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Arranged: A Novel
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Arranged: A Novel
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Arranged: A Novel
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Arranged: A Novel

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this ebook

“Catherine McKenzie’s Arranged is a rare book: smart, funny, honest, and absorbing.”
—Therese Walsh, author of The Last Will of Moira Leahy

“A satisfying and entertaining romantic tale that puts a contemporary twist on old-fashioned ideas about marriage. I inhaled it in an afternoon, rooting for its heroine to find the love she longs for.”
—Leah Stewart, author of Husband and Wife

In Arranged, author Catherine McKenzie (Spin) looks at love and marriage from a whole new perspective—telling the story of a successful, popular, but somewhat romantically desperate young woman who agrees to let a highly secretive arranged marriage service help her marry a perfect stranger. An original tale of risky contemporary romance and unconventional matchmaking, Arranged is delightful fiction from a fresh and fun new voice.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateMay 15, 2012
ISBN9780062115409
Unavailable
Arranged: A Novel
Author

Catherine McKenzie

Catherine McKenzie is the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of ten novels, including I’ll Never Tell, The Good Liar, Fractured, and Hidden, which have been translated into numerous languages. Her books are routinely chosen as best of the month by Goodreads, and Smoke was an Amazon Top 100 Book of 2015. An avid skier and runner and a graduate of McGill University, the international bestselling author practices law in Montreal, where she was born and raised. Visit Catherine online at www.catherinemckenzie.com.

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Reviews for Arranged

Rating: 3.985393230337079 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fun,quick easy read. My first book by this author, and definitely won't be the last. Really like her style, and the way she drew me into the characters.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    For starters, I really dislike chick lit. REALLY. That being said, this book somewhat drew me in. I spent the first third of the book convincing myself that I didn't enjoy it - but I found myself really wanting to pick it up and keep going. Anne Blythe is like all single 30-somthing women who are looking for love but can't seem to find the right man. After she discovers that her live-in boyfriend is cheating on her and her best friend is getting married, Anne decides to call a dating service. Except, it isn't a dating service and instead she finds herself on the path to an arranged marriage. This book makes the reader question what is more important in a relationship - friendship or love? And is it possible to have both?Great beach read!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Anne Shirley Blythe has grown up thinking that her life story would follow the arc of the Anne of Green Gables series. She even has the same red hair, green eyes, and freckles. But she is now 33, and has yet to meet her perfect match. When her best friend becomes engaged, she decides to take a radical plunge and signs up with an agency that arranges marriages. And this premise is what made me want to read this book, even though this genre [sort of modified chick-lit] is not my usual cup of tea. Arranged dates are common; but arranged marriages? Loads of plot possibilities!Anne does go through with an arranged marriage, and there are some very interesting complications, although until the marriage, the book dragged a bit for me. Afterwards, however, it became quite intriguing, and I enjoyed the insightful comments about relationships along the way:"Wouldn’t it be great if you could videotape people during a breakup? Wouldn’t it be great if you could have access to that videotape at the beginning of a relationship? Look how this guy’s going to be treating you in six, eight, ten months. Look how he treated the girl he spent three years with! Run away, run away!”[on the advantage of marrying a friend instead of someone with whom you are in love/lust]:"'Maybe it’s harder to make it work if you start out in love,’ Jack says.‘Why do you think that?’‘Because if things change, you remember how they used to be, and you’re disappointed. If you don’t have any expectations going in, you can’t be let down.”[Anne has a similar thought when analyzing her own reactions to romance:]"I know why I’m scared of love. It’s because that’s when it always starts to go wrong. When it starts to deviate from the fairy tale. After the happy ending comes . . . disappointment.”Could an arranged marriage, based on friendship rather than romantic love, conceivably be a better approach to navigating a world in which reality generally trumps ideals? … a world in which relationships beginning with romance can rapidly switch from rabid hormones and fun dates to diapers and vacuuming and financial disagreements? Evaluation: This is a little better than a light beach read. The beginning is a bit too stock to be interesting, and the ending a bit too predictable, but I enjoyed reading about the possibilities of an arranged marriage for those who opt for it voluntarily. One does, however, have to suspend temporarily one’s objections to a female character who wants to be married more than anything else.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a surprisingly good book (it was actually mentioned in a local book club meeting, so I decided to give it a read). Don't expect a run-of-the-mill romance when you grab this but do expect to be taken unawares, in a very good way. The characters all give the appearance of being real and quite well-developed and the story line provides a nice twist.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I didn't like the main character; I thought she was a whiny brat who needed to get a hobby rather than mooning about over not being married at age 30-whatever. The pacing was off in this book as well. Some parts dragged on and others were rushed. I did think the premise had potential.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    ** spoiler alert ** Anne kicks out her cheating boyfriend and signs up with an agency that arranges marriages. She is paired with, and marries, Jack and then (of course) finds out his big secret.On the plus side, this was a very quick and easy read. I liked Anne's relationships with her brother and her friend Sarah; the sections where she interacted with them were funny and warm. But then again... the whole premise was a bit shaky. The author glosses over Anne's decision to go ahead with the agency; at each stage she questions her own motives (and they are never fully articulated to the reader) and she seems constantly to be on the back foot, moving forward with a next step she hadn't quite grasped would come next. The therapy sessions were bizarre and why on earth did she go back to the therapist at the end? Ultimately I found the ending disappointing. Jack is just too slippery; even in their final conversation he is changing his story on his ex-girfriend. How would Anne ever know when he was telling the truth? His deception went on for too long and he is a bit of a sociopath. No one even remotely normally empathetic could go into that sort of deception with as little concern for how devastating it would be for the other party. He was cruel to the harmless Margaret. He was not a nice person. I did not like him! I wanted Anne to end up with William.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Aside from WAY too much alcohol and drinking (an anti-AA book?), ARRANGED offers a fun and lively coverage of loneliness, love, and the intricate possibilities of arranged marriages.It has more than the usual unexpected plot twists and open expression of deep feelings by both men and women.If there's a sequel, I hope Sarah returns from Greece with an airtight settlement from Blythe & Co. and that there is a lot more welcome nuanced humor.It sure would be nice to have this many funny men at once in our lives!As well, a Dr. Szwick...And, I'm with her Mom on one thing - the end of gooney-goofy "Yello" was long overdue.Just like with THE LION TREES and THE WIDOWER'S TALE and a couple of others, as soon as I finished ARRANGED, I read it again. Good and fun and funny.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I adored Catherine McKenzie's first book Spin . An unexpected day off and my Christmas list done = a perfect time to tuck into my favourite chair with Arranged. (Loved the cover)Anne Blythe has a pretty good life - a job she likes, great friends and she's just landed a book contract. It's just that she keeps picking the wrong guy, over and over again."Have you ever noticed how no story that begins, ' I read his emails' ever finished with, 'I was completely wrong, he wasn't cheating on me'?"When she picks up a business card that reads Blythe & Company - Arrangements Made, she sees it as a sign. She'll give arranged dating a try. But, it's not dating...it's arranged marriages. Why would anyone..?? Why not...??And so Anne does. I was frantically flipping pages at this point, eager to see who Blythe & Company had chosen for Anne. And the teaser from the back cover had me wondering ..."until Anne learns that Jack and the company that arranged their marriage are not what they seem at all." More frantic page flipping until the book was finished.What a fun premise for a book. It's a great fairy tale idea - what if someone could help you find 'the one', the perfect match for you? Would you do it? (There's a reading group guide that includes that very question).I enjoyed the character of Anne -she was an interesting mix of confidence and uncertainty. I also enjoyed the supporting cast, especially Anne's brother Gilbert and his family. Anne's friends Sarah and William also rang true. But I wasn't enamoured with Jack. I just never found him as emotionally attractive as Anne did. There were a number of reasons for this, but I don't want to give the plot away. The ending is of the fairy tale variety, but isn't what I would have predicted or wanted. Arranged was an enjoyable read though - 4/5 for me.Catherine McKenzie has firmly established herself in the chick lit genre. I'll be watching for her next book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was a really great book!!!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I liked it. A standard chick-lit story with a heroine that's not as annoying as the heroines in the sub-genre tend to be. The premise requires a considerable amount of suspension of disbelief, especially when you get to the big revelation. The romance felt off most of the book, which makes sense given how things end up developing. But I wonder if it was the author's intention or just poor execution. Maybe a bit of both. We don't really know anything about the love interest, not even at the end, but again, it works with the plot. Recommended to fans of chick-lit and of contemporary romance that heavily focus on the heroine. As long as you don't mind that the heroine's happiness relies exclusively on her success finding a husband.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Anne is your typical savvy career prone 33 year old woman. She's young, full of life, has great hair and has a weakness for good looking, blue-eyed, dark haired men who always break her heart. Why, when she has the looks, the body, the success and the personality, does she always pick the wrong one, why do they keep leaving her?Those are the questions Anne asks herself before contemplating a dating service. At her wits end and sick of the dating scene, Anne decides to swallow her pride and go for it. When she actually starts the process with a secret and unknown company, she learns that the agency is in fact not a dating service but arranges marriages for couples in need of a husband or wife. Its totally legit and legal and only assigns willing, consenting adults, to the sum of ten thousand dollars.At first Anne is floored by the idea but over the course of a few weeks and wringing her hands about the money, decides to go forward with it, I mean her best friend is getting married, her brother Gil and his happy wife are on baby number four and her mom can't understand why she wont just settle down....what could possibly go wrong? She'll either A: find a husband or B: get rejected from the program. So Anne does it with both feet in and undergoes evaluation and tons of tests to match her personality with the perfect man. She has to start rounds of therapy, things that help her see why she picks the men she does and gets to know herself a little better, because when the man is found there is no dating, its a meet and marriage arrangement, the company wants to make sure Anne is prepared and ready.Anne fumbles her way through the process and everyday that a man isn't found she gets more nervous, in a sense shes ready to leave the awkward dating shenanigans behind her and settle down, but can she really just marry some guy before even going on a date with him? Anne finds out after a few months, when a man named Jack is matched to her and all her dreams are promised to come true. They each travel separately to a resort in Mexico, meet in a room full of other couples, eat dinner privately and you guessed it.....get married.The therapist {who worked with them both in the beginning} warns the eager couple to take things slow, build a friendship and commit to the level of marriage they both so eagerly wanted. But when the couple rushes things and lets the intensity of their attraction get away from them, things lead to faster than should have scenarios. When the excitement and dangerous thrill of Jack and Anne's choice wears off the two must face reality when back at home. Friends and family must be told, lives must be merged and living together takes on a life of its own. Can the couple make it? Is it a dream come true? Only time will tell and the odds are stacked against them.I so loved this book, it was brilliantly funny and Anne was a hysterical drama queen who captured my heart in the first chapter, she was so fun, at times calm and admirable and other times flighty and dramatic. Yes the cliche single woman with a great career looking for love arc was the building stones of Arranged, but McKenzie brought such originality to her story with the concept of an extreme dating service arranging marriages that I was able to overlook that. The book is told in three parts, before the marriage, the marriage and the after, my favorite part being of course the after because that's when the seriousness of the story took hold and the real depth of McKenzie's unique characters surfaced. Most of the book had me smiling, laughing out load and saying things like "ohhhh, noooo"...when things were said and done I filed Arranged under recommended summer reads for a blast of good time.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Chick lit can be a bit formulaic, but Arranged has found a twist that is certainly imaginative. When a woman decides on the spur of the moment to try an arranged marriage service, she has no idea what she is getting into. On a whirlwind vacation to Mexico, she meets -- and marries -- the guy of her dreams. I really appreciated the discussion of how an arranged marriage usually works (friendship first) and enjoyed how McKenzie explores cultural expectations of marriage between different groups. Arranged marriage comes out looking more or less like a reasonable option within the universe of the book, an intriguing perspective.The literature geek in me also leaped with joy at the constant Anne of Green Gables references. In fact, if you are a die hard Anne fan, you might consider checking this book out even if you are unsure about the main plotline.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Catherine Mackenzie is an International Bestselling author of Spin and Arranged. I have one copy of Arranged to giveaway to a lucky reader. I am also so excited to share her latest book.Synopsis:Anne seems to fall in and out of relationships while she watches others find success. Her best friend Sarah is recently engaged and her brother Gilbert has a great family. Anne ponders what she can do to change her luck and then she finds a business card for Blythe and Company. What does Blythe and Company do? They arrange marriages. What will Anne find and will it be the love of her life?My Thoughts:Other people have highly recommended Catherine Mackenzie. I won her book through librarything.com. I really enjoyed the book and couldn’t put it down. I stayed up late to read about ninety pages last. I had to find out how it ended.Catherine is stopping by to share her thoughts on Anne Shirley and Anne Blythe and their relationship to Arranged.ARRANGED is about a woman who uses an arranged marriage service, and the main character is named Anne Shirley Blythe after the protagonist in the Anne of Green Gables books. Her mother has always been obsessed with these books, and when she had the (good fortune) to marry a man name Blythe, she named her daughter Anne and her son Gilbert (a little Flowers in the Atticky, I admit). The choice of Anne's name was deliberate. Besides the (I hope) humor value, I chose to name my main character after Anne because of who I imagined Anne needed to be to go through with an arranged marriage. When I was trying to figure out what might lead a woman to use that kind of service, I thought about how the whole concept of an arranged marriage was the antithesis to the fairytale, romantic stories we get fed all the time. I thought that if a woman grew up believing in those kinds of fairytales, partly because of her mother's obsession, but also because she looked like the character she was named after, and the fairytale didn't come true, she'd be a likely candidate. She never expected to have to work to find a good relationship and so when fate doesn't work out for her, she's willing to turn over her love life to someone else. So that's how Anne ended up being named Anne.Contact Catherine through Facebook and her website or e-mail.Please check posts your entries through the rafflecopter below. Please also include a comment below your e-mail or I won’t be able to send you your prize. The giveaway is open to US residents. The giveaway will run from August 23, 2012 to August 30th at mid night
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am quickly becoming a fan of Catherine McKenzie! She writes chicklit - a term I HATE, yet which is unfortunately accurate. A smart, interesting woman who is unlucky in love finds the perfect man through a series of misunderstandings. Let's call these types of novels romantic comedies. Much better! There are certainly moments here that had me giggling, and the romance is real and delightful.Anne Blythe has had a series of awful boyfriends. She picks men based on looks instead of anything deeper; even though she knows this about herself, she's powerless to change it. So when she finds a business card for "arrangements," she decides to let the experts pick a boyfriend for her. Except it turns out this isn't a dating service - it's an arranged marriage service. A journalist, Anne decides to kill two birds with one stone - catch herself a husband and write a great story about modern women choosing arranged marriages. Anne is paired with Jack, chosen for her by their personalities instead of looks (although he's terribly sexy, too, of course), and even though she continues to think it's crazy to marry someone without really dating first, she goes through with it. But Jack, also a writer, isn't exactly what he seems...McKenzie is great at writing realistic, interesting characters. Both Anne and Jack are fully fleshed out, from their looks to their personalities, and you can feel their chemistry. I also love the dialogue in her novels. The plot moves along briskly; it's an easy, fun, quick read that you don't want to put down. I will definitely pick up anything else she publishes! Highly recommended!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I got this book from the early reviewers list. At first I was thinking "not another chick-lit novel". It took me some time to pick it up and really get into it. This book is not like most of the books I have read. Catherine McKenzie is a brilliant writer. She really makes the story funny, but also leaving you wanting more from her.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Good StuffChicklit + - It has all the usual marks of chick lit, quirky characters, goofy twists and turns, but it also has intelligence, warmth and dry humourI love her writing style and will now purchase anything she writesShe's Canadian and doesn't depress the crap out of me (yes I know get over it - you go to school in this country and you will know what I mean - feckin Margaret Laurence)Her characters are quirky but believeableLove Anne's family and how her and her brother were named (dude I'm Canadian I'm all about the Anne of Green Gables love)Enjoyed the relationship between Anne and her brother Gil and the scenes where Anne interacts with her sister in law and nieces are delighful, sweet and realLove the banter scenes between Anne and William and Anne and Sarah - many of them made me laugh my ass offLaughed at the reference to Amber Sheppard from her previous novel SpinAnne is such a delightfully damaged character whom I sorta wished was real because we would be totally be best budsThe Not So Good StuffDo you have any idea how hard it was to only choose 3 quotes for the following section Damn you the story was so fun and engrossing that I didn't want to put the book down and I have stuff to do you know I'm a mom and not to mention I am trying to get organized to move to Calgary in a couple of monthsFavorite Quotes/Passages"She smiles. "If someone figured out a way to bottle woman-been-wronged, they'd make a fortune.""What I really need is a product that can cure a broken heart.""I think it's called alcohol.""Have you ever noticed how no story that begins 'I read his emails' ever finishes with 'I was completely wrong; he wasn't cheating on me?""I want to have kids. And not alone, in the sperm-bank supermom way.""I need a strong drink and a cigarette, but it's no longer acceptable for journalists to drink or smoke on the job. I'm pretty sure productivity has gone done 50 percent since the policy was implemented, but I guess that's not the point."Who Should/Shouldn't ReadPerfect for curling up on the couch or at the beach withIf you like your chick lit with a dose of intelligence and warmth, this would be perfect for you5 Dewey'sI received this from William Morrow in exchange for an honest review
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Arranged is one of those books that kept me entertained, caused me to think and yet hasn’t stuck with me. I enjoyed it while reading it however! Anne Blythe has been in several failed relationships. After fidning a business card to what she thought was a dating service, she learned that they were an arranged marriage service. Intrigued, Anne began the process. After marrying Jack the day after meeting him, Anne thinks that everything is going pretty well. What she doesn’t realize is that Jack’s motives were not exactly pure. The concept is interesting; the story is well – written. I have very few complaints but I wasn’t blown away. I do recommend it however.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In the latest novel by Catherine McKenzie, Arranged is a book I think every single woman can relate to. I know I for one can! In this delightful romantic fiction, Anne Blythe is ready for a change in her normal life. Seeing the future for what it can be, she realizes that the man she's been living with Stuart has been cheating on her. He wasn't about to tell her until she came across his emails and with that all the proof she needed to confront him.Now that she has moved out and is hoping to move on, Anne struggles with her emotions like all of us women have at one point, asking herself why are my relationships working out? Why am I always with the wrong guy and how can I find the right one I know is out there for me? Why do all my family and friends find the right one, but I am left with Mr. Wrong?Then she is hit with all kinds of news she doesn't need in her life. Her brother Gil and his wife, Cathy, are having their fourth child and her parents wonder just when Anne is finally going to get her life together and have kids, get married? Then she learns her best friend Sarah is getting married and at that point it almost pushes Anne to the edge.Walking the streets alone one night on her way to meet Sarah, she comes across a business card left on the street with her name on it, or it has the same name on it, Blythe and Company. When she contacts the company thinking it's a dating service, she soon learns that this is a pricey, arranged marriage service. Knowing where she is at in her life, she decides to take a risk and give it a try, after all they have a proven 95% success rate. What turns out along the way, is a quirky, romantic love story that has an unexpected twist in the end. Not your typical romantic story but one that I think most women would love to read.I received Arranged by Catherine McKenzie compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review and LOVED it! I would have to caution my readers that it does contain mild profanity and some sexual content but over all the story is great summer read. I rate this one 4 out of 5 stars.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    When I began the book I was instantly connected to Anne and had that been there done that feeling which made me completely relate to her and her heartbreaking. As the story progressed I became hooked to the smart wit and down to earth vibe. I love this authors style of writing and the story although had elements that were familiar it was also unique. Can't wait to read another book from this author.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Had the potential for so much more!Arranged marriage could be a really wonderful topic, but this was such a "light" book - really embarressing dialog, absolutely no character development - very very superficial.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was intrigued by the summary of this book when I requested to be allowed to review it, but I wasn't sure what I'd really be reading. Hopefully cracking the book open, I got pulled into a compelling story about a young woman who is tired of always being with the wrong person and decides to try a totally different approach to find the person right for her. It doesn't go smoothly, but what does in love?Somewhat irrelevant, but that is not a very good picture of the author on the back.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I chose this book from the Early Reviewers list because it sounded like it could be a fun, romantic story. I wasn't disappointed. Definately chick lit and somewhat predictable, but I enjoyed the characters and the interaction they had with each other and their friends. The references to Anne of Green Gables (one of my favorite books) were an added plus.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A decent chick lit book, but hardly one that I couldn't put down. The lead is Anne Shirley Blythe, which is also the name of Anne from Anne of Green Gables (a fact which is brought up ad nauseum), and she gets herself involved with a company that arranges marriages. Typical chick lit hijinks ensue and a typical chick lit ending follows. Again, a decent read, but not one that I'll be shouting about from the rooftops.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Everyone has their own idea of what "Happily Ever After" means, and what it means for themselves may differ from what they think it means for others. Arranged marriages are well documented throughout history, with women often having little choice in their matrimonial destinies. Matchmakers have been "hired" for many different reasons, offering a practiced brand of "love for money". Mail-order brides were the original "personal ads" and the forerunners to online dating. In this day and age, what's a woman to do? "Arranged", by Catherine McKenzie, tells the story of one modern woman's journey through the minefield of dating, love, and marriage. Anne Blythe has a lot going for her: work, friends, and a potential book-deal for her first novel. However, the heart always yearns for more, and what Anne lacks is the happy love life that she sees being enjoyed by those around her, including her best friend, Sarah. By chance, Anne finds a business card for what she thinks is a dating service called "Blythe & Company". Seeing the name as a sign from Divine Providence, Anne gathers her nerve and contacts the company, only to discover that they are not a dating service, but actually marriage arrangers. After taking time to get used to the idea, and pondering the success rate of Blythe & Company, Anne signs on to find her true mate. What she finds is so much more than she and the reader expect, and that is what makes this a very enjoyable read. Many women will see much of themselves in Anne, her hopes, and her life experiences. The humorous and revealing look at women and men, and love, sex, marriage, and life as we know it, is spot on. The course of love and happiness will not be smooth sailing for Anne. Neither the man she meets and marries, Jack, nor the marriage arrangers, Blythe & Company, are really what she first thought them to be. Has Anne made another misstep of the heart, this time one with serious emotional consequences, or will the hand of fate truly be a winning hand? Catherine McKenzie has created a character to root for, and touches on the hope that all of us have for our own "HEA". "Arranged" once again reminds us that matters of the heart often take us on unexpected journeys with outcomes that far exceed what we could ever have imagined. Review Copy Gratis Amazon Vine
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I would have given it 5 stars until the very end... :) This was great. A novel idea for most of us anyway. Anne has a pattern of dating pretty, worthless men. And she's self aware enough to see that this is a problem. So she calls up an agency whose card she serendipitously stumbled upon thinking it's a dating service--and it's a marriage broker. What I think is special about this story is the struggle it shows with our romanticized ideals of love and commitment versus what is really is going to take to be committed. The agency doesn't think love is a part of that and Anne struggles to decide whether the dream of finding her one true love is something she can really give up. In lots of ways, I see that very true to life. We aren't signing up for marriage brokers, but we settle. My goodness do we settle. For so very much less than we were hoping for in a life companion. I think that's why this book resonated with me.

    There are, of course, plot twists and turns that I won't spoil for you, but that I thought really only added to the analysis I mentioned above. I just didn't buy the ending.

    Also, this was very well-written. I will be reading more from the author--and I've been inspired to see if there are other books in this trope I could dive into (answer so far: not so much).
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Arranged Sounded like an interesting subject: like mail order brides but more up to date.Ann knows she needs to get on with her life-after she's left her boyfriend who she found cheating on her, for many years. She finds a card on the ground for a dating service and contacts them.It's not a dating one but a marriage service. It costs many thousands of dollars and she's able to finance it with the book she has just written. Many tests and therapy sessions later we find her on her way to Mexico with others to get married.She meets up with Jack and they become acquainted and they do agree to marry and spend more time living together to learn more about one another.Water sports and trips to the ruins and pyramids was added travel I hadn't though of to hear about. Hot steamy sex scenes.They start to fall in love and then she reads the project he's working on, about getting married....she wonders if she's just a project....I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Anne wants to be in love, she wants to be married, she wants the fairy tale. After another bad breakup and the anouncement of her best friend's engagement Anne finds a mysterious business card. Blythe & Company Arrangements Made. Thinking it is a dating service she calls and finds herself on the path to and arranged marriage. I read this and spend thew whole book hoping that Anne would be sure of something - "I guess" was her catch phrase and for someone who made a living using her words (she is a writer) I was underwhelmed by her ability to put her thought, needs, dreams into words. Arranged is a typical chick lit novel with a failry satisfying happy ending but it did leave me wanting more from Anne.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved it. not your typical chick lit.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Entertaining enough. It was a easy fun read not life changing.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Perfectly generated! Can’t put down, smooth reading had me hooked! Anne and Jack are a love story to the very end. Beautifully written and given that fairy tale ending after all!