Book Review: My Great Ex-Scape

By Sara Steven

What if your future was somewhere in your past?

Rosie Jones has been dumped by every boyfriend she’s ever had - most recently by Dinosaur Dave, live on TV, during the ‘phone-a-friend’ segment of a quiz show.

After the footage goes viral Rosie receives a bunch of flowers with a message:

I love you, I should have never let you go, I want you back x

But who sent them?

At a loose end and with £50,000 prize money in her back pocket, Rosie decides to take a trip down memory lane, visiting each of her ex-boyfriends to see not just if they are the one who sent the flowers but if they are the one.

Her journey takes her back to the house she grew up in and on a transatlantic cruise to New York, but can Rosie figure out which ex-boyfriend is the love of her life, or should the past stay in the past? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

Portia always offers up the most unique storylines, and My Great Ex-Scape is another example of that! As much as I wanted to feel for Rosie after her unexpected fifteen minutes of fame by way of going viral, I couldn’t help but laugh- not so much as to the reason behind the viralcy, but the fact that I could easily see what that experience would look like. It’s not every day you see someone get dumped on live TV while on a quiz show. The nickname for Dinosaur Dave only adds to the experience, making it a cringe-worthy hilarious time.

The prospect of visiting former boyfriends, that really struck a chord with me. I have the majority of mine as “friends” on Facebook, and while I rarely ever chat with them online, it’s raised a few eyebrows. For me, it’s ensuring that they’re doing well. I don’t feel the need to have a relationship or to even engage in conversation with them, but I like knowing that they’re healthy and happy, even if I’m not part of that equation. I could really identify with Rosie in that respect. She may have been prompted by a bouquet of flowers, but in meeting up with the former relationships from her past, I got the sense that she is also attempting to receive some closure in her life. Not to mention a chance at finding friendship (or more) again in ways she hadn’t expected to.

When Rosie embarks on a cruise with an unexpected gang to support her, chaos ensues. I got the sense that there’s been so little that she’s done where getting outside of her comfort zone is concerned, so much of her character growth is done while doing water aerobics and having potential bathing suit malfunctions, trying to get through various dinners and drinking ventures, running into someone who is literally from her past- and while that felt a little too easy, I thought it worked well, given the situation. There is a lot to be experienced for Rosie, not sure if she should hold out hope that ultimately, one of her former flames could be the answer she’s been looking for.

While this was a really fun read about a woman who attempts to find the person responsible for sending her flowers, I felt it was more than that. It’s obvious that Rosie has found herself within a rut in her world, and while her experience with going viral was a tough one, it shook everything up, forcing her to make a change. In seeking out her former loves, it meant finding more of who she is and ultimately, who she wants to become. This experience for her seemed to be filled with more misses than hits, and sometimes it takes something like that to really figure out what (and who) you need in life. A well deserving, five-star read from me!

Thanks to Boldwood for the book in exchange for an honest review. Visit all the stops on the blog tour.

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