The One

Note: this blog post has spoilers for two books. 

About three years ago, I read In Love With A Younger Man by Cheryl Robinson.  It's about 43-year-old Olena Day trying to decide between two younger men.  Matthew is 25 and has his life together at a young age. Jason's 32 and a retired football player. While reading this book, I really wanted Olena to get with Matthew because he seemed to be a pretty decent guy.  Something about Jason always seemed off and I wasn't feeling him.

At the end of the book, Olena finds out that Matthew is the son of a man she dated in college (and got pregnant by, which resulted in an abortion).  That leaves her with only Jason, who just found out he has prostate cancer.

So when I heard a sequel was coming out, I was happy, but cautious.  I was hoping that Olena had enough sense to give Matthew another chance. But based on the description of The One, I wasn't holding my breath.

This book starts out with Olena nursing Jason back to health after prostate surgery and dealing with ED. After loosing her job and not getting prospects on the novel she's written, Olena gets an opportunity to take part of a reality show. The One is like The Bachelor/Bachelorette with the travel elements of The Amazing Race.  She takes the opportunity, which causes Jason to break up with her (and gets his lawyers to tell her not to mention his name on TV, one of many trifling things he would do in this book).

While Olena jet sets around the world meeting bachelors, Jason continues to act stupid.  After not being able to sleep with Olena because of his condition, he sleeps with the first chick he meets at CVS. And she turns out to be crazy.  Meanwhile, Olena meets a new girlfriend in Tilley, her bald stylist, and bachelor Porter, a musician who has feelings for her.

Like the first book, this was an OK read. Both books are those kind of reads that you read on a quite and/or rainy day and can finish them fairly quickly.  I cared for Olena and want her to make the best decisions, but to me, she doesn't make them. My feeling for Jason went from getting bad vibes from him to wishing he dropped off the face of the earth. He's a entitled jerk, a spoiled brat and thinks with his little head at times.

The twists at the end of the book gives room for a third book. I hope Robinson writes a conclusion to this series so I can find out what happens to Olena.