Cousens brings readers a book complete of tropes, including, but not limited to, enemies-to-lovers, office romance, forced proximity, against the odds, and a slight age gap. If you’re a fan of these, this book is for you.

Anna Appleby is a thirty-eight-year-old divorcé who’s left her love life behind and a journalist writing a column in a voice so stale her job is on the line, especially with a corporate takeover happening and her office rival Will Havers, the young thirty-year-old newcomer, is vying for her column. In the hopes of saving her career, she pitches an idea to her new boss: 7 dates chosen by her children, Jess, her twelve-year-old daughter, and Ethan, seven-year-old son. This organic way of meeting people without swiping left or right appeals to her boss, but Will’s pitch is to write a mirrored column dedicated to online dating so the rivals are pitted against each other once more.

In the beginning, readers will most likely find Anna petulant, avoidance being one of her key personality traits as she shies away from uncomfortable conversations or situations, this becomes a bit annoying. Still, as she goes on the elaborate dates with the waiter, the mailman, the grouchy neighbor, or the celebrity crush who in reality is a sleazeball, Cousens concocts for the sake of saving her column there is a transformation that occurs, and Anna rebuilds her self-confidence. On the other hand, Will’s character is less developed and feels hollow and superficial, and his emotions are ungenuine as if there’s always a motive behind his actions. The suspicion of his motive could be why the office rivalry rings true and the banter and tension between them are so raw.

Cousens’s writing is beautiful and flows well and will have readers laughing out loud or clutching at their chest in sympathy or rolling their eyes at Anna’s petulant, no-backbone behavior until finally she finds her rock-era attitude and comes out of her shell. It’s a lightweight, therapeutic journey saying there is life and love post-divorce. Giving this one 3.5 stars.