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From the bestselling author of The First Wives' Club and Young Wives, a sparkling New York comedy about making plans for other people -- and then tripping yourself up in them. There's something magical about Brooklyn's Billy Nolan. It's not just that he's wickedly attractive, it's that any woman he dates and dumps (and he dates and dumps them all) immediately goes on to marry someone else. Sassy, uptown New Yorker Kate is immune to Billy's charms -- she left Brooklyn behind a long time ago, and she's not about to fall under the spell of a handsome waster from the old neighbourhood. Besides, she's dating the eminently suitable Michael. But perhaps the 'Billy effect' will work for Kate's friend, Bina, who has fallen apart because her almost-fiance, Jack, is going away to 'explore his singleness'. All Kate has to do is get Billy to date Bina and dump her -- and then await Jack's return and watch the magic happen. It's a great plan and at first it seems to be working. But the one thing Kate hasn't considered is how Billy feels about it all!
A calculated scheme to manipulate a friend's romantic future backfires when the architect finds herself entangled with the very man she intended to use as a pawn. Kate, a sophisticated uptown New Yorker, attempts to engineer a happy ending for her heartbroken friend Bina by orchestrating a relationship with Billy Nolan, a local Brooklyn man rumored to possess a magical ability to inspire marriage in his ex-partners. As Kate navigates the social divide between her polished life and Billy's gritty neighborhood, she must manage her own stable relationship with the predictable Michael while keeping her meddling plan on track. The narrative follows these shifting alliances, highlighting the friction between social expectations and genuine attraction as Kate's control over the situation begins to dissolve.
This novel is characterized by the author's signature blend of sharp social observation and lighthearted romantic conflict. The narrative structure relies on the classic trope of the meddling friend whose own life becomes complicated by the very schemes she creates for others. Readers likely find the contrast between the protagonist's uptown sensibilities and the Brooklyn setting to be a primary source of the book's humor and tension. The story functions as a commentary on the unpredictability of human connection, suggesting that even the most carefully laid plans are subject to the whims of genuine attraction. The work maintains a brisk, comedic tone throughout, focusing on the social dynamics of New York City life.
Page Count:
512
Publication Date:
2003-01-01
Publisher:
Grafton
ISBN-10:
0007133359
ISBN-13:
9780007133352
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