The Good Ones Are Taken: A Novel

2.5/5 - All of the elements were there, but the execution just didn't land. The story was a waste of time because I am not sure what the FMC had to choose from when it came to the MMC (her best friend) and the Doctor. She wasn't into the doctor but decided to weigh pros and cons when she wanted to be with the MMC to begin with. These 2 have been friends for 20 YEARS and the FMC had no clue the MMC was in love with her? But I also cringed at the spice scenes between them because it didn't come off authentic.

The friend group was not all that great to me because the conversations revolved around Maggie and her constant whining. And the conversations about Maggie always being hungry and constant talk of food irritated me. At this point, just write a cook book!
I despised when an engagement happens at someone's wedding reception. I think it is tacky and this occurring in the book was no different.

Cozy friends to lovers with medium spice. Maggie's getting over a bad breakup and has nine months to find a date to her best friends' destination wedding. This of course means firing up the apps and sifting through the sludge to uncover a travel-worthy partner. You know how it's going to go, so it's all about settling in and enjoying the ride. And McCoy does not disappoint. No one has a better ear for dialogue and every chapter is a feast for the senses. It's not dinner and a date, it's spicy lamb with red chilies and Thai basil, crab-stuffed prawns with bucatini pasta and blistered Marzano tomatoes, or porcini-mushroom-and-Gruyère-stuffed pork tenderloin with a spinach-and-Parmesan risotto. It's clear she's drawing on her past life as a private chef and we all benefit from it. Frankly we could all use a bit more Garrett energy in all our lives too.