Book Review and Giveaway: New Uses for Old Boyfriends

After growing up in privilege and marrying into money, Lila Alders has gotten used to the good life. But when her happily-ever-after implodes, Lila must return to Black Dog Bay, the tiny seaside town where she grew up. Everything has changed in the past ten years, and it’s up to Lila to take care of everything...but she can barely take care of herself.

Even as Lila opens a vintage clothing shop and tries to reunite with her ex, she realizes that sometimes it’s too late for old dreams. She’s lost everything she thought she needed but found something—someone—she desperately wants. A boy she hardly noticed has grown up into a man she can’t forget...and a second chance has never felt so much like first love.

Melissa Patafio:

Every Beth Kendrick book I read gets better and better, and not just because of her wonderful writing. I also love that she sets the book in Black Dog Bay, the same town from her previous novel, and introduces us to a new main character. I now feel like I know the town and the people even more as she brings back previous characters to make an appearance in the life of the new lead. The way she weaves their lives together is pure genius.

I am also extremely impressed by how much time and research must have gone into this book, from the intricate details of famous fashion designers of decades past, to making sure she kept specifics of previous main characters' stories intact with the books that came before this.

New Uses for Old Boyfriends was a fun, witty, and enchanting read. I felt as if I was right there in the tiny, fictional Delaware beach town. Once I started reading, I could barely put it down and enjoyed every page. Beth Kendrick has a way of really pulling you into her characters lives and making you feel every emotion and interaction that they encounter. I'm sad to have finished so quickly but I'm really looking forward to the next adventure, hopefully we will meet another addition to Black Dog Bay!

Melissa Amster:

This is now the fourth book of Beth Kendrick's that I've read (I have some major catching up to do) and her writing style never fails to impress me. It's so genuine with snappy dialogue and funny moments, while also showing her characters' flaws right off the bat. I liked the premise of New Uses for Old Boyfriends. It would be so much fun to open a vintage shop in a quaint beach town. There were some recurring characters from her previous novel, Cure for the Common Breakup, so read that before starting this one, or you'll know everything that happened to Summer Benson since that book ended. It was also nice re-visiting places from that novel, as well as some of the secondary characters. (I'd like to see Jenna from The Whinery get her own novel soon.)

When I tweeted about how much I liked this book, Beth kept tweeting to wait for the ending because it was just that powerful. Well, it was powerful and intense, but I felt that the conflict came and went too quickly. There was no time to dwell on what happened or get upset for the characters because they picked up and moved on so quickly from what had happened. I also wish that Mimi, this one stuck-up woman that no one seems to like, would get her comeuppance. There was definitely an opportunity for it, but that came and went. I hope she'll be back in another book about Black Dog Bay so that someone can put her in her place. (That's not the only reason I want more books to take place there though!)

Overall, I had a great time reading this novel and just breezed through it. I wanted to go vintage shopping afterward (but I'll settle for my local thrift store for now). And as usual, I have casting ideas in mind! (Now that Nearlyweds is a made-for-TV movie, there's always hope for another...)

Lila: Rachel McAdams
Daphne: Kristin Chenoweth 
Malcolm: Matt Lanter
Ben: Adam Brody

Thanks to BookSparks PR for the book in exchange for an honest review. They have one copy for a lucky US reader!

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

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US only. Giveaway ends February 16th at midnight EST.

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