Title:- The Heart of the Deal
Author:- Lindsay MacMillan
Date published:- will be published on June 7th 2022
Publisher:- Alcove Press
No. of pages:- 342 pages
Genre:- Romance
Rating:-
Plot:-4/5
Writing:- 4/5
Overall rating:- 4/5
Perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Jojo Moyes,Lindsay MacMillan’s debut novel deftly captures the feeling of being adrift in your late twenties, with poignant commentary on female friendships, mental health, and what happiness really looks like.
Rae is in a romantic recession.
The Wall Street banker is single in New York City and overwhelmed by the pressure to scramble up the corporate and romantic ladders. Feeling her biological clock ticking, she analyzes her love life like a business deal and vows to lock in a husband before her 30th birthday.
The Manhattan dating app scene has as many ups and downs as the stock market, and outsourcing dates to an algorithm isn’t exactly Rae’s idea of romance. She considers cutting her losses, but her friends help her stay invested, boosting her spirits with ice cream and cheap wine that they share in their sixth-floor walk-up while recapping cringe-worthy dates.
And then Rae meets Dustin, a poetic soul trapped in a business suit, just like her. She starts to hear wedding bells, but Dustin’s struggles with depression will test their relationship, and no amount of financial modeling can project what their future will look like.
Can Rae free herself from the idea she had of what thirty was supposed to look like and let love breathe on its own timeline? Or is she too conditioned to stay on the “right track” to follow her unpaved intuition?
Moving and timely, The Heart of the Deal is the story of one woman’s reckoning with what success really is in a city, an industry, and a relationship whose low lows continually challenge the enchantment of the high highs.
I actually cannot believe that this is the debut book of this author–this was actually an unusual romantic novel. Not just those typical cheesy romantic novels you feel like watching from Hallmark movies. This is a bit different type of romantic novel. Basically, it’s more realistic and will teach people like us how to live your life.
Raelynn known as Rae is an investment banker working in a Wall Street Bnak. She is going through a dating recession, and makes a plan of herself to go on a date and then maybe settle down when she becomes thirty. She gets into a dating app and while meeting weird guys, she eventually meets Dustin. Dustin might be a typical hero of the story but this actually deals with depression, Dustin is going through.
First of all, I actually enjoyed author’s writing. Despite the fact that it’s a work of fiction, the author has done a good job of drawing the reader into the story and making the reader feel like a part of the story. Rae’s character reminded a bit about myself, four years ago, when like Rae, I used to work in a bank, and then decided to quit to live a life. I do like her optimism, how she allows Dustin to deal with his depression by breaking off things with him and then her friendship with Ellen and all the others who like Rae is working grueling hours at the work. Reading about working in the bank, reminded me of my days as a banker when I literally didn’t really have a life.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. For anyone looking for a realistic romantic novel, this one is for you. Worth four stars!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.
Tropical Girl Reads 