Bad Boy

I loved this one from Olivia Goldsmith- she takes a break from her ensemble novels and focuses one one main relationship. The novel focuses on Tracie Higgins, who sets out to make over her best friend because he has no luck with women. Tracie ends up falling for him, and the journey from friends to couple is rocky and amusing! The characters are great and likeable, and the writing smart and funny. Highly recommended for fans of romances!

This is such a fun and enjoyable book! I don't understand how it's gotten such flak here. It's refreshingly different that Goldsmith's other books- there are fewer main characters. It's a nice twist on a typical romance, and the ending is somewhat predictable of course, but the characters are wonderful, the dialogue is funny and I have read it 3 times already! Give this book a shot, and see as Tracie tries to make over her good-boy friend Jon into a bad boy, and her work goes a little TOO well, only to find herself falling for Jon's inner good boy. All around a fun, fast-paced happy read.

I may get a prize: I have read all of Olivia Goldsmith's novels. After the publication of her breakthrough bestseller, THE FIRST WIVES CLUB, her output has been uneven, to say the least. There have been a couple of gems; MARRYING MOM and THE BESTSELLER come to mind. Yet since WIVES, nothing else she has written comes close to evoking the contemporary feel of a particular moment in a particular place, well leavened by humor, as much as BAD BOY does.This book has one of those high concept storylines: Two twenty-somethings, friends since college, are the main characters. They agree that the male of the pair, a sweet and gentle geek and techno-millionaire, will be made over into a stud by the trendy girl he still sees every week over brunch.Often, these high concept stories are clever and compelling but, once established, there is not enough to say about them to fill a compelling novel. Not so with BAD BOY. Ms. Goldsmith has written a novel that tracks beautifully and makes for an easy and funny read. Even though anyone older than twelve will predict the ending, it doesn't matter, because this story is in the details.Her research appears to be excellent. This 40-something author has caught the energy of Gen-Y, or at least so it seems to a 40-something reader. And, if there are a few quibbles, they don't affect the texture of the story. True, the heroine never seems to work. According to the plot, she is a reporter at a daily Seattle newspaper but over the course of this novel she writes only four "fluff" round-ups...comes in late...leaves early...and takes long lunches. Even allowing for artistic license, this is a bit of stretch.Ms. Goldsmith doesn't write sex scenes with as much detail as some of her bestselling sisters but, in BAD BOY, this does not detract from the story. In fact, this novel screams: Screenplay! Welcome back, Olivia Goldsmith.

This is the first book by Olivia Goldsmith that I have read and really loved it!! I loved to see how the characters interacted and the fun Tracie had in trying to transform her friend Jon into "Jonny". It showed how people can be manipulative, funny, and go for what they want. By the end, there is a joyous revelation of sorts! It is a fun read and most of you reviewers seem to have missed the point of the book! Too Bad=)

Seattle Times newspaper columnist Tracie Higgins laments how she only loves BAD BOYS, modern James Dean types that give mothers cardiac arrest no matter how old you are. Her latest boyfriend is a loser, user, and abuser, but Tracie wants him anyway.Hi-tech genius Jonathan Delano is a good boy, a James Stewart who mothers want to adopt as their son. He does everything correctly for the good of society not just himself. Women adore Jon, but not in bed. He loathes being considered a "nice guy" and wants a piece of the BAD BOY action.At their weekly breakfast, Tracie explains to Jon her ten rules of bad boyism that leads to scoring with women. She helps her best friend change from dweeb-city to ultra cruel and crude male, but begins to wonder what she has wrought. She wants the old Jon to return as she realizes she loves him, but he is into scoring, not relationships.BAD BOY is an entertaining, often humorous relationship drama. The story line is very amusing as all the support cast is stereotyped to a satirical extreme. The metamorphosis of Jon is quite funny as he still fumbles and bumbles with women, but succeeds due to his new attire, haircut, and occasional shave. In a facetious romantic tale, Olivia Goldsmith satirizes the hi-tech relationship world with a modern take of Carlyle's clothing theory of nineteenth century industrial man.Harriet Klausner