She’s found the perfect man . . . There’s just one big twist.

Stuck in a Production Assistant job and living at home with her parents after a painful breakup, thirty-one-year-old Chloe Fairway isn’t where she wants to be in life. The last thing she needs is to face the people who once voted her “most likely to succeed” at her upcoming ten-year college reunion. And she definitely doesn’t want to see her former best friend, Sean Adler, who is now a hotshot film director living the life Chloe dreamed of. Desperate to make a splash—and to save face in front of the man who might be the one that got away—she turns to a mysterious dating service.

Enter Rob, her handsome, well-read, and charming match, the perfect plus-one to take to her reunion. The more she gets to know him, the more perfect he appears to be. Could it be that this dating service knows her better than she knows herself? And can she overlook the one big catch? As Chloe reconnects with old friends, she begins to question everything she thought she wanted. Maybe, just maybe, revisiting the past is exactly what she needs to move forward.

This is the third book I’ve read by this author, and while I still enjoyed it, it’s probably my least favorite of the three. Cousens always writes with charm and heart, but this one didn’t pull me in quite as deeply as I was expecting.

Chloe Fairway is thirty-one, single, and feeling stuck. She’s still living with her parents, working a job that doesn’t inspire her, and dreading her upcoming ten-year college reunion. Her life looks nothing like what she imagined back when she was voted “most likely to succeed.” To make matters worse, her ex-best-friend and college crush, Sean Adler, will be there. Sean is now a wildly successful film director living the dream she thought she’d have.

Cue the mysterious dating service. In a moment of desperation (and pride), Chloe signs up for a new kind of matchmaking experience, one that uses advanced AI to design your perfect partner. Her match, Rob, seems almost too good to be true. He’s kind, funny, thoughtful, and somehow always knows the right thing to say.

This setup is what makes the book so interesting. Cousens takes a risk here, leaning into speculative territory while keeping the tone light. In less capable hands, the premise could have felt silly, but she handles it with sincerity and humor. And honestly, for me,Rob ends up feeling more emotionally genuine than most of the real men Chloe meets. I actually found myself rooting for him more than Sean.

And that’s where the book succeeds best. It makes you question what “real” connection means. The conversations between Chloe and Rob are surprisingly touching. There’s a sweetness to their relationship that sneaks up on you. But it also raises a good point: when loneliness and disillusionment become the norm, what lengths will people go to just to feel understood? The scary part is how believable it all feels.

Still, while the concept hooked me, I never felt fully invested in the emotional arc. The story moves well, the dialogue sparkles like always, but something about it kept me at arm’s length. Maybe it’s because Sean (who is Chloe’s real love interest), never quite comes to life. He’s fine, but I found him a bit dull compared to Rob.

That said, Cousens’ writing remains engaging. Her mix of humor and introspection is as strong as ever, and she knows how to capture the awkward messiness of trying to rebuild your life. The side characters add warmth and realism, and there are plenty of sharp observations about nostalgia, regret, and the versions of ourselves we cling to.

The audiobook narration by Kerry Gilbert is excellent. She nails Chloe’s voice and gives life to the supporting cast. Her performance made me like the book more than I probably would have if I’d only read it on the page.

In the end, I found this to be a clever and heartfelt read, even if it doesn’t hit as hard as Cousens’ other novels. It’s part rom-com and part speculative reflection on modern loneliness. The balance isn’t perfect, but the story has enough charm and originality to stand out. If you’ve enjoyed her other books, you’ll still find plenty to like here. It’s funny, sincere, and just futuristic enough to make you wonder how far off this kind of dating really is.