Arranged

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Published by: William Morrow
Release Date: May 15, 2012
Pages: 390
ISBN13: ‎ 978-0062115393

 
 

Synopsis

Anne Blythe has a great life: a good job, good friends, and a potential book deal for her first novel. When it comes to finding someone to share it with, however, she just can’t seem to get it right. After yet another relationship ends, Anne comes across a business card for what she thinks is a dating service, and she pockets it just in case. When her best friend, Sarah, announces she’s engaged, Anne can’t help feeling envious. On an impulse, she decides to give the service a try because maybe she could use a little assistance in finding the right man. But Anne soon discovers the company isn’t a dating service; it’s an exclusive, and pricey, arranged marriage service. She initially rejects the idea, but the more she thinks about it-and the company’s success rate-the more it appeals to her. After all, arranged marriages are the norm for millions of women around the world, so why wouldn’t it work for her? A few months later, Anne is traveling to a Mexican resort, where in one short weekend she will meet and marry Jack. And against all odds, it seems to be working out-until Anne learns that Jack, and the company that arranged their marriage, are not what they seem at all.

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Praise

Booklist Pick for Top Ten Women’s Fiction (2013)

"McKenzie makes an on-a-whim marriage seem like a good idea. Even more impressive is the way she makes the relationship between the heroine and (spoiler alert!) the hero believably difficult and charmingly real. If you’re not rooting for Anne’s happy ending, you must not believe in love. Fans of Jennifer Weiner and Jennifer Crusie have found a new author to watch."
— Booklist starred review

"With good dialogue, three-dimensional characters, and page-turning scenes, McKenzie expertly explores what makes a successful marriage work and the lengths to which some people will go to find true love."
— Publishers Weekly

"Arranged is quirky and fast-paced. It addresses a serious issue – marriage – with pathos and humour."
— The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

"Catherine McKenzie brings a smart twist to marriage and relationships in her second novel, the story of unlucky-in-love Anne Blythe. ARRANGED is crafted with pathos and subtle humour, and through it McKenzie’s heroine learns—the hard way—that the happiest endings are often the ones least expected."
— Shawn Klomparens, author of Jessica Z. and Two Years, No Rain

"Anyone who has ever looked for love in all the wrong places will love McKenzie’s latest tale of romance found in the place one least expects it. A real page-turner, Arranged is a perfect beach read. McKenzie will have readers laughing and crying right along with her heroine."
— RT Book Reviews

"Who says chicklit has to end with a wedding? Canadian author Catherine McKenzie’s new book, Arranged, marries off her heroine, the relationship-challenged magazine editor, Anne Blythe, by the midpoint, after a mysterious marriage broker hooks her up. The perfect strangers become estranged, but getting to happily-ever-after has rarely been so entertaining."
— Chatelaine (Canada)

"McKenzie has crafted a plausible and entertaining story about the complexities of relationships and what makes a marriage work."
— The Winnipeg Free Press

"Anne has a determination and spunk that make you root for her to have her 'Happily Ever After,' and she has a strength of character that makes the ending satisfying. Jack is an interesting character and you can see how they make a good couple almost right from the start. The twist on Anne’s marriage to Jack is a real jolt, in all senses of the term. Not only does the reader not see it coming but it is, quite clearly, a game-changer. This is no silly misunderstanding yet somehow (and major kudos to Catherine McKenzie for this tight-rope act!) the reader can still empathize with – and even root for – Jack."
— Cadence Magazine

"Anne is one of the most realistic characters I have come across in a novel in quite a long time. She is insecure, down to earth, and completely relatable. This book was written very well and there are twists and turns that I honestly did not see coming. I found myself thinking of the book and wondering what was going to happen next and how Anne would handle it while at work, grocery shopping, and even while watching T.V., making me turn it off to find out what happens. This book is a must read."
— Examiner.com

"Catherine McKenzie’s ARRANGED is a satisfying and entertaining romance that puts a very contemporary twist on old-fashioned ideas about marriage. I inhaled it in an afternoon, rooting for its heroine to fine the love she longs for."
— Leah Stewart, author of Body of a Girl and Husband & Wife

"A novel that explores what happens when what you think you want collides with what you really need. Catherine McKenzie’s Arranged is a rare book: smart, funny, honest and absorbing."
— Therese Walsh, author of The Last Will of Moira Leahy

"Just when you think you’ve got ARRANGED figured out, time and again, Catherine McKenzie delivers the flawless, unexpected twist that keeps you glued to the book."
—Cathy Marie Buchanan, author of The Day the Falls Stood Still and The Painted Girls