Take the dating angst of Sex in
the City add the mandatory
“happily-ever-after” from a romance novel and you would have the concept behind
Harlequin’s new Red Dress Ink books. The line is directed at the 30-something
miss who has kissed more than her share of frogs, but still believes that her
Prince Charming is still out there. In Confessions of an Ex-Girlfriend, after her boyfriend moves across the
country, a young woman feels dumped and struggles for sanity against the best
plans of family and friends.

Confessions of an Ex-Girlfriend by Lynda Curnyn is
set in New York City. Emma Carter is heartbroken when Derrick Holt, her
boyfriend of two-years, follows his bliss to Hollywood after selling his first
screenplay. Jade Moreau, her
hot-to-trot friend from the fashion industry, offers her pessimistic support
and suggests she seek solace in “mindless sex with nameless studs”. Alyssa
“Lys” Reynolds, her other friend and successful environmental lawyer, counsels
her to exercise her anger away. Complicating matters, her Mom wants her to be
her maid-of-honor at her third trek down the aisle to wedded bliss, and
Sebastian, her hairdresser and confidante, wants her to trek off to his guru
who offers her own form of Nirvana. Emma is a contributing editor for Bridal
Best a magazine designed for the blissfully engaged. Far from blissfully
engaged, Emma must fight her feeling of cynicism while writing articles for
“those dewy-eyed saps”. Just when Emma is feeling her most cynical about her
future marital prospects, she gets her big break to become a feature editor.
Unfortunately, Emma is forced to compete against Rebecca aka “Miss. Perfect”.
Rebecca is an American blue-blood with an ivy-leagued education and the
prospects of a Tiffany diamond ring from Mr. Perfect. Meanwhile back at her
closet sized rent-stabilized studio apartment, Emma is daily faced with a
well-meaning neighbor whose plate in her head is Emma’s only explanation for
why she insists on identify with Emma “as girls like us” and handing her
catalogs designed for the larger woman. Will Emma find her bliss in another
boyfriend and a promotion or follow her former bliss to California?

Confessions of an Ex-Girlfriend is filled with interesting and quirky characters. Jade is a
humorous send up as the epitome of the woman of the prowl who is afraid of
commitment. Alyssa is sweet as the sharp self-confident lawyer who is unsure
about settling for the passionless relationship that Richard, a successful
corporate lawyer, offers or to risk everything for a chance at Jason, a sexy
veterinarian who has her purring with lust. I wish Sebastian, as her
stereotypical gay hairdresser chasing peace, love, and sexual gratification on
the road to spiritual fulfillment, had a bigger role in the book. His
commentary about the role of hi-lights and golden hues in finding fulfillment
and success is worth the price of the book. Unfortunately, Emma’s leading men
are truly unremarkable compare to Jade’s lovers. Marco, the hot-blooded Latin
lover, or Ted, who did not call because he really did get hit by a bus, are by
far more interesting than Hank, the dull marriage minded lawyer, or Max, the
unreliable independent writer. Only “the Skinny Scoop man” a sexy hunk “vegging
out” in the basement of the vegan grocery, had any merit as an interesting
character.

“Lynda
Curnyn will
only confess to being under 35 and under the illusion that it is better
to have loved and binged than never to have loved (or binged) at all. She
writes, edits, lives, and loves in New York City.” Confessions
of an Ex-Girlfriend (2002)
is her first novel.

In many ways I really felt as if Confessions
of an Ex-Girlfriend was a clone of Sex in the City. This was so true that while reading the book I
could hear Sarah Jessica Parker narrating it in the back of my mind. There is
definitely a niche for books about the 30-something woman’s quest for love and
marriage, but I do not need a rerun of a Sex
in the City episode. While I enjoyed this novel and have already
recommended to a few of my diehard Sex in
the City friends, it lacked sufficient originality for me to find my own
bliss in it.

© 2003 Su Terry

Su Terry: Education:
B.A. in History from Sacred Heart University, M.L.S. in Library Science from
Southern Connecticut State College, M.R.S. in Religious Studies/Pastoral
Counseling from Fairfield University, a M.Div. in Professional Ministry from
New Brunswick Theological Seminary, a Certificate in Spirituality/Spiritual
Direction from Sacred Heart University. She is a Licensed Minister of the
United Church of Christ and an Assistant Professor in Library Science at
Dowling College, Long Island, NY. Interests in Mental Health: She is interested
in the interplay between psychology, biology, and mysticism. Her current area
of research is in the impact of hormonal fluctuation in female Christian
mystics.

Categories: Fiction