The book was good, but not great. It ended abruptly and everything started feeling rushed a little over halfway through the novel which I found odd and unnecessary. In the beginning of the book I really identified with the main characters, who were experiencing relationship problems. However, for how close they were supposedly, I was quite surprised on how little they leaned on each other. Even when they did lean on each other, it was in an intoxicated state and short-lived. Also, (spoiler alert) they all get a happily ever after in their own way. I think this is realistic if they learn to accept their happily ever after as such, because if you asked me what the characters' happy ending would be based on how they were developed initially, it would be different. Unfortunately, the transformation wasn't clear for 3/4 main characters, and the 4th could have been better. ( )

Molly Shapiro's debut novel, "Point, Click, Love," has all the necessary ingredients for a modern chick-lit novel -- successful and strong female characters, relationship issues and modern problems. One character is the sole breadwinner for her family, one character is divorced but looking for love, one character's biological clock is ticking and one character is having marital difficulties. The execution, however, falls a little flat. The dialogue between characters is stilted and the writing has a more journalistic feel than a novel. Shapiro's novel does create an interesting case study of social media and how it affects our lives, however. It was just very difficult to feel sympathy for the characters, whose flaws and dissatisfaction with life overshadowed what was truly good and noble about them.

Amy R. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

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As much as I wanted to become invested in Molly Shapiro's Point, Click, Love, I struggled. I'm an online dating alum myself, and stories delving into the world of meeting potential mates through the Internet catch my interest. That’s what brought me to the novel, an entertaining story that kept me reading — even if I wasn’t completely invested in the characters’ lives.

Despite heralding the four central women as “best friends,” we see very little interaction between them. The book’s third-person narration shifts focus between chapters from one woman to the next. That might have been my biggest hurdle to jump, enjoyment-wise: just as I was getting into Annie’s story, for example, we were hopping over to Maxine’s. Claudia’s situation felt the most realistic, but I couldn’t believe she was tumbling so far down a rabbit hole without anyone to pull her out. And I didn’t feel having four “main” characters was a benefit; I almost wish this had just been Katie’s story. Or maybe Claudia’s, though she made me pretty mad.

Point, Click, Love is easily digestible and occasionally sparkles with humor. Shapiro writes well and I enjoyed her turns of phrase, but her characters lacked the depth required to make me care about them. The “online dating” theme took a backseat to run-of-the-mill drama, and I didn’t feel like technology’s role in the modern dating world was explored in a satisfying way.

Fans of chick lit, modern romance and vignettes might find Shapiro’s novel an easy, breezy read for a summer afternoon. Though Point, Click, Love didn’t bowl me over, I did finish it quickly and would take a peek at the author’s future work. Maybe with a bigger concentration on the online dating scene, which was the most interesting part of this work — whew wee, Katie and her potential sugar daddies! (You know, if the current situation doesn’t work out.) ( )

Katie is a divorced mother of two. She no longer believes in true love. It’s more like “true lust”. She has been fine with not having a man in her life for the last two years. Until now. She desperately craves a casual, sexual relationship and decides to sign up with an online dating service.

Claudia is married to Steve. Steve has been out of work for quite some time. Instead of scouring the newspaper job section, he sits on the couch channel surfing and updating his Facebook status. Claudia has tried to be patient with him, but money is tight and she’s tired of being the only employed spouse. She doesn’t understand Steve’s fascination with Facebook and what he could possibly be posting all day.

Maxine is married to Jake. From the outside looking in, they appear to have the perfect marriage. Only Maxine knows the truth: their marriage is in trouble. And has been for quite some time. When she discovers her husband has been texting a gorgeous younger doctor, she fears her marriage may be over.

Annie was born and raised in New York City. She relocated to Kansas City for her career. If truth be told, she also wanted a fresh start after the breakup with long-term boyfriend. Thinking their relationship would end in marriage, Annie was devastated when he announced he did not want to marry her. Now it’s years later and Annie’s biological clock is about to explode. Perhaps marriage isn’t in her future, but being a mom is. Who needs a husband when she can visit the local sperm bank?

Point, Click, Love is a tale about four friends facing the issues of dating and marriage today. From online dating, Facebook hookups, to inappropriate texts, Shapiro explores how each can destruct a relationship. From the beginning, I was entertained with this novel. I definitely could relate to Claudia’s confusion about what her husband was posting on Facebook. His need to create a world where everything is light and carefree was understandable to a point. I mean who really wants to post how miserable your life really is? As I continued to read, his behavior began to irritate me.

I’ve been looking forward to reading Point, Click, Love for quite some time. I’m disappointed I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped. Halfway through the novel, I began to disconnect from the characters. There are some scenes that may come across as humorous, but for me the characters appeared desperate. I cringed at some of the choices they made. What I thought would be a light, fun read turned into a serious look into the do’s and don’ts of relationships. Now that I write that, I don’t think it is a bad thing. ( )

Point, Click, Love is Molly Shapiro's debut novel.

Four women in Kansas are each facing a crisis of sorts in their lives. Maxine, a successful artist married to an equally successful doctor, finds that their relationship (and sex life) is suffering. When her husband refuses to acknowledge the problem, she instead becomes immersed in the lives of celebrities, scouring online gossip sites. Claudia is angry, very angry. Her husband Steve isn't working and doesn't even try to make an effort to cook or clean their home, instead spending his days on Facebook.

"Now all he wanted to do was gather material and run to the computer or his cell phone, where he could share his thoughts and feelings with a larger, more appreciative audience." (I thought this was a fantastic line)

Annie is a successful single woman, who has just realized she wants a child. With no man in the picture, she turns to online sperm banks. And Katie, a divorcee with two kids, searches for companionship and sex through online dating sites.

"And so she decided to take care of her need for sex in the same way she took care of paying her bills, finding cheap airfare, and buying her kids' school uniforms - she went online."

Although the back cover blurb lists the women as being friends, we don't see much interaction between them. It seems that the story rotates to the next women in line every fourth chapter. Each woman's tale could easily have been a short story. As it was, I started making myself a quick chart to keep track of who was who and what their 'issue' was. Why? Well, none of the characters really stood out for me - they kind of all ran together. I never really became invested in any of them at all - they seemed quite stilted and wooden, despite the dialogue Shapiro has provided them with.

The book is touted as humourous women's fiction, but I really didn't find too much to laugh at or with. I found some of their behaviour tawdry, sad and desperate - not funny at all.

Some of the situations were completely far fetched. A sperm bank receptionist who willingly gives up confidential information to one of them posing as a reporter?

"The fact that Jill had no idea that she was doing anything wrong by disclosing Marcus's identity made it even easier for Annie. Kids today, she thought. No boundaries. No rules."

A mom who seriously considers being a paid 'Seeking Arrangement' on Craigslist as a way to support herself when she loses her job? Ick. Perhaps some of these ideas looked good in the planning stages on a white board, but they didn't make a smooth jump to the written page.

Shapiro has started with a good idea - Point, Click, Love explores how the web and online interactions impact relationships and how nothing can truly replace that face to face connection. But for me the delivery of that premise was only mediocre. ( )