August 21, 2023
Watson (Just the Way I Am) transports readers to a steamy paradise in this appealing if uneven out-of-office workplace rom-com. Serious journalist Margaret, who is never given a last name, resents having to share her office with men’s lifestyle writer Jagger Villain, whom she views as less than. An uptight perfectionist, the freshly divorced reporter even erected a plexiglass wall between their desks, but that doesn’t stop Jagger from taking joy in pulling her pigtails. When they jointly win a vacation to Zanzibar during office trivia, Margaret can’t escape Jagger’s company, particularly after each of their plus-ones—Margaret’s free-spirited mother and Jagger’s adventurous dad—hit it off immediately. Jagger goes out of his way to help Margaret see the island and enjoy her trip, but she remains exceedingly skeptical of his interest in her. This animosity lasts far too long in the face of Jagger’s newfound niceness, and though Watson attempts to explain away Margaret’s acerbic personality as a manifestation of anxiety and grief over the recent death of her father, it makes it difficult to root for her, especially in a sea of more empathetic characters. Still, those who can look past the lead’s flaws will welcome the tropical setting and the cute dynamic between the secondary, older couple. Diehard Watson fans will find plenty to enjoy. Agent: Louise Fury, Bent Agency.