The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Men I've Dated

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Men I've Dated #1

by Shane Galen

Not so long ago in a galaxy of single men ... Rory Egglehoff is looking for her knight, but she seems to attract only nerds ... until Hunter Chase touches down in the office next door. Her high-school crush and quintessential dream man, Hunter sends Rory's pulse into hyperdrive. Now all she needs is to get gorgeous Hunter to notice her, take her to their high-school reunion, and pledge his undying love. But putting the Ultimate Jedi Plan into play is harder than it sounds. An unfortunate incident at the gym, a family straight out of "The X-Files," and some seriously suspicious pizza toppings all conspire to send her plan spinning outrageously out of control. And for one would-be princess, confronting the Dark Side is child's play compared with landing the perfect hero ...

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance

291 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was a fun chick lit book with a really quirky main character. This toes the line between women's fiction and romance because it's about our main character- Rory- learning to accept herself for who she is and not try to change herself to fit in, but theres also a heavy romance plot line as she runs into her crush from high school and wants to get closer to him. Rory is a Star Wars fanatic vegetarian accountant. She's dating a super boring guy and is sort of in a rut until Hunter Chase walks into her accounting firm and changes everything. Her best friend (also from high school) challenges her to get to know him again and start a relationship with him. She just wants Rory to get outside of her box and not settle for less than she deserves. So theres a little bit of a makeover situation and the pursuit commences. What I hated about this book was all the lying. Rory does everything she can to seem acceptable to Hunter including ditching her best friend when she really needs her, blowing off her moms birthday party, lying about her boyfriend, lying about her vegetarianism, lying about her Star Wars love, etc. She hides everything that makes her her and while I understand being insecure, the lying was too extreme and ungrounded. I'm sure you can guess the 3rd act conflict and it all resolved really quickly. I just had a hard time buying the relationship when he didn't even really know her. That being said, it was an enjoyable and quick read that kept me entertained.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this. I didn't like or feel empathetic toward the main character at all, so I wasn't rooting for her or caring much if she got what she wanted. I couldn't take all of the self-hatred. Everyone has their issues, but I felt like she saw literally nothing good in herself.

[Raven La Fae]

I read this book when I was 17 and to this day I can remember the chatcter of Stormy. Im not sure if my 30-year-old self thinks it's a good book, but my 17-year-old self was pretty hooked on this book. I think I might have to reread it to see if it ages well.

[Margo Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book

This was a quick and interesting read, I liked the humaness of it. I think most of us feel this way at one time or another

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, good read! I enjoyed the characters and the writing!

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

""

[P. Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today, I saw this book, in its "So yellow you can see it from space" cover, sitting on my bookshelf and decided to add it here as a reminder to reread it one of these days.

It's fluffy. Like kittens and puppies. And light as a feather. It's plagued with tired tropes: cute girl who is convinced she isn't cute meets up with the hot guy from high school and love ensues...if she can get past her hangups.

But it's one of the few books I've purchased in years, largely because the whole Star Wars geek girl thing immediately grabbed me when I read the first page in Costco, years ago. As I recall, I read this book in just a few days. A rarity since, lately, most books just haven't been capturing my attention that much.

Imperfect, but fun.

[Lisa Mandina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I was laughing out loud. I so related to the main character, Rory. As soon as I finished I looked up the author to see if she had any more books, and immediately ordered the other one I found called Reality TV Bites. One thing I loved is at the end of the book they had lots of other things she'd written about her life, her book, etc. The author is a high school teacher and so she included an interview with a student (not sure if it was real, but it sounded just like an interview with the high schoolers I once taught!!).

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

light and fluffy. I had a hard time believing this woman was in her early 30s. she acted like she was maybe 14. she was very hung up on high school for a woman who went to a large college and boasted a 70k/yr job at a big accounting firm. it wasn't bad, per se, it was fine. just felt a bit disappointing because the heroine could have been so much more.

[Debbie is on Storygraph · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reason I liked this book so much was because the main character was me sans the hippie family. Geek - check. Vegetarian - check. Still wishing for Han Solo to come sweep me away? - check check check. I think for anyone else, the Star Wars references might be annoying; I loved them all. So where's my handsome successful prince charming that will put up with all my eccentricities and quirks?

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I wasn't as impressed with this book as I was Bolks' other book (As Seen on TV), I really enjoyed it. The Star Wars references were a bit much at times, but it was fairly endearing so I could handle it. You just have to root for the main character in this one! I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys cheesy chick lit.

[Brie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked it as a cute, fluffy beach read. It didn't require any kind of consistancy or thought really. Also, the Star Wars references throughout were pretty refreshing since girls in literature aren't typically so "dorky."

Take it to the beach or read it in the tub, but don't expect it to be more than it is.

[Melissa Rochelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fairy tale chick lit book: you have your doesn't think she's pretty heroine with her oh-so-beautiful best friend...and the hot guy with a heart of gold. But this one has lots of Star Wars references, vegetarians, and hippies.

It's a good time.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just a fun book to read and I couldn't believe how much I related to the main character....except for her affinity for Star Wars. I actually emailed the author to tell her how much I enjoyed it and she emailed me back.

[Beth K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok so this fairy tale was full of stereotypes that are reinforced in high school about jocks and nerds and the popular kids. it also has stereotypes about hippies. oh, and lots of Star Wars references, which were about the only thing i liked about it.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was funny. The main character graduated HS in 1990 like me and well I totally relate to many of the episodes she got herself into. Conversations reminded me of ones I had with my best friend. Lots of references to Star Wars. I cracked up. Needed this one after the last book I read.

[NatalyaVqs · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book had some funny moments and the characters were interesting and distinct enough and many details clearly from heart felt experience, overall i didnt feel it was well written and i even abandoned reading it once or twice

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. Her constant exclamations in her internal monologue annoyed me. It has a good moral too. But for a 32 year old, you'd think she would have figured some of these things out sooner. I like that the nerdy girl ends up with the hunk though. And the title doesn't fit the story at all.

[Sarah Andre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have not laughed this hard in years. Fabulous story that captures the 'geek pining for the Homecoming King' in all of us. If this were ever made into a movie it would have the Brigette Jones angst romance cult appeal. Highly recommend!

[Kimberly Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light, funny read about a nerdy, Star Trek loving girl trying to score her Prince Charming...and her trials and tribulations along the way.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm in the middle of this one right now. It's pretty good, but I've had a harder time getting into this one.

[Buffywnabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!! I so identified with the main character, but my geekiness is about Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very fun read.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute fluffy romance.

Will the Star Wars Nerd Girl get her Jedi knight in shining armor?

Maybe -- if the force is with her!

[Mickey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, imagine chick lit meets Star Wars fandom with hippies and a childhood crush thrown in. That's pretty much what you get with this novel.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh hated it?.nerdy girl prettified and gets hot guy?bah

[Tedra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I was reluctant to read it at first. Rory's obsession with Star Wars in the book was odd, but overall it was pleasant to read.

[Chi Dubinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

33 year old accountant and Star Wars geek lusts after the popular jock from high school, as their fifteenth reunion looms. Very lightweight romance.

[Barbara Ixba · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute novel about finding love and finding yourself. Maybe not the most memorable novel I've ever read, but it was a fun read.

[Cate · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh, it was okay. funny at times, but mostly just a bit frustrating.