Wendy's Phoenix

Publishers Weekly

In this debut offering, you can see Jane date, but why would you want to? Borrowing heavily from Animal Husbandry and Bridget Jones's Diary, Senate's modern romantic comedy of errors follows struggling assistant editor Jane Gregg through the falls and foibles of singledom in her late 20s on the notoriously difficult turf of Manhattan. This territory is so well mined that it is clear on the second page of the novel where Jane's romantic exploits will land her, though the path to that obvious ending is inoffensive enough. Jane herself is alternately sympathetic and annoying, and her often abrasively judgmental inner monologue leads the reader to sympathize with her hapless dates rather than with Jane herself. The most promising aspect of the novel is also its most original the friendship that blooms unexpectedly between Jane and her old nemesis, the perfect Natasha Nutley, whose autobiography Jane has been assigned to edit. In a refreshing change of pace from the standard "girl-makes-good-and-revels-in-success-over-perfect-rival" route, this warm and sometimes surprisingly poignant development carries the bulk of the emotional weight and the reader's interest. The revelation that Little Miss Perfect isn't quite is not a new turn by any means, nor is it managed particularly inventively, but it hits a chord. Without a well-developed or unique voice to carry the story, however, this account of one girl's adventure in dating remains bogged down by its predictability. Senate is attempting to capitalize on a successful formula, and the result is unsurprisingly formulaic. (Nov.) FYI: See Jane Date is the first title from Red Dress Ink, an imprint started by Harlequin Enterprises Limited tocapitalize on the urban single female market. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.