Sunday Synopsis

Little Black Dress by James Patterson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The main character of this novel is Jane Avery, a magazine editor going through life as a new divorcee. The "little black dress" brings about a change in her behavior. She begins to have no-strings-attached sexual encounters with strangers. One of those encounters goes extremely wrong.

I did not like this book. As I was reading, I kept thinking, "When am I going to start caring about this character? Will I ever like her? What is the point of this story?" This was unlike anything I have ever read by James Patterson. I almost felt like it was trying to copy 50 Shades of Gray in some ways (which I haven't read because it's not my style).

My point is that there is little action or suspense. There isn't even romance. Much of it is Jane talking to herself, trying to decide which part of her conscience would win. There is a dangerous situation, and the author(s) had the opportunity to make a statement or inject a consequence, but he didn't. The character's reaction is completely abnormal.

This is not the typical Patterson book. I wonder if he even read it, or if he let the co-author write the entire story. The main thing I usually like about Patterson's novels is how quickly the reader is immersed in the action. Not so for this one. I blame co-author Emily Raymond.

Can a little black dress cause a complete reversal of character?

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