Imperfectly Perfect

September 23, 2024
Goodwin (Ice Storm) gleefully combines tropes in this charming rom-com. Wedding planner Cassie Benedict is jilted at the altar by her fiancé, Jeremy Roth, in front of a who’s who of New York City high society. She grabs her beagle, Bailey, and rushes from Jeremy’s family’s Hamptons mansion in her custom wedding dress. With nowhere to go, she wanders the side of the road, stewing on her heartbreak and how unlikely it is that any of New York’s elite will trust her with their own weddings ever again. It’s a mortifying moment to reunite with her ex-boyfriend, “billionaire bad boy” Andrew Steele. He rescues her from the road and proposes a plan to save her business—a fake engagement to him. Though their relationship ended in disaster, they hope their shared history will make the ruse believable—but they’re not counting on their hearts getting involved. As their chemistry reignites, however, Jeremy reenters the picture determined to cause trouble. Bailey and Andrew will easily win over readers, and the colorful supporting cast, including Cassie’s narcissistic mother, a soap opera star, adds to the fun. In contrast, Jeremy proves a disappointingly one-dimensional villain, and it’s difficult to understand what Cassie ever saw in him. This hampers the plot only slightly, however, as there’s much fun to be had in the second-chance, fake-dating shenanigans. Readers will enjoy themselves.