Remind Me Again Why I Need a Man

by Claudia Carroll

Ever since she was a little girl, all Amelia Lockwood has ever wanted is to get married. The Tiffany ring, the Vera Wang dress...the whole shebang. Her glamorous television career, gorgeous flat and fabulous friends only go so far in consoling her now that she's in her thirties and still not married.

So when Amelia hears about a course that promises she'll be saying 'I do' before the year is out, she jumps at the chance to enrol. What Amelia doesn't realise is that she will be instructed to revisit all her past relationships to work out where she went wrong. In single-minded pursuit of ultimate goal, Amelia gets in touch with every ex-boyfriend she's ever had - right back to age sixteen - with some surprising results!

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Love, Humor, Roman, Contemporary

479 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Claudia was born in Dublin and is a graduate of UCD, the College of Music and of the Gaiety School of Acting. Since then she has worked extensively as an actress on the Irish stage, but is probably best known for her role as TV’s Nicola Prendergast in the long running Dublin soap opera, ‘Fair City.’

Reviews

[katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, I am ashamed I read this book. Needs some serious editing. And the ending? No resolution for no reason. Seems as if a deadline bell rang and she just put the pen down and called it a day. We don't even get to see Ira again. No last class? What about her boss? I liked him. And what about her unhealthy codependent friendships? I don't need a typical chick-lit ending, but I need something that makes some rational sense. I am angry at Claudia Carroll for stringing me along for nothing, certainly no decent plot or even decent writing. Ick.

[Calliss · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had all the right premises, likeable characters, a nice story and something I really wanted to see through to the end.

The ending just... disappointed... like some of the other people wrote we dont need a "wow wow wow everything wow wow" ending, but we need a PROPER ending, and this just wasent it.

It was like the author thought "I told what I want about the ex's so I am done" without caring about the full focus of the story (what happened with Ira, the course, the future, etc)

So story wise I would say its worth 2-3 stars, but the fact that its an easy to read, made me give it 3.

[YoSafBridg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe i actually needed those hordes of junior high school kids to take out my rampagey crankiness on because now that i'm working in a calmer library i seem to be venting it on poor feckless Irish authors like Claudia Carroll. It happens once again, i get a book in my box, my hold notification on it, with no recollection as to why i put it on hold (at least this time i had a vague recollection of putting it on hold~so That's progress...) So i set out to read Remind Me Again Why I Need a Man: to find Mr. Right, first you have to revisit all your Mr. Wrongs (somewhat cute title but not exactly my usual~should have been a hint right there.)
I have a couple of problems right off the bat, the writing is okay, but the "lovely girls" as the narrator, Amelia Lockwood, refers to herself and her very tight knight foursome of friends are WAAAAY too much like an Irish version of Sex and the City (granted one of them is happily married, and one of them is a gay man, but other than that...), there are even a few lines that if they are not direct quotes they are pretty damn close. Another one is the constant need for Amelia or one of her friends to constantly exclaim things like "you can't make this stuff up" or "if you saw this in a movie you would not believe it" or to describe events as surreal (either i'm living in the surreal world or they're really not that surreal) and you really should not be pointing out how unreal your events are since apparently you CAN make this stuff up (you are writing a novel after all, aren't you?~or, if you're not making it up, perhaps you should rewrite it to make it more believable, i'm not really sure~just stop telling me how unbelievable the whole thing is), relay the events and let them stand (or regardless, it all just gets so annoying).
And then, perhaps i would be one of the few people to notice this since i am a child of the 1980s but if you are flashing back to say 1984 please don't make reference to a movie you saw that wasn't released until 1985~just a bit of research would fix that (same goes for other time specific reference~i know you're filling atmosphere but come on.) In general the editing could be much, much better (i know, i know, people in glass houses and all that but this is self-publishing after all...)
I guess the basic premise of the novel was just off for me as i have never felt a NEED for a man, a relationship, or marriage~i always saw those things as compromise and if the person came along who i felt it was worth it for, then sure...but i realize i am in the minority here. Beyond that it threw me off that though the purpose of (this class Amelia is taking to get her married of within a year) is to track down her exes and find out why they didn't stick, she never actually asks them any questions about their relationship, just encounters comic situation after comic situation.
Okay, after rant, you might find it surprising to hear that i found the novel somewhat enjoyable. It went by quickly and made for a nice diversion (and look at all the crankiness i cranked out). And though i thought i saw a predictable ending i was presently surprised. What do you know?

[Grace Perreault · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing crazy exciting happens in this book. There are a few moments that make you perk up, but overall a dull plot. I love the simplicity and silliness! Everyone deserves a “Lovely Girls” group, and I relate to all of the friends in some way. It made me giggle that the brand/product Rescue Remedy is mentioned, as I used it in my teenage years. I have always believed the universe has your back when finding love, and this book further affirmed that. Lastly, I enjoyed the Irish vocab!

[Pooja Banga · Rating 2 out of 5]

Earlier I was thinking to give atleast 3 star to it..
But at the end I just couldn't..

Throughout the book I read (I actually 300 pages ..Rest I was knowing what was coming) only thing i was able to get was she desperately wanted to get married..

What the f*ck man ..
I know you are in your late thirties but too much desperation??

She has tried everything -Online dating ,blind dating and what not ....

Dude stay single and be happy..

I was throughout the book will I get anything else to read ??Aahh😒 I actually didn't

Throughout only Amelia is busy hunting for her headless Husband 😂😂..I don't know which even existed or not ..

And enrolling into a course which helped you get a husband till end of the year was too much ..

Like seriously 😡😡
You seriously thought of this ...

Eventually you should try thinking of reasons why you aren't able to make one ..

No no you should first wait and realise what will happen when actually have one ..

Would you like to become single again 🤔🤔

Better think girls and boys out there☺️

[Sabe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title was the reason I picked it up in the library. Took some time to get into it, but it grew on me and was wondering what would happen. Nice book for some light entertainment, it reminds a bit of Bridget Jones. It does have a lot of typical UK/ Irish (?) terms in it, leaving me wondering about the meaning sometimes.

[Aida AP]

Dosla sam do 21 posto i vidjela sam da sam knjigu citala.Po naslovu se nisam mogla sjetiti tako da sam je ostavila.Ne nije losa knjiga,dobra je,mozda nekada opet procitam ali za sad ima toliko knjiga koje nisam citala pa ne zelim ponavljati iste.S obzirom da je ovaj put kao starija nisam procitala cijelu ne mislim je ocjeniti ,nebi bilo posteno

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Read

I enjoyed the book for the most part. My biggest gripe, which is why I gave it a 3, was that the author kept doing think backs to the 80s and then talked about songs or movies that had not been released at the time specified. We had the internet when this book was written so just do a little research. Other than that, it was pretty fast paced and easy to read.

[Christine Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, quick read. Made my dating life seem like a walk in the park. 😆 Did find myself laughing out loud a few times

[Annie Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I saw this book at the library I was attracted to it by the vintage cover art, and the front flap sounded pretty funny. Overall I enjoyed the book, if I did have to suspend my disbelief at times about all the boyfriends Amelia'd had over the years and what they'd become. It felt a lot like Sex and the City meets Dublin, Ireland, right down to when Amelia strikes a refrain that echoes a Charlotte York line almost verbatim: "I've been dating since I was fifteen. I'm exhausted! Where is he?"

There were some lines that did seriously make me laugh out loud, but unfortunately, the ending was utterly unsatisfying, like running out of ink in your pen and just leaving off in mid-sentence and deciding to publish it as is.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure if it's fair to rate this book as I could not get past the first 25 pages. Every few months I go on a chick lit bender - I'll go to the library fill my tote & bring them home to read. I've learned that if I don't like it after the first 20-25 pages, it's generally not going to get better.

This book was so poorly written I could not continue. Hire an editor - spelling errors? Come on! Too many cliches, bad grammar. I just could not take it. Women's Lit/Chick Lit can be fun and enjoyable. But not if it is poorly executed.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Empezó bien, pero llegó un momento en el que me dio flojera y me costó mucho terminarlo, sentí que leía ''Precious'' versión comedia, a la protagonista le pasa de todo y me harta su punto de desesperación por tener a un hombre a su lado. Al final resulta que ya no actúa con desesperación y usa más la cabeza para tomar las decisiones correctas, pero sinceramente, pareciera que la autora se quedó sin ideas para continuar el libro y dejó paja regada por todos lados, junto con un final que deja mucho que desear.

[Sirena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could barely get thru it. I was hoping I might learn why I'm still single haha. All my ex's except 3 are unmarried or not in happy relationships so clearly I'm not the problem. I didn't think Amelia was the problem either. Ending could've been better.

[Bookevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really adored this lovely tale of finding true love! Review to come :)

[Meghan Ralph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun read but felt as if something was lacking.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic British humor and writing. It was great. Set in Dublin and Amelia’s story is a classic tale of unrequited love and trying to figure out this dating world for 30 something’s. It had humor, shake your head embarrassingly moments, and hope that love is around the corner.

Amelia, a tv producer, is on a journey to get married within the year. She is over 35 so no time like the now. She joins a class that can guarantee just that promise. She has to go back into her ex-past and discover why those relationships didn’t work and what she can learn from them. And the stories that come about those relationships....? Whoo boy. I would never want to date again. But the stories are hilarious and so sad at the same time. I can actually see these scenarios happen too. It’s a story about her on this journey with her best friends. How they all come together for each other and help through this muddled life we all live. The story ends with some sort of empowerment for her which I was glad to see for her.

[Mette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gave me a bit of a Bridget Jones vibe. Quick read not the best of the best and had too many movie cliches (the ex moving in next door, proposing at an award show, all the exes were pretty much made for stereotypical movie character) in there and I probably would see it if it had a movie adaption.
I was intrigued in the way of I wanted to find out how the book ended and I’m not one to skip to the ending but the ending just disappointed me.
I’m totally fine with the whole “I don’t need no man, it’s important to stay true to your self” mantra but not giving me anymore of what happened after the award show? Like what will Ira say?
I also really needed more debt to the characters, since that one girl in the class liked Phillip so much could we please to see him from that perspective? He just seemed rude all the time and I would have loved to just have one moment where he was kind.
Also am I the only one that got annoyed of the fact that they named themselves “the lovely girls”? To me it seems childish and like a mean girl group vibe.

[Edina Livnjak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Željela sam nešto lagano pročitati pa je knjiga s ovakvim naslovom izgledala kao savršena opcija. Iznenađena sam činjenicom da sam zaista uživala u čitanju. Previše često chick-lit štivo izaziva u meni iritaciju, ponekad dosadu i zamor.
U ovoj knjizi, neki dijelovi nisu mi se baš dopali, npr. opsesija Amelije, glavne junakinje, brakom i udajom, ali opet sve je opisano kroz humor. Svidjela mi se upornost i usmjerenost na cilj - brak, Amelia zna šta želi i spremna je i da ode na kurs za neudate žene kako bi došla do cilja. Radi na sebi, trudi se shvatiti zašto je donosila pogrešne odluke u prošlosti, izlazila s neadekvatnim muškarcima koji su joj donosili samo probleme. I na kraju, ostaje dosljedna sebi, ne pristaje na "mrvice s tuđeg stola" jer vjeruje da će u pravo vrijeme sreća pokucati i na njena vrata.
Još bih istakla da su njeni prijatelji bili jako zabavni te lijepo opisani. Svi su drugačiji, ne dijele uvijek isto mišljenje, ali uvijek su podrška i vjetar u leđa jedni drugima.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amelia Lockwood has a very successful career and a three wonderful, supportive friends. She still, however, longs for a husband and family; something that has eluded her so far. When she sees an ad for course called "How to Find a Husband over the Age of Thirty-five", she takes the plunge and registers. On the first night, they course participants are told that if they follow Ira Vandergelder's course to the letter, she guarantees they will be married in a year. What does Amelia have to do? Oh, only make a list of ten Mr. Wrong's from her past and track down each one to find out exactly why those men did not want to marry her!

What follows is a wickedly funny journey through Amelia's past love life with her friends right along for the journey.

[Shreya]

chill enjoyable read. I actually was kind of invested tho and the ending falls REALLY flat like it felt like so few questions got answered. The vibe I also got was that philip burke was supposed to be the endgame love interest but then the author realized she hadn't developed their relationship enough by the end and gave up? what happened to ira?? the way I got so concerned when we were nearing the end and no loose ends were tied up but there were literally five pages left.

the story and characters were funny and this was v much irish sex and the city vibes and I would have liked this a lot more if there was an ending (and that's unfort the vibe I get from reading the other reviews)

[Mintti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this in English! It was a very nice holiday read, read most of in on the train ride to Tampere, it was so nice to dive into the book and read in peace! It was about Amelia who is still single at 37, and desperate to get married. She has a close circle of friends and a nice job, but the spouse is missing. That's why she attends a course that claims that she'll be married at the end of the year if she can do her homework on these classes. That means she has to contact her exes... She does that and learns about relationships and herself on the way. The ending wasn't predictable and I liked the characters! But it feels like it ended too soon, is there a sequel to this? I hope so!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know what to think. This book both entertained me and irritated me.
Amelia’s friends I thought ranged from smug, a bit patronising, to being a downright sponger and tramp.
There was so little come-uppance or closure for any of the exes, that really what was the point? Just to prove Amelia made bad choices? That it wasn’t her at fault?
What was the name of the one-who-shall-remain-nameless? Why weren’t we allowed to know?? At least Amelia’s interactions with him were satisfying thank goodness.
And THE ENDING! No book should EVER end with “The End?” At the very least we needed an overly predictable in-your-face “who needs a man when you have great friends?” epilogue.

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot of this book sounded interesting when I saw it in a charity shop recently . The premise of the main character Amelia being still unmarried at 37 , taking on a course that will have her saying I do in a year sounded amusing . During the course she has to revisit past relationships, leading her to get in touch with every ex-boyfriend she's ever had in the last 21 years.
Unfortunately the story fell flat , I found it slow and rather boring not the amusing g I was hoping for . As a main character I needed Amelia to stand out more than she did .

[Ema · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really concerned that this was going to become anti-friendship and that the ultimate message was that she needed to find a husband instead of a friend. Thankfully, it ends with her being strong enough to stand on her own two feet with the support of her friends, and that was very lovely.

I wanted this to be a tad more ridiculous, but it was nonetheless pretty great.

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had so much fun with this, more than I thought I would! It's reminiscent of those early 2000's romcoms that are like junk food: you know it's not high art, but you can't get enough.

My favorite aspect of this book was the friendships. Amelia's friend group truly made me envious of people who have had lifelong friends.

The only reason I can't give it a 5 is that there are some sussy comments made, but other than that I really loved it, and loved the ending!

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feb 2021 Nadiya picked

Lots and lots of typos. But getting past that and traveling to 2007 into a twisted Irish version of Sex and the City... this is quite enjoyable. I enjoyed the empowered woman ending, I was a little anxious it was going to be a You and Peaches ending... you know. Made me laugh a lot. Not sophisticated. But appreciated nonetheless.

[grace roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much Sex and the City vibes (if it took place in Ireland). Ending was not my favorite - I felt there should’ve been more closure with Phillip Burke and with the class/Ira.

The flashbacks were annoying with the way they were introduced each time.

I laughed my head off at the part when she visited the boyfriend’s family and got food poisoning!!

Overall just a light little read.

[Tonya · Rating 2 out of 5]

OMG, this book is so generic that I had read it before and didn't even realize it until Goodreads pointed that fact out to me, as I was getting ready to write this review. It didn't even feel familiar enough as I read it that I noticed. Wow.

[Deepa Duraisamy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Save your time. Somehow read 200 pages. Didn't take me that long to realize but I kept going thinking maybe the plot will pick up and the story will get more interesting. Finally chucking it. That being said, the humor at times is funny.

[MILA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nekako sam se nadala srecnom kraju, iako je ovaj realan ali ipak razocaravajuci. Navijala sam za Filipa Berka, ali kada sam na kraju procitala biografiju autorke, sve mi je bilo jasno.
Sve u svemu, jedna moderna zenska knjiga sa puno razloga za smeh....