TBR Day: Mike, Mike, & Me by Wendy Markham

I finished this month's TBR Day book last week, but here I am on the day of trying to quick write my review. Figures.

Mike, Mike, & Me is a Red Dress Ink book. It caught my attention because it's about falling in love with Mike, which is something with which I was familiar. I ordered it from Paperbackswap, then it sat on my shelves along with everything else. It is firmly in the realm of chick lit and doesn't pretend otherwise. Told in both the present and the past, this is the story of Beau, a tired, slightly unhappy housewife. She moved to New York straight out of high school while her high school boyfriend, Mike, moved to California for school. They have always had a long distance relationship, but Beau is hoping he'll take a job in NY to be with her. One day at the airport, while waiting on Mike's plane, Beau meets Mike. After fighting with Mike about moving to NY, she impulsively calls Mike for "not a date." Things continue and Beau realizes she really is in love with Mike, but which one?

The chapters alternate from the present, where Beau is feeling unappreciated by her husband (Mike) and her kids; to the past, where Beau is falling in love with Mike. In the present, Beau has gotten an email from Mike which has stirred up the question: did she make the right choice? In the past, Beau is wearing leggings and Aqua Net and thinks Madonna must surely be a fad, while trying to make a decision. The entire book takes place over a couple of summers, the present summer, and the summer in the past when she had to decide between the two Mikes. Confused?

This is a really cute story. It's pretty well done on keeping you guessing on which Mike she choose (the reader doesn't find out til the very end.) Beau admits from the very beginning that she was always spoiled and used to getting her way, so you aren't overly annoyed by that. Her kids are barely in the book and not a distraction. The way she kept having to obsessively check her email to see if he replied was great. Both Mikes are appealing, even though I did have a favorite. Present Mike (the one she married) is clearly madly in love with her and trying to make her happy, even when she can't see it.

The bad- She can't see it. She flares up at him for no reason several times, which got old. I understood that she was having a crisis, but geez. The parts in the 80s are cute, and occasionally very witty (Milli Vanilli!) but by the end felt way overdone. She's a bit of a novice at email, and it really felt fake that she wouldn't be more familiar with it.

The very best part of the book is on the first page-

That they shared both a name and my heart is one of life's great ironies, don't you think?

Then again, maybe not. According to the United States Social Security Administration, Michael was the most popular boys' name in American between 1964 and 1998. Odds are, if you're a heterosexual female who was born between those years- as I am- you're going to date a couple of Mikes in your life. As I did.

Meanwhile, if you're a heterosexual male who was born in those years, you're going to date a couple of Lisas. That was the most popular girls' name the year I was born.

I'm not Lisa.

But I am! So that cracked me up. I got your Mike and Lisa right here!

Overall, good, but not great. Memorable only because of the device of keeping you guessing. If you read a lot of chick lit, I'd say pick it up but if you don't, skip it.