About the book:

 

Title: The Dating Diet

Author: by Daralyse Lyons

Published: May 22nd 2014 by Createspace

Source: Received from the author in exchange for a review

Format: e-copy

Blurb:

What if you found yourself climbing out of a bedroom window, naked, in the middle of the afternoon, to avoid being caught in bed with your married lover? Would you have second thoughts about dating? After Shayla Ross discovers that yet another potential “Mr. Right” is, in fact, incredibly wrong for her, she decides to go on a diet. No. She’s not going to forgo her much-loved, sinfully-delicious girlscout cookies or her (admittedly too frequent) trips to McDonalds. Shayla is going on a dating diet. An incredibly hapless and infinitely loveable heroine, elementary school teacher Shayla Ross decides to take her summer vacation from teaching as a period of self-discovery. Much to the chagrin of her meddling mother, Shayla sets out to find herself and, in the process, bumbles into a series of successive funny and heartwarming interpersonal interactions that will have readers falling in love with her.

Check it on: Amazon & Goodreads

My Review:

This book was something else entirely. I am (very) long overdue for a review, especially because this is a 5 star read that I’ve finished last month. Sometimes, these are the most difficult to write, as I am trying to express my emotions as best as I can and it never seems to be enough.

Shyla has had her fair share of heartbreaks and after her last experience she decides to go on a diet. No men, no dates, and just some time she can dedicate to herself and her best friend Brice. During this time, she meets Dunkin, who becomes her friend and kindred spirit, since he is also on a recovery path after an unsuccessful relationship.

The story has a lot of irony and most of all humor. I found myself laughing out loud and in the same time feeling sorry for the poor woman. Her bad luck does not all have to do with faith, but also with her choice of men. Our main character is desperate for a relationship and thus her potential boyfriends don’t go through a good screening process and are not all she would expect.

The writing is friendly and comforting. It feels as if your best friend were telling you all about her love life. The author did not try to create a perfect woman. On the contrary, she is clumsy and a bit irresponsible. This goes against her job as a kindergarten teacher, where she has to maintain a reputation. But she is a really good friend in all her flaws. Her relationship with Brice (gay best friend) is strong and honest. While she does not approve of Brice’s boyfriend she is there for her best buddy, and the other way around.

I have not mentioned too much about Shyla and Dunkin since I see the book more about her than her relationship. But they are very funny and a lot of crazy things happen when they are together. Yes, amazing!

“The Dating Diet” has a sweet message, which we all should follow. Even if the ending was a bit rushed for my taste, this book made me fill good. It’s the perfect story if you want to distress, laugh and simply enjoy someone else’s struggles for a while. Loved it! Happy Reading!