If You Like That, Read This! Chapter 4
The May-December romance is a trope that romantic comedies love to use, even if it isn’t always part of the script. It’s common for male leads to be much older than female leads—one notable example is the musical Funny Face, in which Fred Astaire was a full thirty years older than Audrey Hepburn. But when a female lead is significantly older than a male lead, it’s not usually something the audience is meant to ignore—instead, it’s the focal point of the movie. And perhaps the most famous example is How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
Stella, played by Angela Bassett, is an overworked, super-successful mom, and she finally decides to take some time to relax in Jamaica with her BFF Delilah, played by Whoopi Goldberg. But her relaxing vacation takes a serious detour when she meets Winston, played by Taye Diggs. He’s sexy and obsessed with her…but he’s also twenty years younger than her. Can a relationship really survive such a huge age gap?
If you want to examine that question in a book (I mean, other than the Terry McMillan book, which the movie is obviously based on), look no further than The Perfect Find by Tia Williams. Jenna Jones is a 40-year-old fashion editor who gets fired from her magazine job and finds herself broke and desperate…desperate enough that she begs for a job at a style website run by her arch nemesis, Darcy. Now Jenna has to catch up on all the technological advancements she missed and pretend she knows how to use social media. But worst of all? Eric, the videographer who’s shooting her web series, is sexy, super into her, and 22 years old. Oh, and he’s also Darcy’s son. It all adds up to a story that’s incredibly fun, extremely steamy, and impossible to stop reading. If you’re looking for a book that combines How Stella Got Her Groove Back with the fashion world of The Devil Wears Prada, this is your perfect find.
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Kerry has also recently released her new book, Not Like the Movies! Click to read more about the book and make your purchase now.