Book Review: The Heart Rehab Experiment by Starla DeKruyf

I picture Kate Hudson teaming with Paul Rudd in the movie that they’ll make from DeKruyf’s book. So does she. In fact, Starla DeKruyf (@starlawrites) dedicates The Heart Rehab Experiment to Paul Rudd first and her husband second. That tells you a bit about DeKruyf’s sense of humor.

The book (currently free Kindle Unlimited) is billed as “a hilarious and sexy romantic comedy.” It hits the mark. 

Full disclosure: I’ve watched my share of rom-coms, but this is the first one I’ve read. It was worth it.

Pete (the Paul Rudd-ish character) has recently watched his wife die of cancer and he’s struggling to cope. He’s aware that he’s a bit broken. So do his daughters. He moves in with one of his daughters (Tess) temporarily but doesn’t seem to be getting better. As Tess’s patience wears thin – she wants her house back and wants to start a family with her hubby and having dad around dampens the mood – she connects Pete with interventionist/therapist/heart-rehab guru Jules.

Jules (Kate Hudson in my version) has some issues of her own and DeKruyf nicely plays Pete’s issues against Jules’ as they begin a program to rehab Pete’s heart and help him get through the grief. Romance and comedic situations ensue. DeKruyf does a great job of describing scenes and injecting both tension and laughs into the mix.

Heart Rehab has some silliness that nicely balances the poignancy as Pete and Jules deal with their issues. The sex scenes are handled delicately enough that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to loan my *autographed* copy to my adult daughters. It’s got enough heat that I wouldn’t recommend it for someone under 16. 

I bought the book from DeKruyf herself at the Copperfield’s book fair. In our couple of minutes of chatting I could see the humor that imbues the book.

There’s no science in the book to speak of, so no rating there. The story is a solid eight and the book is the perfect thing to read on a vacation, at the beach, or just chilling on the couch.