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Nick Charming's Guide to Breaking Hearts in Twelve Easy Steps
Nick Charming is a guy who lives up to his name, and in his tell-all guide to breaking hearts, he shares the hard-learned truths and necessary steps he took to break Jane's heart. From step one to twelve, he details exactly how he made Jane's wounds, poured salt in them, let them heal, and ripped off the scabs to let them bleed again. Nick doesn't hold back in this mini-tale of horror for the heart. This is a cautionary tale about opening up to the possibility of love, whether you aspire to be like Nick Charming, or find yourself a victim of his ways, like Jane. No matter which side of the story you may be on, prepare for a raw (and humorous) telling of how people hurt each other, and where that leaves them, all from the distorted view of our anti-hero, Nick Charming.
38 pages, ebook
First published August 13, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 22, 2021
The truth about good-looking bad boys.
I read this novella out of order, but I am not sorry that I did. The second installment of Nick's amorous misadventures humanizes and makes you feel sympathy for the jerk that is young Nick. This Guide to Breaking Hearts is an ironic tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. At the end of this first novella, Nick is definitely "hoist with his own petard."
These 12 "easy" steps must be written on bathroom stalls everywhere. How many of us have put up with some or most of what poor Jane did? Dating can be hell. Why do we buy into the belief that we can't be happy unless we are in a relationship?
My hazy recollection is that the initial euphoric bliss of "coupledom" does not usually last very long. Life will always remind you that one or both of you have more pressing priorities. Jane was the metaphorical doormat that every person becomes when she allowed her partner to disrespect her the way Nick did. (I loathe the false adage that you have to treat a person badly in order to keep them interested in you: Jane came across as a desperate masochist.)
Maybe this novella should be mandatory reading in middle and high school? And then offered as a refresher course after a divorce or separation?
Really fine writing and I truly loved that last entry - the Afterword. Don't miss it: just priceless!
I read this novella out of order, but I am not sorry that I did. The second installment of Nick's amorous misadventures humanizes and makes you feel sympathy for the jerk that is young Nick. This Guide to Breaking Hearts is an ironic tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. At the end of this first novella, Nick is definitely "hoist with his own petard."
These 12 "easy" steps must be written on bathroom stalls everywhere. How many of us have put up with some or most of what poor Jane did? Dating can be hell. Why do we buy into the belief that we can't be happy unless we are in a relationship?
My hazy recollection is that the initial euphoric bliss of "coupledom" does not usually last very long. Life will always remind you that one or both of you have more pressing priorities. Jane was the metaphorical doormat that every person becomes when she allowed her partner to disrespect her the way Nick did. (I loathe the false adage that you have to treat a person badly in order to keep them interested in you: Jane came across as a desperate masochist.)
Maybe this novella should be mandatory reading in middle and high school? And then offered as a refresher course after a divorce or separation?
Really fine writing and I truly loved that last entry - the Afterword. Don't miss it: just priceless!
August 15, 2020
I've waited anxiously for about a year to see what talented author, Arly Carmack, would treat her fans to next. I expected a sequel to Nineteen, or another book in a similar genre or, at the least, one portraying a world that was cobbled together from similar values. This "shortie" is, therefore, an unexpected treat. Nick's "Guide" is a diary of events from this own life, cleverly transformed into a guide for other miscreants who wish to emulate his calculated, calibrated, misogynistic and misanthropic M.O. Just in case you wanted to know. Just in case you wanted to try his "shtick" out. It's like reading a recipe book for How Not to Play Nice. But it's not that simple, because the reader--from his vantage point behind the battle lines--can see what the writer of the primer can not. There are moments where one wonders who is playing who. And, at the very least, there are one (possibly two) characters who are playing Mr. Charming for all they can get out of him: one of them is his own mother. And, too, it becomes obvious that a man is a total weakling when the only woman he tries to really please is Mommy. At this point I could launch into a dissertation on how the time for Sociopath Literature is fully upon us. Why not? This is the age of Trump. You can watch the antics play out in the news every day. As sociopaths go, Mr. Charming, unlike our toxic president, is remarkably self-aware, and that provides so much of the entertainment in his meticulous twelve step program. It's as funny as it is shocking. The epilogue provides a parting zinger that will leave a bittersweet taste on your tongue. I tip my hat to the author. Writing a good "shortie" is not easy. Every word--and in this case, every directive or instruction--has to work. The author created a perfect relationship bomb on these pages, and it tick-tick-ticks its way, word by word, to a great conclusion.
January 6, 2021
Nick Charming is unbelievable.
Wait, scrap that. He is so believable, I found myself imagining wringing his head somewhere in the middle of reading this short story.
For a short read to be able to make its reader feel this way, the author must have done something right. The name of the character, his voice, the way the story is told, and the realness of it all... these are all the things done right in this book. The result is a very entertaining read you wish you had read before some guy (or girl) broke your heart. I mean, you know, just so you can retaliate.
I'm sure I'm not the only one wishing there's a Jane book/series in response to Nick Charming's series, but whether or not it's ever going to happen, this book here is enough reason for me to keep reading Carmack's other books (yes, including Mr. Charming's next adventures).
Wait, scrap that. He is so believable, I found myself imagining wringing his head somewhere in the middle of reading this short story.
For a short read to be able to make its reader feel this way, the author must have done something right. The name of the character, his voice, the way the story is told, and the realness of it all... these are all the things done right in this book. The result is a very entertaining read you wish you had read before some guy (or girl) broke your heart. I mean, you know, just so you can retaliate.
I'm sure I'm not the only one wishing there's a Jane book/series in response to Nick Charming's series, but whether or not it's ever going to happen, this book here is enough reason for me to keep reading Carmack's other books (yes, including Mr. Charming's next adventures).
August 17, 2020
I was sucked in from the start to this short story about how to break a girl's heart from the viewpoint of its player, Nick Charming. Carmack does an amazing job getting into the male psyche, and I really enjoyed the first novel from this author, Nineteen. Charming is about as opposite a main character as you can get from the lovesick sweetheart Cameron, though there were similarities as well. Carmack pulls no punches, and gives you the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to Charming's schemes and advances.
November 2, 2020
An entertaining short read where you will not remain neutral.
I have been reading indie authors books of late, and this is a highly entertaining short read.
Nick Charming is a well-chosen name for a self-centred b$$stard who, while unable to be satisfied with his long-term relationship with Jennifer, guides us through how he plays games in an affair he is having with Jane, an older, married women (whose own narrative it would also be interesting to read in a complementary work). It is written from Nick’s perspective, citing this as a recipe book for success. You may find people out there with such a mindset, but I am glad not to be one of them.
I have been reading indie authors books of late, and this is a highly entertaining short read.
Nick Charming is a well-chosen name for a self-centred b$$stard who, while unable to be satisfied with his long-term relationship with Jennifer, guides us through how he plays games in an affair he is having with Jane, an older, married women (whose own narrative it would also be interesting to read in a complementary work). It is written from Nick’s perspective, citing this as a recipe book for success. You may find people out there with such a mindset, but I am glad not to be one of them.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews