Book ~ "The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook" (2010) Matt Dunn

From mattdunn.co.uk ~ What would you do if you were suddenly dumped by someone you love? And just how far would you go to win them back?

When Edward’s girlfriend of ten years tells him “it’s not me – it’s you”, he knows he’s in serious trouble. “You’ve let yourself go,” she says, “so I’m letting you go too.”

Determined to get her back, Edward realises that to be her Mr. Right, he’s got to turn himself into a bit of all right. But what makes for a good boyfriend nowadays? And how can he learn to make women fancy him again? Right now, he’s the kind of man who puts the ‘ex’ into ‘sexy’.

With the help of best mate (and Z-list TV personality) Dan, Edward embarks on his personal improvement odyssey. From Atkins and Botox, he works his way through the makeover alphabet, until Dan convinces him there’s only one way to check whether it’s working – go on an actual date.

Will he manage the transformation from cuddly Teddy into sexy Eddie? Can he win his girlfriend back? Or does his journey of self-discovery take him in a different direction entirely?

I enjoy reading the occasional chick lit and it's always fun to read guy lit.

This book is set in Brighton, England. Edward arrives home to discover that Jane, his girlfriend of ten years, has moved all her stuff out and is spending the next three months in Tibet. In an attempt to win her back, we following him as he hires a trainer so he can lose the love handles he's gotten over the years, he trades his Volvo in for a Mini, gets a new wardrobe and haircut, and does speed dating so he can find out his appeal to women.

Along the way, we meet Wendy, the barmaid, and Natasha, Edward's boss. Helping him (but how much help is he really?!) is his egotistical friend, Dan, who is a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy.

This is the first book I've read by Matt Dunn ... and I enjoyed it. The writing style is quick, funny and in first person (Edward). I look forward to checking out others by him.

Here's a sample of the writing that I found funny ... this is the day after his first session with his trainer, Sam, eight days after Jane left:

When I wake up this morning, for the first time since Jane left, I can't feel the pain in my heart. That's because I hurt everywhere else. Everywhere. It takes me five minutes to get out of bed, my stomach muscles screaming at me when I try to sit up, and then my leg muscles joining in as soon as I try to stand. When I eventually manage to shuffle into the bathroom to use the toilet, even my peeing muscles hurt.