Dating: Has Never Been This Much Fun

Author: Bonnie Trachtenberg

Title: Neurotically Yours

Date Published:  April 18, 2012
Publisher That’s Amore Publishing

IBSN: 9780984998500
Adult Book

Reviewed for Plum Tree Group

Dara Harrison was a busy advice columnist who took her job seriously and provided advice for her readers both honest and realistic. But, sometimes people do not want to hear the truth and other times you get a narrow-minded editor or boss who has no concept or idea what should go into an advice column and decides to fire you. Hiring a younger and more positive person to write your column that boost his readership Dara was now out of a job and found herself under the covers, more migraines coming her way and her only consolation and reward was the love of her cat Mallory who seems who have some real therapeutic healing in his touch or shall I say paws.  Mallory seemed to understand her and is a Reiki performing cat. Just her touch can heal. But, losing her job is why she decided to create Mate Search with her close friend and new partner Reggie. Imagine a dating service demanding total honesty from its clients. Imagine filling out a questionnaire and telling the truth. Imagine uploading a picture of yourself that is not 20 years old and 20 pounds lighter. Imagine being able to rate your date and write a review about your experience and the entire dating world will see it. Well! Stop right there and imagine no more because Mate Search is here and the Rate A Mate Section is just a click of the mouse away. So, imagine joining this dating service, filling out the questions and telling the truth. Dating profiles that allow the clients to advertise his/her finer points of their own personalities. No lies, no falsehoods and imagine you do not even need a makeover. So, why not join or better yet why not fill out the forms for a relative like Nick Wyatt’s sister Annie did to get him back on track after his accident and losing his job. Needing a cane to walk and remembering the motorcycle jump haunts his dreams. So, why not join a dating service to get back in the game. But, what happens when Nick goes on a date with a strange woman named Palulah and the end result is a review that you just won’t believe or dare to want on your profile.

When Dara is booked to tape the Ophelia Talk Show she is pumped to help three lucky audience members find out just how great her service is by offering three free memberships to the lucky winners. Mate Search makes the promise that you will find your mate within six months or hopefully within the sixth months from when you signed your contract. But, the tables are turned on Dara by the host when she dares her to take the Mate Search Challenge and has booked her to return along with the three winners for her show six months down the road. So, how is she going to handle this and what will she do when the cameras follow her around on her dates? When she fills out the form and has to let it all hang truthful will she tell it all or will she need some coaching from a friend? Wait until you read about her first two dates and what happens that requires one to need an ambulance and remember the cameras are rolling. In order to meet the challenge she enlists the help of her old boyfriend to pull off a total charade when one date writes a review of her that is anything but flattering. Poor Dara! How is she going to win the challenge and not have to date anyone significant? Wait and see what happens!  All systems seem like a go and she goes out on date with Al or shall we say Tony her ex-boyfriend but when Nick Wyatt decides to create havoc in her life with a lawsuit. Will she lose it all or will she stand by her convictions and her policies?

When tragedy strikes and Dara is called home a problem arises with her cat and puts a friend in jeopardy. The solution is surprising and two worlds will now meet and what happens next will surprise the reader when you find out who is taking care of Mallory. A lawsuit filed by a client because of a comment made in the Rate Your Mate Section of the profile. So, just how does all of this work out and who is going to be on the Ophelia show with Dara to help her win the challenge? Will she win the challenge with all of the complaints coming in about the Rate Your Mate Section? Just how this turns out you have to read for yourself and find that some things you cannot review like love, friendship and loyalty. Author Bonnie Trachtenberg’s novel is one that everyone who wants to join a dating service can surely learn the ins and outs from reading Neurotically Yours and finding out that some reviews are really harmful but this one is definitely FIVE STARS.

Fran Lewis: reviewer