Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: A Memphis belle helps her husband open a B&B in snowy Vermont.
I liked everything about this book. I wavered between giving it 4 or 5 stars, but decided on 5 because, even as much as I could predict what would (and did) happen, I kept coming back to it and stayed up to finish it.
Leelee Satterfield has the perfect life in Memphis: her handsome husband, whom she nabbed in college, after she got boobs; a gorgeous house, supportive friends, and happy children. And one night her husband tells her he's profoundly unhappy and the only thing that will ever make him happy is to be the owner of an inn in Vermont. Since Leelee has never said no to Baker -ever-, she sells her house and uses the money along with her father's inheritance to buy the Vermont Haus Inn.
Despite all the red flags, including a smelly house and a tiny bedroom, Leelee reluctantly settles in to life in Vermont, constantly surprised at al the things she never knew about before: black ice, flies that bite, rook rakes, sonic booms and nor'easters. But the biggest surprise of all is when her husband forgets their wedding anniversary and instead leaves her a note telling her he's fallen in love with an older woman and will be taking a job managing her ski resort instead.
The weakest part of the novel for me was how capable and collected Leelee seemed after the man she has adored forever left her high and dry with a cook who hates her and a falling-down building. The rest of the book travels upon predictable paths - her new cook is single and gorgeous, her girlfriends from Memphis come to the rescue, but it worked in sweet and tender ways. I'm ready for more Leelee.
Showing posts with label Chick-Lit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chick-Lit. Show all posts
Friday, September 30, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: The renovation of her grandmother's house changes Willa's life and the town of Walls of Water in unexpected ways.
This book was a major disappointment to me, lacking the wonder and joy that Sarah Addison Allen's previous books have. In fact, If think her writing has actually gone downhill with each subsequent novel, though I still recommend Garden Spells to almost everyone.
The invitations go out to everyone, celebrating the renovation of the Blue Ridge Madam, the house that Willa's grandmother lived in many years ago, and the reinstatement of the Women's Club that was once such an integral part of this town. Of course, that old peach tree must come down. The grandmothers of the last two founding women, Paxton Osgood and Willa Jackson, are in the same nursing home in town. When Agatha Osgood troubles herself to visit Georgie Jackson all the way over on the other side of the nursing home, the two women, one blind and one catatonic, both know their terrible secret will be revealed. Can you guess?
By page 54, I could predict that they would find a long-buried body under the peach tree. Whose body could it be. And who murdered him? You can guess, and I foolishly read the 200 other pages of the book, just to have it confirmed that yes, Paxton's brother would end up getting together with Willa and that Paxton's friendship with Sebastian would turn into something more.
This book was predictable and cliched: a barista who can tell what people need by their drink, a magic wind that whispers, a slick con man who deserved to die. Read a different Sarah Addison Allen book or anything else.
Summary: The renovation of her grandmother's house changes Willa's life and the town of Walls of Water in unexpected ways.
This book was a major disappointment to me, lacking the wonder and joy that Sarah Addison Allen's previous books have. In fact, If think her writing has actually gone downhill with each subsequent novel, though I still recommend Garden Spells to almost everyone.
The invitations go out to everyone, celebrating the renovation of the Blue Ridge Madam, the house that Willa's grandmother lived in many years ago, and the reinstatement of the Women's Club that was once such an integral part of this town. Of course, that old peach tree must come down. The grandmothers of the last two founding women, Paxton Osgood and Willa Jackson, are in the same nursing home in town. When Agatha Osgood troubles herself to visit Georgie Jackson all the way over on the other side of the nursing home, the two women, one blind and one catatonic, both know their terrible secret will be revealed. Can you guess?
By page 54, I could predict that they would find a long-buried body under the peach tree. Whose body could it be. And who murdered him? You can guess, and I foolishly read the 200 other pages of the book, just to have it confirmed that yes, Paxton's brother would end up getting together with Willa and that Paxton's friendship with Sebastian would turn into something more.
This book was predictable and cliched: a barista who can tell what people need by their drink, a magic wind that whispers, a slick con man who deserved to die. Read a different Sarah Addison Allen book or anything else.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Heist Society by Ally Carter
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: To save her father, teenage Kat must steal five priceless paintings back from the most secure and guarded museum, with the help of her teenage crew.
I was so disappointed in this book. The premise is cute. Kat is born into a family of con artists and thieves. But they steal and lie it more for the challenge of pulling it off. Sixteen year old Kat eventually tires of a life on the run and pulls one last great caper, conning her way into the exclusive Colgan school in order to live a normal teenage girl life.
She is framed for a prank and expelled from school, leaving her lost and floundering. Her best friend, the ultra-rich Hale, convinces her to pull off one last heist - stealing back a collection of priceless underground paintings that were stolen from the sinister Arturo Taccone. Kat's only reason for doing this is because Taccone believes only a thief of her father's skill could carry off and plans to torture and possibly kill her father unless the paintings are returned in two weeks.
Kat assembles her motley crew of teen helpers and somehow figures out that the paintings are hidden underneath other paintings in the Henley museum. So they have to break into the world's most secure museum and steal back the paintings.
As a caper book, it was not terribly original and having main characters bee teenagers seemed an afterthought. Kat is constantly flying back and forth from the U.S. and Paris, living in Hale's house but having no supervising adult, has a strange relationship with her almost neglectful father and then when she tries to dress sexily, the male members of her crew are dumbstruck to discover that she has boobs. I expected better from the author of the Gallagher Girls Spy School series. That had humor and wit. This was like Ocean's 12
only not as funny.
Summary: To save her father, teenage Kat must steal five priceless paintings back from the most secure and guarded museum, with the help of her teenage crew.
I was so disappointed in this book. The premise is cute. Kat is born into a family of con artists and thieves. But they steal and lie it more for the challenge of pulling it off. Sixteen year old Kat eventually tires of a life on the run and pulls one last great caper, conning her way into the exclusive Colgan school in order to live a normal teenage girl life.
She is framed for a prank and expelled from school, leaving her lost and floundering. Her best friend, the ultra-rich Hale, convinces her to pull off one last heist - stealing back a collection of priceless underground paintings that were stolen from the sinister Arturo Taccone. Kat's only reason for doing this is because Taccone believes only a thief of her father's skill could carry off and plans to torture and possibly kill her father unless the paintings are returned in two weeks.
Kat assembles her motley crew of teen helpers and somehow figures out that the paintings are hidden underneath other paintings in the Henley museum. So they have to break into the world's most secure museum and steal back the paintings.
As a caper book, it was not terribly original and having main characters bee teenagers seemed an afterthought. Kat is constantly flying back and forth from the U.S. and Paris, living in Hale's house but having no supervising adult, has a strange relationship with her almost neglectful father and then when she tries to dress sexily, the male members of her crew are dumbstruck to discover that she has boobs. I expected better from the author of the Gallagher Girls Spy School series. That had humor and wit. This was like Ocean's 12
only not as funny.Saturday, July 23, 2011
The Mistress's Revenge by Tamar Cohen
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: A woman chronicles her affair, post-break-up, in a journal.
Let's start with the fact that I think affairs are tacky and lacking in integrity. Why should the mistress get revenge? Why not the wife?
Granted, Clive is a slick, manipulative bastard, but Sally is a mental case. After their break-up, Sally is so distraught, not eating, not sleeping, and totally neglecting her kids that she see a therapist who thinks that journaling her feelings will be the best way to get over Clive.
The entire book is written in journal form, but like books written as letters, they are inherently fake to me, as no letter and journals ever provide so much back information in real life.
Stylistically, this book's format drove me crazy. And that's before we even get to the story.
We're never quite sure why exactly Clive has ended their five year affair. Sally is not married but is partnered with Daniel and they have two children together. Clive is married to Susan and they have two older children as well.
And Clive breaks off the affair. This devastates Sally and Sally cannot get over it. She sends e-mails to Clive, sends him texts, "Friends" both Susan and Clive's daughter on Facebook and often eats at the restaurant where Clive's son works as a waiter. Sally crashes a vow renewal party that Clive and Susan hold, and Clive and Sally meet to discuss issues, and end up having sex. Sally is convinced that they are back together. When she realizes that their make-up sex was actually break-up sex, Sally gets worse.
Meanwhile, Sally's kids are struggling in school and hating her. Someone has hacked in Sally's email accounts and is sending messages from her, which is losing her all her freelance writing work. The bills are piling up unopened and the house is a pit. Sally is losing weight, freaking out in grocery stores and is convinced that someone is trying to kill her. But actually, Sally is right about that, as she is harassed constantly. Her kids are frightened but Sally is so focused on Clive that she can't think of anything else.
I won't give away the very strange ending but there is some closure in the book. However, many things bothered me:
Summary: A woman chronicles her affair, post-break-up, in a journal.
Let's start with the fact that I think affairs are tacky and lacking in integrity. Why should the mistress get revenge? Why not the wife?
Granted, Clive is a slick, manipulative bastard, but Sally is a mental case. After their break-up, Sally is so distraught, not eating, not sleeping, and totally neglecting her kids that she see a therapist who thinks that journaling her feelings will be the best way to get over Clive.
The entire book is written in journal form, but like books written as letters, they are inherently fake to me, as no letter and journals ever provide so much back information in real life.
"Do you remember, that was the very first thing you said to me? We'll laugh about it one day, of course, but still it took me aback. I hadn't even properly sat down, was still fishing around in my bag so I could go and buy a drink."Clive will never read this, but even if he does, there is no need to ask if he remembers. Her journal is her letter to Clive since he has cut off all contact. No e-mails, no texts, no phone calls.
Stylistically, this book's format drove me crazy. And that's before we even get to the story.
We're never quite sure why exactly Clive has ended their five year affair. Sally is not married but is partnered with Daniel and they have two children together. Clive is married to Susan and they have two older children as well.
And Clive breaks off the affair. This devastates Sally and Sally cannot get over it. She sends e-mails to Clive, sends him texts, "Friends" both Susan and Clive's daughter on Facebook and often eats at the restaurant where Clive's son works as a waiter. Sally crashes a vow renewal party that Clive and Susan hold, and Clive and Sally meet to discuss issues, and end up having sex. Sally is convinced that they are back together. When she realizes that their make-up sex was actually break-up sex, Sally gets worse.
Meanwhile, Sally's kids are struggling in school and hating her. Someone has hacked in Sally's email accounts and is sending messages from her, which is losing her all her freelance writing work. The bills are piling up unopened and the house is a pit. Sally is losing weight, freaking out in grocery stores and is convinced that someone is trying to kill her. But actually, Sally is right about that, as she is harassed constantly. Her kids are frightened but Sally is so focused on Clive that she can't think of anything else.
I won't give away the very strange ending but there is some closure in the book. However, many things bothered me:
- What is it that makes Clive so appealing? Sally mentions his bad back and his weight problem and he seems just creepy to me. If yes, he is as creepy as I think he is, how (and why) did Sally fall for that?
- How did Sally and Clive not get caught in their affair by now?
- What was Daniel, Sally's partner, doing all day every day? He only comes home to scold Sally, it seems.
- How could people NOT see that Sally is a mess? The house is filthy, the kids don't have meals, she's losing weight, she looks sick. How could people NOT realize something is going on here?
- Why does Susan stay with Clive? This was an odd relationship, but granted we only have Sally's perspective, or how she interprets both Clive and Susan's remarks.
- Do we always feel bad for the dumpee, even when the relationship is wrong?
- Why did Clive decide to break up with Sally? Was it an ultimatum from Susan?
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair by Laurie Perry
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: One woman's memoir of her divorce and eventual recovery.
Just the title alone is fun (and accurate), but the book was a feel-good read, despite being about divorce. Laurie comes home from work, expecting to share a silly story about how her underwear broke at work, and her husband announced he was leaving. Laurie is devastated and is left with an expensive house and her husband's four cats.
Laurie, with the long-distance help of her supportive parents, moves into a smaller house right before Christmas. She spends most of her time drinking wine while the cats circle around her. She goes through many of the stages of grief, anger, bargaining, drinking, isolation, and even tries to give herself bangs, which her hairdresser sternly forbids.
Laurie's patient and supportive friends stick with her through her depression, perhaps longer than I would have. One of them encourages her to try knitting and when Laurie finally leaves the house and ventures into a knitting store, it changes her life. She knits crazy creations for her cats, scarves (in LA!) and lots of sassy knit wear while being nurtured by her local Stitch-n-Bitch group.
Laurie Perry writes with Southern wit, much like Celia Rivenbark, whom I adore. Laurie's sadness and misery is written with such honesty and humor that I was identifying with the author and laughing at the same time. It's not a complex book, you won't get veiled metaphors or run on sentences that go for a page, but you will laugh and you will feel hope.
Not only are the discussion questions at the back of the book helpful and thought provoking, but Laurie provides knitting patterns and pictures of her creations. I've tried knitting and I understand how intense and excited the knitting community gets, but knitting's not for me. I'm also not divorced, and will never have cats. Despite what we don't have in common, this book was worth breaking my "no divorce memoirs!" vow.
Summary: One woman's memoir of her divorce and eventual recovery.
Just the title alone is fun (and accurate), but the book was a feel-good read, despite being about divorce. Laurie comes home from work, expecting to share a silly story about how her underwear broke at work, and her husband announced he was leaving. Laurie is devastated and is left with an expensive house and her husband's four cats.
Laurie, with the long-distance help of her supportive parents, moves into a smaller house right before Christmas. She spends most of her time drinking wine while the cats circle around her. She goes through many of the stages of grief, anger, bargaining, drinking, isolation, and even tries to give herself bangs, which her hairdresser sternly forbids.
Laurie's patient and supportive friends stick with her through her depression, perhaps longer than I would have. One of them encourages her to try knitting and when Laurie finally leaves the house and ventures into a knitting store, it changes her life. She knits crazy creations for her cats, scarves (in LA!) and lots of sassy knit wear while being nurtured by her local Stitch-n-Bitch group.
Laurie Perry writes with Southern wit, much like Celia Rivenbark, whom I adore. Laurie's sadness and misery is written with such honesty and humor that I was identifying with the author and laughing at the same time. It's not a complex book, you won't get veiled metaphors or run on sentences that go for a page, but you will laugh and you will feel hope.
Not only are the discussion questions at the back of the book helpful and thought provoking, but Laurie provides knitting patterns and pictures of her creations. I've tried knitting and I understand how intense and excited the knitting community gets, but knitting's not for me. I'm also not divorced, and will never have cats. Despite what we don't have in common, this book was worth breaking my "no divorce memoirs!" vow.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Sloane Sisters by Anna Carey
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: Cate and Andie Sloane's father is dating Stella and Lola Childs' model mother, Emma. New York Chic meets English reserve in a teen fashion novel.
The Brady Bunch meets the Clique series in this fun YA read. Still stunned from their parent's rapid divorce after their father cheated on their mother, Stella and Lola Childs should turn to each other to help navigate their new lives in New York. Their mum, Emma has become the new face of Ralph Lauren and so they have moved from London to New York City.
The girls are surprised when their mother tells them that instead of living in a hotel, they will be living with Emma's new boyfriend, Winston Sloane and his teen daughters Cate and Andie. In fact, their parents are engaged! Looks like they'll all be one big happy family, right?
Cate and Stella seem to get along well at first as they are both interested in fashion, style, trends, and share the same shoe size. But Stella chafes under Cate's bossiness and superiority and can't easily slip into the elite clique at their new school. Cate also won't let Stella into her clique without making Stella jump through extreme hoops and Stella feels lost and angry. She doesn't offer any help to her sister Lola, a band geek who has zero interest in fashion. But Andie desperately wants to be a model and uses her future step-mother's modeling connections as a way to get into the business, despite being very, very short. Lola doesn't realize she's being used until someone suggests that Lola would make a good model and Andie freaks out.
Tensions simmer in a house full of rich teens and pre-teens. Add name dropping, sibling rivalry, divorce and high fashion and you have a fun YA read. The girl bullying and focus on fashion is reminiscent of the Clique series, but slightly less materialistic.
Summary: Cate and Andie Sloane's father is dating Stella and Lola Childs' model mother, Emma. New York Chic meets English reserve in a teen fashion novel.
The Brady Bunch meets the Clique series in this fun YA read. Still stunned from their parent's rapid divorce after their father cheated on their mother, Stella and Lola Childs should turn to each other to help navigate their new lives in New York. Their mum, Emma has become the new face of Ralph Lauren and so they have moved from London to New York City.
The girls are surprised when their mother tells them that instead of living in a hotel, they will be living with Emma's new boyfriend, Winston Sloane and his teen daughters Cate and Andie. In fact, their parents are engaged! Looks like they'll all be one big happy family, right?
Cate and Stella seem to get along well at first as they are both interested in fashion, style, trends, and share the same shoe size. But Stella chafes under Cate's bossiness and superiority and can't easily slip into the elite clique at their new school. Cate also won't let Stella into her clique without making Stella jump through extreme hoops and Stella feels lost and angry. She doesn't offer any help to her sister Lola, a band geek who has zero interest in fashion. But Andie desperately wants to be a model and uses her future step-mother's modeling connections as a way to get into the business, despite being very, very short. Lola doesn't realize she's being used until someone suggests that Lola would make a good model and Andie freaks out.
Tensions simmer in a house full of rich teens and pre-teens. Add name dropping, sibling rivalry, divorce and high fashion and you have a fun YA read. The girl bullying and focus on fashion is reminiscent of the Clique series, but slightly less materialistic.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Recipe for Love by Shamara Ray
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: A restaurant owner experiences career success but struggles with love.
My main problem with "black" novels is the language used by the characters. I think a story should just be a good story, regardless of the race of characters. There are certain authors who write such amazing stories that the race doesn't matter, you're just so enthralled by plot and characters. And then there are other authors who think that they have to sound "black" to write their stories. Often, those are just poorly written. This book was a nice mix of both.
Jade is a (black, female) restauranteur living in New York, who is busy working on her business, a restaurant named Rituals. She's also just broken up with her long-time boyfriend Bryce, the twin brother of her business partner Bria. Bria and Jade used to be best friends, part of Jade's "Diva Squad" but their friendship has mostly become business and Bria seems to value her brother's relationship with Jade more than their friendship.
Things are cruising along for Jade when she starts to date Cane, the owner of a rival restaurant, at the encouragement of her friend Milan. Jade has trust issues, likely dating from her time with Bryce, and not her father. Jade's pride and ego get in the way of her love life, and she starts to recognize how quick she is to overreact with getting all the facts.
This was both chick-lit and a nice romance, but I had some trouble with some of the urban slang. I would definitely read more by this author, but thought the recipes included in the back were weak.
Summary: A restaurant owner experiences career success but struggles with love.
My main problem with "black" novels is the language used by the characters. I think a story should just be a good story, regardless of the race of characters. There are certain authors who write such amazing stories that the race doesn't matter, you're just so enthralled by plot and characters. And then there are other authors who think that they have to sound "black" to write their stories. Often, those are just poorly written. This book was a nice mix of both.
Jade is a (black, female) restauranteur living in New York, who is busy working on her business, a restaurant named Rituals. She's also just broken up with her long-time boyfriend Bryce, the twin brother of her business partner Bria. Bria and Jade used to be best friends, part of Jade's "Diva Squad" but their friendship has mostly become business and Bria seems to value her brother's relationship with Jade more than their friendship.
Things are cruising along for Jade when she starts to date Cane, the owner of a rival restaurant, at the encouragement of her friend Milan. Jade has trust issues, likely dating from her time with Bryce, and not her father. Jade's pride and ego get in the way of her love life, and she starts to recognize how quick she is to overreact with getting all the facts.
This was both chick-lit and a nice romance, but I had some trouble with some of the urban slang. I would definitely read more by this author, but thought the recipes included in the back were weak.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: A young woman inherits her grandmother's house, kitchen and business.
I absolutely loved Melissa Senate's previous book The Secret of Joy, and while this book was good, it wasn't great. It seemed a bit cliched and predictable and I much prefer Erica Bauermeister's The School of Essential Ingredients
.
Holly moves back to Blue Crab Cove, Maine, after breaking up with yet another man who doesn't seem that interested in marrying or being with Holly. Holly has always been the chaser, not the pursued when it comes to love. Two weeks later, her grandmother dies, leaving Holly the house and the business. (Wills never go through probate in novel life apparently.) She's also focused on keeping her grandmother's cooking school running even though Holly is a timid chef. Most of her grandmother's recipe include some emotional ingredient - like a true wish or a sad thought.
Holly's first class consists of her old high school friend grieving the death of her daughter, a single woman looking for love, a divorced dad with a tween daughter, and teenage girl hoping to become a better cook so her father won't have to remarry. Can you guess where this is going? Yes, you can.
The divorced dad and the single woman hook up, and pretty much get forgotten. The grieving mother won't or can't accept comfort from anybody, including her husband or Holly. And yes, Holly does have a massive crush on and eventually date the father of her teenaged student. Holly is also asked to prepare a tasting menu for a wedding that her grandmother was supposed to cater back when she was alive. The love story here felt so predictable that I was disappointed in the book, precisely because I knew exactly what was going to happen. Then the beautiful ex-wife shows up and wants to be a part of her ex-husband's and daughter's lives again.
Ultimately a forgettable book from an author I previously raved about. And when I found a glaring spelling error in the book, my heart sank a little.
Summary: A young woman inherits her grandmother's house, kitchen and business.
I absolutely loved Melissa Senate's previous book The Secret of Joy, and while this book was good, it wasn't great. It seemed a bit cliched and predictable and I much prefer Erica Bauermeister's The School of Essential Ingredients
.Holly moves back to Blue Crab Cove, Maine, after breaking up with yet another man who doesn't seem that interested in marrying or being with Holly. Holly has always been the chaser, not the pursued when it comes to love. Two weeks later, her grandmother dies, leaving Holly the house and the business. (Wills never go through probate in novel life apparently.) She's also focused on keeping her grandmother's cooking school running even though Holly is a timid chef. Most of her grandmother's recipe include some emotional ingredient - like a true wish or a sad thought.
Holly's first class consists of her old high school friend grieving the death of her daughter, a single woman looking for love, a divorced dad with a tween daughter, and teenage girl hoping to become a better cook so her father won't have to remarry. Can you guess where this is going? Yes, you can.
The divorced dad and the single woman hook up, and pretty much get forgotten. The grieving mother won't or can't accept comfort from anybody, including her husband or Holly. And yes, Holly does have a massive crush on and eventually date the father of her teenaged student. Holly is also asked to prepare a tasting menu for a wedding that her grandmother was supposed to cater back when she was alive. The love story here felt so predictable that I was disappointed in the book, precisely because I knew exactly what was going to happen. Then the beautiful ex-wife shows up and wants to be a part of her ex-husband's and daughter's lives again.
Ultimately a forgettable book from an author I previously raved about. And when I found a glaring spelling error in the book, my heart sank a little.
Friday, April 8, 2011
And One Last Thing ... by Molly Harper
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: After humiliating her husband publicly over his affair, an ex-wife learns who she is and what she wants.
Molly Harper is the author of the terribly funny and sassy book about librarian-turned-vampire Jane Jameson. So I picked up her latest book.
Lacey Terwilliger (ridiculous name!) accidentally gets delivered flowers that were meant for her husband's mistress/secretary instead. As revenge, she sends out a scathing e-mail to her husband's client and holiday card list, berating her husband for being spineless and bad in bed. After Lacey becomes late night comic fodder, she retreats to her family cabin, isolated in the woods.
Of course, the isolated cabin is not so isolated, since there's a hunky man next door. After Lacey's few attempts at friendship, the hunk, Monroe, makes it very clear that he is NOT attracted to Lacey. Their mutual antipathy is predictable. Monroe is a mystery writer, holed up for some peace and quiet and to finish his novel. Lacey is miffed and ignores him, and then suddenly he realizes that Lacey is kinda cute. They become "friends with benefits" and Lacey starts writing her own novel, about a woman who wants to kill her husband. It works as therapy, until Lacey gets a job offer to write angry letters for other women. Monroe scolds Lacey for even considering it and that's when Lacey and Monroe have their first big fight.
Summary: After humiliating her husband publicly over his affair, an ex-wife learns who she is and what she wants.
Molly Harper is the author of the terribly funny and sassy book about librarian-turned-vampire Jane Jameson. So I picked up her latest book.
Lacey Terwilliger (ridiculous name!) accidentally gets delivered flowers that were meant for her husband's mistress/secretary instead. As revenge, she sends out a scathing e-mail to her husband's client and holiday card list, berating her husband for being spineless and bad in bed. After Lacey becomes late night comic fodder, she retreats to her family cabin, isolated in the woods.
Of course, the isolated cabin is not so isolated, since there's a hunky man next door. After Lacey's few attempts at friendship, the hunk, Monroe, makes it very clear that he is NOT attracted to Lacey. Their mutual antipathy is predictable. Monroe is a mystery writer, holed up for some peace and quiet and to finish his novel. Lacey is miffed and ignores him, and then suddenly he realizes that Lacey is kinda cute. They become "friends with benefits" and Lacey starts writing her own novel, about a woman who wants to kill her husband. It works as therapy, until Lacey gets a job offer to write angry letters for other women. Monroe scolds Lacey for even considering it and that's when Lacey and Monroe have their first big fight.
"You know, maybe it's not that I don't want to be in a relationship, maybe it's that I don't want to be in relationship with you. You're always pushing and judging and trying to make me into the person that- I don't know - is worthy of you? I mean, you wouldn't even talk to me until I proved that I was low-maintenance enough for you. I don't want to be your pet project. I've already tried living with a man whose standards I couldn't meet and I'm not doing it again."This was actually a sad book about the decline of a marriage. I felt strange laughing in the funny spots, when the death of this marriage didn't really get as much respect as it deserved. But it is well-written with characters that are nuanced and realistic.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Room For Improvement by Stacey Ballis
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: An interior designer finds success as part of a reality show on home improvement.
After reading a series of disappointing books, Room For Improvement
was a satisfying chick-lit read, with many of the typical chick-lit elements in place, but with a few refreshing changes. Instead of being set in New York or Los Angeles, as so many chick-lit novels are, this one was set in Chicago. That alone was appreciated, although I would have liked more scenes where the snow or weather alters their plans, since that is often a factor here in the Midwest.
Lily Allen is a moderately successful interior designer (as opposed to someone struggling) when she is chosen to be on the American version of her favorite BBC reality show Swap/Meet. Two designers and two single guests are chosen to redesign one room in the other single's houses, and then after the reveal, the singles meet and sometimes hook up. This show could launch Lily's career and give her national exposure.
The book opens with Lily escaping after a bad one-night stand with a jerk. The jerk, Ron, says some incredibly sensitive things and then keeps calling Lily. Can't he take a hint? Lily meets her friends and a personal trainer once a week for exercise where they catch up and dish. Hillary is her uber-successful lawyer friend (doesn't every chick-lit book have one of them nowadays?) and there's also a gay friend, except this time, the gay friend is her former roommate Naomi. I was impressed that the gay friend was female instead of male. Like many chick-lit characters, Lily struggles with her weight, and scarfs down brownies at the show's craft table when she gets her period. In the show, there are carpenters, one a studly annoyance and one a solid friend, two gay stylists, a bimbo presenter and my favorite character, Bob, one of the cameramen. Bob is always asking, "Really with the (crying, sex, fighting, eating... pick your topic), really?" and I would just giggle every time Bob would walk by at some inopportune moment.
I could have done without Lily's Rules. The rules by which a chick-lit character lives or make sense of her life have been done to death (!) and I was disappointed that this creative author used something so cliche, especially when it didn't help or advance the plot any. If anything, Lily's Rules could have been home decorating tips that can apply to real life. Lily's Rule #278: Totally matching is boring; a little contrast makes a more interesting room. See how easy that was? I just made that one up.
Lily's show is a hit and Lily has a steamy romance with one of the guest featured on Swap/Meet. Lily also hooks up with an interim producer on her show and has lots of sex. But she never seems satisfied, always dumping the guy if he likes her too much, and pouting if he doesn't. The ending is surprising and sweet. I rated this one 4 stars, because it was exactly what I was looking for at the moment.
Summary: An interior designer finds success as part of a reality show on home improvement.
After reading a series of disappointing books, Room For Improvement
was a satisfying chick-lit read, with many of the typical chick-lit elements in place, but with a few refreshing changes. Instead of being set in New York or Los Angeles, as so many chick-lit novels are, this one was set in Chicago. That alone was appreciated, although I would have liked more scenes where the snow or weather alters their plans, since that is often a factor here in the Midwest.Lily Allen is a moderately successful interior designer (as opposed to someone struggling) when she is chosen to be on the American version of her favorite BBC reality show Swap/Meet. Two designers and two single guests are chosen to redesign one room in the other single's houses, and then after the reveal, the singles meet and sometimes hook up. This show could launch Lily's career and give her national exposure.
The book opens with Lily escaping after a bad one-night stand with a jerk. The jerk, Ron, says some incredibly sensitive things and then keeps calling Lily. Can't he take a hint? Lily meets her friends and a personal trainer once a week for exercise where they catch up and dish. Hillary is her uber-successful lawyer friend (doesn't every chick-lit book have one of them nowadays?) and there's also a gay friend, except this time, the gay friend is her former roommate Naomi. I was impressed that the gay friend was female instead of male. Like many chick-lit characters, Lily struggles with her weight, and scarfs down brownies at the show's craft table when she gets her period. In the show, there are carpenters, one a studly annoyance and one a solid friend, two gay stylists, a bimbo presenter and my favorite character, Bob, one of the cameramen. Bob is always asking, "Really with the (crying, sex, fighting, eating... pick your topic), really?" and I would just giggle every time Bob would walk by at some inopportune moment.
I could have done without Lily's Rules. The rules by which a chick-lit character lives or make sense of her life have been done to death (!) and I was disappointed that this creative author used something so cliche, especially when it didn't help or advance the plot any. If anything, Lily's Rules could have been home decorating tips that can apply to real life. Lily's Rule #278: Totally matching is boring; a little contrast makes a more interesting room. See how easy that was? I just made that one up.
Lily's show is a hit and Lily has a steamy romance with one of the guest featured on Swap/Meet. Lily also hooks up with an interim producer on her show and has lots of sex. But she never seems satisfied, always dumping the guy if he likes her too much, and pouting if he doesn't. The ending is surprising and sweet. I rated this one 4 stars, because it was exactly what I was looking for at the moment.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Fortunate Harbor (A Happiness Key novel) by Emilie Richards
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: Neighbors in a small Florida town deal have their friendship to support them through job loss, infertility issues, dating problems, and the return of their landlady's ex-con ex-husband.
It's delightful to pick up a book in the middle of a series and have the story feel complete without having read the previous novel (Happiness Key
) and I will likely read the upcoming novel, out later this year.
Tracy's relationship with Marsh is just taking off when his ex-wife Sylvia comes to Palmetto Grove to stay, and to be a mother to their ten-year-old son Bay. Tracy feels secure enough to wait for Marsh to sort out his feelings, until she thinks she sees CJ, her ex-con of an ex-husband snooping around her property. She comes to discover that it is CJ and he has big plans to prove himself innocent of the embezzlement and fraud charges and win Tracy back.
Sassy, colorful Wanda is fired from her job as a waitress for looking too old. After moping around for a few days, she decides to open up a pie shop, baking her fabulous pies. But the bakery down the street is doing everything possible to ensure Wanda fails.
Janya wants children, and thinks that her new husband Rishi does too. But Rishi is never home, and rebuffs all Janya's attempts at seduction and sex.
Elderly Alice, who I suspect has aphasia, is trying to raise her granddaughter Olivia, after Olivia's father murdered Alice's daughter, Olivia's mother.
And Dana, a friend of Wanda's from the restaurant, is trying to make a home for herself and her daughter Lizzie, without anyone discovering Dana's secret. When Dana rents one of the Tracy's cottages, she has no idea that she is enmeshing herself in the lives and hearts of these women. After Dana finds herself falling in love with a cop, she is torn between her heart and her daughter's safety.
While Tracy is the main character of the novel, I also was hungry to discover Dana's secret in this delightful easy read. The writing is realistic and flows. Tracy longs for the good times with CJ and wants to trust him. Tracy struggles with her weight and takes herself far too seriously. Wanda serves as comic foil and is both nosy and bossy. After reading about so many of Wanda's pies, I kept hoping the author would include at least one pie recipe, but she didn't. Janya assumes the best of everyone's motives but finally learns the truth about her husband, which is sad but also a relief. Alice plays less of a role, and I can't help wondering if perhaps she had a larger part in a previous novel. Enjoy this lighthearted novel of friendship. It also reminded me of Small Change
. If you liked that novel, you'll probably like this one.
Summary: Neighbors in a small Florida town deal have their friendship to support them through job loss, infertility issues, dating problems, and the return of their landlady's ex-con ex-husband.
It's delightful to pick up a book in the middle of a series and have the story feel complete without having read the previous novel (Happiness Key
) and I will likely read the upcoming novel, out later this year.Tracy's relationship with Marsh is just taking off when his ex-wife Sylvia comes to Palmetto Grove to stay, and to be a mother to their ten-year-old son Bay. Tracy feels secure enough to wait for Marsh to sort out his feelings, until she thinks she sees CJ, her ex-con of an ex-husband snooping around her property. She comes to discover that it is CJ and he has big plans to prove himself innocent of the embezzlement and fraud charges and win Tracy back.
Sassy, colorful Wanda is fired from her job as a waitress for looking too old. After moping around for a few days, she decides to open up a pie shop, baking her fabulous pies. But the bakery down the street is doing everything possible to ensure Wanda fails.
Janya wants children, and thinks that her new husband Rishi does too. But Rishi is never home, and rebuffs all Janya's attempts at seduction and sex.
Elderly Alice, who I suspect has aphasia, is trying to raise her granddaughter Olivia, after Olivia's father murdered Alice's daughter, Olivia's mother.
And Dana, a friend of Wanda's from the restaurant, is trying to make a home for herself and her daughter Lizzie, without anyone discovering Dana's secret. When Dana rents one of the Tracy's cottages, she has no idea that she is enmeshing herself in the lives and hearts of these women. After Dana finds herself falling in love with a cop, she is torn between her heart and her daughter's safety.
While Tracy is the main character of the novel, I also was hungry to discover Dana's secret in this delightful easy read. The writing is realistic and flows. Tracy longs for the good times with CJ and wants to trust him. Tracy struggles with her weight and takes herself far too seriously. Wanda serves as comic foil and is both nosy and bossy. After reading about so many of Wanda's pies, I kept hoping the author would include at least one pie recipe, but she didn't. Janya assumes the best of everyone's motives but finally learns the truth about her husband, which is sad but also a relief. Alice plays less of a role, and I can't help wondering if perhaps she had a larger part in a previous novel. Enjoy this lighthearted novel of friendship. It also reminded me of Small Change
. If you liked that novel, you'll probably like this one.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Perfect Blend by Sue Margolis
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: Single mom Amy finds love and career success while working at a coffee shop.
Perfect Blend was like a mocha drink - sweet, satisfying, and richer than expected. After an off-putting opening chapter, I stuck with it and this book surprised me, continually. At first, I thought it was a bad-dating Brit-lit
book, then a Mommy Wars
book, then a dysfunctional family
book. But it evolved from all of these things into a realistic romance with a small mystery thrown in.
Amy is a single mom who got pregnant on purpose, and seems to balance her life quite well. Her son Charlie is a normal six-year-old, Amy has great childcare options, and is slowly building a freelance journalism career. Amy's working as a barista at Mozart's Cafe for her friend Brian, a true coffee connoisseur. Sure, Amy's dates aren't really working out, and her sister is a know-it-all, but overall, her life is good.
Amy's both a working mom, since she works at a coffee shop and freelances, and is sometimes a stay-at-home mom. Both types of mothers come into Cafe Mozart and Amy has these styles of mothers pegged:
On an errand to pick up more milk, Amy encounters a handsome man, looking over Bean Machine papers in a new building. If chain coffee shop Bean Machine moves in, there's no way Brian can afford to employ Amy. Bean Machine will get the morning metro traffic, the business lunch crowd and the afternoon mom snacks. Amy has a great work situation and can't afford to find another job. Plus Brian's a good friend and sunk his whole savings into Cafe Mozart. Amy politely thanks the handsome - but obviously evil - Bean Machine man, and hurries back to share the bad news with the Cafe Mozart staff.
When the handsome man buys a cup of coffee a few days later, Amy blasts him - Bean Machine exploits workers and drives small business owners out, yet he gives as good as he gets, just before he tells Amy that he was only the engineer of the building. Amy's remorseful about her rush to judgment, and when the man - Sam - arrives at Cafe Mozart again - and defuses a tense mommy wars situation - Amy has a chance to apologize. They have a great date, and go on to have a great romance.
And life happens and unfolds in funny, tense and tender ways - her sister Victoria splits from her husband and moves in with Amy and Charlie; Amy's researching a hot story in the coffee business; Amy's divorced parents are each having relationship issues; Brian's having some concerning health issues, and Bean Machine is opening soon.
This book delighted me by defying predictability. It was deeper than I expected, based on the title and opening chapter, and I plan to read more by author Sue Margolis.
Summary: Single mom Amy finds love and career success while working at a coffee shop.
Perfect Blend was like a mocha drink - sweet, satisfying, and richer than expected. After an off-putting opening chapter, I stuck with it and this book surprised me, continually. At first, I thought it was a bad-dating Brit-lit
book, then a Mommy Wars book, then a dysfunctional family book. But it evolved from all of these things into a realistic romance with a small mystery thrown in.Amy is a single mom who got pregnant on purpose, and seems to balance her life quite well. Her son Charlie is a normal six-year-old, Amy has great childcare options, and is slowly building a freelance journalism career. Amy's working as a barista at Mozart's Cafe for her friend Brian, a true coffee connoisseur. Sure, Amy's dates aren't really working out, and her sister is a know-it-all, but overall, her life is good.
Amy's both a working mom, since she works at a coffee shop and freelances, and is sometimes a stay-at-home mom. Both types of mothers come into Cafe Mozart and Amy has these styles of mothers pegged:
A stay-at-home mummy - role model: Angelina Jolie, motto: "The best academy, a mother's knee" - believed that by being permanently available, she was raising well adjusted children who would blossom into delightful, angst-free adolescents and emotionally stable adults. So she devoted her time to finger painting and making low-sugar wholemeal cupcakes with her brood. She fed them a careful balance of carbs, protein and vitamins. She was also a firm believer that small children shouldn't become overburdened by too many after-kindergarten activities. Her kids were encouraged to pursue destressing pastimes such as kiddie yoga, Kindermusik, and tending the plants at the Tots Herb Garden.
An alpha mummy- role model- Cherie Blair (lawyer, author, mother of four), motto: "In it to win it" - believed that by combining motherhood with a high flying career, she was achieving the goals that her teachers and university tutors set down for her. Moreover, she was proving to the next generation that it was possible for women to have it all. "Discipline" and "determination" were her watchwords. The first things an alpha mummy did after giving birth was phone her CEO.And then there are "mothers superiors":
For them, motherhood was nothing less than rhapsodic. Mothers superior would never admit that being stuck at home on a wet afternoon building Lego towers with a toddler who immediately demolished them and then demanded they be rebuilt was a chore. In their view, the mistake other mothers make was failing to see the experience as a truly meaningful step on junior's epic journey toward learning to play and interact with significant others. It was something to be celebrated, not endured.I know mothers like these - all of these. And while I can roll my eyes at their extreme views, they do exist. And they exist in Amy's life too, as Amy's sister Victoria is a mother superior. So I thought this would be a "struggling mom" book, or a mom who learns how to be happy, single and alone. Yet...
On an errand to pick up more milk, Amy encounters a handsome man, looking over Bean Machine papers in a new building. If chain coffee shop Bean Machine moves in, there's no way Brian can afford to employ Amy. Bean Machine will get the morning metro traffic, the business lunch crowd and the afternoon mom snacks. Amy has a great work situation and can't afford to find another job. Plus Brian's a good friend and sunk his whole savings into Cafe Mozart. Amy politely thanks the handsome - but obviously evil - Bean Machine man, and hurries back to share the bad news with the Cafe Mozart staff.
When the handsome man buys a cup of coffee a few days later, Amy blasts him - Bean Machine exploits workers and drives small business owners out, yet he gives as good as he gets, just before he tells Amy that he was only the engineer of the building. Amy's remorseful about her rush to judgment, and when the man - Sam - arrives at Cafe Mozart again - and defuses a tense mommy wars situation - Amy has a chance to apologize. They have a great date, and go on to have a great romance.
And life happens and unfolds in funny, tense and tender ways - her sister Victoria splits from her husband and moves in with Amy and Charlie; Amy's researching a hot story in the coffee business; Amy's divorced parents are each having relationship issues; Brian's having some concerning health issues, and Bean Machine is opening soon.
This book delighted me by defying predictability. It was deeper than I expected, based on the title and opening chapter, and I plan to read more by author Sue Margolis.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Secret of Joy by Melissa Senate
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: Just before her father dies, Rebecca finds out he has fathered a child and abandoned her long ago. Rebecca finds her long-lost sister.
About to marry her long-time boyfriend and boss, Rebecca is delighted and stunned to discover that she has a sister she's never met. Of course, her father's deathbed confession that he had an affair 26 years ago and fathered a child he's had no contact with since leaves Rebecca reeling, especially since she always thought her parents had the perfect marriage.
I loved this book. The complex and messy emotions contained in the book were perfectly described and understandable. The anger, joy, frustration, confusion and stubbornness of being an adult and recognizing your parents' flaws carry this above and beyond a typical chick-lit novel.
Bereft over the upcoming loss of her father, Rebecca is also angered and confused. How could her father, her loving and attentive father, have abandoned her sister? Was her entire relationship with her father a fantasy? And what was her parents' marriage really like? And why did he tell her now?
The characters are well-developed, with human flaws and needs. I cried with the characters and even though this book had an unexpected happy ending, I hope to read more about these people.
Summary: Just before her father dies, Rebecca finds out he has fathered a child and abandoned her long ago. Rebecca finds her long-lost sister.
About to marry her long-time boyfriend and boss, Rebecca is delighted and stunned to discover that she has a sister she's never met. Of course, her father's deathbed confession that he had an affair 26 years ago and fathered a child he's had no contact with since leaves Rebecca reeling, especially since she always thought her parents had the perfect marriage.
I loved this book. The complex and messy emotions contained in the book were perfectly described and understandable. The anger, joy, frustration, confusion and stubbornness of being an adult and recognizing your parents' flaws carry this above and beyond a typical chick-lit novel.
Bereft over the upcoming loss of her father, Rebecca is also angered and confused. How could her father, her loving and attentive father, have abandoned her sister? Was her entire relationship with her father a fantasy? And what was her parents' marriage really like? And why did he tell her now?
"If your dad felt that guilty, he would have tracked her down at some point over the past twenty-six years. It's a deathbed confession, Rebecca. It's to ease his heart. It's so he can die in peace."But when she is reprimanded professionally for getting too emotional at work after her father's death, Rebecca takes a leave of absence to track down her sister, Joy. Her boyfriend/boss Michael thinks tracking down her long-lost sister is a terrible idea, but something compels Rebecca north to Maine.
"WELCOME TO MAINE: THE WAY LIFE SHOULD BE. The sign seemed like her fortune, her horoscope, her Magic 8 Ball answer. Her life was not the way it should be, and she knew it, had known it for a while. She liked the idea that simply passing the sign meant she was working on that."Joy lives in Maine and runs singles tours on the Love Bus. But Joy's own marriage is in trouble and she rejects all of Rebecca's attempts at friendship and connection. Joy was rejected her whole life by Rebecca's father and now, after his death, the only way she can express the pain of that rejection is by rejecting Rebecca. But Joy is the only family Rebecca has left and Rebecca needs something from Joy, just as she simply needs joy.
The characters are well-developed, with human flaws and needs. I cried with the characters and even though this book had an unexpected happy ending, I hope to read more about these people.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Small Change by Sheila Roberts
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: Three neighbors with financial difficulties decide to work together to solve their problems.
I was given a copy of this book by the publisher.
When you laugh by the second page, that’s a good sign that you’ll enjoy the book. But I was also wincing in sympathy by the end of the first chapter. If you liked the Shopaholic series, then this is the updated realistic version: Frugalistas or Recessionistas.
Tiffany has been struggling with infertility and is a compulsive bargain hunter.
Easy to read, well-researched, and authentic, this book has something for everyone, even some solid financial advice. But you’ll have to read the book yourself to get those gems.
What I especially liked is that while this book had an essentially happy ending, it was not a typical story-book ending. The problems were solved in a realistic way that, while not ideal, certainly made sense. It’s not as fluffy as typical chick-lit, not as righteous as the Christian fiction I read but instead was a story of solid friendship in the middle of financial hardships.
Summary: Three neighbors with financial difficulties decide to work together to solve their problems.
I was given a copy of this book by the publisher.
When you laugh by the second page, that’s a good sign that you’ll enjoy the book. But I was also wincing in sympathy by the end of the first chapter. If you liked the Shopaholic series, then this is the updated realistic version: Frugalistas or Recessionistas.
Tiffany has been struggling with infertility and is a compulsive bargain hunter.
“As far as Tiffany was concerned, the three sexiest words in the English language were fifty percent off. She was a world-class bargain hunter (not surprising, since she’d sat at the feet of an expert- her mom), and she could smell a sale a mile away.
Good as she was at ferreting out a bargain, she wasn’t good with credit cards. It hadn’t taken Tiffany long to snarl her finances to the point where she and Brian had to sue their small, start-a-family savings and Brian’s car fund to bail her out.”Jess and her husband chose to stay in Heart Lake after he lost his job and now Jess has to find a job at age 44 after being out of the work force for years. Her wardrobe is sparkly pink tank tops and flip-flops and her typing skills are abysmal.
“She thought of having to face that one-hour commute on a regular basis and shuddered. You don’t have to find full-time employment, she reminded herself, something part time will do. Nothing at all would do better. She really wasn’t cut out to be an office drone.”And Rachel is a newly-divorced mother, scared to say no to her kids’ constant demand for stuff after the divorce.
“She needed another prince like she needed a third boob. She already had her hands full with Aaron, who was as lousy an ex as he once was a husband – always late with his child support payments, but still managing to come up with money for presents for the kids and frequent trips to Pizza Heaven to ensure his status as the favorite parents. She’d been coping with all of that, pretty much, but now she’d been set adrift in a leaky raft on a stormy financial sea. Was she a survivor?”So these three neighbors, who are all struggling financially, change their Friday night craft nights into the Small Change club, determined to improve that small financial changes can make a big difference. Tiffany starts a small e-Bay business, with delightfully funny results, Rachel starts a popular blog with real recipes I plan to use, and Jess always reminds herself (and us) what is most important – a loving family, health and togetherness.
Easy to read, well-researched, and authentic, this book has something for everyone, even some solid financial advice. But you’ll have to read the book yourself to get those gems.
What I especially liked is that while this book had an essentially happy ending, it was not a typical story-book ending. The problems were solved in a realistic way that, while not ideal, certainly made sense. It’s not as fluffy as typical chick-lit, not as righteous as the Christian fiction I read but instead was a story of solid friendship in the middle of financial hardships.
Friday, October 8, 2010
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: A white woman in 1960s Mississippi secretly documents the lives of the black maids in her town.
I avoided this book because I thought nothing really fresh or new could be added to the civil rights struggle. It seems as if I've read all the good books and the only stories left would offer nothing very interesting. Boy, was I wrong! And I'm so glad I read this book.
Skeeter, a white college graduate, returns to her home town of Jackson, Mississippi, and all of her journalistic ambitions are funneled into writing for the Junior League's Newsletter. On an impulse, she sends her articles to a New York publisher, who encourages her to write about something that is fresh and new, and hasn't been covered before. The publisher advises her:
Meanwhile, Skeeter's mother is busy helping Skeeter find a rich husband from a good Southern family. Skeeter has a tender, tentative relationship with a man who seems to appreciate her for who she is, or maybe he just enjoys her thumbing her nose at the small-town traditions.
Skeeter gets lots of heat from her friends in the Junior League, especially the queen bee, Hilly.
During a family tragedy in the house where fat and sassy Minny works, the husband says:
Summary: A white woman in 1960s Mississippi secretly documents the lives of the black maids in her town.
I avoided this book because I thought nothing really fresh or new could be added to the civil rights struggle. It seems as if I've read all the good books and the only stories left would offer nothing very interesting. Boy, was I wrong! And I'm so glad I read this book.
Skeeter, a white college graduate, returns to her home town of Jackson, Mississippi, and all of her journalistic ambitions are funneled into writing for the Junior League's Newsletter. On an impulse, she sends her articles to a New York publisher, who encourages her to write about something that is fresh and new, and hasn't been covered before. The publisher advises her:
"Get going. Before this civil rights thing blows over."Skeeter decides to interview and write about the black maids in Jackson, and their relationships with their white employers. To Skeeter it is worth the risk, and it just may be her ticket out of Jackson and off to New York City if she succeeds.
Meanwhile, Skeeter's mother is busy helping Skeeter find a rich husband from a good Southern family. Skeeter has a tender, tentative relationship with a man who seems to appreciate her for who she is, or maybe he just enjoys her thumbing her nose at the small-town traditions.
Skeeter gets lots of heat from her friends in the Junior League, especially the queen bee, Hilly.
“’I am about to be a politician’s wife, unless you have anything to do with it. How is William ever going to get elected in Washington, D.C. one day if we have integrational friends in our closet?’ ”The racism is prevalent but Skeeter is in awe of the maids' bravery in telling the truth about their lives and the love they have for their careless employers. What's surprising is how much the white employees seem to rely on their servants, despite the way they treat them. Skeeter's mother says:
“They say it’s like true love, good help. You only get one in a lifetime.”
During a family tragedy in the house where fat and sassy Minny works, the husband says:
“You’ll always have a job here with us, Minny. For the rest of your life if you want.”
“Thank you sir,” I say and I mean it. Those are the best words I could hear today.
I reach for the door but Miss Celia says, real soft, “Stay in here awhile. Will you, Minny?”
So I lean my hand on the sideboard because the baby’s getting heavy on me. And I wonder how it is that I have so much when she doesn’t have any. He’s crying. She’s crying. We are three fools in the dining room crying.”A tender touching story. The only reason why I gave it four stars instead of five is because I thought a few scenes were cliched and predictable, but others were deliciously dark and appealing.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: A modern British woman is haunted by the ghost of her great-aunt, who was the original Twenties girl.
This book stared out so slowly and clichéd that I was a little disappointed and thought maybe that Sophie Kinsella had kinda run her course.
The book opens with mid-twenties Lara Lington lying to parents about how successful her business is (not very), how she’s not text-stalking her ex-boyfriend (because he changed his phone number) and that she doesn’t need any money (totally not true). Another novel about a British woman who’s struggling with who she is and what she wants? Been there, read that.
Lara and her family are attending the funeral of Lara’s great aunt Sadie, who died alone in a nursing home at age 105. Suddenly Lara hears a panicked voice asking, “Where’s my necklace?” It turns out to be the ghost of Sadie, whom only Lara can see. She shouts out that Sadie’s been murdered and lies rather ridiculously to the police and her family about it. They agree to delay burial so they can investigate but everyone thinks Lara’s a little off.
Sadie then haunts Lara’s apartment and work. There are some silly and uninspired moments where Lara is trying to talk to a live person and also argue with Sadie at the same time. You get the idea. Sadie also has the remarkable ability to shout commands in people’s ears and they find themselves compelled to obey without knowing why. So Lara convinces Sadie to get her ex-boyfriend to share why he broke up with her. Lara immediately embarks on a mission to be the type of girlfriend Josh wants. Again, not that original as a chick-lit plot.
But Sadie also forces/encourages/persuades Lara to ask Sadie’s dream man out on a date, so that Sadie can have one last fling. Lara walks into a building, asks new-in-town American Ed out on a date. Ed, with Sadie’s hidden persuasion, agrees to go out with Lara. Sadie also convinces Lara to dress like a real twenties girl for this date – hair, make-up, dress. And Sadie also supplies the dialogue for Lara on this date. It wasn’t until I saw the lengths that Lara went to to please Sadie, giving only minimal thought to how utterly ridiculous she looked that I started enjoying who Lara was. But that’s the way I am; if I don’t like the main character, I don’t really like the book.
Lara’s willingness to throw herself wholeheartedly into helping Sadie live some of her old memories and search for that darned necklace made this book better than your usual chick-lit. You may also have guessed that Lara really wants to be liked, and doesn’t like confrontation. So she originally helps Sadie just so that Sadie will go away.
But of course, in learning about Sadie’s life, Lara finds herself fascinated with a relative she never knew and marveling at her strength and zest for living. Of course you can guess that when Lara/Sadie is on a date with Ed that Lara finds herself happier than she’s ever been with Josh.
The story of the necklace and Sadie’s sad past uncover a shocking modern-day secret that give Lara confidence and rocks her whole family. I won’t give it away, but will tell you NOT to give up on this book. It’s worth reading until the end.
Summary: A modern British woman is haunted by the ghost of her great-aunt, who was the original Twenties girl.
This book stared out so slowly and clichéd that I was a little disappointed and thought maybe that Sophie Kinsella had kinda run her course.
The book opens with mid-twenties Lara Lington lying to parents about how successful her business is (not very), how she’s not text-stalking her ex-boyfriend (because he changed his phone number) and that she doesn’t need any money (totally not true). Another novel about a British woman who’s struggling with who she is and what she wants? Been there, read that.
Lara and her family are attending the funeral of Lara’s great aunt Sadie, who died alone in a nursing home at age 105. Suddenly Lara hears a panicked voice asking, “Where’s my necklace?” It turns out to be the ghost of Sadie, whom only Lara can see. She shouts out that Sadie’s been murdered and lies rather ridiculously to the police and her family about it. They agree to delay burial so they can investigate but everyone thinks Lara’s a little off.
Sadie then haunts Lara’s apartment and work. There are some silly and uninspired moments where Lara is trying to talk to a live person and also argue with Sadie at the same time. You get the idea. Sadie also has the remarkable ability to shout commands in people’s ears and they find themselves compelled to obey without knowing why. So Lara convinces Sadie to get her ex-boyfriend to share why he broke up with her. Lara immediately embarks on a mission to be the type of girlfriend Josh wants. Again, not that original as a chick-lit plot.
But Sadie also forces/encourages/persuades Lara to ask Sadie’s dream man out on a date, so that Sadie can have one last fling. Lara walks into a building, asks new-in-town American Ed out on a date. Ed, with Sadie’s hidden persuasion, agrees to go out with Lara. Sadie also convinces Lara to dress like a real twenties girl for this date – hair, make-up, dress. And Sadie also supplies the dialogue for Lara on this date. It wasn’t until I saw the lengths that Lara went to to please Sadie, giving only minimal thought to how utterly ridiculous she looked that I started enjoying who Lara was. But that’s the way I am; if I don’t like the main character, I don’t really like the book.
Lara’s willingness to throw herself wholeheartedly into helping Sadie live some of her old memories and search for that darned necklace made this book better than your usual chick-lit. You may also have guessed that Lara really wants to be liked, and doesn’t like confrontation. So she originally helps Sadie just so that Sadie will go away.
But of course, in learning about Sadie’s life, Lara finds herself fascinated with a relative she never knew and marveling at her strength and zest for living. Of course you can guess that when Lara/Sadie is on a date with Ed that Lara finds herself happier than she’s ever been with Josh.
The story of the necklace and Sadie’s sad past uncover a shocking modern-day secret that give Lara confidence and rocks her whole family. I won’t give it away, but will tell you NOT to give up on this book. It’s worth reading until the end.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Big Girl by Danielle Steel
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: An overweight adult was neglected and ignored by her family.
It's been ages since I've read a Danielle Steel novel. I'm glad I picked this one up. She tells a good story, even if dialogue is her weakness.
Victoria is born to Jim and Christine and looks nothing like them. Their disappointment that Victoria was not a boy and not immediately adorable causes these two shallow people to neglect their child for years. Baby Victoria is wrinkly and stout and so looks like Queen Victoria that her father names her after Victoria, as kind of a cruel joke. Victoria only realizes what an insult it was at age six when she finally sees a pictures of the aging Queen Victoria and doubts her parents' love for her ever since. When her sister Grace is born when Victoria is seven, Victoria showers Grace with all the love that she wanted and never got. Jim jokes that Victoria was the "tester cake" kid, the cake (or kid) they should have thrown away.
Their mother, Christine, is a biddable wife, who adores her husband and sees a child-free moment as an opportunity to play bridge. But Grace and Victoria remains loving sisters despite their age gap and their looks. Of course, Grace is adorable, petite, and skinny, and looks just like her parents. Jim says that Victoria is lucky that she has brains since Grace has the beauty, while her mother tells her not to be too smart, because men don't like smart women.
Victoria also has depth and character, something sorely lacking in her parents. Victoria goes to college at Northwestern, far away from her family in California. Her father thinks she should major in advertising or marketing, his field, and scorns her teaching degree. Without their support, Victoria lands a job in New York City, teaching at an exclusive private school. But without a husband, and still a size 12 (C'mon, Danielle, really?), she has little value to her parents.
Summary: An overweight adult was neglected and ignored by her family.
It's been ages since I've read a Danielle Steel novel. I'm glad I picked this one up. She tells a good story, even if dialogue is her weakness.
Victoria is born to Jim and Christine and looks nothing like them. Their disappointment that Victoria was not a boy and not immediately adorable causes these two shallow people to neglect their child for years. Baby Victoria is wrinkly and stout and so looks like Queen Victoria that her father names her after Victoria, as kind of a cruel joke. Victoria only realizes what an insult it was at age six when she finally sees a pictures of the aging Queen Victoria and doubts her parents' love for her ever since. When her sister Grace is born when Victoria is seven, Victoria showers Grace with all the love that she wanted and never got. Jim jokes that Victoria was the "tester cake" kid, the cake (or kid) they should have thrown away.
Their mother, Christine, is a biddable wife, who adores her husband and sees a child-free moment as an opportunity to play bridge. But Grace and Victoria remains loving sisters despite their age gap and their looks. Of course, Grace is adorable, petite, and skinny, and looks just like her parents. Jim says that Victoria is lucky that she has brains since Grace has the beauty, while her mother tells her not to be too smart, because men don't like smart women.
Victoria also has depth and character, something sorely lacking in her parents. Victoria goes to college at Northwestern, far away from her family in California. Her father thinks she should major in advertising or marketing, his field, and scorns her teaching degree. Without their support, Victoria lands a job in New York City, teaching at an exclusive private school. But without a husband, and still a size 12 (C'mon, Danielle, really?), she has little value to her parents.
"He didn't notice a single pound she lost; nor did her mother, who was always distressed about her daughter's size, no matter what it was. The label they had put on her as a child was stuck there forever, like a tattoo. She was a "big girl," which was their way of calling her a fat girl. She knew that if she weighed a hundred pounds and were disappearing, they would still see her as a "big girl." They were the mirror of her inadequacies and her failings, and never of her victories. The only victories they saw were Grace's. That was just the way they were."Knowing that every negative moment in her life is tied to her rejection by her parents, Victoria goes to see a therapist.
"It was why she was here. To change the image her parents had given her of herself. And she said she was willing to do whatever it took, even if the process was painful for her. Living with her own sense of defeat was worse. It had been her parents' legacy to her, to make her feel unlovable, because they didn't love her."It's the best thing she does for herself. Danielle Steel seems to blame emotional eating and ice cream on Victoria's weight, and that likely would be it. I personally would have liked a book with a little more body acceptance, but the book ends with you beliving that Victoria would always want to be skinnier. She has given up on trying to work for her parents' love, and accepts the love she has built with a successful lawyer who adores her.
Monday, July 12, 2010
How Not to Make a Wish by Mindy Klasky
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: An under-employed single woman is granted three wishes by a genie.
Be careful what you wish for... you just might get it.
Kyra Franklin rubs a prop lamp and an actual genie appears. Kyra first asks for a better job, and gets one as stage manager for Landmark Theatre, a groundbreaking theatre in Minneapolis. I love reading about local places, even if the Landmark is not an actual theatre here.
Director Bill Pomeroy is producing a "gender-shifted, iron-bound, water-stained, flashlight-lit, hip-hop-supertitled, heartbreaking production of Shakespeare's classic love story," - Romeo and Juliet. The set designer becomes Kyra's ally, and Kyra and John deal with the crazy director's ever-changing and more outlandish plans. Kyra is run ragged keeping up with the plans but is enthralled with Bill's vision and creativity.
When Kyra encounters her ex, a guy she refers to a TEWSBU (The Ex Who Should Be Unnamed), Kyra uses another one of her wishes to drop thirty pounds. The genie generously and spontaneously adds a cup size too. Kyra's new body alarms her roommates and her father, who stage an intervention because they believe she's anorexic.
And finally Kyra wishes that leading man Drew, who's playing Juliet (gender-bending play, remember?) is in love with her. Kyra couldn't look past his pretty face to his personality. After Drew is bitten by the love bug (or love genie), Kyra thinks she has it all. Hot sex with a hunk who worships her new body? Sign me up. But Kyra becomes annoyed at Drew's puppy-dog eyes, constant hovering, and his frequent use of the word, "Dude!"
Kyra will likely never be hired again if this play is launched, she can't get any work done with dumb-but-gorgeous Drew hanging around, and writing in her mandatory food diary is getting old.
How will Kyra solve this? It's a fun read, even in its implausibility.
What would you wish for?
Summary: An under-employed single woman is granted three wishes by a genie.
Be careful what you wish for... you just might get it.
Kyra Franklin rubs a prop lamp and an actual genie appears. Kyra first asks for a better job, and gets one as stage manager for Landmark Theatre, a groundbreaking theatre in Minneapolis. I love reading about local places, even if the Landmark is not an actual theatre here.
Director Bill Pomeroy is producing a "gender-shifted, iron-bound, water-stained, flashlight-lit, hip-hop-supertitled, heartbreaking production of Shakespeare's classic love story," - Romeo and Juliet. The set designer becomes Kyra's ally, and Kyra and John deal with the crazy director's ever-changing and more outlandish plans. Kyra is run ragged keeping up with the plans but is enthralled with Bill's vision and creativity.
When Kyra encounters her ex, a guy she refers to a TEWSBU (The Ex Who Should Be Unnamed), Kyra uses another one of her wishes to drop thirty pounds. The genie generously and spontaneously adds a cup size too. Kyra's new body alarms her roommates and her father, who stage an intervention because they believe she's anorexic.
And finally Kyra wishes that leading man Drew, who's playing Juliet (gender-bending play, remember?) is in love with her. Kyra couldn't look past his pretty face to his personality. After Drew is bitten by the love bug (or love genie), Kyra thinks she has it all. Hot sex with a hunk who worships her new body? Sign me up. But Kyra becomes annoyed at Drew's puppy-dog eyes, constant hovering, and his frequent use of the word, "Dude!"
Kyra will likely never be hired again if this play is launched, she can't get any work done with dumb-but-gorgeous Drew hanging around, and writing in her mandatory food diary is getting old.
How will Kyra solve this? It's a fun read, even in its implausibility.
What would you wish for?
Saturday, July 3, 2010
The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: A Mormon stay-at-home mom strikes up an unlikely friendship with a Hollywood heartthrob.
Don’t be fooled by the title. This is not a light chick-lit read. It’s an intense story of intimate friendship and marriage in the style of Kristin Hannah with religious overtones.
Within 10 seconds of meeting movie hunk Felix Callahan, pregnant Mormon housewife Becky Jack makes an obscure Biblical reference that leaves everybody awkward and uncomfortable. Then she insults him and he calls her fat. Despite that unusual opening, the two become friends.
The friendship between Becky and Felix surprises everybody, including themselves. Like many friendships, it goes through times where they talk on the phone multiple times a day and times when they grow distracted by the stresses of daily life. It's usually light and fluffy, providing comic relief for both. Felix carefully avoids anything intimate.
Their close friendship does cause a few marital problems on Becky’s side. Becky is all set to visit Felix alone in LA for a fun weekend when Mike says that he’s having a hard time. Becky doesn’t go on her trip and drops Felix immediately. She moves on with her life, and never mentions Felix again, but feels lonely and virtuous. There was never any doubt that Mike and her four kids and her tame Mormon life are everything she needs, yet…
Then Felix’s wife Celeste calls Mike to ask permission for Becky to be Felix’s friend again. This part of the book is fascinating. Can men and women really be friends? If it bothers one spouse but not the other? Is jealousy a sign of love? What if they are really attractive? Is the appearance of impropriety enough to assume infidelity? Can you be friends with your movie star crush? All I know is that I would have a hard time sitting next to Daniel Craig if he was in my kitchen. I’d just be waiting for him to kiss me or for me to spill grape juice on him in my nervousness.
Mike recognizes that Becky's friendship with Felix is special but can’t understand why. Becky explains:
Summary: A Mormon stay-at-home mom strikes up an unlikely friendship with a Hollywood heartthrob.
Don’t be fooled by the title. This is not a light chick-lit read. It’s an intense story of intimate friendship and marriage in the style of Kristin Hannah with religious overtones.
Within 10 seconds of meeting movie hunk Felix Callahan, pregnant Mormon housewife Becky Jack makes an obscure Biblical reference that leaves everybody awkward and uncomfortable. Then she insults him and he calls her fat. Despite that unusual opening, the two become friends.
The friendship between Becky and Felix surprises everybody, including themselves. Like many friendships, it goes through times where they talk on the phone multiple times a day and times when they grow distracted by the stresses of daily life. It's usually light and fluffy, providing comic relief for both. Felix carefully avoids anything intimate.
“The conversation had turned a little chilly, and Becky backed away from the pit of unsaid things. This was not the fodder of their friendship, and Becky was feeling waterlogged with the awkwardness drowning the room.”Together, Felix and Becky have weak insults, inside jokes, totally separate lives and two spouses who don’t understand their friendship but do tolerate it.
Their close friendship does cause a few marital problems on Becky’s side. Becky is all set to visit Felix alone in LA for a fun weekend when Mike says that he’s having a hard time. Becky doesn’t go on her trip and drops Felix immediately. She moves on with her life, and never mentions Felix again, but feels lonely and virtuous. There was never any doubt that Mike and her four kids and her tame Mormon life are everything she needs, yet…
Then Felix’s wife Celeste calls Mike to ask permission for Becky to be Felix’s friend again. This part of the book is fascinating. Can men and women really be friends? If it bothers one spouse but not the other? Is jealousy a sign of love? What if they are really attractive? Is the appearance of impropriety enough to assume infidelity? Can you be friends with your movie star crush? All I know is that I would have a hard time sitting next to Daniel Craig if he was in my kitchen. I’d just be waiting for him to kiss me or for me to spill grape juice on him in my nervousness.
Mike recognizes that Becky's friendship with Felix is special but can’t understand why. Becky explains:
“But with Felix- it’s different from talking with my other friends. It’s a little gift for me to laugh with him – or at him more often than not. It’s fun but it also feels … important somehow. Like I’m exercising a part of my brain that’s been neglected. And I feel a little more excited to live the day.”This was a good book, but not what I expected from the title.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Girls of Summer by Barbara Bretton
Please note: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price. So buy and read now!
Summary: Dr. Ellen Markowitz has a steamy one-night stand with her co-worker. Her life is further disrupted by the appearance of her wild half-sister.
OB-GYN Ellen Markowitz has a steamy one-night stand with her co-worker, Dr. Hall Talbot. Their small Maine town is further shocked by the appearance of Ellen’s wild half-sister, Dierdre.
Terrible book. A 35-year-old OB-GYN should not get pregnant from an unprotected one night stand with a fellow OB-GYN. But what upsets Dr. Ellen O’Brien Markowitz is not that she slept with her boss, but that he called out another woman’s name at, uh, his moment of release. So most of the book is Hall Talbot, a thrice-divorced doctor with four kids, realizing that he really doesn’t love married Annie after all, even though he’s fantasized about her for 10 years (marrying and having children with other women throughout his unrequited crush). Then he has to convince Ellen, who he really now adores, that his slip of the tongue was not a Freudian slip, but something else.
Ellen is dealing with her own messy family problems. And they are messy. Her half-sister Deirdre shows up, planning to leave her oversized dog with Ellen while Deirdre takes a harping job. (Too complicated to explain). But Deirdre and Ellen share a father and Ellen’s step-father married Ellen’s mother and raised Ellen as his own. All that changed after Ellen’s mother’s died and Deirdre’s father decided he had to be in Ellen’s life. So Ellen finds out she has two sisters and the man who raised her as a father wasn’t really her father and never really loved her step-father because she was still pining for Billy, Ellen’s biological father. Messy, messy, messy.
And the writing was terrible. Let me quote a scene:
Girls of Summer? Who calls 35-year old women “Girls?” Really? And an OB-Gyn who doesn’t use birth control and gets pregnant from that single time and then has a crisis pregnancy and then delivers a healthy baby girl? Puh-leeze. This book was just ridiculous.
Summary: Dr. Ellen Markowitz has a steamy one-night stand with her co-worker. Her life is further disrupted by the appearance of her wild half-sister.
OB-GYN Ellen Markowitz has a steamy one-night stand with her co-worker, Dr. Hall Talbot. Their small Maine town is further shocked by the appearance of Ellen’s wild half-sister, Dierdre.
Terrible book. A 35-year-old OB-GYN should not get pregnant from an unprotected one night stand with a fellow OB-GYN. But what upsets Dr. Ellen O’Brien Markowitz is not that she slept with her boss, but that he called out another woman’s name at, uh, his moment of release. So most of the book is Hall Talbot, a thrice-divorced doctor with four kids, realizing that he really doesn’t love married Annie after all, even though he’s fantasized about her for 10 years (marrying and having children with other women throughout his unrequited crush). Then he has to convince Ellen, who he really now adores, that his slip of the tongue was not a Freudian slip, but something else.
Ellen is dealing with her own messy family problems. And they are messy. Her half-sister Deirdre shows up, planning to leave her oversized dog with Ellen while Deirdre takes a harping job. (Too complicated to explain). But Deirdre and Ellen share a father and Ellen’s step-father married Ellen’s mother and raised Ellen as his own. All that changed after Ellen’s mother’s died and Deirdre’s father decided he had to be in Ellen’s life. So Ellen finds out she has two sisters and the man who raised her as a father wasn’t really her father and never really loved her step-father because she was still pining for Billy, Ellen’s biological father. Messy, messy, messy.
And the writing was terrible. Let me quote a scene:
“The glass shattered in his hand in a spray of water and glittering shards.”...
“The ragged edge of sorrow was blunted by something else, a tidal pull of longing that wrapped itself around her and wouldn’t let go.”...
“Then, because there was nothing else they could do, no other way to postpone the inevitable, he swept her up into his arms an carried her into the bedroom where he gently stripped away her clothes and began to make love to her body and soul.”This book was too full. There was just too much going on for the characters in the book. Deirdre and Ellens’ father is dying of cancer; Hall's best friend Susan decides that she wants him, even though she’s married with kids and sets out to seduce him; Deirdre has a fling with Scott the Mechanic, who is trying to fix her car; and Ellen just bought a house. Just too much. Look, I get that life is messy and things often happen simultaneously, but I felt like the author tried to cram three inadequate books into one and make it work.
Girls of Summer? Who calls 35-year old women “Girls?” Really? And an OB-Gyn who doesn’t use birth control and gets pregnant from that single time and then has a crisis pregnancy and then delivers a healthy baby girl? Puh-leeze. This book was just ridiculous.
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