NEW RELEASE
Pinch Me - Adena Halpern (2011)
Lily is a 29-year-old successful woman who has gone from one bad boyfriend to the next to please her mother and grandmother who think that love is a curse. According to them, she should not marry a man unless he is short, bald, fat and makes her miserable. Which is why, when her handsome, caring boyfriend, Gogo, asks her to marry him atop one of the most romantic locations in the world, Lily is torn. Should she listen to her family and stay away or should she follow her heart and marry the man of her dreams? Finally, she decides that she will do what she wants for once and marry him. Who cares if her family doesn't approve? She's not out to make them happy, she is out to make herself happy. So, when Lily and Gogo elope and get married, the elated bride asks her new groom to "pinch her" to make sure it's all real. However, when he does, Lily is transported back to a time when she was single and didn't even know Gogo. In fact, he has no memory of her meeting him and is now happily married to someone else. Is this why her mother and grandmother were warning her to stay clear of marrying for love only? Tired of being unhappy, Lily must somehow find a way to break the curse that has haunted the women of her family for so many years. With a spirited cast of characters and a unique storyline, this is a funny read. It has a strong-willed and colourful main character, yet it's the supporting cast of Lily's mother, Selma, and grandmother, Dolly, who steal the show. The two of them are hilarious and seem like they need their own two-woman show. (AS)
Pinch Me, by Adena Halpern, is about a woman who has the perfect life until she discovers it has all been a dream. Or has it? The summary says: "'Never marry a man unless he's short, bald, fat, stupid, and treats you badly.' That is the romance advice that 29-year-old Lily Burns has heard her entire life from her grandmother, Dolly, and mother, Selma. Despite this, when she meets Gogo, the handsome, successful paediatrician who treats her like a queen, she has no choice but to let her heart take over. When she agrees to marry him, Dolly and Selma are inconsolable. They decide it's time to tell her the truth: their family is cursed. If she marries for love, there will be unimaginable consequences. Nevertheless, Lily and Gogo elope. Unable to believe her good fortune, she asks Gogo to pinch her to make sure this isn't a dream. The moment he does, Lily finds herself transported back to the house she lived in when she was single. Gogo is gone. When Lily tracks him down she finds that he's married to someone else and has no memory of her. In this reality, Gogo has none of his boyish charm, and instead of being a doctor, he sells drainpipes for a living. Lily knows it's up to her to get Gogo back on the right track and return them both to the wedded bliss they were meant to have. But the only way to do that is to break the curse." Pinch Me is out in July.