Click: Lisa Becker

Click: Lisa Becker

Emails are fun to send and when several friends get together and share their thoughts with readers you will laugh, cry, smile and wonder just what gossip, tidbits and dating tips you will get when reading Click by author Lisa Becker. Shelley, Ashley, Mark and Renee are great friends who can’t seem to find the right soul mate you might say. Mark and Renee decide to venture out of their comfort zone and join an online dating service to see if they can meet someone right for them. Mark is smart, astute and very careful about his choice of which service to join. Lining up the top ten he researches each one before sharing the list with Renee. As Renee goes through the list, their requirements, their services and more she decides on one that just might be right for her. But, in the interim we hear from Ashley who can’t seem to get away from Evan her boyfriend whose qualities are not right for her but she needs to see that for herself. Next, Shelley whose presence alone makes everyone else disappears and whose steady stream of dates keeps her busy in many departments.  Told in the form of emails the characters share their innermost thoughts, experiences, hopes and desires in a humorous, delightful way. Although the story is told through emails the reader can follow the trend, the dates and the final results with no problem.

Shelley from the start is a real barracuda and men gravitate to her. Although she has a plethora of dates she joins Mark and Renee and goes for the online dating too. But, the star of the book is Renee and just like most women she is looking for the right guy but first you have to go through a slew of wrong ones. Mark is a great character and great friend, researches everything, provides the good and bad of each site and then leaves it up to Renee to choose the one that is right for her. Online dating is not something to take lightly and you really need to be careful before deciding to meet someone. Even dating services where you pay a huge fee and claim to check out their clients beforehand are not always that reputable. Renee from the start you can tell is sweet, kind, gorgeous and just needs a boost. When you read her profile you get the feeling that she does not really know how great she is and is trying to convince herself that what she wrote is the truth.

But, things start to get a little bit out of control as Renee shares her thoughts as she is about to celebrate her 30^th birthday and join her friends for a fun night. Her online dating service and emails she receives will definitely bring more than just a few laughs to readers as she relates each one to Shelley, asks her sage advice before answering them and finds herself in the midst of some really strange dates. One guy seems taken with her even before she agrees to go out with him and his reaction to her gentle rejection is priceless. Poor guy. Another turns out to have a difference sexual preference but he just doesn’t know it but eventually he will. When you read the emails you will begin to wonder just how reputable this dating service is and who are these people that are emailing her. One is a doctor who seemed nice but when he asks for a date on Valentine’s Day Renee turns him down. Why? you need to click on her email to find out for yourself. You won’t be disappointed. But, poor Mark can’t seem to find his way to joining anything and for some reason he over does things, appears to have a strong case of OCD and his research is never ending but what happens between him and Shelley at the Valentine’s Day Party they all attend is priceless, embarrassing and funny.

This is a book that is not only about online dating, searching for the right person but is truly about friendship, loyalty and a bond that four friends have that hopefully will never break. Ashley is very judgmental and often speaks before she thinks. Shelley is a straight shooter whose advice keeps Renee on point but at times seems over the top. Mark is very controlled, OCD is definitely part of his makeup. Kindhearted, wanting to live in the moment of each of the three girls but never really giving himself a chance to meet anyone. Too analytic and too critical or maybe just smart enough to be more discriminating.

Renee seems centered at times, focused, listens to the advice of others but when will she see herself for who she really is and understand that she is totally worth it. A television host that she dates seems right at first but is he? Shelley’s descriptions of two men referred to as Toddlers and Cuddlers come back in her face. Mark seems to really care about Renee so why not date your best friend?

One friend who finds her way into many different beds and another who gets burnt the first time out Click is one book that will make you think twice before choosing online dating.

Four friends each with different goals, each protective of the other and each hoping to find the right person to fill that empty need. Shelley might be what you would call over the top in some things she does but is she really looking for love or is she afraid to commit? Always there to pick up Renee when she falls down, eager to give her sage advice is one BFF that everyone just might want.

Each time Renee meets someone she thinks might work out she asks for her profile to be hidden. When she meets Matt she thinks it’s the real thing but what happens shakes her confidence to the core and deciding to push aside an email from Ethan just might prove to be a mistake. Misunderstandings, tons of hilarious dates, some not so funny and others well you have to read Shelley’s descriptions of The Tongue, The Rocket and even Toddler will crack you up. But, what about Ashley? How does she react when Renee finally lets her have it with all of her comments, put downs and more? Will their friendship be dissolved? What happens when Renee dates Ethan, things heat up and a hidden truth comes out?

What is the final outcome for these four close friends? Online dating can be fun if you don’t take every date so seriously it seems. Finding the right person happens when you least expect it. Read Click: Maybe on click on the right profile and you just might find Mr/Ms. Right. Author Lisa Becker is happily married thanks to online dating. You can be too. Told though emails in conversational tone we get to know four friends whose lives change throughout the course of this book. Find out how and more when you read Click: An online love story and much more.

Fran Lewis: reviewer