Status Update: I’m going offline for a while… Wish me luck! xx Lifestyle journalist and thirty-something singleton Melissa hashtags, insta’s and snapchats her supposedly fabulous life on every social media platform there is. That is until she wakes up on her birthday, another year older and still alone, wondering if for all her internet dates, love really can be found online? The challenge: go … online? The challenge: go technology free for a whole month!
Forced to confront the reality of her life without its perfect filters, Melissa knows she needs to make some changes. But when she bumps into not one, but two gorgeous men, without the use of an app, she believes there could be hope for love offline.
If only there was a way to choose the right guy for her…
more
Stars : 4.5 /5
Imagine yourself without technology.
No Phone, no laptop, no tabs (not even Kindle), no emails and social medias.
Life like in 1980 without any fancy gadgets. Pen and paper and postcards.
Honestly it would be fine for us readers, we can still escape in paperbacks and libraries.
The Secret to Falling in Love revolved around Melissa’s life and her life changing challenge of living without phone and internet and finding love in old-fashioned way. It was about friendship, love, family, and technology how it impacts our life and takes us far from reality and how little time without it can change life.
Tech syndrome is not limited to teens and young. We all are addicted to it and so 35-year-old Mellisa. She was successful journalist and had good pay for living city and party life. What she didn’t have was a love, a partner with whom she could grow and spent rest of her life. But she was dependable on not-so-trustworthy dating apps to find a trustworthy man.
When her article on impact of technology get published in magazine, her boss challenge her to go phoneless, technology-less for a month and write her experience for the next article. For Melissa it was like celebrating moment turning into commiseration. Now the fun was how was she going to do it?
For a person whose life was surrounded by insta, tweeter, facebook, dating apps, emails and online shopping, it looked quiet daunting. She was amazing lady. I expected her whining a lot for the unfairness but she surprised me there. I liked her determination and how she accepted her Boss’s challenge on living life like 1980s in 2017 for a month, which forced her to find her date I old fashioned way. She moved on quite nicely and managed her life wonderfully without her phone. The development that whole tech free month brought in her life was tremendous.
Characterization was great. I enjoyed reading all secondary characters specially Melissa’s best friends Amanda and Gemma. There was little mystery behind Gemma’s action that added extra spice to Mellissa’s complicated life. The way Amanda protected Melissa and gave the best friendly advice made me wish to have a friend like her. Simon’s wisdom, Dee’s cruel bossy nature, ostentatious and showy Joseph, gentlemanly easy going Scott, a lovely elder sister and meddling matchmaker mom were fun to read. They all felt realistic, someone you might know in real world.
Best part of the book was– Melissa’ dating disasters and her experience with virtual free reality and pros and cons of technology she experienced in her refreshing voice was charm of the book. I loved how she narrated things she noticed- city tour, random people in coffee shop, people she met that she wouldn’t have if she had been glued to her phone all the time. Along with her it made me wonder how much we miss the real world by being around the virtual pretense of social medias.
At around 50% of the book, we got to know the real reason behind Joseph taking Melissa on date which made it made it pretty clear who Melissa would want to spend her life with. So you can say it was little bit predictable and felt little early but there were some turns and surprises in second half that I couldn’t see coming.
This was second book by Victoria Cooke I read and I can easily say she has a knack for transporting readers right into setting of the book. The transition from city life of Manchester, girls’ night out, a day to-day hustle bustle in first half to picturesque mountainous beauty of Ardnamurchan peninsula, Scotland in second half was flawless. I loved to this part of the book which was the turning point of the story. It was wonderful to see the tranquilizing effect of this place on Melissa and how it changed her life for good.
The happy ending left me smiling. It was one of the book you would like discuss in group reading and also would like to take on your vacation which can motivate you to go technology free and enjoy the scenery, new culture and people around. And one of good Valentine’s Day gift as it gives a hope of finding true love in old fashioned way.
Why 4.5 stars-
My only issue was, even though the book was short, it took me longer to finish this book. And it was predictable.
Conclusion-
Overall, it was lighthearted, relatable, refreshing chick lit that I recommend to fans of this genre.
*** Note: I received e-copy of this book as a part of blog tours, in exchange for an honest review. ***
Going technology free for a month?!? Sadly, I am not sure I could handle that but I would try. I was definitely not a fan of Melissa’s boss, especially after the games she played. A fun read that will get you thinking about disconnecting and wondering what might just happen. A delightful weekend read!
So, this book had some ups and downs for me. I spent the first third of it being annoyed by the main character’s whining about being single. Even though she did come right out and say that she’d focused on her career and herself first, but now she just wanted to be with someone, it totally sounded like she was just saying she needed a man to be happy. And I got tired of that. But then, her boss did something and if I was Melissa, I’d have wanted to kill my boss!,
Taking the break from social media and all technology was really a neat idea in the book though. I think for the most part, it would be a great thing for people, and all of the new experiences Melissa has show that. However there are also the problems, not being able to communicate with anyone, to let them know where you are going, for someone else to let you know they can’t make it because of a flat tire, and then if their phone dies, they have no way to let you know then either!
In the end, I feel like it all kind of worked perfectly, and there were some side characters that actually made their reason for being in the story more important for what they did in side stories. I really liked Scott, the guy that her mom wanted to set her up with. There was one moment that felt rushed, but the author then led us to another obstacle that helped me with the suddenness of that moment. Melissa was also having friend issues in a way, and I guessed part of that friend issue, but not all of it. The way I was surprised by that was really a good part of the story as well.
So while this started off with me on the fence of if I would finish it, it ended with me turning pages as quickly as possible to see how Melissa’s happily ever after would happen. I’d probably look for more books by this author in future.
More like 3.5 stars because of the rocky start, but since it redeemed itself towards the end, I’ll round up.
Favorite Quotes:
Go without technology for a month. Give it up; live in simpler times. Think 1980 without the terrible hair and godawful shell suits.
Calm down… Jeez, did the North Koreans design your self-defence system?
The china cups were presented neatly on saucers. I didn’t think I owned a saucer. I didn’t even own matching cups, just random mugs I’d received as gifts over the years sporting classy slogans such as ‘Basic Bitch’.
I rummaged through my bag; I seemed to have everything but that card. Amanda cast a disapproving look at my collection of ancient tissues going through various stages of decomposition. ‘Don’t you ever clean out your handbag, you disgrace of a woman?’
… he thinks his wife has run off with another man. He’s wondering why, wondering what this man has got that he hasn’t – it turns out it’s boobs!
My Review:
This was a fun and pleasantly entertaining read – shot through with irreverent humor and clever levity that provided frequent snickers and smirks. Melissa was days away from marking her thirty-fifth birthday and feeling quite dissatisfied with her constantly single standing. Maternal pressure was mounting, online dating had tanked, and fix-ups had been an uncomfortable disaster. She had been focused on her career and party-girl lifestyle for nearly two decades but didn’t seem to be feeling the love for her previous pastimes. She was highly motivated to upgrade her relationship status, yet her most recent e-Harmony perfect match had resulted in a humiliating walk of shame with a torn dress, courtesy of her date’s dog as she snuck out of his doggie flap in the locked door. Oh yeah, Melissa was a hot mess.
Her heinous boss challenged Melissa to unplug and go without her phone or internet usage for a month as the basis of her next article, which caused major adjustments, considerable inconvenience, and humorous results. Although there were some benefits to be had as well. She thought she had scored big time after engaging with a handsome man in a coffee shop led to an oddly exciting date with a bewildering conclusion and continued complications. Although Melissa also found unplugging to be unexpectedly freeing and more enjoyable than she expected and was hesitant to reboot once the month was up. She was still a bit of a hot mess with or without technology, although the wily Ms. Cooke allowed her to find that highly desired HEA and everything she had been longing for.
Who hasn’t wanted to take their hands off the wheel of life sometimes and just let go? Have you ever actually DONE it or even contemplated just how you might do it? Yeah, me neither…but Melissa gets that very chance and thanks to her enabling yet interfering boss, she’ll stick to the approved plan to the letter. What plan? Oh, that…no technology for a FULL MONTH, meaning her dateless connection lacking life has to be built up through old-fashioned means.
If you’re thinking, woe is me, think again. While it’s true, not everything is sunshine and roses for her as she starts out, and the lack of ability to update others in an instant definitely adds its challenges, the end result of her social/work experiment may garner a different ending than you might at first think. Personally, I think I could do it, but leave the romance aspect out because yeah, I’m hopeless at that end of the spectrum…and I would miss my “online life”, but then again, I had to do without it for almost a month thanks to that blasted storm…talk about withdrawal and a rude awakening…but I think it would be refreshing to actually connect with people face-to-face once again. So…would YOU be able to do it? Think hard…or just read this fun-filled adventure for a potential “what if” fulfilled.
**ebook received for review