The Jake Ryan Complex

by Bethany Crandell

Overview

A teenage movie crush set her standards high. Now a real man needs to meet them. Fast.

Chicago obstetrician Mackenzie “Mac” Huntress set her standards for men very high early on. It’s been over twenty years since she fell for a fictional movie heartthrob, and Mac’s content to wait for the real version to come along; it’s her nagging mother who’s not happy with the timeline. So Mac falls back on her lifelong Mom-surviving skill—lying. The latest fabrication: a handsome neurologist named Michael. Pity he’s too busy to meet her friends and family. Problem solved.

But when Mac’s little sister announces her engagement, Mac is expected to introduce her elusive “plus-one” at the wedding, leaving her with only forty days to find a flesh-and-blood stand-in for the imaginary Michael. And the only potential Mr. Right comes with a big hitch.

However, it turns out Mac’s not the only one bringing secrets to the wedding. With expectations high, and shocking truths to be revealed, Mac’s left to find her own happy ending, which isn’t as simple as in the movies…though it’s definitely worth waiting for.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781542026000
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	01/26/2021
Pages:	258
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Bethany Crandell, author of the young adult novel Summer on the Short Bus, lives in San Diego with her husband, teenage daughters, and two destructive puppies. The Jake Ryan Complex is her first adult novel, though it still carries the heart and humor of teenage exuberance. For more information, visit Bethany online at www.bethanycrandell.com and www.facebook.com/AuthorBethanyCrandell, and @bethanycrandell on Twitter.

Editorial Reviews

11/16/2020

Truth proves better than fiction in this diverting rom-com from Crandell (Summer on the Short Bus). Naperville, Ill., obstetrician Mackenzie Huntress, in an effort to curb her mother’s criticism, has delivered as many lies as she has babies. She’s even made up a fake boyfriend: Michael, a neurologist. So when her younger sister announces her engagement, Mac is expected to bring Michael to the wedding. Mac, who’s unwittingly and unfavorably compared every man she’s dated to Jake Ryan, the hero of Sixteen Candles, sets out on an amusing hunt for a man to pose as Michael. None of the men she meets measure up—except for her new handyman, J.T. Walsh. Enamored since the moment he saw her, J.T. is happy to be Mac’s dream guy—but as himself, not Michael. Mac’s failure to come clean about her made-up boyfriend, along with a surprise from J.T.’s past test their affection for one another. As skeletons come out of both of their closets, quirky, foul-mouthed supporting characters add humor and charm. Readers will chuckle their way to the satisfying happily ever after. Agent: Amy Moore-Benson, Meridian Artists. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

As skeletons come out of both of their closets, quirky, foul-mouthed supporting characters add humor and charm. Readers will chuckle their way to the satisfying happily ever after.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher