The Reluctant Bachelorette

 The Reluctant Bachelorette
by Rachael Anderson
Published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
316 pages
Genre: romance, chick lit
Thanks to I am a Reader, Not a Writer for the preview
4 / 5 cupcakes


Have you ever wondered just how much 'reality' is in reality television?

That is one of the subjects broached, albeit tamely, in this sweet love story.

Taycee (I admit ... that name gives me the shivers, and I kept wanting to call her Tracey) has lived in her small hometown forever, refusing to leave even after her parents' deaths. Most of her friends moved on, including Jessa, her best friend who became a television producer. The person she misses the most, though, is Luke Carney, a man she has secretly loved since childhood.

But Shelter Springs is struggling, and Jessa has a plan to revive the town: have an online dating contest, in which Taycee is the prize. Since Taycee's love for Shelter Springs knows no bounds, she agrees ... reluctantly. Well, guess who returns home, just in time to get himself on the show? That's right, Luke.

Yes, we all know where this is headed. And, yes, there is a strong chance that you will get sugar shock and need insulin relief.

But despite the sweetness of this book, there is an underlying melancholy, and that's what attracted me to it. Taycee is darling, but she also suffers. Her parents are dead, her brother moved to the big city, and she can't seem to get her bearings, even if she has remained in one place her whole life. She hates seeing Shelter Springs lose itself, so she allows herself to be a bachelorette in a contest, even if the idea fills her with self-loathing.

Then there is the lack of reality in this show. Taycee comes to especially despise the staging of her dates, frustrated with the voting public's failure to see the truth behind the facade. It makes you wonder how much of what is purported to be 'reality' on television is fake. (I think we all know the answer to this, though, don't we?)

Then there is Luke. Oh, how she has loved him and pined for him. Yet she believes he sees her as nothing more than his best friend's little sister. Can she help him see that she is a grown woman with the desires of one?

Much seems perfect in Shelter Springs, sort of a Stars Hollow, Gilmore Girls kind of schtick. Fortunately, though, Taycee revives the sugar coma. The fact that Rachael Anderson crafted a multidimensional character such as Taycee makes this an enjoyable and, yes, sweet book to read.