Clutch

A Novel

By: Lisa Becker

Narrated by: Suzanne Barbetta

She’s looking for the perfect match. He shrugs off commitment. Will these best friends figure out they’ve got love in the bag?

Recently named a “40 under 40” by a prominent fashion magazine, Southern charmer and Harvard-educated Caroline Johnson spends her days building a successful handbag business and nights lamenting her nonexistent love life. Her intelligence and professional acumen are often disregarded because of her good looks, thick accent, and overly accommodating style.

When Caroline’s Aunt Mimi points out that the “under 40” part won’t last forever, Caroline recognizes it’s time to start designing her personal life.

Mike (a.k.a. Michael Frederick Barnsworth III) was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and can trace his lineage to the founders of America’s first bank. Much to his family’s dismay, he refuses a corner office at the Barnsworth Brokerage Firm, instead using his Harvard education to open a bar. Irreverent and flirtatious, Mike seems content to engage in one-night stands while listening to Caroline’s dating woes.

Much like the right accessory, Caroline knows her partner needs to be perfectly matched, so she endures a series of disastrous relationships she compares to styles of handbags: the “Hobo” or starving artist; the “Diaper Bag” or single dad; the “Briefcase” or intense businessman, etc. while searching for the “Clutch”. And Mike starts to wonder if having a different woman hanging off his arm every weekend is really a fulfilling lifestyle.

Will Caroline heed her Aunt Mimi’s advice to “find something you love and hold on to it”? And will Mike recognize he’s worthy of being clutched?

Low on angst and high on humor, Clutch will have listeners rooting for Caroline to find someone to hold onto. If you love friends-to-lovers romances, laugh-inducing dating disasters, sizzling chemistry, and happily ever afters, scroll up now to buy the book.

©2015 Lisa Becker (P)2018 Lisa Becker

Romantic Comedy

Caroline’s friend Mike was the best thing about this story. He was hilarious and he really cared about Caroline right from the beginning. For an intelligent woman Caroline could sometimes be a bit ditzy however you couldn’t help but like her. It was a fun story to listen to and Suzanne Barbetta did a really nice job with all the voices.
#AudiobookObsession Reviewer 🎧
 

Funny and light!

What a surprise this was! Really enjoyed the humor. Love friends to more stories. Some of her dates.... poor girl! Narration was great!
I was provided a free copy of this book and asked to give an honest review. Happy I received this one, It’ll be a re-listen for sure!

Nice light read

This is a very cute story. I loved the idea of likening her dates to different types of bags almost as much as I loved Mike. Very clever. At times I found it repetitive; same lines, same descriptions, same words. I also found Caroline a bit cringy but Mike is a charmer and more than made up for that. I couldn’t be happier with the ending and, although it’s not entirely my kind of story, it was absolutely time well spent.
🎧Audiobook Obsession

Fun, fun, fun listen

“Find something you love and hold on to it”, that’s what my Aunt Mimi always says. That is what this story is about. It took Caroline a handbag designer and several botched, a few disastrous dates to figure out till see finally see’s that the person she should be holding on to was there in front of her all along.
Thank you Lisa for gifting me this gem, I loved it.
Suzanne in her narration helped make this story fun and enjoyable.

Great for lovers of chick lit and handbags!

Sometimes I just need a good chick flick, and sometimes I just need some good chick lit. I was excited to give a listen to Clutch: A Novel by Lisa Becker. This romantic comedy features protagonist Caroline Johnson who is a Harvard grad, originally from Georgia. After college, she moves to the west coast with her best guy friend, Mike, and starts her own handbag company. As the listener, we learn all about Caroline's adventures (or misadventures) in dating, many of them on the back drop of Mike's bar - The Last Drop Bar.

As a lover of words, I really appreciated the consistent puns of each chapter title that identified a particular handbag style and correlated it with the guy Caroline was dating at the time. I also liked how the narrator acted out the characters to help create distinctions. This is vital for audiobooks However, sometimes, I did find Caroline's "southern" accent was a little over done. Also, as a fan of the late, great Tupac Shakur, I was a little disappointed in the mispronunciation of his name ("two-pack"). Finally, I didn't particularly care for the repetitive use of foul language nor the abundance of detailed sex scenes. I think the comedic value and fast-flowing story stood well enough of its own without having to go into all the graphic and explicit details.

Overall, I found the story to be predictable, but it was engaging enough to keep me listening. The author did offer character development and growth for Caroline, which was refreshing. I'd say the delight of this audiobook wasn't so much about the destination, but rather the journey in how Caroline got there.

Recommendation: If you like purses and you're looking for a light, fun read this summer that gives you a happily ever after, this may just be the book for you!

Until next time ... Read on!

Thanks to the Becker Press and Audiobookwork Promotions for an Audible.com copy of Clutch by Lisa Becker. Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.