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Bachelor Boys: A Novel Kindle Edition

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 73 ratings

As the child of remote, chilly parents, Cassie reveled in the exuberant chaos she found at the home of the Darlings—two boys, a cheerful father, and a glorious mother, Phoebe, who welcomed the lonely little girl next door into their family circle.

Now Cassie is all grown up, the editor of a highly respectable literary magazine, with a well-ordered life and a suitable boyfriend. But her beloved Phoebe is dying and comes to Cassie with one last request: Will Cassie help find wives for her sons, two gorgeous, sexy, but wildly impractical bachelors still living in their mother's basement flat?

Heartbroken at the thought of losing Phoebe, Cassie cannot refuse—but how will she ever find decent girlfriends, let alone wives, for the Darling boys? It's all very well for Phoebe to insist they are lovely boys who are absolutely sweet to their mother, but who else would see either one as husband material: Fritz, a handsome medical student turned unemployed actor; or Ben, a dreamy, soulful musician who is too "sensitive" to perform or teach? Even Cassie, she tells Phoebe firmly right from the start, is
not prepared to marry one of these bachelor boys. . . .

Kate Saunders's
Bachelor Boys is a story about love and loss that's moving, wise, and wickedly funny.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her sprightly second novel, Saunders (The Marrying Game) humorously captures the love affair between the boisterous British Darling family and their lifelong girl-next-door, Cassie. With emotionally distant parents of her own, Cassie has looked to the Darlings—Phoebe, Jimmy and their sons Ben and Fritz—for warmth ever since she was a child. At 31, Cassie, who is a literary editor, is thrust into the role of matchmaker when terminally ill Phoebe asks her to find suitable wives for 31-year-old Fritz and 29-year-old Ben. Much like the boys of Peter Pan, Fritz and Ben don't want to grow up: they don't have proper careers or serious girlfriends, and they still live at home with Phoebe. So it's much to Cassie's surprise that they're willing to help her fulfill their mother's dying wish. Soon Cassie is keeping the boys in dates while also dealing with her own relationship woes. With steady work and steadier girlfriends, Fritz and Ben suddenly seem headed toward a belated adulthood, and Cassie wrestles with deepening feelings for Fritz. Though Phoebe doesn't live to see the day, Cassie ultimately makes a very suitable match for her son. Witty banter and spirited characters propel this lighthearted novel to its heartwarming if formulaic conclusion. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Growing up next to the Darling family was a joy for Cassie, whose own family was cold and distant. Phoebe and Jimmy Darling treated her as their own daughter, and their sons, Fritz and Ben, were like brothers to her. It is years later and Jimmy has long since passed away and Phoebe is terminally ill. Willing to do anything for the woman who was more like a mother to her than her own was, Cassie promises Phoebe that she will find wives for her two boys--a promise that will be almost impossible to keep. Both Fritz and Ben are entrenched in their bachelorhood, enjoying the company of many women, doing laundry and housework only when necessary, and working as little as possible. How is Cassie going to find any woman in her right mind who would want to marry either one of these men, and will Cassie's own infatuation for Fritz keep her from finding him a suitable wife? Saunders writes a funny, touching, and sweet story about love, family, and keeping promises. Carolyn Kubisz
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004YEKGC0
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Press (August 1, 2005)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 1, 2005
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.6 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 307 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 73 ratings

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Kate Saunders
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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
73 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2015
    Humorous story of the British girl-next-door
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2011
    I picked this one up based on the recommendation of the trusty Emily of Emily and Her Little Pink Notes (may she blog again soon). Prior to Emily's review I'd never heard of Kate Saunders before and so went in knowing next to nothing but that it was a rather obscure British chick lit and Emily was awfully fond of it. And that's essentially enough in my book. I had a little trouble finding a copy, but then my Christmas elves came through for me once more and I received a copy of BACHELOR BOYS as a gift this year. I'll tell you, I've just been in the mood for these kinds of books lately. And by lately, I really mean since the beginning of the year. Smart, sassy, beleaguered women, up to their eyeballs in the competing forces of work, family, dating--or the extreme lack thereof. I don't know what it is. But these witty, artful, and sometimes emotionally wringing British stories have just been doing it for me in spades.

    Cassie grew up next door to a home. Her mother was a psychiatrist deeply involved in her work and inclined to view her only child more as a specimen to be studied than an actual, you know, daughter. Her father was . . . well, a real piece of work is about the only way to describe him. As parents they were less than desirable, presenting a united front of frigid indifference. But next door? Next door lived the Darling family. The big, teddy bear-like dad, the two boys Fritz and Ben, and the mother Phoebe. To Cassie, the Darlings represent everything that is warm and welcoming and good. When they spot her peeping over the fence one day, the Darlings immediately invite her over. And from that point on, Cassie has a home and a family. Real ones. Years later, now the editor of a lit mag, Cassie receives a phone call from Phoebe informing her that she has the most incandescent of plans. In short, she intends to marry off her two bachelor boys and it is up to Cassie (who knows them better than anyone) to find them suitable women. And fast. You see, Phoebe would like to see them both safely married. And she has a limited amount of time left before the leukemia that's eating away at her. And so, despite her myriad misgivings, Cassie promises to help. Quite simply, she would do anything for the woman who was her mother in every way that counted. The problem is, of course, the boys. Charming as hell, insanely talented, and rakes to the core, how will she ever whip them into shape in order to be married off in time?

    Let me just start by saying it was the writing that impressed me first with this book. It was unexpectedly layered and leisurely. Kate Saunders certainly understands how to take her time telling the story, in order to give the reader enough space to absorb the wealth of history that lies between Cassie and the Darling family. The luminous relationship between Cassie and Phoebe is what comes out first and most startlingly. And, wow, is it lovely. The book is worth the read just for that dynamic alone. Phoebe is artful and elegant and full of love and style and a heart big enough to encompass any and all who come across her path. She reminded me a fair bit of my own mother-in-law, and I understood Cassie's enchantment and love for this woman who put her arms around her as a child and never let go. Of course, no one in this book is perfect. Not even Phoebe. Some of them are more woefully flawed than others (why, yes, Fritz ole boy, I am looking at you), but they all occupy the gray areas when it comes to their insecurities, vices, and motivations. Cassie herself is charming and a worthy heroine, despite her blind spots when it comes to the proper men to date. But you can't help but sympathize with each and every one of them. We none of us cope perfectly when love, ambition, and our dratted pasts get in the way. It was a delight to trace their winding course toward the finish. The ending was hard-won and came at a price for all of them. But the journey was decidedly worth it. Highly recommended for readers who like their chick lit with a hearty dose of depth, emotion, and exquisitely drawn family interactions.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2015
    Loved this book!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2008
    Yeah, this book was OK. There were things that I loved and things that I hated. Cassie, the main character was kind of annoying sometimes because she was really too blind to her own feelings. The author would continually have Cassie going on and on about Fritz and then always have her say "but, oh man, I do not have a crush on him anymore...that was done with years ago." This happened probably near 30 times in the book, so it's just hard to believe that she could be that oblivious to her own feelings.

    The main romance was a little ridiculous. Cassie is with a guy who makes her feel uncomfortable and uptight about herself. Ok, yes, we want her to leave him. But then she dates a guy who pretty much uses her when he is feeling emotional and then also breaks tons of promises to her and, just, he really kind of sounds like the typical "villain" boyfriend in these types of novels.

    So, while the main romance wasn't too fantastic, the side characters in this book and their little romantic foibles I found myself enjoying quite a bit. They weren't overly complicated or troublesome just creative little bits about people falling in love in serendipitous and hardly typical ways.

    Phoebe was also enjoyable. Yes, she was a character that has been seen many times before, but she definitely worked well in this novel and when the author wrote about her it was emotional and lovely. The best writing examples from this book are when Saunders is writing about Phoebe.

    Definitely a good read for a lazy day or weekend.
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2006
    Normally, I would never have picked up a book like this, which I guess I consider to be "Chick Lit" and something I won't like. However, it was one of the top 25 recommended books by the Book of the Month Club for 2005, so I took a chance. Bottom line -- I adore this book. Lots of laughs out loud. Would make a really cute movie with all of Phoebe's unusual friends and their paths to luv. The Bachelor Boys themselves? Fabulous fun in their escapades, and you end up loving both of them.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2009
    I thought this might be more intelligent than some of the American "chick lit", but it wasn't much. Maybe it was a little interesting to read about London for a change, and at least there were proper sentences and dialogue. The problem was the main character was extremely neurotic and lets herself be walked all over by one of the main male characters and yet she perpetually forgives him and claims to love him. It was nauseating, the man treated her like dirt and she just keeps putting up with it. This book is a very very bad example for women as to what is acceptable behavior, I don't know what the author is thinking. Actually, two men treat her like dirt, but the first was her regular boyfriend/fiance and then that ended. The second one there is no excuse, as he would dump her for some other woman and tell her what great sex he was having with the other one. And the main character just keeps putting up with this and ends up claiming they are so in love. ugh, made me sick. Thank goodness I didn't pay for this but got it at the library.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2005
    I don't know when I've read a novel that made me laugh and even cry as much as this one. Here and in her earlier book, THE MARRYING GAME, the author has a gift for creating fantastic characters who are lovable and warm without ever being trite or sentimental. Phoebe Darling, the woman who wants the heroine Cassie to find good wives for her dashing but irresponsible sons, is one of the most appealing characters I've ever met, and her boys are pretty irresistible too. As entertaining as any chick-lit I've ever read, with way more heart and brains.
    6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 25, 2017
    A beautiful exchange of purest love . Very engaging and very beautiful .loved it . Romance at it's best .
  • Susan
    5.0 out of 5 stars It made me laugh it made me sob - Loved it!
    Reviewed in Australia on September 22, 2018
    This one really affected me - I was sobbing through it - in a good way of course. I really liked all of the characters and I really felt there with them. Wasn't sure at first but would so much recommend this one.
  • Catherine Joyce
    4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful page turner.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 29, 2015
    Frothy, entertaining and beautifully written, as always with a Kate Saunders story.

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