Whitney Dineen’s Pity series takes place in the small town of Elk Lake, Wisconsin. Full of well-rounded characters, this series of standalones reads better in publication order, since you’ll get the satisfaction of seeing what’s happening with the characters even after they cease to be the main focus. CAN you read them out of order? Sure. SHOULD you? That’s up to you.
All of
these books feature women who have lots of spunk and personality, but haven’t
been lucky in love. Many cover parental relationships, what it’s like to be a
woman in business, and other issues reflected in modern society. None of the
female leads is obsessed with appearance; all clearly enjoy good food and none
is a size 2.
All have
references to popular culture, just enough to ground them in the modern day.
Recurring characters—even those who are not the focus of the story—are well
rounded. It’s also fun to see the hints for what characters could be the focus
of later books.
I also
love the little bits of unimportant continuity, like the apartment above the
yarn shop—first Melissa lives there, then Trina rents it for a summer, and
finally, Lorelei moves there.
It’s now
two years since the first book was published, as the sixth is hitting the
market. Time passes a little faster in Elk Lake, as you will see with
references to Pity Date’s Faith and Teddy in Pity Play.
Who
Might Like These Books:
Romcom
fans, especially those who like imperfect characters and small towns..
Pity Date
By Whitney
Dineen
ASIN: B0C2S7BY1J
Publisher’s
Blurb:
I never
thought I would need a fake date for my best friend’s wedding. Especially when
my soon-to-be fiancé is the best man…
First, I’m thrilled that Anna is getting married. I’m equally excited to be her
maid of honor. The problem is that my cheating ex is the best man and I’m one
hundred percent sure he’s bringing his new girlfriend to the wedding.
Short of hiring myself a stand-in, I don’t know what to do. But then movie
star, Teddy Helms, walks into my bakery and offers to take me. The problem is,
he doesn’t tell me his real name, and I don’t recognize him.
Oh, and I might also decide he’s gay. I mean, what straight guy goes out of his
way to help a damsel in distress like that?
But even if I knew who is really is, there’s no way a movie star is going to
fall in love with a bakery owner from Wisconsin. This isn’t a Hallmark movie.
But I’m starting to wish it was…
Tropes:
Hidden
identity, friends to lovers, small town.
My
Thoughts:
What a
great kickoff to the series. Elk Lake is a charming town full of fun people.
Seriously, I’d love to vacation there.
Faith and
Teddy do not have a meet cute. It’s a meet uncomfortable, but Teddy is a
great guy, and they soon become friends. Teddy is in town to help his elderly
grandfather; Faith looks after her elderly grandmother. So they have some
common ground.
And, of
course, there’s Faith’s desperate need for a date to her friend Anna’s wedding.
Teddy, being the great, humble guy he is, offers to help. And, since Faith got
the impression that Teddy was gay, she takes him up on it—no pressure to be
anything more than friends, right?
Of course,
since Teddy’s so awesome, Faith kind of catches feelings anyway. When he
finally comes clean about his orientation, the relationship takes off, only to
come crashing down quickly with the reappearance of Teddy’s very pregnant
former girlfriend.
The
conversation is witty, the banter is sharp, and much of the fun comes from
seeing the friendship develop without initial relationship pressure. And that
waxing scene…priceless.
Possible
Objectionable Material:
Very mild
cursing. Indications that unmarried adults have sex. A woman is gay; Faith
assumes Teddy is gay. Mention of parental death. Adults drink alcohol. Mention
of pot brownies.
Pity Party
By Whitney
Dineen
ASIN: B0CGL88YH3
She's
a bridal shop owner looking for love, he's a grumpy single dad who doesn't want
to fall in love again.
I should have used my college degree to become a lawyer, politician, or heck,
even a Time Lord—hey, it worked for Dr. Who. But no, I had to own a bridal
boutique. Turns out that’s a terrible idea for someone with my lousy dating
history.
Every day, I’m surrounded by the trappings of the perfect wedding, and I’m
starting to resent all the smug almost-marrieds. I shouldn’t want to throat
punch the brides, right?
Then Jamie Riordan moves to Elk Lake with his twelve-year-old daughter. He’s
everything I've ever wanted in a guy—tall, gorgeous, successful, and clearly
devoted to his kid.
Too bad his grumpy highness wants nothing to do with me.
I may not be his dream girl, but does he have to be so insulting about letting
me know?
Tropes:
Small
town, single dad, instant attraction.
My
Thoughts:
Melissa
has lived in Elk Lake all her life and works with her mother in their bridal
salon. Mom is more than a little overbearing and puts a lot of pressure on Melissa to find a man.
When
12-year-old Sammy starts helping Melissa at the bridal store on her very first
day in town, Jamie is skeptical. It doesn’t help that he finds Melissa
attractive in a way he hasn’t thought of a woman in a long time. He has reason
to be cautious about dating.
Melissa
becomes a good friend to Sammy, helping her with things like choosing the right
colors for their red-head complexions to periods.
And when
Jamie and Melissa find themselves becoming friends who happen to kiss, a lot,
the tension ratchets up even more. Events keep pushing them together, and Jamie
really tries hard to resist, worrying that pursuing a romantic relationship
with Melissa could end with heartbreak for both him and his daughter.
The
reappearance of Sammy’s mother in their lives gives Jamie the push he needs to
finally allow himself to admit the possibility of love again.
Possible
Objectionable Material:
Very mild
cursing. Indications that unmarried adults have sex. Mention of LGBTQ people.
Mention of death of romantic partner. Adults drink alcohol. Divorce and
parental abandonment. Discussion of periods. Bullying.
Pity Pact
By Whitney
Dineen
ASIN: B0CRZBLCXV
Who in
the world would go on a dating show to find love?
Turns out, I’m that person. Paige Holland, lifetime resident of Elk Lake,
Wisconsin, and dedicated seventh-grade math teacher.
I love my charming town, but there’s seriously no single action here. Unless of
course I want to date the painfully boring mailman or the kid at the Quick
Mart. Hard pass to both.
So, what’s a girl to do?
Apparently, apply to Midwestern Matchmaker and hope the reality show gods will
smile on me.
Enter the lawyer from Chicago, the vegan Pho chef, and Tim Ferris—my childhood
crush. As luck would have it, the lawyer is a narcissist, I love bacon, and Tim
is still hung up on his cheating ex-wife.
When one disaster after another—starring me— gets broadcast around the world, I
seriously start questioning what I was thinking...
My
Thoughts:
Both of
our leads in this one had some significant presence in the previous book. With
Melissa now in a relationship, Paige is left to go on reality dating show Midwestern
Matchmaker on her own. Lucky for her Tim Ferris, whom Melissa had briefly
dated, ends up on the show as a last-minute replacement. So does new substitute
teacher Chip Baker whom Paige hates on first meeting.
Paige is
haunted by her high-school past of being a bullied, nerdy girl in a back brace.
She tends to protect herself by being quick to judge people, often harshly.
Tim is
still trying to get over being abandoned by his wife when she took up with an
NBA star. He has no desire to find love yet—he’s on the show to show his ex
that he’s doing just fine without her. The two of them agree to help each other
out, making a “pity pact” to keep each other from wallowing in their sad pasts.
Thus
follows the usual romcom complications—each is attracted to the other, neither wants
to risk their friendship, thinking the other is only interested in being
friends. This leads to plenty of misunderstandings, including the one that breaks
them up not long after they acknowledge their attraction.
There are
plenty of bright, fun moments here, especially when Paige accidentally ends up
wearing a Winnie the Pook onesie for a singles game night.
I
appreciated that Paige had to come to terms with her own character flaws in
order to move forward. I didn’t like the big move she made in order to protect
Tim in the showdown with his ex. I think it was WAY over the top, even for the
circumstance.
Possible
Objectionable Material:
Very mild
cursing. Indications that unmarried adults have sex. Mention of LGBTQ people.
Adults drink alcohol. Divorce. Bullying. Mention of nudity.
Thank you
to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange
for my honest opinion.
Pity
Parade
By Whitney
Dineen
ASIN: B0D3YF896W
Trina
Rockwell here. You know, your favorite TV host from Midwestern Matchmaker?
While I’ve been setting up Midwestern singles for seven years, I’ve not had any
luck finding myself a guy.
My last great encounter was a year ago when I bid on a date with billionaire
Heath Fox at a charity auction. But then, after a great date and an even better
good night kiss, Heath told me he wasn’t looking for a relationship. Super.
Now that Midwestern Matchmaker has been cancelled, my producer has got it into
his head to do a new show where I’m the one who finds love. He wants to set me
up with a bunch of B-List celebrities, the likes of which have me considering
joining a convent.
There’s only one thing I can think of doing and that’s finding a boyfriend for
real. The last thing I expected was for Heath to come back into my life and
cause trouble.
My
Thoughts:
We turn
now to the host of Midwestern Matchmaker, Trina. Thanks to her move to
protect Paige and Tim in the previous book, she’s going to be the subject of a
dating show if she can’t get herself into a relationship before fall. She turns
to the women of Elk Lake to help her find someone, and they deliver with a plan
for her to meet up with a few of her former boyfriends.
But before
she meets them, she bumps into Heath, whom she’d dated once for a charity
event. It’s not a happy meeting—he’d been quite blunt about not being
interested in a relationship.
Heath lost
his wife and unborn child ten years ago, and has sworn never to fall in love
again and risk that kind of pain. For me, this story was much more about
Heath’s healing than it is about Trina’s pursuit of a relationship.
They still
find each other attractive, but both are stubborn in their approach to
dating—especially when it comes to one another. But Heath finds that he really
doesn’t want Trina dating anyone else, even if he doesn’t want a relationship
with her. This causes him to do some kind of dumb things. The author plays it
for laughs, but they’re not particularly kind. When Trina finds out that Heath
told another man that she might be transgender, she is rightfully furious, and
it makes a quick ending to their recently acknowledged affection. (Not because
she’s transphobic, just because it was a dumb thing to do when he was insisting
that he wasn’t interested in pursuing a relationship.)
Luckily,
Heath’s change of heart about Trina and about the possibility of love are real,
and he does everything he can to make it right.
This one
also has a couple of nice subplots. The first, with Heath’s business partner, focuses
on the importance of family over work. The second, in which Heath decides he
isn’t really interested in building huge skyscrapers anymore, points to the
importance of helping those less fortunate than ourselves.
Possible
Objectionable Material:
Very mild
cursing. Indications that unmarried adults have sex. Mention of LGBTQ people.
Adults drink alcohol. Divorce. Death.
Thank you
to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange
for my honest opinion.
Pity Present
By Whitney
Dineen
ASIN: B0DK7JHZ8X
Publisher’s
Blurb:
Molly
I haven’t been interested in dating since my ex dumped me for a new girl at his
law office. Since then, I’ve thrown myself into my work as a hotel gift shop
designer. While being single isn’t what I expected, there’s truth to that old
saying, “Once bitten, twice shy.” And the bite of a cheater stays with you.
Christmas can be a particularly vulnerable time, which is why I accepted a job
right before the holidays. I had no idea the lodge that hired me was also
hosting a singles' event. Imagine my surprise when they had a last-minute
cancellation and asked me if I wanted to join them.
Blake
When I left LA for my dream job in Chicago, I never dreamed by first assignment
would be spending two weeks in Elk Lake, Wisconsin, covering the Midwestern
Matchmaker’s new venture to set up Chicagoland singles. I’m a sports journalist
for Pete's sake, not some airheaded twit who writes about the lovelorn.
Unfortunately, the job I transferred for isn’t open yet, so here I am. In
Wisconsin. Living my worst nightmare. There is no way anybody is going to find
love at this thing. No way.
So, imagine my surprise when the most awkward woman in the world trips over me
…
For me,
this was the most forgettable of the stories. It was well set up at the end of
the previous book. It makes good use of prior characters—particularly Melissa
and Sammy. Trina is quite present for the third time. But something about the
lead characters here just didn’t quite do it for me.
The B-plot
of helping a child with leukemia to realize a dream of courtside seats at a
Bulls game was delightful. Molly’s ideas for serving the special needs visitors
to the lodge were on point. But something about the two-week singles event just
didn’t click.
First, how
do forty people get two weeks off right before Christmas to stay in a nice
hotel and meet other singles? I’m having trouble suspending my disbelief here.
The event
itself was fine. Trina’s ideas for helping people meet each other were actually
kind of fun.
I think a
lot of my problem is with Blake’s “I don’t want to get involved”/”I don’t want
Molly dating anyone else”. You can’t have it both ways, dude. I know it’s common
in romcoms, but in this one particularly it rubs me the wrong way.
And Molly’s
big sister…ugh. She’s just so entitled about “managing” Molly’s love life,
while making a disaster of her own. No thank you.
Possible
Objectionable Material:
Very mild
cursing. Indications that unmarried adults have sex. Mention of LGBTQ people.
Adults drink alcohol. Infidelity. Very ill children.
Thank you
to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange
for my honest opinion.
Pity Play
By Whitney
Dineen
ASIN: B0F21ZZPZ9
Publisher’s
Blurb:
I’ve
loved my brother’s best friend for as long as I can remember. Newsflash, he
doesn’t see me that way. But now that Luke Phillips is coming to town and needs
a place to stay… could this be my big chance?
It’s not like I’ve sat around for the last twenty-eight years waiting for Luke.
Not really. But ever since I moved back to Elk Lake, I can’t help but hope I’ll
run into him. Enter my big brother calling and asking if his bestie can bunk
with me. My younger self is doing backflips at the possibilities.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Luke is looking for a long-term situation.
He’s made it clear he’s got some business to take care of and then he’s on the
first train back to Chicago.
But then he kisses me. And everything changes.
At least, I hope it has…
Tropes:
Brother’s best
friend, close proximity, small town.
My
Thoughts:
Lorelei
has had a crush on Luke since childhood. And she wasn’t subtle about it. So
when Luke needs to stay at her house while visiting his semi-estranged father
in the hospital, he’s hesitant. But Lorelei is no longer the scruffy little
carrot-top he remembers.
Lorelei is
determined to stop embarrassing herself around Luke. She still finds him
attractive—because he IS—but she’s trying to leave behind the desperation for his
attention that she felt as a child. (There’s a really nice introspective moment
later in the book where she thinks about this.)
I enjoyed
Luke’s journey of discovery and reconciliation with his father. Lorelei’s
character maybe needed a little more development. She’d spent a lot of time
being kind of aimless and then just fell into a career path. I’m also pretty
tired of female (or male for that matter) characters who can’t cook. Toaster strudels
as the height of gourmet breakfast? That’s a no from me.
I didn’t much
like Lorelei’s older brother Noah. His way of coaching high school basketball
by basically insulting his students is not cool. His slobby ways as an adult—also
not cool.
The
biggest problem for me in this book is probably a nitpick for anyone else. The
high school prom is early this year because the basketball team didn’t make the
playoffs. Trust me…prom dates are set early in the year. You don’t just pull
off a prom in a couple of weeks.
Overall,
not the best of the series, but not bad. We got to see prior characters—Trina’s
back again! The scene is set for Allie and Noah. I hope Noah learns to pick up
his dirty clothes before he and Allie get serious.
Possible
Objectionable Material:
Very mild
cursing. Indications that unmarried adults have sex. Mention of LGBTQ people.
Adults drink alcohol. Parental injury an estrangement.
Thank you
to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange
for my honest opinion.
