Review by tjshirley -- Wrong Turn, Right Guy

[tjshirley]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Wrong Turn, Right Guy" by Haylie B. Fox.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Wrong Turn, Right Guy
By Haylie B. Fox

Reviewed by: tjshirley

Wrong Turn, Right Guy, is a romantic comedy that takes the reader on a trip through Italy. Tessa must choose between her career where she has dedicated over a decade working long hours at a law firm, or a trip to Italy for her best friend’s wedding. Tessa’s boss forces her to choose between her career or a very overdue vacation. Tessa promptly decides the “take this job and shove it” path is the one for her, and she packs her bags for Italy. Tessa walks away from her career for a chance at a once in a lifetime trip and an opportunity to reevaluate her life and what she wants for her future.

The stress of not having a job is tough on Tessa and puts a strain on her trip. She is not in the best frame of mind to enjoy her journey, and spends way too much time whining and being rude to her her mother who accompanies her on the trip. Although Tessa and her mother endure several mishaps, they still manage to visit much of Italy and make the most of their time there.

When their car breaks down in the middle of the countryside, Tessa and her mother happen upon the home of a handsome Italian man named Alex. Tessa’s chance encounter with Alex ends her “dry spell” in relationships and gives her the hope and excitement for the future that she has been missing. In the end, Tessa must decide on what she wants in a career, a relationship, and what country to call home.

Tessa has spent so much of her life focusing on work, and her trip to Italy is a pivotal time in her life. Tessa’s travels to Italy to be there for a friend’s wedding, but her time there turns into a time of self-discovery. Tessa has spent so much time working and less time on figuring out what she wants out of life. Tessa's story is an example of how forced situations can often be some of the best things that can ever happen to us.

Much of the book focuses more on the landscape of Italy and less on the development of the characters. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and keeping up with Tessa’s fickle ways. As much as I wanted to like the book, I struggled to finish. It is very hard to be a fan of a story when the heroine is someone that I can't relate to in any way and would not ever want to be friends with in real life. I give this book a rating of 2 out of 4 because the book was not for me, but some may find it more entertaining than I did. Wrong Turn, Right Guy was not my cup of tea, but I am sure that people will enjoy Tessa’s story and reading about Italy and all the best places to visit. In my opinion, the focus of the book was more of the Italian landscape and the food, and not as much focus on characters of the book. On a positive note, I have always wanted to visit Italy, and the descriptions of the country in the book confirm that I should visit someday.

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Wrong Turn, Right Guy
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[Pilar Guerrero]

Thank you very much for this review. Sometimes I think authors make the mistake of calling the book a romantic comedy when the book is really about travelling. Maybe if we choose a book to know about a country and we find a love story, we may change our opinion about the book.

Personally, I don't like characters that complain, maybe because in real life I don't like them either. I don't think I would like to read this book, unless I want to prepare a trip to Italy.