Nancy’s Review of Blow Me by Lennie Ross

*This review is part of Lennie Ross's blog tour hosted by CLP Blog Tours.

Blow Me takes place in Los Angeles and follows the lives of three women in their late thirties and early forties. Skye, Dawn, and Chloe have somehow become friends, despite not having much in common other than their single status. Skye is an executive assistant who loses her job and burns down her apartment, forcing her to live out of her car. Dawn is a matchmaker at a dating service but has yet to find the man of her dreams. She isn’t exactly sure she wants to have children but worries about being childless at her age, so she undergoes fertility treatments to keep her options open. Chloe is a struggling actress and a real estate agent who rarely makes a sale. Skye, Dawn, and Chloe are all desperate to find happiness and think that finding a man to marry will magically fix all of their problems. They must rely on each other to make it through aging and dating and make it out of a lifestyle they outgrew long ago.

This novel has moments of humor and fresh, compelling dialogue that will keep readers interested. However, the characters are not easy to relate to. Each woman is incredibly selfish, but Skye and Chloe are the most selfish. Dawn has some redeeming qualities but often behaves foolishly in pursuit of her own interests. Skye, Dawn, and Chloe are so self-absorbed that it becomes difficult to focus on the overall story. Their antics are ridiculous, making it hard to believe that these women are in their forties and hard to believe that their lives could be in so much chaos at their ages. They behave like teenagers. Blow Me shows how people can get so far into their lives without actually growing up at all. But what is encouraging is the good character arc for two out of the three women, proving that people can change and get their lives on track. The portrayal of Los Angeles as shallow is a bit too cliché. Blow Me is much racier than most chick lit and would be considered R-rated. Overall, this novel is a worthwhile look at the lives of middle aged women who still have a lot of growing up to do. It delves into the issues that face those who think they are doomed to be single forever.

Lennie Ross writes a blog on dating in Los Angeles called Lennie Ross Writes and works as a researcher, story editor, and story consultant for other screenwriters. Under a pseudonym, she wrote several screenplays for Playboy's now defunct film division, Indigo Entertainment. Her screenwriting credits include writing and hosting a documentary on asthma, writing, producing, and starring in her own sitcom pilot, and writing and starring in her own play, I Think I'm Falling In Love With You. Lennie wrote two episodes of the Japan-Canada co-production animation series, Cyber-Six, and has had several TV movies optioned. While pursuing a screenwriting career, Lennie has worked as a producer, talent agent and assistant casting director for about ten years. Blow Me is her first novel.

For more information, please visit http://www.lennieross.com and connect with Lennie on Twitter and Facebook.

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