Review: 'Dangled Carat' by Hilary Grossman (2013)

For every girl who wondered if she should love him or dump him.....
For every girl who listened to her heart instead of her friends advice....
For every girl who l wondered if she was wasting her time dating that guy....
Meet Hilary....
She had gotten used to dating the commitment-phobic Marc, thirteen years her senior. They had a great relationship--why rush into things? She saw no need to pressure him for marriage, believing that when the time was right, he would propose. But after they had been together for four years, their friends decided to take matters into their own hands, pushing Marc to propose and making Hilary realize how much she really did want to marry the man that she loved. Unfortunately, Marc still wasn't ready--and their friends' meddling in the form of a faux engagement party led to a disastrous New Year's Eve that brought their relationship to an inevitable turning point.
Several weeks ago I was contacted by Hilary Grossman with the question whether I was interested in reviewing her book, ‘Dangled Carat.’ I straight away liked the cover and have to admit I was quite curious to find out more about the story which focuses on ‘one girl’s attempt to convert the ultimate commitment-phobic man into a doting husband’, according to the cover. The issue of men being afraid to commit to a woman and their relationship is one that pops up quite often in the world of chick lit/romance, and I looked forward to reading about Hilary Grossman’s own experiences with this!
Hilary and Marc appear to be the perfect couple to the outside world. Hilary is head-over-heels with Marc, who is thirteen years her senior, and she can’t wait to spend the rest of her life with him. The two of them never felt the need to rush into things, satisfied with the state of their relationship, until one New Year’s Eve their friends decide it’s time for them to take the next step after four years of being a couple. A fake engagement forces Hilary and Marc to think twice about where their relationship is going. Hilary suddenly realises she really wants to get married, but Mark’s issues with commitment come to the surface and Hilary realises she’s found herself a true challenge.
‘Dangled Carat’ is Hilary Grossman’s own true story; a memoir which mainly focuses on her experiences with a commitment-phobic boyfriend. The reader is taken on the journey of Hilary and Marc’s relationship on which we get to know both of them, their background stories and the issues they are struggling with. It wasn’t difficult to warm to Hilary; she obviously loves Marc, she trusts him and has a lot of patience when it comes to their relationship. I really enjoyed the realistic character of the book, because I think many female readers will be able to recognise some of their own thoughts or experiences in Hilary. At times, Marc’s actions and the things he said really frustrated me and I just wanted to shake him, feeling for Hilary and admiring her determination.
I think it’s great and admirable that Hilary managed to write down her own story like this and decided to share it with the world. I hope she will continue writing, because her writing style was really comfortable and pleasant to read; I’d certainly love to see her write some fiction. ‘Dangled Carat’ is an easy-going and contemporary story of love which many readers will be able to relate to in one way or another; an enjoyable read and I’ll be looking out for Hilary’s future work!
Rating:

7,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.