I was starting to feel depressed back in November so I decided to self medicate with Alexis Hall. I searched her name in Libby and found this rom com and immediately downloaded it. I regret nothing.
Rosaline Palmer comes from an upper-middle class family. Her parents are both doctors and they expected her to become a doctor, but she got pregnant at 19 and decided to keep the baby. That meant dropping out of school and working as a sales clerk and her parents have never let her forget how disappointed they are. Rosaline is an only child, which means she has no siblings to distract her parents. On the other hand she has no siblings her parents can point to and say, “Why can’t you be more like them?”
Rosaline is bisexual and was dating a woman named Lauren who cheated on her. When Rosaline found out, she reacted by sleeping with an exboyfriend and they decided it would “probably be fine” if they didn’t use protection, and so Emma came into the world.
Rosaline claims Emma’s dad is a part of her life, even though they decided not to get married, but we never see him. Somehow Lauren is still a very big part of Rosaline’s life and that I don’t understand. It’s one thing to be friends with your ex, but how can you remain on good terms with someone who cheated on you?
In any case, Lauren is now married to another woman (who we also don’t see much,) but Lauren spends so much time with Emma that Emma (who is now 8) calls her “Auntie Lauren.”
Rosaline is about to turn 30 and has decided it’s time for a change. So she tried out to be on a baking competition show called “Bake Expectations,” which is basically “The Great British Baking Show.”
Some of the other contestants turn out to be good people and form bonds with Rosaline. Others turn out to not be very good people, and some of them show that right away, while others take a little longer to show their true colors.
It’s not obvious right away which man Rosaline should end up with, but it becomes clear to the reader way before it becomes clear to Rosaline.
A big reason it takes so long for Rosaline to realize the guy she’s seeing is actually the wrong guy is because she’s still trying to win her parents’ approval so she goes for the guy she knows they’ll approve of rather than the one that treats her well.
If you like Hall’s other romcoms, you’ll enjoy this one. I had a delightful time listening to the audiobook while making Thanksgiving pies.