Hot Mess

Dating in my 20's was fun. It feels so cliche to say it, but it was a time to discover your limits: who are you? Who do you enjoy dating? What will you put up with? Time and time again, I watched friends of mine try to date the "bad boy." Ok, ok - I did too. We all thought the same thing: if he loves me enough, he will change. Spoiler alert! HE NEVER CHANGES! And girls don't either. Reading the story Hot Mess brought back a few memories from that time. This time around we meet Allie Simon. Allie is the girlfriend of the hottest chef in town, Benji Zane. They live together. They have hot sex. They are popular on social media for working together on Benji's exclusive pop-up restaurants. And Allie believes she did it - she reformed a bad boy! Benji was, at one-time, a drug addict. But Allie loved him enough to help him get clean and start a career. It sounds so perfect - who wouldn't want to be famous, end up with the bad boy and have a successful career while helping their boyfriend do the same. But Allie's perfect life isn't so perfect under the microscope. Allie worries constantly about where Benji is, what he is doing, what he is spending his money on. And her friends don't know even half of what is really happening - it's just easier that way. Benji is offered a chance at becoming a part owner and head chef of a brand new restaurant that is in the hottest Chicago neighborhood, and decides to hold one last round of pop-ups, but it's where Allie can't attend. Imagine our surprise, when Benji disappears (who didn't see that coming?) and relapses. Oh, did I mention? In order for Benji to become part owner of the restaurant, he had to invest his own money. Well, he didn't have any, so Allie invested her life savings for him. When he disappears, he walked away from the restaurant as well. Finding her life savings gone, her boyfriend gone, and her life as she once knew it gone, we join Allie on her journey of how far "love" will push her, and how far she will go to survive. This story had me feeling "all the feels." Do the cool kids still say that? I have to ask, as this was written for generations younger than myself. I did feel my age a bit hearing some of the sayings that I wasn't sure of the meaning. But the bad-boy dating story still rings true through all these years. Back in my 20's I dated, not only a user, but a dealer. I really liked the guy, and didn't know how to handle it, so I made a rule: you can use as long as you tell me what you have taken, and you don't do it in front of me. Oh yeah. Looking back now , I just shake my head, but at the time I thought it was smart of me. I knew he cared about me - he was always looking out for me and making sure I was ok. But unlike Allie, I knew it wasn't enough. It didn't last. But it was fun while it did. While reading about Allie's time together with Benji, all I could do was shake my head. Been there sister. It's not going to end well for you. While reading the parts about Allie coming to terms with Benji falling off the wagon, and how she thought she could just walk away from the restaurant deal, I could not stop rolling my eyes. Youngsters. When will they learn that contracts are serious and actions have consequences? These young whipper-snappers will never learn. While this one was a good read, I must caution those that are looking for a light read - this may not be for you. If you feel you can reform your bad boy, this may not be for you either. But if you are looking for a "pick yourself up by the bootstraps when all hope is lost" type of book, then this one is for you! Check out more reviews at momwithbooks.wordpress.com I received this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.