Review: Unverified by Kristin Giese

Kristin Giese’s Unverified is a delightful romantic comedy that is both immensely funny and heartwarming.

Success has always been in the cards for Margo Valentine Melon, but after a failed stint with the holy grail of fashion magazines four years ago in New York, Margo returned to her parent’s house in L.A. with her tail between her legs. Ironically, her younger sister, Kirby, a dropout who’d started a resale fashion gig called Blush & Bashful, is now driving a Mercedes, with her gig landing her on Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list. Kirby tells Margo that to find her own success, she needs to move out of their parent’s house and offers her sister a job as a freelancer so she can earn enough money to move out. With no other prospects on the horizon, Margo reluctantly accepts.

Matt Milles-Lade has been happily vacationing, partying and surfing through his trust fund until his rich father unceremoniously freezes his trust and puts him on a monthly stipend, ordering him to get a job, drink less, and care more. Matt is taken aback by his father’s ultimatum, but his situation becomes even more precarious when his father decides to sell the house they both share with Tiffany, his father’s live-in girlfriend. Suddenly, Matt’s immediate problem is finding a place to live.

After countless discouraging prospects, he stumbles on a listing for a beautiful guesthouse in one of L.A.’s toniest neighborhoods and races to get to the house before it’s snatched up. Margo’s also seen the ad and is determined to get the house as well. They meet at the estate gates as adversaries, little realizing that in a matter of minutes they’ll be posing as a couple in love in order to land the guesthouse of their dreams.

Unverified offers the kind of high-concept romantic comedy premise they don’t seem to make much anymore. Sure, the setup may strain credulity to a certain degree, but it’s also balanced by sincere emotion and heart, as well as humor that hits the mark throughout. Giese also shines a spotlight on life as a twenty-something living in a city where housing costs are off the charts, and shows the extremes people will go to in order to secure a roof over their heads. The story is timely as well, as it explores the powerful impact of social media and its ability to turn unknowns like Margo and Matt into overnight media darlings.

The novel’s entertainment quotient is ramped up significantly by its great cast of characters that begin with the two main protagonists. Matt’s easygoing, roguish charm is a great foil for Margo’s by-the-book intensity. Zinny, the fiercely loyal family housekeeper, is hilarious as she firmly sends each of Matt’s one night stands off in the morning with a to-go cup of coffee, a breakfast sandwich and a few sage words of wisdom while the nosey Rita, Dinah’s stepdaughter from one of her six marriages, provides great comic relief.

All told, there’s a kind of movie quality to the novel, and has all the elements that would work well on the screen. Unverified delivers everything a romantic comedy requires – a clever and crowd-pleasing story with a verifiable happy ending.