Perfect Stangers by Carly Phillips

Perfect Strangers by Carly Phillips is a brisk romantic novella about that one night stand you just can't let go. As her occupational title intimates, Dr. Alexa Collins is too busy for relationships and prefers interactions of the single-day variety. But what happens when the guys stop seeming like a soulless stereotype and more like the adventure you always needed?  This smooth adventure goes by the name of Luke Thompson and he sweeps Alexa off her feet. 

Unfortunately, Alexa has plans. You see when the people of Serendipity, the fictional town the story takes place in, call her the "best doctor we have" with expectations of her taking over the University Hospital eventually, this comes with certain responsibilities. Alexa obviously doesn't have time for anything greater than a fling when it comes to Luke.

However, as the story unfolds it becomes clear that maybe running University Hospital isn't just her plan. With an overbearing father who is the hospital's chief of staff, it becomes blaringly obvious it is also his plan. In fact, the aspiration is might be entirely due to needling manipulation -- the parental need to have ones child turn out like them. And who is he? Well, at one point Alexa asks her father if he's happy. He avoids the question three times, saying he has no time from "philosophical matters". However, finally when pressed, he looks his daughter in the eye and chillingly says, "I don't think about happiness." 

MEANING: I was listening to this book, I saw a girl to my right. She couldn't be more than twenty three. She was working on something, maybe school. Maybe some project for work, but it seemed important. The book I read got me to thinking about the perpetual urgency of life. Or at least the urgency we put on ourselves. Some call this urgency stress, and a healthy amount of stress is good. It allows to make deadlines, be attentive to others, and avoid five-car pill-ups. However, stress can also end up in the disconcerting zone where we're living every moment of our life someone else. The days begin to blend until you just blink and suddenly you spent a decade living off the fumes of anxiety. The shadow of what once was now looks like an eerie remnant of what is called regret.

In Perfect Strangers, Alexa's father symbolizes that nagging voice keeping you from doing the things you like. Maybe it's the voice in the back in your head or maybe it's the lull of predictability holding you in place. Or maybe it's actual asshole - Marvin from IT or some shit. 

However, you need Luke to swoop in and take you skating and remind you of your beauty. The bask in the intelligence of your gorgeous eyes and remind you to be happy. You don't have to give up your job next Tuesday and become a scuba diver in Cancun by Wednesday. Just pause, look at the sky, embrace the the flickering grace of the way the wind moves trees. Drink a damned margarita. Anything.

Consider this your permission to live.