Annie Begins

At almost 29, Annie Thompson is as brilliant in business as she is disastrous in relationships. It's the dawn of the dot-com boom, and Annie is determined to make it big. But her single-minded focus on work is put to the test when the man of her dreams announces that his wife is divorcing him, and designates Annie "the best listener he knows." Suddenly she's juggling his mixed signals and her entrepreneurial ambitions--not to mention a complicated friendship with her new supervixen of a roommate.

Annie's pursuit of Mr. Tall, Dark and Barely Available takes a turn for the unexpected when her young, terminally ill cousin, April, makes it her mission to find Annie a husband. But the fiancé April picks is definitely not the kind of man Annie would have chosen. Now, Annie has to ask herself what exactly she wants and values most deeply in a man--and in herself.

"Rarely have I encountered a debut novel that manages to pack so much heart into so much pure entertainment. By turns hilarious and poignant--and always compulsively readable--this novel was impossible to put down. The characters were so vividly drawn that ANNIE BEGINS felt less like reading a novel and more like spending time with people I already knew and loved. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up!" --Gwen Cooper, New York Times bestselling author of Homer's Odyssey and Diary of a South Beach Party Girl

"Beautiful, moving, sweetly seductive." --Alethea Black, author of I Knew You'd Be Lovely

"ANNIE BEGINS is not only a delicious, fast-paced comedy, but a deeply moving exploration of life's constantly shifting kaleidoscope of emotions and events, in particular the different mechanisms, or avoidance strategies, for coping with loneliness and loss as well as the myriad ways we find love and connection, even in the most unexpected of places." --Sophie Powell, author of The Mushroom Man

"Readers will root for sweet, relatable Annie as she struggles to learn how to push work aside in favor of searching for her "good match." When she trusts an unlikely matchmaker, her brave little cousin with challenges of her own, ANNIE BEGINS becomes a story as much about the meaning of family as it is about finding true love." --Lynne Griffin, author of Life Without Summer and Sea Escape

"A winning debut--a moving and engaging novel that will have you rooting for Annie from page one." --Jennifer Sturman, author of the Rachel Benjamin and Delia Truesdale series