Nine Uses For An Ex-Boyfriend Paperback – 2 Feb. 2012

Once i started reading this book, i could not put it down, and the hours of the day flew by.

The lovely Michelle over at Fluttering Butterflies posted about this one a few weeks ago and it inspired me to pick up my copy and see what her post was all about. She'd asked readers what they thought they would do in Hope's situation and reading everybody's answers was fascinating. Nine Uses for an Ex-Boyfriend (Nine Uses, from now on) definitely throws up a lot of questions and that's one of the things I like about it, there's so much potential for discussion and I think everybody will come away from the book with a different opinion about the situation, which is great.I've read a few reviews that criticise Hope's behaviour throughout the book, that say she should have been more ballsy, less like a doormat, tried to get even and should never have wanted Jack back. Okay, the way I see it, it's easy to sit there and say how somebody should act, it's easy to say you want a strong female lead who doesn't let a man treat her like crap etc etc. Those are great ideals. But, unfortunately, the vast majority of the time they are unrealistic. If your boyfriend of over a decade, the man you love, the man you've built a home with cheats on you with your best friend, I'm pretty sure you're not going to get over it in an afternoon and display exemplary behaviour at all times. I'm pretty sure you're going to eat your weight in carbs, wallow in self-pity and and wonder what the hell you did to make him leave you, which is precisely what Hope does.What I loved is how realistic Hope acted. I loved that she doubted herself, blamed herself at first but then slowly began to snap out of that mindset as she gradually tried to get over the relationship. I like that it was gradual, slow process, not just an overnight job like we've seen in countless movies. Sure, her behaviour can be frustrating but so are real people and I think Manning did a brilliant job at showing the various stages Hope goes through in her quest to get over the breakdown of her relationship.A couple of things that did throw me were the title and blurb, which I thought were quite misleading. I'm still not sure what the title has to do with the story, except for the fact there is an ex-boyfriend involved. The whole 'Nine Uses' element seems completely redundant, as it's not something touched on in the story at all...unless I totally missed something. Did I? Was there a whole 'Nine Uses' sub-plot that completely passed me by? Similarly, I think the blurb was a bit off as well, particularly the teaser at the end of it that talks about true love getting mad and getting even. I went into the book thinking it would be about Hope getting revenge on Jack and Susie for betraying her but it's not something that happens at all. It just struck me as a little odd that the book was set up in the summary as being something it's not at all. These are more issues I had with the marketing side of things rather than the writing itself, which was great, as it always is with Sarra Manning.Have any of you guys read this one? If so, what did you think? How do you think you would react in Hope's situation? Did you warm to Hope or were you frustrated by her behaviour? Let me know in the comments!

Well I really, really liked this book - my second by Sarra Manning.I’m not going to dissect it chapter and verse, but it didn’t quite take me where I thought it was going to and I think I liked that more than anything!?Not to sure why the reviews for it are so divided??

Took me a while to bring myself to review this because I absolutely adore Sarra Manning's writing style, but this book was very... I'll just say it left me peeved and I found it quite a struggle to get through, hence why I refuse to read it again. I'm not particularly sure how exactly the title ties in, because we don't really get to see Hope *rightfully* exercise these 'nine uses', which I was greatly anticipating! I mean after EVERYTHING, so much more should have happened, but that's just me. Jack shouldn't have got away unscathed if it was down to me... I'm not at all violent, (and yes I know, my last comment doesn't help) but I honestly wanted to jump into the book and give Susie, Jack - Hope too!- a good slap. I give much praise to Sarra Manning for inducing such a strong emotional response from me, because it does show what a wonderful writer she truly is! But I just feel a little disappointed, especially with the ending and Hope's handling of certain situations (the vast majority of them, actually!); she's just so weak, not at all the strong, in control woman the synopsis paints her to be. But I understand that life doesn't always provide a happy ending. But having said that, it is up to *you* to turn that around; you are the route of your own happiness after all, and you shouldn't depend on someone else all the time to bring you that joy, which is what Hope did with Jack, thinking he'd change over time...I understand she was deeply hurt and betrayed but come on! You can't change a man or will him to, he has to want to, and not for you, but for himself. The irony of her name is just so painful; Hope had much too much hope for that hopeless idiot Jack! I'm sorry, but I cannot let myself feel that murderous rage all over again by re-reading haha!Give it a read if you want, because any book that can make you feel so strongly is a very special book, whether you liked it or not. Although, having read 'YDHTSYLM', 'Unsticky' & 'Nobody's Girl' prior to this, I think this is why 9 uses is quite a disappointment for me; I guess it had a lot to live up to and failed to meet my expectations. Beautifully written, but not at all realistic. I highly recommend "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" if this has left you feeling furious or sad; it honestly won't fail to put a smile on your face :)

Another excellent, escapist read from Sarra Manning. She really knows her characters, and I think that always comes through. I cared about what happened to Hope and Jack and sympathised with her losing her way and being something she wasn't as she attempted to save what they have. Combine with some funny, touching moments and I think it's a perfect girly read.

I love all of Sarra Manning's books, she is a very skilled writer and her writing style never dissapoints her readers.I struggled to put this book and I was sad when I finished it.Sarra is funny and realistic with her down to earth characters who began to feel like close friends of mine.I can't get enough of her books, they simply rock!

Le problème avec Sarra Manning, c'est qu'elle écrit tellement bien que lorsqu'elle s'attaque à une histoire dans laquelle l'héroïne est bafouée et se comporte comme une carpette, c'est à la limite du soutenable.Je crois que ceux qui n'ont jamais aimé un homme ou une femme à ce point (ou pour parler plus scientifiquement, qui n'ont jamais été sous ocytocine !!!) ne vont pas aimer l'héroïne qu'ils vont trouver complètement stupide. Et ceux qui ont déjà vécu cette dépendance qui nous fait tout accepter, jusqu'à devenir le paillasson de l'autre ne veulent revivre cette expérience pour rien au monde.C'est là qu'on en revient au talent de Manning. Elle écrit tellement bien, les personnages sont tellement justes et précis que les 200 premières pages sont difficiles à digérer...Par contre, le personnage de Wilson est très intéressant. Comme dans "You don't have to say you love me", c'est difficile de ne pas tomber amoureuse de lui.Je le recommande donc quand même, parce que les bons auteurs ne courent pas les rues et que Sarra Manning est une excellente conteuse.

Ich fand dieses Buch ziemlich schwer zu lesen. Eigentlich erwarte ich von einem Buch des Genre "chick-lit" eine Liebesgeschichte, die mir danach ein gutes Gefühl gibt. Wenn das Buch noch gut geschrieben ist und nicht ZU seicht, dann bin ich glücklich.Dieses Buch hat leider keine Liebesgeschichte, jedenfalls keine schöne. Dem Titel nach zu schließen erwartete ich eine Geschichte über eine junge Frau, die herausfindet, dass ihr Freund sie betrügt, mit ihm Schluss macht und dann ihr eigenes Leben findet. Tatsächlich ist das Buch - und zwar das ganze Buch (ich hatte ja immer gedacht, das hört irgendwann auf!) - ein einziger, sehr detaillierter Einblick in das Zerbrechen einer langjährigen Beziehung und damit gleichzeitig auch das Zerbrechen jeglicher guter Charaktereigenschaften, Würde und Beherrschung der Hauptperson. Das Verhalten der Hauptperson besteht leider zu 90% darin, dass sie jegliche Würde abgeben muss, nur um zu einer einzigen, jammernden und bettelnden Frau reduziert zu werden, die nicht allein sein kann. Mag sein, dass das leider oft der Realität entspricht und ich bin auch beeindruckt von dem psychischen Einblick, den uns die Autorin verschaffen kann, aber es ist einfach schwer mit anzusehen, wenn man der Hauptperson am Liebsten nur zurufen möchte 'Reiß dich zusammen und verlass den A...'.Das ganze wäre ja schon schlimm genug, aber die zahlreichen anti-feministischen victim-blaming Elemente ("Er ist nur fremdgegangen, weil du zugenommen hast" - "wenn du nich immer so wütend wärst, wäre er nicht fremdgegangen" - "was besseres wirst du nie finden") von Familie und Freunden und nicht zuletzt durch die Hauptperson selbst machen das Buch zu einer einzigen Tragödie.Die Tatsache, dass die Hauptdarstellerin tatsächlich ein pathologisches Jähzorn-Problem zu haben scheint und es nur bewältigen kann, indem sie krankhaft an einem Gummiband um ihr Handgelenk schnippt, bis es blutet (?!?!?), tut dem Buch wirklich keinen Gefallen.Die ganze Geschichte wäre beeindruckend gewesen, wenn es einfach eine Geschichte über die Entfremdung zweier Menschen gewesen wäre, die ihr Leben lang zusammen waren und jetzt nichts mehr gemeinsam haben außer ihrer gemeinsamen Vergangenheit. Auf dieser Grundlage hätte das Buch tatsächlich einen spannenden Mix aus Anschuldigungen und Vergeben bieten können, der in einem freundschaftlichen Auseinandergehen endet. Leider ist das Buch die Geschichte eines betrügenden Mannes und einer jähzornigen Frau, die dafür von allen Seiten für das Fremdgehen verantwortlich gemacht wird. Hinzukommend glänzen die angeblichen langjährigen Freundinnen der Hauptperson lediglich durch Abwesenheit, denn zu keinem Zeitpunkt sind diese in dieser schweren Zeit für sie da oder treten irgendwie signifikant in Erscheinung.Das Buch ist keine Rom-Com.

This book is beautifully written i.e. I did not have to shout at it for being shallow or lacking in proper syntax. The characters were what I might expect for a 'chic lit' novel and the plot was carefully formed. I really have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it and admired the author for taking us a step up in the genre.

J'aime beaucoup cette auteur, mais là, l’héroïne est un petit peu trop "blonde" à mon goût.Pas mal quand même.