Starred review from April 15, 2006
Researcher Katharine Murphy has a lousy personal life. Her mother died when Katharine was young, leaving her with a father who drowns his sorrows with liquor and wagering. Katharine's professional life is just as bad. Her bully of a boss, Lydia Ashworth, gives Katharine assignments with unreasonable deadlines and expectations, the latest of which is to find her a suitable sperm donor. As Katharine undertakes the demeaning search for the perfect father for Lydia's baby, there is only one bright light in her life, her best friend since ninth grade, massage therapist Luc Fiorelli. But even this relationship becomes endangered when Luc reveals that his feelings for Katharine go beyond friendship. Despite the sadness and aggravation in Katharine's life, Perry turns in a romantic comedy, enlivened by Katharine's quirks--she is a fount of trivial knowledge, which she draws on every time she gets nervous, which is often. The reactions of the potential sperm donors she interviews also provide comic relief. Perry's impressive debut is a winning and entertaining combination of humor and pathos.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)