Love and Other Recreational Sports

by John Dearie

Swearing off women when his fiancée cheats on him, Wall Street banker Jack Lafferty unexpectedly falls for corporate attorney Sarah Mitchell and must strive to win her back after a series of unfortunate events. 25,000 first printing.

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Julia Hilton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found it linear and one-dimensional in ways that disappointed me.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Sex and the City from the man's point of view. I really enjoyed this book. Not only was it a different twist on a very popular genre, but it was extremely well written and smart. Instead of a loveable airhead-bimbo protagonist, Dearie's Jack is smart and complicated, well read (Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Kerouac are quoted several times), and relatable.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

For something that was touted as the male version of Sex and the City, I expected it to be more. The story was okay, and for the first third of the novel I was rather into it, but eventually I got really annoyed. The main character is fairly whiny, I didn't believe his huge declaration at the end, and I preferred the side characters. It wasn't a bad book, but I doubt I would pick it up again.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never really liked the main character. His interactions with pretty much everyone seemed adversarial. I get the idea behind the book but it just didn't do it for me.

[Ana Alatriste · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is basically Sex & the City, it’s linear, engaging, a bit sexist. The plot wasn’t incredibly, but it was entreating for 2 & a half weeks.

[Julia S · Rating 2 out of 5]

A make pov on women and dating.
Slow read and plot was lost and came too late!

[loli reads a lot · Rating 2 out of 5]

my favorite parts of the book were when women embarassed him

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book sucked me in at the beginning. I was reading it with ease, enjoying SOMETHING about it--when I realized. it wasn't written at a Janet Evanovich/ third grade reading comprehension level! there were big words! Three dollar words, even! wow, so cool! I was enjoying the descriptions of NYC life, and liking the characters who were introduced.
Then the honeymoon wore off, and I started to notice HOW MANY big words there were. why describe something with one adjective, if you could do it with TWO, probably variations on the same meaning. the extremely detailed descriptions of every setting started to get tiresome too, started to feel like filler or writing practice or something.
Then came the interaction with Kim. Wow! dumb! okay, people do dumb things. Then the thing with Sarah. wow! that sucks!
then Jack kind of has this meltdown, and it seems like the whole character morphs, only it's not that he just then changes his behavior. it's described as something he's done a lot in the past, and is good at. Wait, the guy who was too shy to say anything cool to Kim when he met her is suddenly such a tricky player he can woo a bartender at a biker bar? really? that was when I started thinking what an a$#@%$.
Of course, that particular scene also included the conversation that never ends. if we were meant to feel Jack's frustration at the conversation, well--success! because I was really annoyed and frustrated trying to get through the scene. Do guys really sit around and talk like this? It's not even that I disagreed with the friend whose name I can't remember. I thought he made good points. the conversation just took forever, and not in a fun way.
Around that time John Dearie started using a really weird way of writing his dialogue too, one that I hadn't noticed earlier in the book. Half passive, half active. it's okay for Jane Austen to use passive/ described dialogue. it's Jane Austen, after all, and she makes it work. for the most part, though, other than her writing, I find it annoying. but it's REALLY annoying when it's only half and half. when he says, "Dad said, 'blah blah blah" and then says, "and then he said this and this and that." those parts almost gave me a headache.
but his dad and friend made good points, and Jack finally gets it, and then rushes off to his final big scene--which felt way too bad romantic movie-ish for me. do people really do this? if someone ever did it for me, I'd KILL them, not call them back. reconsidering it later, I supposed that it made a little sense, given what I knew of both characters. but still, a bit painful and unreal.
For all this complaning, you'd think I hated the book, but I didn't. I don't intend to reread it, but I enjoyed pretty much enjoyed reading it. I just think it needed a good, unkind editor to point out some problems that needed fixed before they actually published it. but maybe that's just me.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book and the style of writing.

However, I felt like I wanted to know more about the relationship between Sara and Jack - I didn't think it was all that believable that after a brief couple of meetings and a date that Jack would get so bowled over with her. it seems a shame that the author couldn't have developed the early dating storyline a bit more before the ex comes along and and drops the ball. It may have been more believable that Sarah felt justified in not wanting to know him any more had they been casually dating each other for a little bit longer.

As I said, I did enjoy the prose, it was easy to tuck into and flowed well.

[Christina M M Rau · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Dearie has written kind of a chick lit novel if chick lit were to refer to guys and dating. Much of what he writes about is what women talk about and how women talk to each other behind closed doors, revealing that women and men are really not that different from each other at all. Well, they are, but sometimes, not as extremely as we'd think. This book is witty and entertaining as well as unpredictable.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a quick comical read. This book was a pleasant surprise. The main character seems self-loathing and cynical throughout most of the book, but he did suffer a huge blow. Romance is not my usual reading option due to the whiny, wishy washy feelings that take place. This book had that but with some comical insight.

[Heather Rogers · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just okay for me. The first few chapters grabbed me but then it felt more monotonous than entertaining and I felt that parts were separate among themselves and didn't flow well with the rest of the story; in places it seemed rather disjointed.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a chick lit book, written from the male point of view. I found the story to be one-dimensional, but it kept me reading and engaged. It's funny how when women tell the true about life it's candid. When men do it, it's crass. Men are weird.

[Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd rather give this 2 1/2 stars. Pretty light and easy to read. Amusing at times. I don't know this genre, but enjoyable enough.

[Yunita · Rating 4 out of 5]

i thought it was a chick-lit...

Basically it's about men and relationship.
Very funny and entertaining..

[Carrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried really hard with this book, but I just couldn't wait for it to be over.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read it in Italian and enjoyed it okay. A kind of chick lit but for guys, whatever that would be called.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very New York

[Nique · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting at first, but I got a little bored with all of the squishy "looking for love" crap. I need more of a storyline than just someone pining for and/or avoiding love.

[Ed Larkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel intimidated writing a review. Am I the only guy who read it? Sex in the City for guys, I agree with that assessment. Enjoyable read.

[Annette VanDyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an easy read. Cute and short