Leslie Cohen, This Love Story Will Self-Destruct

Eve is a music writer who thrives on emotion, creativity, and chaos. She dates edgy, brooding musicians, and she’s not attracted to anyone who isn’t a little bit broken. In short, she’s the last person who would want to be in a stable, long-term relationship—especially with someone like Ben. Ben is a civil engineer who values order, logic, and direct communication. A girl like Eve would drive him crazy. Of course, this novel is their love story, and it traces their relationship from college acquaintances to a one-night stand and beyond. But of course, there are many obstacles in their path: Eve is emotionally guarded due to her father’s abandonment and a family tragedy, while Ben is keeping a secret relevant to that same tragedy. And then there’s the matter of Eve’s ex-boyfriend Jesse, one of the aforementioned brooding musicians, who comes back into her life at the worst possible time. Will these obstacles force Eve and Ben apart, or is their connection strong enough to bring them back to each other?

I have deeply mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I found it compelling enough that I read most of it in one sitting and stayed up way too late as a result. On the other hand, I found myself (metaphorically) rolling my eyes a lot. I recently saw this quote in a commentary on the Morning News Tournament of Books: “The only books I refuse to read are those about twenty-somethings living in New York.” And while I don’t have that same rule myself, I completely understood what that commentator meant as I was reading this book. This is a novel that positions itself as a romantic comedy—the cover compares the author to Nora Ephron—but it has none of the lightness, humor, or joy I’d expect from a rom-com. Rather, the whole thing is just kind of dreary. I did find Eve’s journey somewhat interesting; she’s a character who has been telling herself a certain narrative about who she is, and she eventually discovers that her narrative is flawed and that it can change. At the same time, she annoyed me more often than she intrigued me. Ben is a more likable character, but that’s only because he doesn’t have much of a personality. Overall, I’m not quite sure who this book is for: whether you want a rom-com or a literary depiction of New York, I think there’s better stuff out there.