Book Review: Unsuitable Men by Pippa Wright

"After eleven years of coupled-up domesticity, Rory Carmichael is single for the first time in her adult life. Even she would admit that her ex-boyfriend Martin wasn’t the most exciting man in the world – let’s face it, his idea of a rocking night was one spent updating his Excel spreadsheets – but Rory could rely on him and, having watched her mother rack up four turbulent marriages, that’s what matters. But when she discovers that her supposedly reliable Mr Right is a distinctly unreliable cheater, she’s forced to consider the possibility that everything she knows about relationships is wrong. In an effort to reinvigorate both her love life and her lacklustre career at posh magazine Country House, she sets herself a mission to date as many unsuitable men as possible. Toyboys. Sugar daddies. Fauxmosexuals. Maybe the bad boys she’s never dated can show her what she’s been missing in life. But if Mr Right can turn out to be so wrong, maybe one of her Mr Wrongs will turn out to be just right . . ."

Rating: 4/5


I really enjoyed Pippa Wright's debut novel Lizzy Harrison Loses Control which was released last year, it really was a laugh-out-loud book that had a great story and fab heroine to match! I was lucky enough to receive an early reading copy of her latest book Unsuitable Men and was hoping for another hilarious read that would keep me hooked from the start to the end. I have to admit I really enjoyed the book, but I did find the names of Rory's posh colleagues at Country House magazine to grate on my nerves after a while, and the annoying way they spoke wound me up a little too, but once I got past that, I found it to be a light-hearted and enjoyable read that will have you giggling along as Rory tries to find herself a suitable man, and road tests some unsuitable ones along the way.

After the demise of her long relationship with boyfriend Martin, Rory is heartbroken and doesn't even know how to get back into the dating scene, and whether or not she really wants to start that again. She's forced out of the home they shared in London, and has to move in with her aging Aunt Lyd, who runs a hotel style house for actors, and is currently living with 2 older retired actors. Her colleague Ticky decides that to find someone she wants to settle down with, Rory must date lots of unsuitable men to find one that is suitable for her. As well as dating them, Rory has to write them for her new online column for Country House magazine where she works, and editor Amanda (Mahn!) is unsure about whether its for their target market. Cue Rory dating a whole host of unsuitable men, and perhaps finding a suitable one where she'd least expect!

I really enjoyed Rory's dating escapades, which ranged from much older land-owning gentlemen to work experience students, and it certainly made for some funny moments, as she realised that these men weren't right for her, and the consequences that her decisions had for her! As well as this which is the main story, we also have another story relating to Rory's relationship with her Aunt Lyd, who is very much a mother figure for Rory, and how she views Rory's latest break-up. There's an interesting dynamic going on between Rory and the older characters in the book, and I enjoyed reading how these changed as the book progressed. I also really like the character of plumber Jim, who suddenly pops up in the book, and I really loved his friendship with Aunt Lyd, it's so genuine and you can see why he's so fond of the older woman as the book progresses.

While I found the romance at the end to be somewhat predictable, it didn't really matter to me as a reader because I really enjoyed the book as a whole, and the things that Rory went through in order to get her suitable men once and for all. I loved that the book took a bit of a serious turn towards the turn, and I felt that Wright wrote this part of the book especially well, it was very emotive and seemed to be a turning point for Rory too. Overall, I found the book to be a great read that I loved picking up each night, and was really hoping Rory would get her happily ever after that she so deserved. It was funny and genuinely had me laughing out loud in parts, and yet managed to have an under-current of emotion from Rory that she'd end up alone forever. The scenes at her magazine were very funny too, some of the names were a bit of mouthful and a tad annoying in parts, especially the silly nicknames, but it certainly made for amusing reading, especially when Wright wrote things exactly the way they were spoken, very amusing! I'd definitely recommend this book, it's funny and fab!

You can buy Unsuitable Men both as a paperback and as an eBook now!