The Good, the Bad, and the Dumped

by Jenny Colgan

Posy is delighted when Matt proposes – on top of a mountain, in a gale, in full-on romantic mode. But then disaster strikes and he backs out of the engagement. Crushed and humiliated, Posy starts thinking. Why has her love life always, ALWAYS ended in total disaster? Determined to discover how she got to this point, Posy resolves to track down her exes …

Is there hope for Matt, or will she fall back in love with an old flame? What about Lord Voldemort, the old boyfriend that cannot be named? And could Posy face up to the idea that, actually, one day she could live life on her own terms?

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Adult, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance

349 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Jenny Colgan is the author of numerous bestselling novels, including 'The Little Shop of Happy Ever After' and 'Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery', which are also published by Sphere.' Meet Me at the Cupcake Café' won the 2012 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance and was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller, as was 'Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams', which won the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2013.

For more about Jenny, visit her website and her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.

Jenny Colgan has also been published under the name Jenny T. Colgan.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Good, the Bad, and the Dumped by Jenny Colgan is a cute woman’s fiction novel about a woman that meets with her exes to find out why her past relationships didn’t work after getting engaged. When Posy’s fiancé dumps her, she decides to start meeting her exes and talking to them in person to find out what went wrong in their relationships. Posy realizes her past relationships weren’t like she remembered them and that she fantasized many of them. By meeting with her exes Posy finds out who her true love is. This is a cute story with many funny moments. Posy is worried about making the wrong choice and marrying the wrong person. She thinks what everyone does about her exes. Could this relationship have worked? There are many humorous parts throughout the book and important perspectives. I recommend The Good, the Bad and the Dumped for fans of woman’s fiction and cute romances.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Penelope Rawlins and really enjoyed her narration.

Thank you Harper Audio, William Morrow, and Edelweiss for The Good, the Bad, and the Dumped.

Full Review: https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com...

[Melissa (So Behind) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was originally published in 2010, and although this one isn't up to what I expect from Colgan's current books, it is definitely worth reading. One quick aside--the blurb is misleading. He doesn't "dump her" a few days later, there are circumstances that lead to her quest, and it's certainly much more nuanced than the blurb would have you believe. So ignore that and just read the book for itself.

I really liked Posy and could identify with her feelings about her life and needing to sort out her past before moving on to the present. What didn't work so well was the flow of the story. It's a bit clunky with the stops and starts and the narrative was a bit uneven. I get that she was trying to figure things out and it wasn't exactly linear, but there were overall too many threads that just didn't create an absorbing story. I do know that Colgan has really refined this over the years, so I was able to set it aside for the most part. Once I got absorbed in the story (around the time she went to visit her first ex) I enjoyed how it turned out. The humorous aspects really add to the book.

There's a lot of poignancy that could be missed if readers just concentrate on the title or the overall storyline of revisiting exes to see what went wrong. The things Posy discovers about her past are meaningful and relatable, I think that many of us today are affected more by our pasts than we care to admit and seeing Posy's struggles can promote some self-examination.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice easy sunbed read. I'm finding Jenny Colgan is perfect for a holiday read.

Four stars.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazingly, The Good, the Bad, and the Dumped is only my second time reading Jenny Colgan even though she has about a million books and I love her writing. And while it was not my favorite, it was still a mostly enjoyable and at times amusing read. I didn't love Posy's choices, and I really wanted to smack her over the head as she pulled away from Matt and instead focused on figuring out why it didn't work out with her exes and if she should actually marry him. I am all for self-discovery and making sure you make the right choice, but for some reason, in this book, it didn't quite do it for me, and I really didn't like Posy that much. After you get past all of this, I had a fun time with the book, and the things that Posy discovers at the end of her journey are quite relatable.

I really did enjoy the way that The Good, the Bad, and the Dumped ended, although it was quite shocking considering the choices Posy makes throughout the book. I was hoping it would be laugh-out-loud funny, and while there are parts that are slightly funny, it really didn't make me laugh. I did like the Facebook status updates quite a bit and thought that was a nice way to mix things up. I also liked the side characters a lot more than I liked Posy, and they added some great dry humor to the story. I wish this wouldn't have fallen so flat for me, but it did, and while I didn't love it, I still recommend checking it out if it sounds good to you. I loved the audiobook which is narrated by Penelope Rawlins and highly recommend going that route if you do read it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Kirsty · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is such an awful book. The characters are annoying. They have silly fairy tale names. The story line is very dramatic for what it is. It's more of a young teens book than an adults book. The author has a very limited vocabulary and I have never seen the word "sad" used as often as what it is in this book

[Anja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about Posy Fairweather. Her boyfriend Matt proposes and Posy is really happy. But her family and friends don't really seem utterly ecstatic. And soon Posy starts to wonder if she's making the right decision marrying Matt.
To be entirely sure, Posy tracks down her first boyfriend from college, just to see what could've been and to make sure that Matt is the perfect man for her. But when Matt gets wind of that he isn't exactly delighted and breaks off the engagement.
Now, Posy starts to wonder why all of her other relationships failed and goes off in search of her two remaining ex-boyfriends to find out...

Well, hm.
I must say, when I just started the book I could've killed Posy. I hated everything she did. Why would she ruin her perfectly nice relationship being such a bitch? Why, for heaven's sake did she have to track down her ex-boyfriends?
I mean, of course, it's interesting to see what people from the past got up to. Sure. But all of your ex-boyfriends? Personally? Go from London to Scotland without telling your loving boyfriend who just proposed? Lying to him because of that? What kind of bitch is she? Then later she wants to borrow Matt's car to drive to the last of her ex-boyfriends. And he says yes? Uhm, okay?

But: Aside from Posy's silly actions and thoughts and her being a total and utter stupid bitch, I really liked the book. Especially the ending was very lovely and the epilogue was totally cool.
I still kind of liked Posy and her best friend and even her stupid sister (who shared my opinion on Posy's stupidity).

Also, it was nice to get to know all of Posy's different love stories and why they had ended; and how the respective boyfriends have changed and all that.

So, all in all I really did like the book and, as I said, the ending was great. But Posy was so damned stupid and I hated that. I am really torn between 4 and 5 stars here.

I would probably give the book 4.5 stars, but as that's not possible, it'll be 5. It's the endings' fault, really. I loved it. ♥

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Posy Fairweather is on top of the world – quite literally – when her boyfriend Matt proposes on top of a mountain. Posy, though, doesn’t appear to be quite as happy as you would expect when your boyfriend of three years proposes, and her friends think it may have something to do with her ex ‘Lord Voldemort’; he who shall not be named. Posy realises that before she can truly commit to Matt she must track down her previous boyfriends and find out exactly why their relationship ended and decide if the grass IS greener on the other side. Once Matt finds out what Posy is doing, though, he calls of the engagement leaving Posy more confused then ever. But if she loves Matt, why is she playing with fire by trotting all around the country to see her exes, and what exactly will come of her adventures?

It’s probably fair to say that I’m not a huge fan of Jenny Colgan’s books. It took two attempts to read West End Girls and even after I finally finished it I wasn’t overly impressed. I also read Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend shortly after it’s release and again, it wasn’t anything special. However I really loved the sound of her 2010 release The Good, The Bad and The Dumped so I decided to give Jenny’s books one last chance and pre-ordered it for myself. It came into stock a few days before it’s actual release and I eventually received my copy the day of it’s actual release and decided to start it right away.

My first problem with The Good, The Bad and The Dumped is the fact that the blurb on the back of the book is misleading. For starters, Posy is called Posy Sutherland on the blurb but on the first sentence of the book she’s Posy Fairweather; how an error like that slipped through the editing/proof-reading stage is mind-boggling since I picked up on it immediately. Secondly, the blurb on the back states that Matt backs out of the engagement days after proposing and then Posy goes off around the country trying to track down her exes. This isn’t true; Matt backs out of the engagement after Posy decides to start finding out why her relationships ended and Matt accidentally finds out. They are just little errors, but they irritate me. Particularly the error pertaining Posy’s second name, it’s just not acceptable when a lot of people read a book before it goes off to print.

For me, I didn’t think the story itself was portrayed as interestingly as it could have been. Mainly because Posy spent the majority of her time whinging and moaning, which is never a good start. Posy says yes to getting engaged but doesn’t seem at all excited about the potential for an upcoming wedding; it comes across as if she only said yes because it was the only answer that would save her from having to possibly be single again. It kind of ruined the proposal itself for me, which was incredibly sweet. Then, of course, Posy goes off to discover if she could have been happy with her previous boyfriends. To be honest I did quite like the idea of Posy tracking down all of her exes, it sounded like it could make for a fun and interesting read and although it was interesting, it kind of felt a bit flat. There was supposed to be a bit of mystery surrounding ‘Lord Voldemort’, the man Posy couldn’t speak of but I found it tedious and just wanted to know who on Earth he was. There’s also an underlying feeling throughout the book that Posy’s mother (which I won’t even attempt to spell, never-mind pronounce) had somehow affected Posy’s views of relationships. I thought though that it was just a blatant attempt to try and justify what Posy does.

Because the book is told from the third-person point of view, it’s hard to really relate to any of the characters. I think Posy might have come across much better had the book been told entirely from her point of view. As it was, it was hard to really understand why she felt she had to do everything she had to do before she could contemplate marrying Matt. There were a few other characters; Matt, who seemed OK; Fleur, Posy’s sister; Leah, Posy’s best friend (who seemed a tad wet and rather man-obsessed, making me said she had my name!); Posy’s mother with the unpronouncable name, as well as Posy’s father and new family. We also, of course, have Posy’s exes who weren’t up to much, to be honest.

Jenny’s writing is fairly easy to read although as I said, it would probably have worked better told from Posy’s point of view solo rather than the third-person perspective that was used. Although it is actually Jenny’s writing that brings me back to some more irritating errors. A few pages into the book, Posy’s friend is discussing how her life might pan out and is mentioning having a baby and says “…do mass murder…”, then there’s another occasion where Posy is somewhere and the line says “…and did pillage and stuff…”, and finally, when one of Posy’s exes is talking about one of his exes he says “…and did a lot of crying”. All three sentences are phrased so badly that I just couldn’t understand how they had been left in when the book was edited. All three sentences should have been totally different – like this perhaps: “…commit mass murder…”, “…and pillaged and stuff…” and “…and cried a lot…”. I’m not a picky reader, and I don’t sit and comb through a book picking out errors purposefully, but all of those I’ve mentioned jumped out at me and I couldn’t ignore them.

Overall, I think that’s it for me with Jenny’s books. A lot of people say she’s a fantastic author but of her three books I’ve read so far, they’ve all been incredibly disappointing. I had high hopes for The Good, The Bad and The Dumped as it sounded interesting but to be honest I don’t think it really worked. I wouldn’t really recommend the book – even more so if you’re particular to editing errors and wrong character names! If you’re looking for a Jenny Colgan book to read the only one I would recommend is Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend. That was the best of the three I’ve read!

[Hani Tiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story about finding yourself and your true love. Beautiful and perfect ❤

[Juliet Rudman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book in a cupboard of a villa I am staying in, I needed a paper book to take to a water park instead of my kindle and I decided to find something light, tacky and easy to read. This was a quick read, but it was awful! I wasn't expecting much with the weird references to Facebook, but the main character was unlikeable, as were all the other characters. They have stupid names. There were a lot of typos. There was a poor attempt at making the main character relatable because she's a bit damaged, makes a couple of awkward jokes and isnt quite as good looking as her sister. Women in their 30s were described as desperate and predatory (aren't these your target readers?), and you can guess most of the story from reading the blurb.

I know a lot of chick lit is like this and maybe I wouldnt have found it quite so offensive if someone had proof read it - but isn't it time this genre got a bit better? Forgetting the typos there are some other faux pas - would a staunch feminist like the mother who refuses to learn to cook name her children after flowers? And why does her dumb but hunky fiance start quoting latin at the end?

I also felt that the explanations behind Posy's behaviour made little sense. She is messed up because her Dad left and all she can do is try and provide for her partners - something that is either disliked or taken advantage of by her exes, which needs to be explained for her by her most recent ex, so her life can get back on the track it was always on.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Over the last few months I have read some stellar books that I would term "chicklit" and since I read and loved both Jenny Colgan's Loveliest Chocolate shop in Paris and Rosie Hopkin's Sweet Shop of Dreams I thought I would give this one a go hoping it would more of the same.

It really wasn't. I found myself questioning what the hell the main character, Posy was thinking as she went facebook-stalking her exes after her seemingly lovely boyfriend Matt proposes to her.
All of her exes were unappealing for their differing reasons and Posy herself and her family (my god her mother!) are not characters I found myself really caring about or rooting for.

It was a good thing that the book was short enough that I could finish it in one sitting and that I was morbidly curious to know with which of the four equally meh guys Posy would end up with. But was both confused and irked by the strange multi-possibility epilogue. Once I know who she chose I don't really care what might have been if she went with someone else.

If you love Jenny's other books (Particularly the foodie ones) then I would advise giving this a miss as it'll only be a disappointment.

[Robin Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jenny Colgan is always a delicious delight, and this book is warm, funny and slyly good at writing about issues that will be especially recognisible to readers in their 30s. Another charmer of a story (14+)

*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and deeper than you'd think

[Charlotte Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh god, where do I start?? This was awful. I used to love reading Jenny Colgan's books - funny, heartwarming and sweet. There are only two reasons that I'm giving this 1 star... 1) it won't let me give 0 stars, and 2) the ending was ok. Ish.
If you have previously enjoyed Jenny Colgan's books, don't read this one. Please, save yourself! The characters are somewhat unlikeable, the storyline is both ridiculous and almost offensive, and to be blunt, I couldn't wait to finish it. And that was only because I HATE not finishing books. I just wish I had never started this one. Waste. Of. Time.

[Leza Palguta · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up. Jenny Colgan is usually one of my favorite lighthearted authors. But this book just didn’t do it for me. I thought the characters were ridiculous, her mother was horrible, and the plot line just never grabbed me.

[Ashley Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Firstly, the synopsis at the back of this book is super misleading so best to not read that before starting to read it.
Secondly, this was pretty bad in my opinion :(
I do have to point out that I’m not at all into Facebook, however, this was written in 2010 when admittedly I did use it. So reading a story where updating statuses and being aware of 'likes' and comments is just an alien concept to me. But that’s a timing thing which I won't hold against the book.
Honestly, I just didn't understand the events of this story. I do prefer to be rooting for the main character of a book, and although that may not always be possible, I'd expect this to be the case in a romance. Sadly, it was not. I didn't relate to Posy at all, and I found her character quite annoying, and a little immature. Nobody acts like this in real life, surely?!
Surely nobody gets proposed to, says yes and instantly has doubts that they aren’t with the right person?! And if they do, they don’t start talking to an ex on Facebook and travel 700 miles to see them, to prove to themselves that their (actually good) life is actually ok. And if that's not enough, they go and see a few more exes. Come on. Ridiculous.
Maybe it's me. I struggle with the idea of someone being in a relationship and having doubts or unwanted feelings, and not just being honest about them. It riles me up so maybe I am just the wrong reader for this.
As the story progresses, Posy learns more about herself and her 'journey' to see her exes helps her to figure out what she didn't realise before. I get the concept but it doesn't resonate with me at all.

I’ve read Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to try another story from the author. This was written a bit earlier and just wasn't the same quality. But I'm not discouraged from reading her books again, because I do like her style of writing. On this occasion however, it was a miss for me.

[Luise · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

So the general concept of Posy coming to terms with her past by tracking down her exes sounded quite tempting.

My good mood sank a little when I realised that I don't like Posy. And that was right from the beginning, unfortunately :D I didn't really like her thoughts and actions. They were either tiring or not elusive somehow. And on top of that she was one of those people that tend to drop everyone else as soon as they're in a relationship (at least in the past). I love such people :)

That's already a pretty weak basis for the rest of the story, right?

Well, in addition, none of the guys seemed that likeable to me, so not that much enthusiasm on that aspect. Plus, the suspense built towards mysterious ex boyfriend #3 was a little clumsy and not smooth enough for my taste.

So why did I finish this book/ don't give a destructive review?

I guess because it was quite witty from time to time and was a really fast read. And even though I didn't like the characters, I didn't feel annoyed. If that makes sense :D

[Anke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her other books are better. So a bit of a disappointment for me. But still a nice read.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this . If you liked Sophie Kinsella’s early Shopaholic series , you’d like this . I had no preconceived notions as I’d never read anything by this author and read it in such a short time , as it was so fun . I did laugh out loud many times ; it was not in the slightest predictable and indeed was really well written . I will definitely read more of her books soon .

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t help it, I do love Jenny Colgan’s writing even when I don’t like her book all that much.
I love Ms Colgan’s formula novels: girl’s life is crap, she goes off to the middle of nowhere Scotland, finds new job in a tiny town full of eccentric characters, after many obstacles, falls in love with one and happy ever after. Sorry, not sorry. I’m a sucker for romance. However, when Ms Colgan departs from her formula is when I don’t enjoy them as much. In The Good, the Bad, and the Dumped she departed...a bit.
Her main character, Posy, a 30-something insurance worker, has just gotten engaged and immediately starts to question herself if he really is THE ONE. What about her three serious exes? Did she make a mistake in letting one of them get away? Is she making an even bigger mistake now? There is so much annoying waffling that it just drove me a bit nuts. But, her journey for self-understanding is still so filled with quirky, funny dilemmas that I couldn’t really dislike it completely. Thus, the three stars.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly, I was very disappointed with this book. I have read several of this author’s books and always found them charming, sweet, and funny. This book was boring. I stuck with it to the end, hoping it would improve but it never did. :-(

[Sascha · Rating 4 out of 5]

After they trudge up a mountain, Posy’s boyfriend Matt drops to one knee and proposes to her. She accepts. She should be ecstatically happy, but she’s not. Why isn’t she happy? This is what she’s always wanted, isn’t it? Jeopardizing her relationship with Matt, Posy starts revisiting her old romances to see just what went wrong, or, how she’s always getting it wrong in Jenny Colgan’s The Good, the Bad, and the Dumped.

The plot is (mostly) a good one, which must be why it seems familiar because we’ve seen something like it with that Ryan Reynolds’ movie “Definitely Maybe” in which a man looks back at his past relationships. And it works. If you can look at the past as a mature adult and allow others to be truthful about their feelings and about you, you can learn a lot. Posy does. But, in some ways, I felt icky about Posy’s romp through the past because it seemed like she was being unfaithful to a good guy who cared about her. On the flipside, she wasn’t certain that she was in a relationship that made her happy (despite the fact that she stayed around). Would the best thing be to marry someone under those circumstances? This is why I waffle about Posy’s quest.

The Good, the Bad, and the Dumped contains a lot of humorous observations, laugh-out-loud snark, and genuine feelings. At the end of the day, however, I just felt like it was missing a little something. Maybe it was connected to the building up of the character with no name, the Lord Voldemort, who I expected to break the shutters off the windows, but alas, I was disappointed. Maybe I wish that the ending had been drawn out a bit better. Yes, there was a grand ending, but there should have been something significant just before it. Maybe I read this too close to The Loveliest Little Chocolate Shop in Paris, which was extremely lovely and invites immediate comparisons.

That said, my let-down is simply from knowing the writer’s other works. The Good, the Bad, and the Dumped succeeds on so many levels and is so much better and funnier than a lot of other chick lit that it would be unfair of me to let you think it wasn’t worth reading. This is still a solid 4 butterfly read.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Calliss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit I were a bit disappointed in this one. I LOVE JC as a writer because of her style, her character descriptions and how the books make me feel.. None of it were present here..

I hardly liked any of the characters in this book and the main Posy... argh... why make such an unlikeable character if we are supposed to be rooting for her.

SPOILER!! Regarding the ending:
We use over half the book hearing how Posy and Matt are too different and don't belong together, we hear Posy complain about many things that Matt does... it made me think "yeah they don't seem to belong together, lets hope she finds someone she truly loves" and then that ending happened... oh please.. just... no....

I will still give it 3*, since I did like the overall theme of "what if" and going back to the past to help your present.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posey is about to get married. She should be happy but something is holding her back. She decides that she is going to track down her three previous boyfriends to see if there is any unfinished business:
- Chris, her first boyfriend in college who was comfortable but a bit unmotivated;
- Adam, who was a bit unreliable; and
- Almaric, the man who broke her heart and who's name she still can't say.

I found some of the stories where she is tracking these boyfriends down, and how she reacts to the changes in their lives. Also her relationship with her mother, father and sister cause for some amusing moments.

Definitely something I would recommend to others.

[Anne Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jenny Colgan has a lovely writing style which means you can gallop through a book and feel hugely uplifted at the end of it. I liked the main character, Posy, and was very taken with her search to find out who she really loves. At times, she does do some selfish things though and I wanted to shake her, but I still wanted to read on and hope for the best. I loved the ending, which was entirely right. However, the epilogue was unnecessary and I didn't really understand what Colgan was trying to do at that point. It was rather disruptive! However, apart from that, a fun and engaging read.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially the protagonist and plotline seem very superficial and narcissistic but as I read further into the book I started to appreciate the journey the author was taking me on. The characters tend toward stereotypes but maintained my interest. It's definitely a scenario many could relate to with the contemplation of relationships in times past and commitment to a partner for the future. A Dickensian concept re-worked for the modern woman. I also enjoyed the entertaining descriptions of some of the settings. A fun read but not a must read :)

[Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tried several times to finish this one. Did not like the writing style and the protagonist was just so annoying it was impossible to get invested in her outcome. I’ve read many of Jenny Colgan’s other works and thoroughly enjoyed them but sadly not this one. I think this was originally published in 2010 so may be one of her earlier books. Don’t let it put you off her later ones but I would skip this one.

[Laurie-Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of her best books, the humour seemed forced in parts, but altogether a lovely feel good book. Makes you question your own choices in life a little bit as well.

[Karen Jarvis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably a 3.5, not my favourite.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow publishers, and Jenny Colgan for this ARC. To say I love everything Jenny Colgan writes is an understatement. This one was an emotional ride for me even though I don’t know if that was what the author intended it to be. Some parts were funny, some parts were serious, some were thought provoking, and some even made me cry. Good work Jenny Colgan ! You brought it all out of me, something not many authors can do . 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Greta Rossmeissl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would’ve scored this higher but the main character really annoyed me