Book Review: dibs by Allison Martine

Genre(s): Romance / Romantic Comedy

When Olivia is sent to a form of company culture training for her new job, she’s grouped with a bunch of new college grads, who are several years younger, an older woman who joined the organization after growing bored of retirement, and Adam, a man about her own age who seems to have a keen interest in her from the start.

But Olivia has a past, and it’s left her with very little self-confidence. She hasn’t dated anyone in years, and definitely not anyone since her divorce ten months prior. She stuck with a roommate, Lorrie Sunkist (“like the soda pop”), at the training who is the epitome of a party girl – and though Olivia tries to relate and make friends, she struggles. They don’t see eye-to-eye when it comes to relationships or men, and they both want very different things.

And when Lorrie calls “dibs” on Adam the first night, Olivia isn’t sure what to make of it. She isn’t at the training to hook up with anyone, though Lorrie clearly is. But Adam isn’t interested in Lorrie. He’s interested in Olivia.

This was a really cute story with a definite happy ending. I related strongly to Olivia—I understand 100% what it’s like to have no self-esteem and no idea how to proceed with a relationship. And I also know what it’s like to find the “right” one. (And maybe I also related to her character as I did because Adam reminded me so much of my husband—the patience, the understanding, all of it.)

While Lorrie’s character was a source of eye-rolling early on, she eventually grew on me. I think we’ve all known someone like her at least once in our lives, whether as a teen or in college. Like the real life analogs, Lorrie’s personality requires some getting used to. But as a counterpoint to Olivia, she worked well within the context of the story.

There were a number of times this book had me laughing out loud, either from something a character did, or something they said. It was a fun, enjoyable read, and I may just have to pick up the rest of the series at some point.

Author website: afictionalhubbard.com