Jaime Arkin's Reviews > Big Boy

Novella's are notoriously hard... it's difficult to build a 'relationship' with the characters because the story isn't very long and you don't get much history about them to even start forming an attachment.

Big Boy is an exception to that rule. In 66 pages, Ruthie had me cursing Tyler and wanting to jump into the pages to hug Mandy and tell her everything was going to be wonderful.

Mandy is a single mom to a child that isn't biologically hers. She works full time and she struggles to make ends meet. But for one night a month she's someone else. She meets Tyler through a dating website and they instantly connect. For that one night they both forget whatever is going on in their real lives to indulge in whatever fantasy is playing in their minds.

Tyler has his own struggles, and when they meet in real life, Mandy wants to make the transition to really dating... only she's not sure that's what Tyler will want.

Mandy was such a genuinely real character and that's one of Ruthie's talents. She writes people in such a realistic way that you can imagine sitting on their couch having a glass of wine and talking about what outfit she is going to wear to her next Tuesday date. She had me laughing and she had me cringing and she had me smiling like a fool.

One of my favorite passages....

"What kind of date?"

"The kind where I'm Tyler, and you're Mandy, and I pick you up at seven and drive you to a restaurant and buy you dinner."

This sounds like my kind of date but he's not done yet.

"And afterward, we talk about our childhoods over coffee, and you make me laugh, and then I kiss you good night and feel like skipping on my way back to my car because you're so fucking fantastic."

This is one of a series of novellas written by some incredibly talented authors you'll definitely want to check out! If you're in the mood for a quick, sexy read this would be the perfect choice!

This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare: