The Girlfriend Curse: A Hilarious Novel About Breaking a Dating Curse and Finding Love

by Valerie Frankel

Beloved author Valerie Frankel spins a funny, unforgettable novel about a woman determined to become "The One" instead of always "The One Before." Peg’s got a gift. Now how does she get rid of it…? Within six months of breaking up with her, Peg Silver's ex-lovers always meet and marry the women of their dreams. Even worse than being the eternal bridesmaid, she's the last girlfriend, the one who awakens in a guy the knowledge of what he's always wanted in a relationship...and it's never with Peg. Obviously, a major lifestyle change is seriously called for, which is why the distraught interior landscape designer says good-bye to Manhattan and late-night lattes with pal Nina, and hello to a farmhouse on ten acres in tiny, backwater Manshire, Vermont, hoping to meet the ultimate, all-organic country man (without too much facial hair) to keep her warm in those frosty New England winters. Instead, Peg finds herself at Inward Bound—a proactive adult-education retreat for the hapless and hopelessly lovelorn—to try to lift her dreaded "girlfriend curse." Perhaps there is a secret to be unearthed in the crunchy Green Mountains, one that will magically transform Peg Silver from the 

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, M F Romance, Adult, Humor

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 18, 2005

About the author

She's written twenty books (e.g., The Accidental Virgin and The Girlfriend Curse), and contributed to dozens of publications including the New York Times, Self, Allure, Glamour, Parenting and Good Housekeeping. Her memoir, Thin Is the New Happy, about overcoming bad body image after 30 years of dieting and self-loathing, was recently described as "Rueful, zestful and surprisingly funny," by the New York Times.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contemporary A Thon

The Girlfriend Curse would make a great Hallmark movie. Its a funny and oddly sweet story about a woman named Peg whose ex boyfriends all seem to find the love of their life within months of breaking up with her.

Think of The Girlfriend Curse as a better written version of the movie Good Luck Chuck. If you've never seen or heard of Good Luck Chuck...I'm jealous because that movie is awful.

If you like old school chick lit then The Girlfriend Curse is for you!

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a massive massive sucker for romance/comedy books and "The Girlfriend Curse" really hit it for me. I thought it was going to be one of those predictable girl meet boy, girl/boy fall in love kind of story but it wasn't, there were so much twists and unpredictable things happening, my imagination went crazy. I actually laughed so much on the sex jokes, yes, there are sex jokes, i didn't expect them but they were there and the thing is, i usually get a bit uncomfortable reading about people making out and doing other things, because some authors really make it sound nasty, but Valerie Frankel wrote it so that it seems so natural and normal, sometimes funny too.

So on to the story line; Peg thought that having a man by her side all the time was such a blessing, the feeling of having a boyfriend to cater for was happiness for her, until the boys she took care of decides that her relationship superiority scares them. Once she had enough of the 'curse' that is her love life, she hauls herself to the middle of nowhere in search of a new beginning, little did she know that, her knew beginning ,would be in a place where her sleeping and eating times are scheduled, activities are planned and monitored and mostly she is surrounded by people she never thought she would interact with on the street. Her journey 'Inward Bound' is full of sexual frustrations and many 'metawhores'.

A quirky and humorous book by Valerie Frankel, it gives insight to how the psyche of men and women are when they are shown what they do wrong in their relationships.

[Lora · Rating 2 out of 5]

In all honesty, I'd give this book a 2.5. I didn't love it but I didn't dislike it either. The premise is interesting but I have to say that I found the characters rather ridiculous. Are there really people in the world like this? And this isn't my first Frankel book, and I'm no prude, but the language is pretty crude at times. I don't feel like her descriptions of sex or male/female genitalia needed to be so rude and it didn't add anything to the story for me.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

one of those lay on the beach, useless mind clutter. mildly entertaining.

[T.S.C. Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right (cracks knuckles), this is going to be a long one.
This book had a lot of promise. The concept of a woman who doesn't understand what is wrong in her relationships going on a retreat to discover herself, to discover things about herself she outwardly denies and tries to correct as she learns and grows with others just like herself.
Sounds promising, no? Funny with how the director of the program makes them do incredibly random gestures of good will around the town (including spreading manure and organising a book store) and tries to make the guests realise their flaws by putting them in uncomfortable positions together and alone.
Again, sounds like a book of growth and following a heroine who goes from zero to hero in terms of personal development.
Yeah no, I expected too much.
It's known from the off that the MC, quoted, has 'a very sexual mind'. Through the course of the book she is pulled up on this, how she turns every conversation into sex which can make others feel uncomfortable.
Now, I was glad and happy when the MC realised that when a guy hits on her, instead of jumping into bed with them she should instead try to get to know them.
Great, awesome, I was proud of her for this realisation and the want to change.
That was until she more or less said that she would put up a fight until the guy tried it on with her again and then she would 'let him have it' and 'give in to what he wants'.
It was at this moment that my brain switched the fuck off. Because despite the MC believing and constantly telling us that she is changing for the better, that she is evolving into someone she is proud of, she also is very much not.
Her love interest breaks up with his ex to which she jumps into the sack with him...immediately. After three weeks of knowing each other to which they both say they are madly in love with each other.
And dear GOD do not start me on the weak ass orgasm scene to which he makes her cum simply by touching her 'in a certain way' to which she orgasms immediately...ALL WHILE HE IS ASLEEP.
YUUUUURP, let that one sink in for a second.
And she wonders later whether to tell him about this as she realises hovering over him while he is drugged (don't.....don't) that this may be inappropriate.
Oh and what would one of my reviews be without some good ole misunderstandings! Miscommunication which then leads to misery and moping and oh yeah, a billionaire heiress getting engaged (again, in a three week period) and having helicopters following her as she drives away into the sunset.
I wish I was making this shit up...the ending was just *chef's kiss*.
Apparently I enjoy reading the dumb and unrealistic.
Anyway, onto the next!

[TaleTerror · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic novel!

Characters were great to read, they never bored me, the plot was the best thing about this book and the writing was funny and quirky that made me laugh in places and others that i just couldnt supress a smile in if i wanted too.

Peg is the ultimate last girlfriend, a year of dating then six months after the breakup all Peg's ex's have changed minds and get hitched. So she picks up and leave's New York City behind and moves to Vermont. Meets Ray on the train, her house is infested with mice, that get eatten by cats, that attract ants and then they send in the dogs. Literally.

So she has nowhere to live, so her plan is to go seek out Ray at Inward Bound- a proactive adult-education retreat.

This part of the book is where it gets interesting. The wise relationship advice really makes you think. It's continuois all throughout the book which is great!

I would recommend this Little Black Dress book for a good fun read.

[Christy Stewart · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is Tyra Banks one of your heroes? Do you love Pretty Woman? Have you ever texted your vote for an American Idol contestant?

Go ahead and buy this book.

[LyndaIn Oregon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sassy and funny combo of chick-lit, fish-out-of-water tale, and a sendup of touchy-feely "retreat" experiences.

When a dyed-in-the-wool Manhattanite decides to change her dating field by pulling up stakes and buying an old Vermont farmhouse, her plans get derailed by an invasion of mice. Then, with perfect logic, she follows the fellow she met on the train to a New Age retreat where he hoped to turn his lousy romantic track record around. Things develop from there.

There's a fair amount of sex talk but little action, which is a nice twist on the genre's formulaic hot-monkey-love episodes.

[Lynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story wasn’t particularly interesting or entertaining. And, I’ve never seen as many typos in a book as I have in this one, which really bugs. Anyway, the book’s title caught my eye because I (100%) have the Girlfriend Curse. Eight times (that I know of) my ex marries the next woman he dates. This book disappointed me because the topic wasn’t a feature of the story. Which leads me to believe that I should write that book! Many friends have suggested it. I might as well make some $ off my life’s tragedies. 😂

[Makenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is decent. Some spelling and grammar errors. My main reason for docking starts is the frequent comment about women's weight. As being a book written for women it is very frustrating. I get this was written in the time where that was all too common. It does not age well. I almost stopped reading the first time it happened. Also 2/3 of the way through the random mentioning of her being Jewish which has no impact in the story just seemed weird.

[Natalie Mackley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was a really fun read! Its really light & funny. The characters are funny, if a bit unrealistic. Peg’s wit & sarcasm had me laughing throughout though! If you are looking for a quick, fun read I would definitely suggest it! I’d give it 5 stars, but it was pretty predictable in the end!

[Alaina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am so happy to be finished with this book. (Finally) I got it from a "Take a book, leave a book" on a cruise and figured it was worth a shot being free. FAIL.

The plot was quite fictional and the story was trying too hard to be interesting that it was an epic fail, with a predictable ending, of course.

[Kelly Morrissey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfect beach read. You'll laugh as you follow the big life change of the sarcastic Peg- a woman who realizes she's the last girlfriend of her exes. Pick this up if you want something easy and entertaining. There will be at least one character you relate with.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me awhile to get into the story but it was an easy, fluffy read. A bit ridiculous at times but entertaining. Peg actually reminded me of Midge Maisel from "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" at times, especially when it came to her sense of humor.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found, to my surprise, some thoughtful insights into male-female relationships during MC's stay at the workshop. However, the whole story degenerated into slapstick with the kidnapping and ruined the book for me.

Numerous typos & wrong words didn't help anything.

[Natasha Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

easy read

[Chellii · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable! I laughed out loud several times.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun quick light read! Does bring up interesting relationship there’s though!!

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled through a lot of this book and just couldn't get into the characters. Almost didn't finish it. Overall it was an ok rom com.

[Rebecca Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, easy, light read!

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peg is getting over her ex when he calls her for a reunion. Thinking they may be getting back together, she agrees to meet with him but when he brings his fiancee, Peg can't take it anymore. Looking back at all her ex's, she finds that almost all of them got engaged with the next person they started dating after Peg. Peg is the chronic last girlfriend. She decides she needs to get out of New York and start fresh.

Peg buys a home on a huge plot of land in Vermont and moves there. On the train, she almost settles back in to her old habits when she finds herself attracted to a guy on the train, but instead ends up at Inward Bound, a camp to help those develop better relationship skills.

I'm not usually much of a chick lit reader but I wanted something a bit lighter to read and this hit the spot. It didn't invoke any cringe from me, which I find some chick lit can do. It's not going to win any awards but it serves a purpose and didn't commit any throw-able offenses!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book belongs in the Sex and the City era... it felt almost too dated even though it was only written in the early 2000s. But somewhere around 3/4 through the book, I started to see the charm in it.

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Patrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift for Christmas 2006. Life tends to get in the way and I hadn't read it until now. It is a contemporary romantic comedy. Peg Silver is the main character who finds out that her ex-boyfriends from the past few years or so have all married, or are about to marry, the girl they dated after their break-up with Peg, hence the title of The Girlfriend Curse. Peg’s best friend, Nina, hired a private investigator to see if it was true, after she ran into a few of Peg’s exes. It seems her exes and their spouses want to thank her for helping them be open to a new and committed relationship. Peg wants to scream and put a stop to the girlfriend curse.

I enjoyed this book. It was refreshingly different and humorous. It reminds me a bit of the laugh out loud situations in the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. Peg is a strong female character as well, or at least for the most part, as any good heroine, she does have her weaknesses. There was some explicit sexual content so this is not a story for those under 21…

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book at a library book sale because I had read "The Accidental Virgin" by Frankel and really enjoyed it. This book was written after TAV and was also good, but not quite as good as TAV. I was pleasantly surprised that Stacy Temple from TAV was featured in the book and we got an update on her life. I read a fair bit of it ON the beach, so it was definitely light.

It got a little silly at the end, which slightly turned me off. Frankel gives readers resolution on several characters in the final, brief chapter, which was a plus. The book could have ended without that chapter, but the book would not have been as satisfying.

If you are looking for light-hearted chick lit for the beach or pool, this book would be a good fit. If you're looking for something deep, look for something else!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wonder where your ex boyfriends are now? When Peg Silver’s most recent ex calls her up to thank her for making him a better man and introduce her to his fiancé, best friend Nina and her become curious about the rest of her ex boyfriends. The private eye Nina hired tells them that all of her ex boyfriends have gotten married within six month of dumping her. Peg decides to do something about it. She packs her bags and moves to Vermont. To break the curse of being the last girlfriend, she enrolls in Inward Bound, a retreat for the romantically challenged. Valerie Frankel explores the ups and downs of romantic life in this fun romp through Peg’s search for the perfect fit.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A chance encounter with an ex-boyfriend makes Peg realize that her last six boyfriends have all gone directly from breaking up to her to meeting and marrying their future wives. Disheartened with New York's dating scene, she packs up and heads to Vermont, and attend an Inward Bound retreat to relearn dating, run by sexy psychologist Linus.

A very different heroine, who is not quite neurotic and still very fun. The story itself was vaguely interesting, but a little on the bland side. It meandered and didn't really develop fully.

[Casey Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read with a quirky storyline.

I liked, and could (sadly) relate to the premise of the tale and the main character.
Feeling cursed when things aren't going the way you thought they were, time and time again, leads to deciding to shake things up and making a lifestyle change. Added to this is personal interaction with new and interesting people at a retreat like location.

Witty banter, misunderstandings, physical and mental challenges all make The Girlfriend Curse an enjoyable read.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the synopsis at the back of the book I expected this to be a light good hearted book about finding love and I was not disappointed. I liked the main characters and secondary characters and the author put them in enough unexpected situations that the reader was not bored by overused romantic situations. The snappy comments were funny and entertaining in addition to re-enforcing the personalities of the characters. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. This is the first book that I have read by this author but I will be looking for more to read.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book had such potential. The plot seemed appealing and romantic. I couldn't relate to the main character Peg at all. She was way too confident and thought every man she met wanted to sleep with her. I like the secondary characters a lot. I feel like the author developed them more than the hero Linus. I would have like to know more about him. All in all it was a fun read with a happy ending.