When My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions by Becca Wilhite opens, Sarah is beginning her freshman year at college. Nothing is going quite as expected - her parents are a little too eager to have her gone, her best friend found another place to live, and her new roommates are ... interesting. Then, there's her new study buddy: Ben's so drop dead gorgeous that Sarah nicknames him Adonis on the spot. The weird thing is, she's getting some serious romance novel vibes off this fine specimen of manhood. Clearly, he's only after one thing - her class notes. Because, seriously, she's so not the kind of girl that gets this kind of guy. He's obviously hiding some fatal flaw, some cruel secret that will decimate her already pummelled heart - it's better to play it safe, keep her distance, remain just good friends.

Sarah knows a girl like her is never going to have a straight-out-of-a-Jane-Austen-novel type romance; heck, she'll be lucky to have any kind of romance at all. So, why has her life suddenly gone all Pride and Prejudice? Is it possible that her real life could be just as good, if not better, than all the silly romantic nonsense in her head? Can Ben truly be as great as he seems? Or is he just waiting in the wings to dash her every hope - again? Looks like it's time for a little Sense & Sensibility, but will reality have its way with her once more? Or will her unlikely fairy tale finally lead to the Happily Ever After she's always dreamed of?

After reading so much bleak post-apocalyptic fiction and dealing with several family health crises (including my own), I really needed something happy to read. Wilhite's second novel (read my review of her first, here) fit the bill perfectly. My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions is bright, fun and hopeful. The story's predictable, the heroine's clueless, and the guy's drool-worthy - it's the perfect combination for a quick, light, easy romance. It's not excessively original, charming or moving, and honestly, I wanted to smack Sarah upside the head on more than one occasion, but I recommend it for some simple, clean, upbeat entertainment. Just in time for Valentine's, it's a tale that will make dreamers fling aside their Jane Austen's and pine for the kind of imperfectly perfect romance that occurs in only one place - real life.

(Readalikes: Reminds me a little bit of Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison [my review])

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG because of minor lusting :)

To the FTC, with love: I received this book from the generous folks at Shadow Mountain. Thanks! Book image is from their website.