A man and a woman who cherish their independence and are committed to their careers unexpectedly fall in love, and have to deal with the struggle to place emotional commitment first. An attractive, polished brunette in her early thirties, Sarah is the epitome of a feminist, go-getter modern career woman. But her life in New York is revolved around work at the ad agency she runs. She is tired of constantly being in "work mode", putting up a wall of armor to deal with the men who work for her and the male prospective clients she needs to relate to and woo professionally for them to hire her. She finds a sense of relief when her business school friends invite her to a night out on Broadway, to watch a play starring a Tony-winning theater actor-turned-movie star named Steven. Sarah is impressed by his looks and his performance.
Click here to see the rest of this review...
Steven is famous for the drama films he has starred in (and almost as famous in the tabloids for the women he's dated), but he keeps returning again and again to the place where he cultivated his talent and grew to love acting - the stage. After the play, Sarah's friends get backstage access and take Sarah along. Steven an Sarah are attracted to each other, but Sarah is unnerved by his debonair attitude and carefree vibe. Sarah seeks refuge in her professional nature, and asks Steven if he'll appear in an ad for European watchmaking company who have long been trying to bolster their presence in the American market. Steven seems mildly interested, and takes a lightly mocking jab at Sarah when he learns that she is the executive of the company, but agrees to come for a meeting. Sarah convinces the watchmaking company and Steven to sign the contract, and begins working on the ad campaign. As they work together, the friction grows between them as two alpha personalities jockey for control and dominance. Sarah finds it refreshing to work with a man who respects her but won't be ruled by her, but does not begin to slowly ease off on the control issue until a heated argument grows between them, erupting in sexual chemistry and sex in Sarah's office. Sarah's emotions are entangled now, and they begin dating casually.
But as Sarah's feelings of attachment grow, Steven seems as light-hearted and casual as ever. But he allows Sarah to take on some of the girlfriend "duties" - of cooking great meals, giving him emotional support as he dealt with the frustration of lukewarm reviews for his play, and also giving him sage professional advice that he knew was useful. But when Sarah catches Steven flirting heavily with starlets at a party in LA, she flies back to New York in tears, knowing that she loves him and can't keep him. And she breaks up with him. A month later the ads for the Swiss watch company are released, to high approval ratings and sales of the watches. Sarah tries to throw herself in her work, but she finds that it doesn't provide the satisfaction that it used to. Just when Sarah thinks she will drown in her loneliness, Steven shows up on a rainy Saturday afternoon at her apartment, and asks for her forgiveness. In the month without her he has realized how fake the company is around him, and he knew he always loved her but was in denial about it to himself. Sarah cries and embraces him, and he kisses her tears away and asks her to marry him. And she accepts.
Best part of story, including ending:
I loved seeing an alpha female in a romance like this.
Best scene in story:
Sarah dealing with her mother's questions about when she will get married and settle down (during a phone conversation). It was a funny scene that most young women can relate to on some level.
Opinion about the main character:
I liked Sarah a lot for being smart and logical and patient.
