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A Previous Engagement

by Stephanie Haddad (Goodreads Author)

3.39 of 5 stars 3.39 · rating details · 875 ratings · 120 reviews

Tessa Monroe knows how to do exactly two things: climb her way up the corporate ladder and cheer up her best friend Christian Douglas, the main man in her life since paste was a snack. With the exception of a Ring Pop proposal and a pool-side kiss in college, not much has changed between them in 25 years. Now that they’re all grown up, the two friends find themselves heade...more

Paperback, 1st, 200 pages

Published July 9th 2011 by CreateSpace

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Mar 08, 2012 Mina rated it 2 of 5 stars

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Feb 05, 2012 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit

A Previous Engagement is very typical, predictable chick lit. The reason that I can't give it more than two stars, is that there was really nothing at all unique or surprising in this story. In fact, the miscommunications that occurred to keep the two main characters, Tessa & Christian, apart, were so predictable that it wasn't even interesting. In fact, if Tessa & Christian had actually ever talked or acted like the almost 30 year old adults they were supposed to be, there would have be...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Huma Rashid rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 21st-century, america, fiction, romance

Oh. My. God. This was terrible.

I had this book on my Kindle (Thanks, Pixel of Ink!) and wanted something to read to unwind before bed as I waited for my Tylenol PM to kick in. (Wasn't feeling well - I always want to read romance novels when I'm under the weather. It's a thing with me.)

It was absolutely terrible. The heroine was unlikeable. That's just the best way to put it. She was just unlikeable. Not a terrible person, but just someone I could never imagine myself rooting for. She was just u...more Oh. My. God. This was terrible.

I had this book on my Kindle (Thanks, Pixel of Ink!) and wanted something to read to unwind before bed as I waited for my Tylenol PM to kick in. (Wasn't feeling well - I always want to read romance novels when I'm under the weather. It's a thing with me.)

It was absolutely terrible. The heroine was unlikeable. That's just the best way to put it. She was just unlikeable. Not a terrible person, but just someone I could never imagine myself rooting for. She was just unlikeable.

The supporting cast was lackluster at best and annoying at worst. And there were a lot of supporting characters - too many, in my opinion. There's a fine line between an appropriately sized supporting cast that mitigates the feeling of the hero and heroine existing in their own little bubble, and a supporting cast that is so large as to just be annoying and dilute the story.

The dialogue was ... cheesy and try-hard. The dialogue tried too hard to be cutesy and original, reminiscent of Juno. It was a wonder that I could even read it, given how hard I was rolling my eyes.

One of my favorite words to describe a well written romance novel is "tight." Not in the slang sense of the word, but in the sense of it being concise without being abrupt, of the story being contained and efficient without feeling rushed, and there not being even a sentence that feels ... unnecessary. Julia Quinn, a Regency romance writer, is a master at this. Almost all of her novels are incredibly tight. The story moves along smoothly and efficiently, without bogging the reader down in things (people, places, dialogue) that don't matter. (JQ doesn't always get it right, of course, but she usually does a fantastic job.)

I guess my main point is that a good romance novel doesn't make you want to skim through any scenes or passages. And with this book, pretty much ALL I did was skim. (Well, once I got a proper feel for it and realized that the dialogue came from a tin ear, the characters were totally meh, and the story wasn't much better. THEN I skimmed, and I didn't miss a damn thing - I could tell you each and every little plot bunny in perfect sequence and explain the supposed ins and outs of the plot conflict.)

Do not waste your time. (less)

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Jan 26, 2012 Jackie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: free-books, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As I was reading the first pages, my thoughts were: "This is NOT how third graders talk." "What movies are these kids watching?!" I mean, if you're going to write kids, please do a little research in which you ask a kid (or two) how he/she would propose to someone, write it down, done. This aside, this was a tolerable, if frustrating, novel. How can you be friends for twenty years and never realize that YOU HAVE VERY STRONG FEELINGS for your BFF except that one time?? Not even appreciate his bod...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Jason Halstead rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Romance fans

Recommended to Jason by: Stephanie Haddad

Either because of my testicles or because I'm just that way, I avoid romances. They seem to only be possible when incredibly stupid people are the characters. The main character in A Previous Engagement (a clever title, by the way), fits the category perfectly. I thought the male paramour did as well until I was most of the way through the book. Then I realized he wasn't suffering from a series of major concussion, he was just overly sentimental and emotional for a man. Definitely not a man's ma...more Either because of my testicles or because I'm just that way, I avoid romances. They seem to only be possible when incredibly stupid people are the characters. The main character in A Previous Engagement (a clever title, by the way), fits the category perfectly. I thought the male paramour did as well until I was most of the way through the book. Then I realized he wasn't suffering from a series of major concussion, he was just overly sentimental and emotional for a man. Definitely not a man's man, but perhaps he fits with the modern metrosexual kind of guy that's become so popular. I prefer the 80's action movie hero kind of guy. Or The Duke.

One other thing bothered me - the book leaves the impression that it's unfavorable for a woman to have a successful career. The main character strives to do so, but she's not complete without a partner and family in her life. I find that a flawed lesson. Why should a person be required to have a family to be complete?

That's the bad, here comes the good.

The book was very well written. The main character amused me time and again (when she wasn't aggravating me by being oblivious), thanks to the author's skill with putting words together. I faintly remember one chapter starting with a sentence that was too long and made no sense, but I was able to move past it easily and find no other flaws. Coming from another writer, that's a major success.

I read the book in a matter of hours, another feather in Stephanie's hat. I abhor the genre yet she kept me reading. I wanted to reach in and strangle the characters because they seemed to be inexplicably stupid from the very beginning, but still I read on. I say 'inexplicably stupid' but that does not mean they are without precedent. Virtually any romance movie available or even some distant relatives of mine have displayed similar or near exact levels of ignorance and dumbassery. So yes, I thought they were dumb but it's a dumb that I've seen many times before in fiction and in fact.

For someone who enjoys the genre, I recommend the book highly.
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Dec 02, 2011 Nicki rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I've won this through Goodreads' First Reads Program. I really loved this book; I couldn't put it down! It was a great romance novel. I didn't like the fact that Tess needed a man in her life to be happy, but I was willing to go with it because, hey, it's a romance novel and that's what happens. By the end, I was just screaming for her to get together with Christian already, because it was so obvious that he loved her. I'd recommend this book for anyone! :)

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Oct 03, 2011 Julia Hughes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, romantic

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ... Like many of us who yearn for somewhere over the rainbow, Tess Monroe discovers that happiness and her heart’s desire can be found in her own back yard.

This is a classic ‘boy next door’ story, romance in its purest form and I lapped it up unashamedly.

Although a tale as old as time itself, the author breathes life into her characters, and I practically experienced a New England Spring, and walked in the marbled halls of Prime Investments with Tess as she applied he...more Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ... Like many of us who yearn for somewhere over the rainbow, Tess Monroe discovers that happiness and her heart’s desire can be found in her own back yard.

This is a classic ‘boy next door’ story, romance in its purest form and I lapped it up unashamedly.

Although a tale as old as time itself, the author breathes life into her characters, and I practically experienced a New England Spring, and walked in the marbled halls of Prime Investments with Tess as she applied her talent for planning marketing strategies whilst learning how to deal with underlings in her new executive role.

Tess is determined to make a success of her career, especially as her romantic life is non-existent. Her best friends since schooldays Kendra (now a successful restaurant owner, wife and mother) and Christian (engaged, talented and sought after photographer) appear to be doing better in their personal life. So it is a shock when Marcy, Christian’s wife-to-be breaks off their engagement. Even more so when she cites the reason: Christian is too close to his old school friends, particularly Tess.

Feeling guilty at being the catalyst, telling herself the affection between her and Christian is platonic, Tess is on a mission to find Christian the perfect girlfriend. In any case, she tells herself she is a career girl, and has already accepted an even more executive role in Chicago. The fact that she promised to marry Christian ‘if no-one else came along’ when they were kids in the school playground – well that was just a childish game. The reader can see what Tess cannot. In a hundred different ways Christian silently proclaims his love for her.

Tess is very likeable: Always willing to help, albeit with disastrous results sometimes, considerate and willing to mentor her staff, courageous when facing down sexual advances from her boss. Yet I found myself wanting to shout at her – tell her to open her eyes and let go her pride and preconceived ideas and just kiss the man. When she finally does, she discovers Christian has the power to make her pulses race and set her skin on fire. But has Tess waited too long?
I wanted to find out so badly I read this story in one sitting.
The story is told by Tess in first person pov, beautifully framed by prologue and afterward in omnipresent pov. I enjoyed this book – the author has a gift for description, a light sure touch when it comes to humour and the bedroom scenes were handled with just the right mixture of decorum and passion.
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Mar 11, 2012 Brianna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, chick-lit, fiction, kindle

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Hmm. This was a free Kindle novel and I'm all for free Kindle novels. I've read better and I've read worse. This story was odd. As other readers have stated, the main character (Tessa) is a little unlikeable, but I'll blame that on the fact that she doesn't really develop during the story at all. We just jump right into the story without getting to know Tessa very well (sure, extreme clumsiness is cute, but that doesn't make me want to root for the protagonist), so it's difficult to stand by her...more Hmm. This was a free Kindle novel and I'm all for free Kindle novels. I've read better and I've read worse. This story was odd. As other readers have stated, the main character (Tessa) is a little unlikeable, but I'll blame that on the fact that she doesn't really develop during the story at all. We just jump right into the story without getting to know Tessa very well (sure, extreme clumsiness is cute, but that doesn't make me want to root for the protagonist), so it's difficult to stand by her while she remains the most obliviously stupid character in free e-book-dom. Until she manages to realize she likes Christian (which really shouldn't be a spoiler, seeing how predictable that scenario is) I wondered if Tess even recognized the emotion of love. Seriously. Who is that blind to a relationship that's been building for 20 years? After she and Christian finally get together, Tess doesn't even tell him she's moving to Chicago in less than two weeks for a promotion (and to get away from Christian so as not to hurt him...when she also knows full well that she's going to hurt him by moving. What?). Way to be an adult. I understand it's a difficult conversation to have, and I know it would be initially weird to date someone you've been friends with since you were 5, but Tess should have more gumption than what she shows in her private life. I didn't see a connection between Tess' two lives - she's a success as a hardworking marketing VP (which she does so well) but is completely unable to recognize, much less go for, what she wants in her private life...that was what bugged me most about this novel.

I know I sound like I hated the book, but really I didn't. I like Stephanie Haddad's writing style and I think she could be a really good chick lit novelist - with a different plot and different protagonist. I had a neutral opinion of the novel for maybe the first half, then I loved it once Tessa got it together and acknowledged her feelings for Christian - but as soon as she "crapped all over it" (her words) I wanted to punch the lot of them. If the novel is able to evoke those strong feelings about the characters, then it's got to be worth reading!(less)

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Feb 02, 2012 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars

I think I ultimately enjoyed this book so much because I could relate to it.
My best friend growing up was a boy. No one could understand how we could be friends and nothing more. It caused issues in many of our relationships, often times requiring one of us to fade into the background for the other persons happiness.
We, however, remained only friends through the years and are now both happily married to other people.
That doesn't stop me wondering what might have been. This book let me delve into...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Katelyn Tustin rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is awesome. Here is why: it is suppose to be a nice fun romance comedy. And that is exactly what you get. Are some of the plot obstacles typical to a romance comedy? Of course! There is a reason why they are typical, it is because they work. Tess is a flawed character which is exactly how I like them. Perfection is boring and I want nothing of it. The book is a perfect length. It gets you invested but does not drag on in mindless chatter just to please critics who want some deep meanin...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Jen Chatfield rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 29, 2012 Summerscent rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I just finished reading this one, and it was a fun and easy read. Some parts made me laugh out loud, and the dynamics of Christian, Tessa and Kendra is fantastic. A great read!

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Feb 01, 2012 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! I downloaded it as a free Kindle eBook, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But after reading it (and not wanting to put it down), I can safely say I would have paid for such a lovely (albeit predictable) novel. It's a pretty standard story of boy-meets-girl in childhood and stay best friends, yet the characters don't try for a relationship or realize what a great thing they've got until they're much older. I loved the quirks each character possessed, and how true-to-lif...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Sewlyfluff rated it 4 of 5 stars

A cute and fun read - I read it in about 1.5 days. It was a catching story - that I couldn't put down and wanted to know what would happen. It was a little frustrating the obviousness of their feelings and their utter unawares. But this is what made me not want to put it down because I just wanted them to figure it out! I know this frustration first hand - I've been in a VERY similar situation - and by the time we figured it out it was too late for us - but although you may think its annoying an...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Melissa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: clean-romances, contemporary-romance

I normally don't read books like this, I liked to be swept away to different places and times. Times where people didn't swear and got married before they had sex. So I wasn't really surprised when this started to drag for me so I mostly skimmed threw and read the conversations and important stuff. The main character drove me crazy and I had a hard time with decisions she made, but it did end well and everything was brought full circle. 18 and up.
Sex: Making out and implied sex, no detailed sex...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Erica Anne rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book was horrible. Absolutely, mind-numbingly bad. It was my first ever romance novel and it will definitely be my last. The heroine was annoying and unlikeable. You could tell the author didn't want to do any research on photography, so she used Tessa's "forgetfulness" as an excuse not to know anything. Honestly this is one of the worst books I have ever read, the only consolation is that I got it for free of Amazon. This woman needs to stop writing books and polluting the world with this...more

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Katelyn Tustin Dear Erice Anne,
What a nasty review...as someone who complains about lack of research you would think you would have taken the time to read other rom...more
Feb 06, 2012 10:03am

Erica Anne Katelyn, I just wanted to thank you for your comment on my review. I looked at your page and saw that this is the only book you have listed that you h...more
Feb 06, 2012 10:42am

Katelyn Tustin Erica,
I joined Goodreads yesterday because not only did I enjoy the book, but I respected the author for publishing her own work. Then your post was...more
Feb 07, 2012 09:19am

Jan 14, 2012 Nicky rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: lovers-and-friends, unlikeable-heroine, skimmed, tstl, disappointed

This might have been an alright read. But Im not sure because I couldnt stand the heroine AT ALL... She could possibly be one of the stupidest (real mature word there I know but it is what it is) heroines I have read (In my opinion).. Christian deserved a lot better than Tessie if you ask me..

I didnt like it but I could definitely see it as a made for TV movie or something.. Like the kind you see on ABC Family, Lifetime or Hallmark..

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Apr 04, 2012 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a very fun and engaging story of the intertwining life of 3 best friends and the paths our life takes us down, versus the ones we forage ourselves. The characters were well written with enough flaws (albeit not physically...) to be able to connect to. Additionally, while being a story about love and romance, it was NOT overtly smutty, which I sincerely appreciated. Overall, a very pleasant read and not at all a waste of time.

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Jan 30, 2012 Selene Rodriguez rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Book number 6 of the year. A previous engagement by Stephanie Haddad. I gotta be honest and say that the first thing that I noticed about this book was that it was for free on kindle, but what a great book, it's just fun and a good read really, there's a lot of romance and friendship all that things that make this book and excellent read for girls, I read it in about a day and a half and left me wanting to read other works by this author.

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Feb 21, 2012 Jen Quintanilla rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I kept waiting for this book to get better and it just never did. The main character (Tessa) was annoying and for most of the book I wanted to smack her. She wasn't at all likable and I could not understand how the other characters could stand to be friends with her. Also, this book had way too many little issues hanging around the periphery that in the hands of a good writer would have aided in serious character development (like Tessa's mom and apparently crappy childhood that we are never tol...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Erin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: free-on-kindle

2.5 A Previous Engagement operates on one of my favorite romantic premises - two people who have been friends forever realize they've been in love with one another forever. However, I found this book turned out to be a bit of a drag. The heroine is so clueless and behaves really badly in the final section of the book. In general, her psychological issues are so overwritten that I found it a hard book to like.

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Feb 08, 2012 Faithann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, kindle-books

Although extremely predictable, this was a fun book. It was fun to read as Tess finally realized and came to terms with her true feelings for Christian. Then thinking that she had screwed things up beyond repair. I also like the twist of a third best friend, and Kendra seemed like the perfect fit. I did think the epilogue was a bit of overkill though, I think things would have been better to have left it out entirely.

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Feb 07, 2012 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-shelf

Free Kindle Book. A cute, quick read but very predictable. Well written and likable characters. Why only the two stars from me: it's a story about three friends that went to Elementary School together...now in their late 20's, all with successful careers - but the story plays out because the interaction between each other with is a Junior High maturity level.

Perfect book for waiting at a doctor's office or the DMV.

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Apr 15, 2013 Dee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, romance

An enjoyable light book to read. Tess, Christian and Kendra have been friends since preschool. Kendra is married to Grant and they have son Riley. Story opens with Christian engaged to Marcy. From there on the confusion of their long friendship and many relationships is fun to read. This is a good love story and everyone lives happily ever after. :)

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May 12, 2013 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: love-it

Predictable yet so cute. I love the characters but right from the start, it's pretty obvious that Tessie loves Christian. I actually thought this was inspired from the movie My Bestfriend's Wedding but this book has its own charm. Love it from start to finish.

This book is a page-turner (in my case, swipe-turner) and I finished it in one day.

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Jan 26, 2012 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

I absolutely loved this book!! It was such a nice light read and I really found myself sucked in. I loved how much the Tess and Christian showed their emotions and just how connected the two of them were. I found myself really feeling for the characters, more than I ever have before. I really want to check out more books from this author, I didn't want this one to end!

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Mar 09, 2012 Lani Young rated it 3 of 5 stars

An interesting read with a predictable storyline. Way too much backstory/flashbacks that kept interrupting the present flow of the plot. I was getting frustrated just wanting to deal with the here and now.

Really liked the male lead character but the MC was annoying as heck with her somewhat psycho comittment to her job.

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Feb 23, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was a charming version of a current day romance. Although the lead character was somewhat frustrating at times, she was charming and easy to root for. The story would have been better with a little more drama and conflict between the characters versus internal drama. But well worth a read.

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Jan 27, 2012 Natalia rated it 5 of 5 stars

When i was reading this book it was like i was watching a romantic comedy type movie(which i personally loooove). It was so cute and made me want to keep reading all the time, wanting to know what was going to happen next. So if your into romantic books and even movies, this is definetly one you should read. =)

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Apr 28, 2013 Fran rated it 1 of 5 stars

Predictable, boring, fast read that left me bland. There were no high points in this book. We know that there would be a love interest among the group of three best friends right from the beginning and while the author tried to put some bumps in the road to adult love, I felt it was poorly done.

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About Stephanie Haddad

Stephanie Haddad’s earliest works featured unicorns and talking pumpkins who overcame adversity, evil, and the threat of being baked into pies. With age, her writing has evolved to more grown-up topics, like love and the complicated relationships between people. As a life-long lover of cheerful fiction, she strives to tackle real-world issues with wit, hope, and lots of humor. Her short stories ha...more

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