Book Review – The Sex Bucket List by Prescott Lane

The Sex Bucket List by Prescott Lane

Standalone Contemporary Romance

I grabbed The Sex Bucket List by Prescott Lane as soon as I saw that it was a divorced woman in her forties. From the title, cover, and the original blurb, I totally expected a romantic comedy. And while there are a few funny lines, I would not call this a romantic comedy. I am actually very torn on this book. I wanted to love it so much, and there was a lot I did love, but some things didn’t really work for me.

I really liked the heroine, Emerson. She is a forty-something mom of 3 kids. She is amicably divorced for two years. In the beginning of the story, I get the impression that she would take her ex back in a hot second. I think a big part of it was loneliness, but to me, it seemed like they gave up on their 20 year marriage too soon.

“One of the most difficult things to get used to when Ryan moved out was that I didn’t have anybody to share things with. I’d see some silly news story or hear some gossip about a friend, and I’d want to tell him—but I couldn’t. He was gone. It’s the strangest feeling to go from sharing everything with someone to sharing nothing.”

Her marriage was having some issues for years before the split, but to me, they just sounded like issues most 20 year marriages have, the spark and thrill was gone. But the big thing was, he didn’t fight for her.

“I am worth fighting for. There just might be someone who thinks I’m good enough the way I am, who doesn’t say I’m selfish, dramatic, overly sensitive, nagging, bitchy, or crazy.
Your day’s made by a total stranger. If only your husband ever looked at you like that, the way he used to look at you.”

But it seemed to me they never tried to fix their marriage before abandoning it over one stupid mistake. They have three kids together, they should have worked to try to repair the damage.

Mateo has worked in security for Emerson’s family airline and has always wanted her. But he’s been a very patient man. Let me tell you, Mateo is so freaking perfect and patient and amazing (and younger), I’m ready to leave my life for him!

“I notice everything about you.”

When Mateo finds a Sex Bucket List that Emerson had written on a drunk night out with the girls, he decides it’s time to make his move.

“Are you looking to be on my list?”
“I own that list.”

As soon as Mateo makes his move, the ex is back, realizing what he gave up, but it may be too little too late, because Mateo is pretty much ANY woman’s dream come true.

Her kids can see what’s happening, and they are NOT happy. They, of course, want mom and dad back together, and if it weren’t for Mateo, they might get their wish.

“There’s something to be said for seeing your kids happy,”

The Sex Bucket List was a love triangle almost the entire book. It was less of a romance, and more of a woman moving on after divorce, boosting her own self esteem, and looking for the love she really deserves. The thing was, while I liked her, I never felt like I really got to know anyone beyond the superficial. Mateo was ridiculously perfect, but I never really felt a real connection. Why did he want this woman with so much baggage? The epilogue from his point of view helped, but I just never felt completely sucked in.

I have to say, that maybe my personal situation affected how I felt about the book. I’ve been with my husband for 30 years total. We have had our ups and downs, so some of the things she mentions made me sad to realize that maybe my marriage needs some work. We had broken up a couple of years ago, and I can easily see how a perfectly charming guy could have swept me off my feet at that time, when I was lonely and down on myself. But we did work things out, and I’m so happy we did, and I’m happier than ever.

The Sex Bucket List took me a week to read, and I was never really sure who I wanted her to end up with. I mean how do you compare a new, exciting, sexy younger man who is offering to make every dream come true, with your ex who wasn’t willing to fight for you, and didn’t make you feel desired enough, but is the father to your three children? The man that you can still have a great time as a family with? The man that is willing to try again?

Likes:

I liked that she was a mom in her 40s.
The kids’ reactions were very realistic.
Some funny lines, though this isn’t a comedy.
I really liked Emerson and could totally relate to her.
Funniest line in the book: “He cups my breast in his hand, probably because he had to dig it out of my armpit.”

Dislikes:

I was never 100% sure who to root for.
I felt like this was part of a series and I missed the introduction of all the side characters in another book. (They were, but the books are supposed to be standalone)
Some of it may have hit too close to home for me personally.
I felt like I never really got to know Ryan or Mateo, nor did I see why Mateo loved her.
I expected a sexy MILF comedy from the cover and the original blurb. There was barely any sex, and not much comedy at all.
I got more of an HFN over an HEA.
We didn’t even know what was on the list till the very end, and didn’t see the list fulfilled.

The Down & Dirty:

If you love the books where an older mom moves on after a divorce, you may love The Sex Bucket List by Prescott Lane. There isn’t a woman in the world who could resist a patient, perfect alpha like Mateo. But I’m not sure this was a romance as much as a woman finding herself and putting herself before her kids. This is not the sexy comedy I thought it would be, it was emotional and thought provoking, and with a love triangle throughout the book (no cheating), I never really knew who to root for. Some of it forced me to see some negative in my marriage I was perfectly happy not seeing, and though I loved Emerson, I’m not sure I agreed with all of her choices. I felt like I never really got to know the other characters and the relationship felt a little superficial to me. I liked that Prescott Lane didn’t feel the need to vilify the ex, but honestly, I think I would have enjoyed the book much more if she did. I loved reading about a woman in her forties who still wanted and enjoyed sex, and I like the fact that she showed that a woman like this has baggage, but maybe it was all just a little too real to me. I think a lot of women would love this, but I like a clear-cut hero. I liked the book, but I never fell in love the way I wanted to.

The Sex Bucket List is one of those books that people will LOVE for many the same reasons that I didn’t love it for. So if you like a book about a mom moving on after a divorce, you may want to give it a try. A friend of mine absolutely loved it.