruise to New York, but can Rosie figure out which ex-boyfriend is the love of her life, or should the past stay in the past?

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I wanted something light to read and coming across this cover, I was convinced I’d found it. Not only did I immediately felt my need for something light was met, I was also intrigued by the cover. It screamed possibility and adventure to me and.. well.. I caved, requested and got accepted to read this proof!

I remember being only three chapters in and already thinking this story had a very nice flow to it. It doesn’t move too quickly, but the progress is on point. Definitely helps in holding your attention while reading. The only thing I noticed that might put others off, is how the main character has a tendency to ramble thoughts. Personally, I wasn’t bothered by it, but I can see how others might be.

My favorite character, by far, is Eli, one of Rosie’s exes, who’s gay. I couldn’t help but love his persona, his wanting to help Rosie but challenge her as well. I think we could all use a friend like that!

The setting! Most of the story is set on a cruiseship, which I loved because it’s limited but, at the same time, you don’t feel like it’s that limited. I do wish there’d been more of the story set in New York City, but that’s my big-city-loving self speaking, haha.

I have no idea what I’m talking about. Even I’ve stopped listening to myself babble in my head.

If there’s one thing I got a bit annoyed by, it’s how Rosie is extremely focussed on reconnecting with her exes. Not something I’d be keen on doing myself and she focuses on it a lot. You’d think that after the drama she had to go through, she had some emotional damage to take care of, or at least focus on finding a new job but she doesn’t do either of those things. She’s simply hyper-focused on her exes. It felt a bit wrong to me, but that’s probably because I’d stress out about finding a new job as soon as possible myself, haha.

Another thing I only realized after finishing this book, is how the side characters really don’t have that much depth. Since I adored Eli, I wish that would’ve been different. At least his character should’ve been more developed. He’s a huge part of Rosie’s story after all.

Overall, this was a fun and light read – which is exactly what I needed. The setting is original, the set of characters as well. Even though I thought Rosie’s focus not realistic, I still enjoyed seeing her end up in various hilarious situations. Definitely one to read if you’re in the mood for some holiday-vibes! 

Do you know of any other books set on ships?
How often do you like one of the side characters more than the main one?

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