Review: Man Hands

Man Hands by Sarina Bowen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Brynn is a teacher, after divorcing her husband she is suddenly 'let go' by her boss (and ex-father-in-law), forced to survive on her food blog "Brynn's Dips and Balls" and cookery books. She has two almost polar opposite friends - Ash is a blonde, cut-throat estate agent, Sadie is a hippy married mother of two. Their so-called advice consists of recommending that Brynn steer away from her usual type of weedy, intellectual, vegetarian man and instead go for someone manly, rough and butch.

At a party thrown by Ash's mortal enemy Braht, Brynn sees her ex draped all over a younger, slimmer version of Brynn, her 'friends' advise her to run up to the nearest man who makes eye contact and kiss him. I mean really, is that ever good advice?

Tom is a reality TV star who specialises in renovating homes. When a curvy woman launches herself at him while he is tending the garden he is astonished but game for anything. Brynn and Tom have a passionate encounter in the boat shed but unbeknownst to them someone filmed them. A few days later the sex tape is all over the internet and as damage control Tom's agent suggests they legitimise their one-night stand by pretending to be a couple and getting fake-engaged.

Whilst plenty of others have raved about the humour in this book I honestly found it a bit juvenile - I mean how many times can you laugh at the word 'balls'? Brynn is described as curvy, sturdy and overweight (although of course that doesn't stop her wearing underwear made entirely of ribbons) and given the level of humour I picture her as a bit like the comedian Rebel Wilson.

Overall, I liked the story, I loved Tom and I liked Brynn when she wasn't sniggering like a little schoolkid but this didn't have the subtlety of Sarina's other works for me and the humour was too extravagant, too forced, too silly.

Still one of my favourite authors.

View all my reviews