Temporary Girl by Robin AlexanderTemporary Girl by Robin Alexander is a hilarious, fun romantic comedy that’s escapism at its best.

Jodi Chenault doesn’t want a real relationship, so when she finds herself getting lonely, she turns on the smile, gets herself a girlfriend and enjoys their company on a few dates until her fear of commitment kicks in. When she meets a woman at a wedding who catches her eye, however, she has to turn off her instinct to flirt because it’s the last place she can pick someone up. While Jodi might be gay and so is her best friend Vince, his family doesn’t know that because she’s been pretending to be his girlfriend for years and they’re spending the week with them while his brother gets married.

Best friend of the bride, Val Mason, wonders if her gaydar is broken when she sees how sweet Jodi and Vince are together, and she’s relieved and thrilled to discover that it isn’t. After years of serial monogamy, Val doesn’t want to date again unless it’s with someone she can see herself building a life with, and Jodi sure seems to fit the bill. Now they just need to navigate all the wedding festivities, who does and doesn’t know about Jodi and Vince, and that minor detail of Jodi’s tendency to run away that earned her the “Temporary Girl” nickname from Vince.

The Characters

I so enjoyed reading about Jodi and Val. As messed up as they both are on the relationship front, they’re funny, sharp, and just all around great people. Rather than having their baggage lead to some ridiculous blow-up, it was refreshing to instead see them talk about their issues like grownups and then watch how they grew from there. These felt like real women and I was right there with them as they experienced joy, anxiety, and everything in between.

Alexander surrounds them with a colourful cast of side characters that includes their friends, family, and Vince’s family (who are pretty much Jodi’s family too). She’s so damn good at writing family dynamics and I was excited to see her write about friendship in this one too. I wanted to be at that wedding, hanging out with these people, because I could imagine being friends with all of them.

The Writing Style

I took Temporary Girl on vacation with me, and let me tell you, it was the absolute perfect choice. It’s a gentle, sweet read with little angst, so it was great to pick up in between family time. It also made me laugh out loud in a lot of spots, so keep that in mind if you’re going to read this in public!

The Pros

Every word of this book worked for me.

The Cons

The cover isn’t good. Please get this book anyway, because it’s SO much better than the cover.

Also, we need an audiobook of this one pronto. Is that actually a con? I don’t know, but I’ll take it back if we ever get the audio 😉

The Conclusion

If you love romantic comedies, you need to run, not walk, for this one. If you’ve never read anything by Robin Alexander before (to which I have to ask, why not??!!), this would be an excellent place to start, and if you’re already a fan like me, you’re going to be very happy with Temporary Girl. Reading it was like getting a warm hug and I’ll definitely be picking it up again.

Excerpt from Temporary Girl by Robin Alexander

Jodi was bathed and in bed by the time Vince walked into their room. He closed the door and stabbed a finger at her. “Hey! My whole immediate family was in the dining room tonight while you were drooling over that woman.”

“You’re the only one who noticed because you’re so paranoid. I made it a point to study everyone, so I wouldn’t be obvious. David loads his fork with everything on his plate before he takes a bite, your dad does the same thing. Your grandma dabs her lips with her napkin after every bite and drink she takes. I can tell you about everybody else’s eating habits, but we need to discuss something more important. We have to share a bed, and I know you like to snuggle. I also know what happens to guys when they’re sleeping and have to pee. If I wake up and little Vince is poking me anywhere, everyone in this house and New Orleans will know I’m a lesbian.”

“If little Vince gets anywhere near female parts, he will pee and shrivel.” Vince put both hands on his hips and shook his head as he gazed at the ceiling. “This house is the last place I’d expect to find a single lesbian, and I’m not referring to you.”

Jodi threw off her covers and crawled to the edge of the bed. “It’s Val! You’re talking about Val! How do you know?”

“Riley hung out with the guys, and she bragged to me about sharing a bed with Val and what she planned to do. She’s pretty sure she’s going to get lucky with her because Val is gay and everyone knows it. You’ve got to avoid her.”

“I was just about to ask your permission to tell her about us. She’s in the club, she won’t tell.” Jodi looked like an excited puppy as she bounced around the bed on all fours. “No one will think I’m gay, too, if I talk to Val. Nobody thinks that about Everly and Rene, and they’re all best friends.”

“They don’t look at Val like this.” Vince’s gaze swept over Jodi as he subtly cocked his head.

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