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Jane Fallon

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Getting Rid of Matthew Kindle Edition

by Jane Fallon (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.0 2,462 ratings

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A fabulous debut about a long-suffering nearly 40-something woman, Helen, and her affair with a family man named Matthew, who is not so surprisingly her boss. Just at the moment she decides it's time to dump him and get on with her life, she opens the front door to find Matthew on her doorstep. "I've done it!" he announces triumphantly. "I've left her. I'm yours!" he tells her, and proceeds to move in. She is not brave enough to throw him out. She then discovers how much she can't bear him, wherein ensues a zany plot that involves figuring out that the best way to get rid of Matthew is to befriend his wife and convince her to take him back. The only problem is that Helen discovers she really likes Sophie, Matthew's wife--a lot more than she likes Matthew. And on top of that, she has a rather dishy stepson. . . .

Light as a feather but about real issues, Getting Rid of Matthew is a deliciously funny novel that proves the peril of getting what you ask for.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brit TV producer Fallon takes careful what you wish for to hilarious heights in her debut novel, a comedy of errors triggered by a mistress who discovers thrice-weekly hookups with her married lover are better than a 24/7 relationship with him. Helen, office staffer at a public relations firm catering to desperate D-list celebrities, is fast approaching her 40th birthday with little chance of swimming out of the secretary pool or snagging a full-time commitment from Matthew, her middle-aged lover and relay relationshipper. When Matthew abruptly leaves wife Sophie and preteen daughters Suzanne and Claudia to move in with Helen, she's not sure it's the happy ending she prefers. Thus begins a head-spinning ruse to convince Matthew to go back home and to persuade Sophie and her scene-stealing pair of potty-mouthed children to take him back: Helen invents a new persona, hard-charging PR whiz Eleanor, who befriends Sophie and gives her advice to repair her shattered marriage. The scheme gets more elaborate when Helen/Eleanor falls for Matthew's estranged eldest son. This delightfully fizzy chick lit caper goes disappointingly flat before the finish, but the surprising and rewarding treat is a bright, grown-up story of two women who discover friendship and trust in one another. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Helen, secretary in a London PR firm, has run afoul of the adage "be careful what you wish for, because it might come true." Boss Matthew, after an affair that has lasted years, suddenly leaves his wife and moves into Helen's flat. Helen's solution is to befriend the wife, using an assumed identity, of course, to persuade her to take Matthew back. But as she gets to know Sophie, she likes her too much to burden her with Matthew again. Office life has gotten dicey because she feels tainted by the affair, but there is another Helen in another department, which helps cloud the identities. Further muddying the situation, Helen meets Leo, a thoroughly attractive man. He just so happens to be Matthew's son from a previous marriage and, naturally, hates the woman ruining his father's life. Can this possibly be sorted out? Does Helen get stuck with Matthew? Do Sophie and Leo discover Helen's true identity? Does she escape her dead-end job and get a real career? Read and find out. Hoover, Danise

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000WHVS0W
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hachette Books (August 7, 2007)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 7, 2007
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 836 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 340 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #883,918 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #13,448 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
- #15,244 in Contemporary Women's Fiction
- #20,639 in Women's Romance Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.0 2,462 ratings

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About the author

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Jane Fallon

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Jane Fallon is the multi-award-winning television producer behind shows such as This Life, Teachers and 20 Things to Do before You're 30. Her debut novel "Getting Rid of Matthew' was published in 2007 and became a Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller as have her subsequent books 'Got You Back', 'Foursome', 'The Ugly Sister', 'Skeletons', 'Strictly Between Us','My Sweet Revenge', 'Faking Friends' and 'Tell Me a Secret'

Her 10th novel Queen Bee is available now to pre order in both paperback and for Kindle.

Join Jane on Twitter - @janefallon or Instagram - @janefallon2

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4 out of 5

2,462 global ratings

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Cupcake!

Roaringly funny!

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2009

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Ok, I admit that it's hard to feel sorry for the woman who stole your hubby, regrets it and wants you to take him back. But in this book you do since Helen is just such a huge mess (her words are more explicit, but hilarious). You just groan as she digs herself in deeper. Anyone who has ever made a decision that was this huge, unsupportable and unfixable will squirm as Helen tries to right her wrongs. But don't worry, you laugh your head off as you feel for her. I couldn't put it down and enjoyed it very, very much. I promise your life will seem easy and uncomplicated after a glimpse into hers!

5 people found this helpful

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KristiDNYC

A quick and easy read

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2021

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I always struggle with how many stars I should give Jane Fallon's books. On one hand, they're light and easy reads, somewhat funny, and the story keeps you semi-hooked throughout. On the other hand, the writing/editing errors bother me. In "Getting Rid of Matthew," there's a lot of head-hopping going on, i.e., changes of POV in the middle of a paragraph. In one place toward the end, Matthew drinks coffee and a page later he's been drinking tea all night. Not huge errors, but sloppy. Would I read another Jane Fallon book based on this one? Yes, probably, but I want to read a few better written novels first. 3.5 stars.

3 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Three Stars

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2016

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Easy read. Nothing life changing, but a nice read whilst sunbathing at beach.

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Dede

So happy I found this.

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2015

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Love this book. I didn't want to put it down but I didn't want it to end. Helen is so clever & witty. I found myself laughing out loud @ times. The characters are interesting & the story keeps you involved. I'll miss Helen since I've finished the book. This is one I will definitely read again.

One person found this helpful

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Heather A. Teysko

Very cute book, but the supporting characters made it.

Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2008

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Before I say anything negative, I should start by saying that I really enjoyed this book. More than anything, I loved the fact that it was a story of grown-up female relationships (there are lots of "Mean Girls" types of books out there, but very few that really explore the ups and downs of the Sisterhood, as it were).

So speaking of grown-up relationships, the main character, Helen, would have made more sense to me if she was about 10 years younger. I just don't see 40 year olds acting the way she does. Even in the end when she left her job, she acted no better than the mean 26-year-olds who had been teasing her, by doing some kind of "empowerment" thing and calling them all mean names. When I pictured Helen in my mind I thought of someone about my age - 32 - and definitely not any older. Especially if you look at her character history - she had spent her 20's traveling all over the world by herself. I've done travel by myself, too, and I know that nothing gets you to grow up faster, and trust in yourself more, than trying to figure out a train system in a foreign country when you're on your own. So I suspect that her age was made up arbitrarily so as to make it so much worse that she was going through what she was going through. But nothing about her seemed 40 to me. Especially a 40 who had spent her 20's backpacking alone.

So Helen is a 28 year old caught in a 40 year old woman's body. Ok. That aside, it's a really beautiful - I'd go so far as to say 'meditation' - on what women do to each other, the consequences of our actions, how we can hurt people, and how we can make it better. I loved Sophie and Rachel, her friends, and I was excited to see how Helen's tangled web would come crashing around her.

The ending seemed to come a bit quickly, like the author was on a deadline or something, but the last chapter was still incredibly satisfying, and I'm very glad I read it.

3 people found this helpful

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J. Schmitz

Absolutely fantastic. I just loved this book

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2016

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Absolutely fantastic. I just loved this book. The way Jane Fallon writes is so readable, and the characters have just the right amount of detail to help you love or hate them. I will definitely be reading more of her work!

One person found this helpful

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Carla H

Okay

Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2017

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Read for book club. Not bad, but not the greatest. Had some unexpected twists and turns.

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2016

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I love the humour in Jane Fallon's writing . Although you know it will be a light read, it is very funny and these books are well written , well plotted. Good book for a long flight or a long weekend on the beach.

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Daphne

Brilliantly witty,

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 10, 2023

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I read a small article in the Mail that Jane had written and really enjoyed it.

I bought three of her books and am nearly finished this one. It is such a good read and I can hardly wait to see what happens next,

I spoke to my Daughter yesterday and discovered she has the same book!

3 people found this helpful

Paula

Eu peguei ranço da protagonista

Reviewed in Brazil on September 22, 2020

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A histório se estendeu desnecessariamente, a protagonista é superficial e machista.

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PaoloPerotti

Ottimo libro usato: quasi come nuovo .

Reviewed in Italy on August 11, 2021