Review Blitz: The Man Test by Amanda Aksel

Synopsis
Marin Johns is San Francisco’s Pollyanna couples therapist. She’s months away from wedded bliss when she discovers her fiancé is having an affair. After nursing her broken heart with Kleenex and break-up songs, she adopts a new brand of thinking when she uncovers a tell-all book that proves all men are liars and cheaters who will do and say anything so they’re not found out. No exceptions.

In an attempt to convince her friends of her newfound truth, she begins a fictitious relationship with James, a do-gooder from Montana. Marin seeks any means necessary to catch him cheating from hiring a PI to enlisting the help of a fidelity tester. Will her new "boyfriend" beat the statistic or will Marin regret the satisfaction of being right?

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Review
The synopsis of this book reminded me a little of the plot of the film How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. The whole girl fakes a relationship with a guy to prove a point storyline is a tried and tested idea, but one which I happen to love. Indeed, this novel falls nicely into the rom-com category and could easily be a film itself! It is written in the first person from the perspective of Marin, a couples therapist who walks in on her 'perfect' fiancé to find that he isn't so perfect after all. In an instant all her dreams are shattered, and after wallowing in self pity she decides enough is enough and turns to a self-help manual for instruction. Marin is an incredibly likeable but frustrating character in that you wanted her to stop all the crazy ideas and give the adorable James a break, and I liked the fact that the story was told entirely from her point of view. The perfect beach read providing hope to scorned women everywhere, The Man Test is a refreshing addition to the chick-lit genre. 4/5 stars.


About the Author
AMANDA (ah-MAHN-dah)- Latin- Meaning lovable or worthy of love. Fitting. I've always had an affinity for love. ​ Being born in sunny San Diego in the mid 80’s to a young military couple gave me plenty of insight into the dynamics of a romantic relationship. Somewhere between moving coasts every three years, I found myself engrossed in fairytale romances and dressing up like a bride. ​ My first real love was writing. By my sophomore year in a new high school in Virginia, I had a slew of short stories, songs, poems, and articles to my name. Writing was fun. It was a way to get the emotions, dialogue, and pictures out of my head, and create a destiny for my characters. ​I had no intention of making a career in writing, because it wasn’t what I did, it was who I was. In reality, I wanted to be an actress. Ah, to be the face of someone else’s authored story. The plan was to move in with my aunt in L.A. after graduation, but had a change of heart. Instead, I stayed with my high school sweetheart (now husband) and attended a film school in Norfolk, VA. It was at this school that I discovered my love for writing screenplays and felt compelled to follow that path. But…as the practical girl I was brought up to be, I decided to go to a real university. While working full time, I completed my BA in Psychology in four and a half years. Becoming a couple’s therapist had always been my “backup” career and there I was on my way to solving love's most complicated quandaries one couple at a time. ​ With all my new free time after graduation, I decided to turn my full-length screenplay into a novel in hopes it would help my screenplay sell. I think I was in the middle of writing chapter two when I realized that everything I had ever written was to prepare me for that moment when I knew I was a novelist. Talk about the affirmation of my life. Now my plan is to solve love's most complicated quandaries one novel at a time.
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