Finding Mr. Write

A cute, fast-paced romcom set in a wildly successful book tour.

The premise of a female author hiring an actor to represent her male pseudonym is a fun one. The pairing of Daphne and Chris felt fresh to me. I feel like it's rare for the guy to be the one playing dumb for attention, and that role reversal continues with his city-boy-meets-wilderness, sunshine-y, baker persona. I could easily see this book working as a hallmark movie. It's dual perspective, with POV switches through the chapter. POV's are labeled by name which felt a little jarring to me but might be helpful for people who struggle with third person perspectives.

The plot relies heavily on the miscommunication trope, so if that's something that bothers you I'd skip this one. A lot of the conflict later in the book could have been avoided if the two characters had sat and discussed things. In general there's a real lack of show-don't-tell. The pacing moves quick because a lot of conversations are summarized as one character explaining (insert topic) to another. It can feel a little montage-y at times and I found myself wishing the reader was let in on those moments, especially the ones that emotionally progress the relationship. Because of this I didn't really feel the chemistry between the two.

Overall, Chris felt like the main character to me. We get the most background on him early on and we spend more time with him processing events and emotions than we do with Daphne. Daphne really feels boiled down to her career as a writer, her former role as her mother's caretaker, and her past relationship trauma. You don't find out that she's also an architect until 30% into the book, which feels very late for basic info on the character I expected to relate to at most.

The book is amusing, with clearly defined stakes and low stress. It would make a good easy-to-read vacation book that you can pick up and put down as needed without feeling like you're losing your momentum.