Three Daves Review

Three Daves by Nicki Elson


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Fun and Insightful 80's Romance!


Omnific Publishing released Three Daves in February of 2010, and I recently had the pleasure of reading the novel. Three Daves features Jen, a college student at Central Illinois University, and her travails with three men named Dave. The first sentence draws the reader right in: "Jennifer Whitney was the last American virgin."

Wow, I really identified with Jen. Not only does she share my name (and doesn't like to be called Jenny), but she has the same self-doubts I had in college: wanting more experience in bed while feeling nervous about getting said experience, being known as a good girl (Gigi) but drinking too much on occasion, relying on friends and frantically trying to figure out how to resolve conflicts when there are spats, working hard at school, and taking an eternity to realize that this guy is "the one".

I really thought that Nicki Elson showed a realistic portrayal of college. Sure, we grow intellectually at college, but personal development seems to matter the most during these years. The formation of Jen's identity was subtle yet strong, aided by the Three Daves along the way. She starts off as a chameleon but grows into a confident young woman who is not afraid to be herself. In terms of which Dave she chose at the end, I was very satisfied. (He was my choice too!)

Here are some of my favorite 80's references in the book.

* "Cool beans". I STILL use this phrase!
* Wang Chung playing at Daytona Beach for Spring Break. I must admit that my very first concert was Wang Chung when I went to little sibs' weekend at Miami University to visit my sister. "Dance Hall Days" is a great song!
* David making Jen cassette tape mixes. Ah, the days of cassett tapes. And such great music . . . "Boys Don't Cry" by the Cure, "Red Red Wine" by UB40, and bands like the B52's and Echo & the Bunnymen.
* Perms and banana clips. *snorts*

Overall, a great read!

Stay tuned for my interview with author Nicki Elson tomorrow, when we will discuss 80's fashion and the fine art of writing sex scenes, hubba hubba.

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