Never Look Desperate by Rachel Matthews tells the tale of different couples and their quest to have the perfect relationship.
There are times that will make you giggle and others that will make you nod your head in agreement.
Bernard has always felt like an outsider thanks to his offbeat mother. She made sure to control his diet right from day one. Now as an adult, he finds that his lack of confidence is not helping him in his quest to have a woman in his life.
Minh is also on her quest to find the right man but finds that so many of the guys on the dating apps are not her type at all.
And, Goldie is Bernard’s mother and after the passing of her husband, she starts to wonder if she was loved by him at all. She longs to simply be loved.
I found this book so easy to read and loved that it gave me a few giggles. Dating in middle age and your later years is so very different from dating in your 20s which this book highlights.
This story is a fun read for summer days. Put it on your to-read pile!
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading Never Look Desperate by Rachel Matthews. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
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Im a Mum of 3 beautiful girls.
An avid reader that loves to travel but lacks the funds to venture far and wide constantly. A perfumeaholic with an addiction to beauty and skincare.
If not found with my head in a book or on a plane I can be found spending hours upon hour in Doctors and Hospital waiting rooms as part of my job as a Carer
Never Look Desperate by Australian author Rachel Matthews is a charming work of drama that combines romance and an emotive slice-of-life style of fiction.
Set in Melbourne Victoria, central characters Bernard forty-nine, Minh fifty-four, and Bernard’s mother Goldie are all lonely in a world where social media rules and they feel they are being left behind. Trying to work out relationships while carrying emotional baggage is not an easy task. Can there possibly be a future for them filled with love and happiness?
The story is easy to follow, with vivid descriptions and crisp, clear dialog that engages you from the start. There is certainly tragedy to the tale dealing with real-life issues but there’s bittersweet beauty to be found so you can understand and empathize with each character. Readers can relate to the descriptive passages of sorrow, angst, joy, guilt, and peace of mind.
The characters are marvelous, I enjoyed the complexities of individual and how they tried to navigate their lives. Matthews develops her characters by seamlessly weaving their highs and lows into the story and you cannot help but feel you are part of their adventures,
Never Look Desperate is a well-written book that I found to be a refreshing breath of fresh air in the genre of relationship books, it is a highly entertaining story that had me laughing my socks off half the time and crying the next.
I would love to see this book turn into a series following the characters. A worthwhile read with a feel-good effect and a fun diversion when a light-hearted rom com is needed.
I highly recommend.
Thank you, Beauty & Lace and Transit Lounge, for the opportunity to read and review.
Thank you so much Melissa!
It takes a long time to write a novel and the hope is that it may be helpful in some way to a reader or create a way of connecting through shared experiences and understandings…
Your reflections are much appreciated..
🙂
Never Look Desperate by Rachel Matthews is an absolute delight to read. It manages to exquisitely explore a variety of emotions that most humans manage to encounter somewhere on their life journey. Goldie, Bernard and Minh, as the central characters, manage to be highly relatable, in some degree, to each and every one of us.
They are all on their own personal quest to obtain a loving, fulfilling relationship. Matthews makes the process entertaining and very enjoyable.
I found it an excellent read and would highly recommend. I would also love to know whether Goldie finally finds her happiness and the eventual outcome of Bernard and Minh’s relationship.
I will be waiting for the second book with anticipation. Thank you, Rachel Matthews!
Thank you Vicki!
I want to believe that Goldie finds love again. I think she first has to learn how to show Bernard that she loves him, through more honest conversations about her past.
I wanted to create a sense of hope at the end without it being too cliche!
My other two novels are ‘Vinyl Inside’ and ‘Siren’.
I appreciate your kind words 🙂
This was a fun book which is not what I expected. The more I read, the more I was charmed by Bernard, Minh and Bernard’s mother Goldie.
Goldie has set Bernard up to be a bit of a nerd who finds it hard to make friends. He hopes to become more than friends with Minh.
This is a lovely simple story of dating in middle age.
Thank you Carla 🙂
Poor Bernard. You are so right. I think despite Goldie’s cruelty he somehow maintains his true self which is a strength. I have a soft spot for him!
I am glad you had fun with the story, we all need a laugh at the moment…
I appreciate your comments 🙂
Never Look Desperate is a fun, easy to read rom-com.
After coming out of Covid lockdown’s
Bernard and Minh are two older people negotiating their way through apps to find love.
Whilst Goldie ( Bernard’s mum) is finding her way in the world after the death of his father.
Although there was the topic of grief and death there was many funny bits throughout which I enjoyed. It also covered the different dynamics of families.
I liked the characters and how they were portrayed. It was a really enjoyable read and I would recommend it.
Many thanks to Beauty and Lace and Transit Lounge Publishing for my copy to read and review.