Hahaha totally can't relate to pushing someone away for fear of getting hurt lol ( )

Great sense of humor. Good characterization. This is excellent chick lit. ( )

For the most part, I liked this. Portia was an interesting character with more than her share of family strife. Unfortunately, I hated almost every other character in the book. Except Ian, I liked him. The rest of them can take a long walk off a short pier. Her mother, grandmother, and aunt were a bunch of horrid, selfish bitches. It’s no wonder that Portia thinks she’s messed up. What kind of mother pushes her daughter to sleep with a stranger within hours (if not minutes) of her meeting him? Ridiculous. Not to mention her detestable ex.

If Portia’s family had been more likeable, I could have easily given this 4 or 4.5 stars. ( )

A little more meaty/serious than your average chick lit. PhD candidate Portia is conned into returning to her hometown for the summer, where she deals with her 'barmy' family, who refuse to explain themselves at all, her recent break-up and the sudden reappearance of her ex, her stalled dissertation, the father she hasn't seen since she was 2, a British writer she might be falling in love with, and the Penis Teflon effect that prevents men from sticking to the women of her family. I don't know how she put up with her family. I'd have washed my hands of the lot of them. Guess she's used to it. ( )