Anyone But You (Hqn Romance)

I started reading the 1st chapter of this book off Jennifer Crusie's website, as soon as I was done with the 1st chapter I was hooked! I did not stop looking for the book until I found it at the library, and I didn't put it down until I finished it.

The story is about a younger man named Alex (30) and an older woman named Nina (40) who are neighbors and meet by coincidence when her dog Fred, wonders to Alex's place while she's asleep on her couch. It's the first time Nina is officially independent since her divorce from Guy, so she gets an apartment, and decides to get a dog. She was hoping to get a perky little puppy, but ends up getting Fred (part manic deppressive and part basset)because he's in danger of being put to sleep. She instantly becomes attracted to Alex and Alex to her. She has reservations about dating him because he's younger than she is by 10 years.

It was soo sweet and romantic. The only BUT I have is Alex's lonely brother and Nina's bitter best friend's animosity. I would have liked this pair to hit it off and double date with Nina and Alex, but that doesn't happened. They hate each other since their first encounter. The way these two characters were described I thought they were perfect for each other, yet they despised one another. Max was really sex oriented, but at the same time he was a lonely sweetheart, and Chastity (Nina's BFF) was the same. It was reinvigorating to read a story where the age difference overcame the orthodox standards. Specially because the older person was a female not a male. Excellent story, hot sex scenes. Loved it!!! Highly recommended!

I got the audiobook of this novel, thinking it might be a good one for my wife and I (dog owners) to hear on a weekend trip. I enjoyed the start. It was fun, and had a lot of energy. The reader was really good. This light romance about a 40 year old recent divorcee falling for the 30 year old doctor in the building looked to be a funny, engaging story. I liked all the characters, and didn't mind being manipulated as the two main characters clearly felt a lot for each other but for understandable reasons were afraid to express it. The problem is that the miscommunication went on forever. It became a bit repetitive, too. Nina voiced her concern about her 40 year old body again and again and again. Too much. This short, light novel would have been better had it been shorter, but I guess then it would not have been a novel. There were enough things that made me smile, and the very lively reader kept me focused during a long drive. While not totally realistic, the characters were fun. I enjoyed this book enough. I think that this book is written more for 40-something women, and I'd guess that most of the reviewers who loved it are in that group. Another criticism - the book jacket is meant to draw in dog people. The dog Fred is not in it much and is the least interesting character. I liked the minor and major characters, which is more important. Just don't get this for the dog.

Jennifer Crusie is a very well-regarded romance writer, of mostly light, humorous, stories. I had read one of her early books and thought it OK but not great. People advised me to read one of various later and more substantial books, and that was the plan, really, but then I ended up buying Anyone But You, which is a slim new hardcover but actually a reissue of a 1996 paperback original.

It's about a 40ish woman, a book editor for a struggling non-fiction firm in "Riverbend" (which I take to be roughly Cincinnati). She has divorced her rich husband. Her friend keeps trying to get her back on the dating track, but she resists, even when a cute young doctor moves into her apartment building. For one thing, he's several years younger than her! At the same time she convinces her friend to write a memoir about her friend's disastrous but funny experiences with men. We see where this is going: her friend's memoir will save her firm, and our heroine will hook up with the cute young doctor. Notable among other things for the ridiculous view of publishing (writing a bestseller is EASY! anyone can do it in a few weeks if they just TRY!)

It's breezy fun, and the main character is both likeable and believable. But the plot moves along just a bit too conveniently for my taste, and there isn't really time to make the central romance wholly convincing.

This was one of my favorite romance novels back in the 90's and, being all burned out and jaded, I decided to pick it up again to see if I'd enjoy it as much as I did back before I became so grouchy.

Much to my surprise, I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Though a few of the pop references are dated, the humor and the romance were both a delight to read and it brought me back to those days when I looked forward to spending an afternoon reading to my hearts content.

This book is about Nina, a newly divorced 40 year old woman, who is finally living her life on her terms but she's a little lonely and decides to adopt a friend. Planning on adopting a spunky new puppy she instead falls for the soulful old eyes of a beagle mix named Fred. He smells, he's long past his youth and just looking at him makes her even more depressed but once she sets her eyes on him she can't leave him sitting in the pound and takes him home to her new apartment.

Because of Fred, who mistakes neighbor Alex's window for Nina's she gets a surprise visit from the sexy younger ER doctor. The two become immediate friends and although he'd like to become a whole lot more, Nina is reluctant because she fears she's too old for him.

What follows is a book full of charm and wit and is a definite must read if you need some cheering up.

Remember the first novel you read from one of your favorite authors? This one introduced me to Jennifer Crusie, who in six short months has become one of the most influential writers of my life. She is at her best with a story like this, a funny, modern romance that deals with the insecurities and inner journeys of her main characters. Nina is a forty-year-old divorcee learning to live without her boring marriage to her boring husband, using her girlfriend Charity for moral support and Amaretto milkshakes, not necessarily in that order. Alex is a young ER doctor, just turned thirty, whose family is pressuring him to go into cardiology and stop working in what they see as the medical equivalent of fast food. They are brought together by Fred, the lovely creature whose photo adorns all covers of this book that I have seen. Nina doesn't believe that such a young, handsome guy could love her, and Alex doesn't think that such a classy woman could love him in return, so he chases after the career he doesn't want in order to give her a secure future.

The passion between the two of them crackles with electricity, so the entire time, I was thinking, "Jump him, Nina." True to form, Crusie makes you wait. And wait. And wait. Once they finally take the plunge, everything goes to hell.

The subplot with Charity is a highlight. She writes a romance memoir of all her failed relationships entitled Jane Errs with one chapter devoted to each loser she has dated in the past. Since Nina works in publishing, she helps her best friend create her first novel and hosts a reading group to review the piece. Charity is a bubbly twenty-something who keeps the action moving and provides a funny diversion from the main storyline.

If you think all romance novels are alike, read this book. Then Agnes and the Hitman. Then Bet Me. Then Faking it. Then Maybe This Time. Then keep going. It worked for me.

Written over 10 years ago, it was well worth bringing this one back to print, and I'm glad I got my hands on a hardcover. This is not only one of Crusie's best early efforts, it's one of her best.

Nina Askew has her whole future before her as she turns 40, recently divorced from an overachieving husband. Nina left her hated suburban mansion behind for a third-floor apartment in a converted Victorian. She has a job she likes, though she chafes at having her ideas ignored, and when the story begins, she's at a shelter looking for a perky puppy. What she falls for instead is Fred, half beagle, half basset hound, a droopy, sad-looking bag of bones.

Nina and Fred bond immediately, and once she teaches him to use the fire escape, he introduces her to her downstairs neighbor, Alex Moore. Alex is just turning 30 and growing more and more fed up with family pressures. Himself a doctor, from a family of doctors, Alex just wants to be an emergency room surgeon while his family wants him to pick a specialty so he can make lots of money.

Alex is having bad luck dating young women and is immediately attracted to Nina, but she keeps him at arm's length. Nina finds Alex very attractive, but she's afraid he'll be disappointed with her imperfect 40-year-old body. They fall hard for each other, privately burning with lust as they bond over Oreos and movies with Fred. Eventually, at the urging of her best friend and his brother, they wind up in bed together and fall even deeper in love. All is not roses, though, as Alex decides to give in to family pressure so he can give Nina her old life back, but Nina doesn't want it. They have to get over their hang-ups to find happiness, and there are wonderful characters and lots of laughs along the way.

I have a lot in common with Nina, and I loved Alex. He was great at his job and still enjoyed not being at work. Their age difference meant nothing because Alex loved Nina for who she really was, not her appearance. The side characters were well-drawn, too, particularly Fred and his condescending glares. Max and Charity are also great, and I wouldn't have minded seeing more of them.

As usual, Crusie has penned an intelligent, fun, mature, and outright funny romance the way only she can.

Nina, 40 years old and recently divorced, decides to get herself a puppy to cheer herself up, but her trip to the pound leads her to Fred, a languid basset hound who she takes home instead. Through humorous circumstances, Fred facilitates an introduction between Nina and her downstairs neighbor, Alex, a 30 year old ER resident who is fed up with dating women who are just looking for a good catch. Nina and Alex are perfect for each other, of course, but each of them finds reasons to resist their growing attraction.

I haven't liked some of the previous Jennifer Cruise books I've tried, but when I saw the adorable dog on the cover, I couldn't resist. Fred, in a supporting role, steals the show, but the other supporting characters--including Charity, Nina's best friend who is writing a book about her own exploits in love, and Max, Alex's womanizing older brother--lend quite a bit of of humor as well. This novel is a fun, quick read that I'd rate 4 1/2 stars; definitely recommended as great light reading.

A very charming and delightful May/December romance novel. The characters were likable and realistic, and the Fred the dog was so much fun. I also loved that the romance was believable in that it started out as a friendship and only gradually became something more. The book was written with the perfect combination of humor and romance. I highly recommend this for any romance fan, especially if you love dogs.

Need an easy-peasy beach read for the summer? This book was a cute and quick read. Basic love story with some twists of age difference and a totally rockin' dog. Fred is awesome. Everyone needs a dog like Fred. He is gravity challenged and steals bras.

Divorced and void of good self-esteem Nina and young and goofy Alex spends the majority of the novel chasing each other in an endless loop. Nina has the ever present crazy beautiful best friend who plays a vital role in helping Nina further her relationship with Alex and success at work. Alex gets his priorities and ambitions mixed up to please Nina, which causes a brief nutty break, before they are happily ever after again.

Anyone But You is a hardcover release of the paperback version that Crusie published back in 1996.

Nina is a newly divoriced woman at the age of 40. Finally with the freedom to be her own woman and do her own thing, she got a bit lonely. After some consideration, Nina decided to get herself the one thing her husband never wanted: a puppy. What she got instead was a basset hound - beagle mix with a depression problem.

Alex is a 30 year old ER doctor who is certainly playing the field and is not looking to settle down. He wants someone to simply enjoy old time movies in the confort of home with no strings attached.

As Fred works his match making magic, these slowly begin to realise that they could possible be just right for each other if they would only admit to the truth.

Anyone but you is a fun, sexy read with the most adorable dog. Fred.

This re-issue of a Cruise favorite finds divorcee Nina Askew in the midst of a major life rethink. Setting out to rectify some long established inequities in her life, Nina adopts "Fred" a basset with a penchant match-making and Oreo cookies. At 40 she is certain that her womanizing neighbor, a doctor ten years her junior, is nothing more than eye candy and a playmate for Fred. But Dr Moore has inexplicably fallen head over heels and is desperate to prove to Nina that she is the one.

This light, funny, and heart warming book is about the significant relationships that develop, sometimes when you least expect them to, and the work that it takes to keep love and commitment alive. A wonderful book for any Cruise fan and a real treat for anyone not yet familiar with her work, Anyone But You is sometimes called The Fred Book, by fans because of the important role that the basset plays. But if you are looking for a feel good, realistic romance, this is a great place to start.

After her divorce from her workaholic husband, 40-year-old Nina Askey decides to move into an apartment, downsize her previously public life, get a job, and find a perky puppy. Instead, she gets Fred, a beagle/basset hound mix who is as morose as she is optimistic about her future. However, Fred leads her to interactions with her downstairs neighbor, Alex, who is ten years younger than she and also happens to be an ER doctor. Their romance is typical Crusie with Nina worried that she's too old for Alex and Alex worried that Nina just seems him as a brother. When they finally got together I breathed a sigh of relief because the romantic tension was so high. This was another stunner from Crusie that will appeal to anyone who likes lighthearted romantic fiction.

Why five stars when I've grudgingly granted three (or fewer) to more serious books?

Because this book does what it promises - perfectly. You could use the book as a template for how to write a popular chick-lit (or chick-lite) novel.

I love the way Crusie adds some twists to a classic plot. "Anyone but you" refers mostly to Fred, the dog Nina adopts to celebrate her new post-divorce freedom -- and she's turning 40. Along the way we meet an enegetic 75-year-old woman who's dating a 62-year-old man. Hooray!

Sometimes you want meat and potatoes. Sometimes you want an ice cream sundae with extra sauce and whipped cream.

This is an ice cream kind of book, an indulgence after a bad day or a horrendous plane ride.

Have you ever wondered what happens to the characters everyone is always trying to fix? Sometimes they fix themselves when others think nothing is wrong and other times they stubbornly refuse to be fixed. Well these wonderful characters still go on dates and fall in love. Such are the characters in this story.

Falling in love with each other is easy for Nina and Alix but overlooking their individual challenges to make a relationship work is difficult. Jennifer Crusie delivers a humorous tail of two imperfect people finding love.

A very sweet, sexy, lovely book! I've recently become a fan of Crusie, having been knocked off my feet with "Welcome to Temptation." I actually enjoyed this early writing style a bit more because it didn't have as much of that weird run-on sentence stuff that she does.

My only complaint is that it was too short -- only 224 pages in a smaller-than-usual hardback. I wanted more of the relationship after they finally admitted their feelings. It went from their fabulous first night together to arguing about their future.

But I really loved it and can highly recommend it. Interesting characters, excellent dialogue and steamy love scenes. A great way to spend an afternoon!

Hilariously funny, Anyone But You is Cruisie at her very best. Nina is a delightful heroine--angsty about encroaching age, but determined not to return to a Stepford Wife existence with her ex-husband. Does she have the self-confidence to have a relationship with a hunky neighbor who's ten years younger than she is?

Movies, junk food and Fred the dog play strong supporting roles in Nina's very credible struggle to make up her mind. Alex's struggles aren't quite as convincing, but this is light fiction so who cares? Anyone But You is a great read and Cruisie keeps a consistently nice balance between humor and character throughout.

After getting divorced at age 40, Nina Askew moves into an apartment and plans to get a puppy to keep her company. Instead she ends up with Fred, a smelly and depressed beagle/bassett hound cross. Fred is instrumental in her meeting her downstairs neighbor, the ER doctor Alex. They are meant to be together, but Alex and Nina both think the other party won't be interested because of the age difference - Alex is ten years younger than Nina. The characters are likeable, especially Fred, but the book was rather predictable. At the end there are some easily-resolved misunderstandings thrown in that seem to be there just to make the book reach the 200-page mark.

I'm not usually into straight romance, preferring paranormal romance, but Jennifer Crusie has won me as a fan. I loved Fred's book. I own a basset hound so I was halfway sold when I saw the cover. (I kept having to reach over and hug mine)This book was warm, fun, and romantic. My favorite was Alex - he was so open!! My only quibble was that I think the book could have used at least another fifty pages for development. I was uncomfortable with Norma telling Nina what to do about her lovelife in the stairs - she'd just met her! And same thing with Rich. I just didn't buy that. Fortunately it wasn't bothersome enough to color my enjoyment of the book. Now that's a sign of a good writer! I do prefer books that are short. I'll keep reading. But Fred needs a sequel. We need a petition!!

As always, Jenny Crusie is hilarious on the subject of modern romance, and as always, her humor has a sharp point on it. Nina--newly divorced, newly forty, and newly aware of just exactly how much her body has changed since the last time she had a date--meets the worst possible kind of man: the younger kind. If you haven't read anything by this wickedly funny author, you might as well order her entire backlist now and save on the shipping

What a wonderful romantic comedy. I smiled at the first joke and then I kept smiling all the way through and a while after finishing this book. It is so deceptively simple - clear, easy reading, yet scenes are vivid in my mind and all the jokes are still fresh now in 2012, even if the films mentioned are not.

This book will not change your world view or challenge you, yet that's why you'll keep it on your book shelf, get it down year after year to re-read, because it just makes you feel good and we all need more of that in our lives.

It's so deliciously warm it needs capital letters - LOVELY BOOK. READ IT.

This is one of Crusie's older books republished. It's light and entertaining.

Plot: boy likes girl, girl likes boy but is sure she's too old for him and befriends him instead, Fred the dog plays matchmaker. The dog steals the show. Nina is coming out of a bad marriage and enjoying her freedom. Alex is a laid back guy from a family of high achiever specialized doctors who are trying to pressure him to be like them. Nina is ten years older than Alex, an unusual twist and handled very well. A really enjoyable, fast read.

Another great read by Jennifer Crusie. Her characters are funny, with realistic quirks and issues. The plot was great (older woman/younger man), with some hot steam scenes between the hero and heroine. This one is a just a little more angsty than some of her others, but not enough to bog it down. Although Crusie is hit or miss for me, this one was a definite hit. Looking forward to finding more. :)

This is another light, fun romantic comedy from Jennifer Crusie. I think I read most of it in a day. The plot is fairly believable and the character development is good. Perfect reading for the beach, pool, vacation, or just for fun.

INSANE the way she kept saying "said" after every freaking character.

--

"And then I'll do that senior fraternity guy i dated in college, remember him?" Charity said.

"Vaguely," Nina said.

--

And it just goes on and on that way saying "said" constantly! Even when it was just a 2 person dialogue. Oh, and she would also include somebody else saying something on the same line like:

--

"Leave, Max," Alex said, and Max said, "I'm already gone."

--

While still repeating "said!"

Now don't get me wrong I totally fell in love with the story, Fred is just to die for! But everytime there was a "said" it pulled me out of the book for me to go and continue complaining about the overusage of that word.

But overall, the story is as cute as heck.

This is the first encounter with a novel by Jennifer Crusie. I borrowed this in digital audio format from our library.

The narration was "ok", but not as robust as some novels I have listened to.

The story was cute, humorous and kept me hanging on til the end although you kinda saw it all coming.

Good book, even better on audio.

as my English teacher would have called it. I borrowed it seeing the dog on frontthinking it would be more of a dog story; the dog was involved, but more of a love story. cute story but not much of a mind-challenge.

Wonderfully refreshing funny read. Great characters, cute, sweet, sexy, full of laughter and some sweet steamy moments. Quick little romance story when you're looking for something for an afternoon or evening read. :)

I loved this book! This is vintage and classic Crusie, show casing her best talent. A simple, fast romance, peppered with a lot of humor. Fred is the best, and his antics made me laugh out loud more than once. You care about each and everyone of the characters through the book.

A highly recommended read. I finished it in one night!

I enjoyed the chemistry of the characters I this book. Nothing ground breaking or profound, just a perfectly fine three star book that I would recommend to anyone needing a happy, fun, romantic story. I'll definitely pick up more Crusie.

What makes Jennifer Cruisie stand out is her ability to create effortless dialog between her characters, especially between the two destined to be together. I felt the connection made by the characters in this book was mediocre, especially when it came to intimacy scenes there was an uncomfortable forced aspect to it which really killed the scenes for me. If you are new to Jennifer Cruisie, read Bet Me which is a much better book...

This was light entertainment at its greatest. Sometimes "fluff" is just what you are looking for and Jennifer Crusie always delivers. I like a book that makes you chuckle and hate when the story is over.

Nina, 40, gets a manic-depressive dog from the pound. The dog, Fred, meets her downstairs neighbor, Alex, and brings him home. Alex, 30, is immediately attracted to his upstairs neighbor, Nina. What follows is a very charming, very funny story about two people falling in love. It's a short book. I read it in one day. Very satisfying.

I love Jennifer Cruisie, but I think she has become a better writer with time. Her new stuff is much better than her old stuff. I want to see some new materials, not just work she's reworked from the past.

But all in all the story was pretty good. You almost want a sequel so that we could go into better details about the brother and the best friend and that hook up.

I really enjoyed this book. Very funny, romantic and entertaining, fast read.

The heroine is ten years older than the hero. The Bassed Hound is an important secondary character in this novel. If you like humorous, light-hearted chit-lit, I recommend this book.

I found this book to be very entertaining. I actually laughed out loud & I rarely find myself doing that reading a book. The characters were all lovable, especially Fred, the dog. Lots of romance, attraction & angst . . .