REVIEW: Mixed Signals by Diane Barnes

Mixed Signals by Diane Barnes turns one couple’s break-up into a radio discussion where everyone in the Boston area takes turns in dissecting the relationship and the people in it.

Nico bails on Jillian and decides he doesn’t want to marry her and ends their relationship. Jillian doesn’t understand since Nico never explains why their relationship is off, so Jillian keeps the faith that Nico will come back to her. Jillian pretends everything is okay and never tells anyone what happened. Nico, on the other hand, tells his co-workers on air how he dumped her and it just spirals downward from there. His co-workers set up a contest for women to call in for a chance to date Nico…all while Jillian is listening in with her co-workers.

Jillian’s life isn’t going as planned and people are looking at her like she’s a joke. The only person who is really on her side is Ben. Ben is a co-worker, who’s had a thing for Jillian for a while but since she was with Nico, nothing came from it. Ben also has a reputation with the ladies, so Jillian doesn’t believe Ben cares for her. Her situation with Nico has blinded her and she doesn’t see what’s right in front of her, until it’s too late.

I could not relate to the heroine and I think that might be one of the reasons why I didn’t love this book. Jillian gets dumped and then humiliated on the radio, and she still thinks the guy will come back to her and they will get married. First of all, I would have smacked him for putting our issues out there for the whole world to hear and honestly, that man isn’t even worth the trouble. There was no chemistry between them, what there was, was content. They were content with each other until they became engaged and then he went running. That’s okay, because it’s his loss and Jillian finds someone better in Ben. Although, I didn’t feel any chemistry with Ben either. I think if the author concentrated more on Jillian and Ben, I would have liked the story better, but that wasn’t the case for the majority of the book. I did enjoy the author’s writing style but overall, it wasn’t for me.

Book Info:

Publication: September 27th 2016 | Lyrical Shine |

Getting dumped is never easy, but there’s a special bonus sting if your ex-fiancé is a producer for a popular morning radio show. Jillian Atwood’s breakup with Nico has become the hosts’ number-one topic. They’re even running a competition to find him a new girlfriend. The entire population of Boston, it seems, is tuning in with an opinion about who Nico should date next—and what Jillian should do to get over him.

Jillian’s co-worker, Ben, has his own ideas on that score. He hates seeing Jill depressed over a guy as unworthy as her ex. While he’s providing a friendly ear, he’s also realizing how much more he’d like to offer. And if Jill could just get over the man who broke her heart, she might find the one who’s perfectly equipped to heal it…