Reviewer: Allie
I received a review copy
Mags (short for Maggie) is a 24 year-old graphic artist working for an online bridal site in Los Angeles. It isn’t exactly her dream job, because Mags is an “artist” not a marketing professional. And after she finds her boyfriend in bed with her neighbor, she finds it hard to get excited about weddings. Her best friend CoCo convinces her to try online dating, and to make a personal video as part of her profile. After she purchases a video camera on Craig’s List – she discovers a taped message in the camera. The tape leads Mags on a convoluted scavenger hunt to find her soul mate. While trying to decipher the crazy clues from her yet to be found “future husband,” she also has to deal with a narcissistic roommate, a sexist boss and Coco. Coco is a flip-flopper. One minute she’s a naysayer about the concept of soul mates and the next she’s trying to set Mags up with the perfect guy. Adding to the stress is Mags’ mom, who is always calling for help with her very troubled brother. It’s no wonder she wants to run away and get married – at twenty-four!
The book moves at a very fast pace, which was at times frantic for me, but demonstrated the urgency Mags felt while racing to find her man. I’m older than our heroine, so I was on the side of those in her life who thought the hunt was insane. But the mystery and its clues are very clever. The characters are unique, often in rebellious and irresponsible way – a few were more like caricatures than actual people. I adored the heroine and her backstory certainly justified her thought process and frenetic actions.
I read this book as an ARC and I’m glad I did, because I’m old school. However, this is an eBook loaded with pictures and links to actual websites, many of which were set up just for the book. Mags even has a real Instagram account you can follow. Reading this book is a multi-media experience – there are even videos! I’m not sure if this is the way of the future, but I kind of hope not, because it was a bit much for me. However, I know Millennials will love it. I enjoyed the story, which is well written and plotted – a wildly fun ride.
