My take on: Annie Begins

Annie Thompson doesn't take the easy path. Other 29/30-year-olds she knows used their degrees to snag high-paying jobs. Annie chose to pour her blood, sweat, and tear into a start-up company. Low pay now just means she will reap the rewards later. She has a nice home life with her roommates Stephen, who is also her business partner, and Elke. She also wants love, but what direction Annie should take with that isn't easy. With Annie, author Michelle Toth has created a very relatable character. A lot of women can see themselves in Annie.

Annie and Stephen are in the midst of trying to get their relationship site GoodMatch.com off the ground. Money is hard to come by until they can convince investors to buy into the potential of their website. While Stephen is more into work and casual sex, Annie is interested in making a match of her own. Her friend Paul is going through a divorce. Annie is hoping Paul turns his romantic attention in her direction. I don't have much relationship experience, but when I read that all I could think is, "BIG MISTAKE!!!" Nobody wants to be the rebound relationship, it won't last very long. When Paul was married he was off limits, and now that he's not he should still be off limits!! Trying to turn a long-term platonic friendship into a romantic one is the quickest way to lose a friend for good. Annie's crush on Paul is clouding her judgment.

She wants Paul for herself, and is afraid some other woman will snatch him up. She adores her attractive roommate Elke, but is afraid to introduce her to Paul. One look at Elke and Paul might forget all about Annie. To make matters worse her family, particularly her ill cousin April, want to set Annie up with Paul's roommate Eddie. What?!?! That's not part of Annie's plan. Although Eddie is very engaging and funny. He actually pays attention to what Annie says. Paul pays attention to an extent but if the Celtics are playing on the TV, Annie might as well fade into the background. It's also easier for Annie to be around Eddie. With Eddie, she isn't worried about how she looks or if they are any attractive women around to distract him. With Paul, Annie is always fretting about her appearance. Should she look like a sex kitten or wear her regular schlumpy attire around Paul?

With her friends, Annie can let her guard down a little. She can easily sit in bed eating cookies with Stephen and Elke without having to worry about her appearance. The chats can last for hours. I liked her friendships with Elke and Stephen more than her friendship with Paul. With Paul she's afraid to say or do the wrong thing. She just has more chemistry with people not named Paul.

While the story feels very true to life, it did get a little bogged down with business terminology. It does portray the ins and outs of a start-up company very well. Low pay and long hours are part of the culture. If you're just starting a business, I'm sure those parts will appeal to you. I was more interested in Annie's life outside of the office. The business parts of the book just weren't my cup of tea.

Rating: Give it a try


Note: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.