I hated the second half – plot based on internal mental anguish and conflicts within the character’s mind.
I prefer conflicts based on interaction withI hated the second half – plot based on internal mental anguish and conflicts within the character’s mind.
I prefer conflicts based on interaction with people or things, not interaction within your own brain. It felt like typical and overdone New Adult First Person internal anguish and angst. For Jem it’s like: I‘m broken, I can‘t be fixed, I’m no good for anyone, I have to leave. I’m afraid I’ll be hurt in the future if I stay and have a relationship with people who care for me, so I have to leave. I have no money, but I don’t care, I have to leave and be homeless. For Ben: he will not tell anyone his secret, he runs away from anyone who cares about him, he will suffer alone rather than be with someone he loves or cares about.
The story is told in 1st person Jem’s point of view. And then there are diary entries written by Ben which are 1st person his point of view. There is a happy ending for the couple.
This feels like New Adult, but technically the characters are older. Jem 28. Ben 30.
I ENJOYED THE FIRST HALF OF THE BOOK. There are mysteries and secrets about Jem (heroine) and Ben (hero). They don’t tell anyone their secrets. There was one scene where she invited him to attend a retail store event. He didn’t say if he would go. She didn’t say where it was. But on the day of the event she arrived to pick him up and they went. There is also a mystery about Saskia, an evil store owner who is doing bad things to Jem and her roommate Rosie.
DATA: Narrative mode: 1st person. Story length: 284 pages. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words but not often used. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: two plus one vaguely referred to. Setting: current day North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Copyright: 2011. Genre: contemporary romance, New Adult, chick lit....more
2 ½ stars. Good stories for secondary characters. But I did not like the conflict for the main characters.
I’m angry when I think about it. But gosh sh2 ½ stars. Good stories for secondary characters. But I did not like the conflict for the main characters.
I’m angry when I think about it. But gosh she’s a good writer. This was enjoyable story telling about several characters with love interests. I was engaged all the way through. BUT I could not accept or enjoy the premise of the book - the conflict between the main couple. In the beginning Lola accepts money to break up with Doug. She needs the money to help someone else - it’s life or death. Then she “promises” never to tell anyone about whom she gave the money to or why. Even after this person dies she keeps the secret which causes problems for her. I did not like that idea. I wish the author picked a different reason to separate the couple.
Second problem: The couple is apart through the entire book - until the last two minutes - when someone changes their mind. That wasn’t good enough. I wanted something better to get them together. And I wanted to see them together for at least a little while at the end.
Third problem: Lola and Adelle had an agreement/contract. Lola promised to stay away from Doug in return for money. But ten years later Lola is back in Doug’s life trying to win him back. Apparently Adelle is not enforcing their agreement. Why not? And if she is NOT going to enforce it, then why couldn’t Lola have started seeing Doug earlier? That was vague and unanswered.
Fourth problem: Lola and Doug were truly in love with each other. She could have broken up with him in person and said I love you but I have to do this because of something I can’t tell you about. Instead she lied and let him believe she no longer loved him. The agreement didn’t require her to say that.
The audiobook narrator Julie Maisey was good.
DATA: Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 10 hrs and 59 mins. Swearing language: the f-word used maybe twice. Sexual content: none, other than a few times mentioning a couple spent the night together or had a shower together, etc. Setting: current day mostly London, England. Book copyright: 2008. Genre: chick lit....more
I was depressed and bored through the entire book. Yes it had a happy ending but too much trouble to get there.
STORY BRIEF: This is the sequel to FakinI was depressed and bored through the entire book. Yes it had a happy ending but too much trouble to get there.
STORY BRIEF: This is the sequel to Faking It. They need to be read in order. In Faking It Andi became close friends with Devin a male escort who helped her get over her sexual inhibitions. She then met Sam and fell in love. She and Sam married. Five years later Sam is killed by a drunk driver which is where this story begins. For almost the entire book Andi is grieving the loss of Sam. Because of grief she lashes out at her students and takes a leave of absence from her teaching job. Throughout the book she is selfish, critical, and mean to people who care about her. She takes a trip to Italy and accidentally runs into Devin again. He still cares for her and helps her while she grieves.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: Someone experiencing personal grief might like this more than I did. I want to be entertained with books. This was no fun. It was depressing. I wanted it to be over. Devin was so likeable. He treated her so well. I didn’t like her, and I felt she didn’t deserve him. Yes I know she was grieving, but she was so mean. For example, one time she got mad at him and left just because he called her sweetheart which was something Sam used to do. My feeling was why is he putting up with her? After reading both books, I could never understand why he liked or loved her. What did he see in her? I never knew. The books are told in first person by Andi, which was part of the problem. We never saw Devin’s point of view.
The author states the song “Ordinary World” by Duran, Duran was her inspiration for this book. Returning to the “ordinary world” was Andi’s goal – to come out of her depression. So when you hear her saying that life with Sam was fabulous and life with Devin was ordinary, ordinary is a good thing, not an inferior thing.
I did like the thoughts on page 292. Andi is quoting “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Victor Frankl. “Frankl says that between stimulus and response, one is free to choose. Do you know what that means? It means I can choose the way I respond to Sam’s death, to my mother’s behavior, to my students’ writing… In the face of powerlessness, that was my ticket to freedom. I could choose to be eaten alive by grief, to spend the rest of my life living in fear of that powerlessness and the unknowable; or, I could respond differently. Not react – respond. I could either keep Sam alive in me and others, or bury him along with his physical body.”
DATA: Story length: 310 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 2 (told not shown). Total number of sex scene pages: 2. Setting: current day Massachusetts, New York, Italy, and Peru (with some traveling to other places). Copyright: 2010 (first published in 2009). Genre: women’s relationship fiction, chick lit.
DISCLOSURE: This book was provided to me free of charge through the Amazon Vine Program in return for my writing a review....more
A professor and a male escort teach each other. It kept my interest but was lacking emotional fulfillment.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: I love romance novels whiA professor and a male escort teach each other. It kept my interest but was lacking emotional fulfillment.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: I love romance novels which is the angle I’m coming from. This does not provide emotional fulfillment. It’s women’s fiction about finding love. It’s also about a woman who is insecure about her body and afraid of sex. She overcomes her insecurities. At the end of this book I felt some pain and sadness about one relationship. I also felt some comfort about another relationship. But the sadness feeling was stronger than the comfort feeling. The ending did not leave me feeling satisfied. Things felt unfinished. I had hoped the sequel (Ordinary World) would make things better but it didn’t. Someone dies at the beginning of Ordinary World and the entire book is Andi grieving. The sequel depressed me. Maybe someone experiencing grief might like it better than I did. So, the sequel is not the way to get the happy ending I wanted for Faking It.
The story has the flavor of unrequited love. It is told in first person by Andi. She falls in love with Devin very quickly. But we never see Devin’s point of view. (Ok, we did read an entry in his personal journal once, but it wasn’t enough.) It appears that he does not fall in love with Andi, but that he sincerely cares for her. She’s insecure about her appearance, he’s movie-star handsome, and he doesn’t return her feelings which adds some insecurity and sadness.
In this book there was a fair amount of talk about the craft of writing and authors like Plato and sophists. It wasn’t done in a way that interested me. I read through those parts quickly without much thought. More entertaining or colorful illustrations of her points might have helped.
STORY BRIEF: Andi has a PhD and teaches writing. She feels overweight and has low self-esteem. She was afraid to have sex so her fiancé broke up with her. She found a new job and moved to New York. She meets Devin, a male escort. He pleases women with companionship, attention, massages, and sensuality. He never has sex with his clients, but he uses sex toys to bring sexual pleasure to them. Andi can’t afford Devin, but she asks if he will barter with her. She will teach him to write if he will teach her to shed her sexual inhibitions. He agrees. Maybe a third of the book is about their lessons with each other. Her lessons are mostly about her feelings about herself and her body. They are not sex scenes. They also have a growing friendship outside of the lessons.
DATA: Story length: 270 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: about three, but they are referred to - no details shown. Setting: current day mostly New York area and some Massachusetts. Copyright: 2010 (first published in 2008). Genre: women’s relationship fiction, chick lit....more
Interesting characters. Talented author with a good writing style. Good debate about popular fiction vs. classic literature.
STORY BRIEF: The main charaInteresting characters. Talented author with a good writing style. Good debate about popular fiction vs. classic literature.
STORY BRIEF: The main characters are literature professors. Rachel is 31. Her specialty is contemporary fiction including romance novels and chick lit. She has just been hired to teach at (fictional) Manhattan University. She is frustrated with apathetic students and lack of friendship and respect from her peers (other professors). Rachel broke up with her boyfriend before coming to New York. She is energetic, passionate, and shows her feelings.
Diana is 41. Her husband Graham left her five years ago for a younger woman. She has been seeing Mikey who is a computer technician at the university. Mikey adores her. Diana is embarrassed to have a relationship with him. She is a tenured professor specializing in the poet Sylvia Plath. She looks down her nose at romance novels calling them “soft porn for desperate housewives, poorly written, littered with adverbs, and recycled trite stories about heroines swooning over devilishly handsome men.” From the beginning she dislikes Rachel who reminds her of the woman who stole her husband. Diana criticizes Rachel in front of others. Diana is rigid and respected by her peers. She is also loved by her students.
Carson is a visiting professor from Harvard, spending one term at Manhattan University. He is extremely handsome and independently wealthy. He is a big flirt – with both Diana and Rachel. Rachel would love to have a relationship with him. He and Diana were friends years ago when they were students together.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: I’m a lover of romance novels, so my opinion comes from that angle. This was a good story. The characters were well done. I enjoyed the debates and discussions about romance novels vs. classic literature. I liked Rachel’s definition of chick lit as “popular women’s fiction…fiction by women, about women, and for women.” The best part was seeing how the conflicts and dislike between the two women changed. I liked the happy endings for both Diana and Rachel. There were a few books mentioned by the characters that I plan to read. The author writes well which makes sense since she has a PhD in English literature. Whether you like the plot or not, she brings the characters to life and tells the story in an engaging way.
At the end of the book is a four-page “Conversation With Joanne Rendell” – very worthwhile. She talks more about the debate between the study of the classics and “high” literature vs. popular fiction. She talks about other things as well.
REVIEWER’S OPINION ABOUT ADVERBS: The character Diana criticized romance novels as being “littered with adverbs.” A few times I’ve heard other fiction authors talk about cutting adverbs from their writing which mystifies me. I didn’t notice many adverbs in this book, so I’m guessing the author made an effort to avoid them or to remove them. By cutting adverbs she ends up with something that feels more cerebral and less emotionally engaging. Three top selling authors come to mind who use adverbs “a lot.” The number one selling fiction author “in the world” is JK Rowling. John Grisham is a top selling author for legal/crime suspense. Georgette Heyer is a top selling romance author. Following are some examples from their novels that show how engaging and descriptive adverbs can be.
From Rowling’s first Harry Potter book: whispering excitedly, eyed them angrily, acting oddly today, fell asleep quickly, appeared so suddenly and silently.
From Grishams “The Client:” the passenger door suddenly flew open, slowly looked at Ricky, he exhaled calmly, Mark carefully picked a cigarette from his shirt pocket, Mark suddenly remembered.
From Heyer’s “Venetia:” she added shyly smiling, clasping her hands loosely in her lap, fanned herself idly, he surveyed his youthful foe sardonically, an oddly disquieting smile in his eyes, he was still smiling but not pleasantly.
I don’t know who is telling authors to cut adverbs, but I wish they would stop. The public obviously loves adverbs because that’s what they buy. I wonder what this author would be like if she used more adverbs the way these other authors do.
OTHER BOOKS: To date this author has written three books. My ratings are: 4 stars. The Professors’ Wives’ Club. Copyright 2008 4 stars. Crossing Washington Square. Copyright 2009 (to read soon) Out of the Shadows. Copyright: 2010
DATA: Story length: 308 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: maybe two or three, but they are referred to not shown. Setting: current day New York City, NY, London and a small town in England. Copyright: 2009. Genre: women’s relationship fiction, chick lit....more
Women in abusive relationships find courage and make changes for the better. Women help each other. It’s a feel-good ending.
STORY BRIEF: Four women livWomen in abusive relationships find courage and make changes for the better. Women help each other. It’s a feel-good ending.
STORY BRIEF: Four women live in faculty housing at (fictional) Manhattan University. In the middle of the housing complex is a garden they enjoy. The History Dept. Dean wants to replace the garden with a parking lot. These women met in the garden and now take steps to try to stop the construction. Each woman has a relationship problem described below. By the end, each woman has taken action and made a change in her life for the better.
Mary is an English Professor. She previously wrote a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. He husband is Jack who is Dean of the History Dept. Jack is physically and verbally abusive to Mary. She is frightened when around him. She is always trying to avoid getting him angry. When in a group she doesn’t speak her mind. She only says things she thinks he wants her to say.
Hannah used to be a model. Now she is an art student working on a Masters in Fine Art. Five years ago she married Michael, a computer science professor. He loved that she was a model. He doesn’t like that she quit modeling and in now interested in art. He has no interest in her interests. He never listens to her. He is impatient, condescending, and devalues her. She has self-doubt and tries to please him.
Ashleigh is a smart, hardworking attorney working in her uncle’s law firm. Her father is a Senator from Ohio. He’s a bully to her and to her uncle. Ashleigh is afraid to tell her parents that she is a lesbian and lives with Sam, a black woman who is a professor at Manhattan U. Ashleigh is white.
Sofia was a successful talent agent who quit work to have babies and be a full time mother. She married Tom who is an English professor and an expert in Edgar Allen Poe. Tom’s brother Hayden was one of her former acting clients. She brought him from obscurity to become an A-list star. Then he left her for another agent. She’s not willing to forgive him. Also she’s mistreating her husband. She’s bitchy, partly due to having just given birth. Then she suspects her husband may be having an affair with a grad student.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: This was a thoughtful and worthwhile read. The author did a wonderful job showing types of verbal abuse in a marriage. I’ve read a number of books where a woman is beaten or hurt by her husband and then escapes. But this book is different. It shows subtle forms of abuse: contempt, insulting, devaluing, anger, and silence. It does a good job showing why an intelligent woman would stay with an abuser. For example, Mary planned her escape to get away, but she chose to wait for certain reasons (which I could agree with): to finish her current job, to start her next job, and to see her daughter married without embarrassment. Yet I liked how this was resolved. I was surprised to see what happened and how she didn’t need to wait.
In an interview at the end of the book the author states “When people hear the title ‘The Professors’ Wives Club,’ the last thing they would probably expect is a story about a professor’s wife and her abusive husband. After all, aren’t male professors a smart and gentlemanly crew who would never abuse their wives? For the most part, of course, they are. But domestic violence goes on in all walks of life – including behind the closed doors of faculty marriages – and I wanted to show this. I wanted to show that smart women, strong women, and accomplished women can be abused by their supposedly smart and accomplished husbands. There aren’t many portrayals of domestic violence in popular culture – especially few in middle- or upper-class setting. Yet, in spite of this, the Family Violence Prevention Fund reports that nearly one-third of American women report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives.”
Some books showing abuse could be depressing (which I would avoid), but this book was not. It was comforting and uplifting in the way these women found strength and courage to make changes in their lives for the better. I enjoyed how they met, became friends, and supported each other. The ending was comforting and pleasant.
I love reading about romantic relationship development. “That” is not to be found here, but at the end of the book there is the hint of future romances to come. Although I list two genres below, the chick lit label feels too frivolous for this book. Women’s relationship fiction fits better – it’s a little more serious sounding. My only negative was that the author switched back and forth among the four women’s stories. Sometimes I felt the stories were being interrupted. On balance I can accept it, but occasionally I was slightly annoyed with it.
DATA: Story length: 321 pages. Swearing language: moderate, including religious swear words. Sexual content: none. Setting: current day New York City area, NY. Copyright: 2008. Genres: Women’s Relationship Fiction, Chick Lit....more
Not as enjoyable as I had hoped, but ok for chick lit.
STORY BRIEF: Miranda works in a hair salon washing hair and sweeping floors. She is a fun quirky Not as enjoyable as I had hoped, but ok for chick lit.
STORY BRIEF: Miranda works in a hair salon washing hair and sweeping floors. She is a fun quirky personality with odd colored hair. She rents a room from and lives with Florence who is wheelchair bound due to arthritis. Miranda runs errands and does chores for Florence in return for low rent. Chloe unexpectedly becomes pregnant. Her husband Greg leaves her because he doesn’t want children. When Florence learns this she invites Chloe to live with her as well.
Miranda meets and has relationships with three men. The first is Greg. He doesn’t tell her that he is married and separated. She thinks she’s in love and is devastated when she learns the truth. With the help of friends she gets revenge, but she is unhappy until she finds someone else.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: I was hoping for delightful and funny, but it was just ok. The Miranda story was interesting but not memorable and not a favorite. I loved the Chloe story. There were surprises in the Chloe story. Someone ends up being attracted to her which was totally unexpected. It was the best part of the book. But it was a secondary story. I wanted more of it.
Chick lit is not my preferred genre but I’m willing to give 5 stars if it’s great. But this was just ok. Chick lit means it’s more about Miranda and people in her life than the development of a romantic relationship. I think chick lit fans might like it more than I did.
Miscommunication and inaccurate assumptions were the reason Miranda didn’t end up with a true love until the end. That’s an overused source of conflict in romance novels which is partly why I found this to be just average. I prefer conflict based on other things like personality, third parties, and outside events.
DATA: Story length: 475 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual content: none. Setting: current day London, England. Copyright: 1999. Genre: chick lit....more
It perked me up. Put me in a better mood. I liked the characters and their interactions.
STORY BRIEF: Chloe loved being a student but changed and then dIt perked me up. Put me in a better mood. I liked the characters and their interactions.
STORY BRIEF: Chloe loved being a student but changed and then dropped out of school because her peers made fun of her. Johnny was one of them. On a bet, he asked her for a date while others were hiding nearby. They laughed when she said yes. It’s ten years later. Chloe has a nice looking boyfriend Will. She has a job as a limo driver, and she’s good at it. Johnny became a famous artist. He returns to town for his father’s funeral. He decides to stay until he can sell his father’s home. Chloe has feelings for Johnny, but she hides them. Other women desire Johnny as well.
Chloe’s neighbor and good friend Ash has a brilliant and funny mind. He is overweight and not good looking. He has a breakfast radio talk show. One woman falls in love with him at first sight, but Ash has eyes for another who does not feel the same.
Chloe’s sister Abby discovers her husband has an eighteen year old child she never knew about. This snowballs into various things happening.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: I finished reading a different book Friday night which depressed me. On Saturday I was still depressed. I wanted to read something to cheer me up. I picked this - my first Jill Mansell book. It worked. By Sunday I was in a happier mood most of the day (when not in the middle of chores of drudgery). And I noticed more teasing and fun with my kids. Do I give credit to the book? Yes it gets credit for my happier mood; I’m not sure about credit for relating to my kids. But maybe.
In most romance novels (which I love), we see a love relationship developing, usually seeing inside the heads of both characters – watching them develop feelings. This does not happen here. Don’t expect it. This is chick lit. We are inside the head of Chloe who desires Johnny, but we don’t know who or if Johnny desires anyone. And that’s ok. I enjoyed being in Chloe’s world with her friends. I enjoyed their interactions. We are also inside other characters’ heads. Some chick lit books have either annoyed me or not interested me enough to try more of those authors. Not so here. I want to read more of this author. A few times a situation was predictable or I had heard it before, but that was ok. I didn’t mind. I also enjoy the fact that the author is British. Some of her word choices are fun for a change.
Romance lovers: there are some happy romantic endings for different characters.
I enjoyed and kept thinking about Georgia (beautiful) who was attracted to Ash (brilliant funny mind but overweight and not good looking). On page 177 Georgia says “That is my idea of the perfect man…personality is way more important than looks. Give me someone who can entertain me every time. Trust me, I’ve been out with my share of pretty boys. You soon get bored with looking at them, gazing into their beautiful eyes, and admiring their perfect…I don’t know, teeth and stuff. If they don’t have what it takes to make me laugh, I’m not interested. It’d be like going out with a poster on your wall.”
I liked Chloe’s personality and her choices. She yearned for Johnny and was hurting at times, but she controlled it, didn’t show it, and acted the good friend.
READING THE ENDING EARLY: When I was 60% through the book, I went to the end and read the last seven pages. I’m glad I did. I found that I could relax and enjoy the story more. It allowed me to pay more attention to certain subtleties and better imagine what might have been going on in Johnny’s mind. I liked the book better when I knew the ending.
Occasionally I read the endings of books early on, so that might be a predictor as to whether or not this is for you. If it is, don’t wait until the middle of the book. Read the end sooner than I did.
CAUTION SPOILER: One part was illogical to me. Johnny claimed he moved back to town to be near Chloe. So why didn’t he say or do something or ask Chloe out? She did have a boyfriend for a short while, but later she didn’t. Possibly because work and things kept interfering? Although this might be a weakness, I’ll accept it because the rest of the story was fun and worthwhile.
DATA: Story length: 412 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language and content: none. Setting: current day mostly Channings Hill, England. Copyright: 2010. Genre: chick lit....more
This is definitely a chic-lit book. I prefer romance novels. The story is about a woman's stresses and indDidn't like the main character or the story.
This is definitely a chic-lit book. I prefer romance novels. The story is about a woman's stresses and indecisions over work, friends and lovers. I didn't admire or like her. Because of her dream job at night, she was doing a poor job at the bank and that bothered me. No integrity. She would make up sicknesses to get out of work at the bank. I wasn't drawn into the story or other characters that much, except for Will, one of her lovers. I didn't laugh. Nothing surprised or delighted me other than having a happy ending. I would not recommend it....more
I know there are a lot of readers who love this author and find her books funny. I wanted to like this book, buNot funny, annoying characters, no fun.
I know there are a lot of readers who love this author and find her books funny. I wanted to like this book, but I couldn’t. I had a grimace on my face as I read much of it. Lexi is an incompetent, foolish klutz. As embarrassing or unfortunate things happened to her, Lexi’s knee jerk reactions were to “fake it” or to lie to others and to herself. I could not find any sympathy for Lexi, and I did not admire anything about her other than something she did at the end of the book. Lexi had a horrible sister who was a scam artist and stole from her own family. Lexi’s mother was in denial and wouldn’t help Lexi with her lost memories. These people were no fun to read about. I found no humor in any of this.
STORY BRIEF: In 2004, Lexi works for a carpet company at the low end of the pay scale. In 2007, she has a car accident and wakes up not remembering anything about the previous three years. She finds that during those three years, she became a high paid executive at the carpet company. She was tough on her employees and they disliked her. She also found she was married to someone she had no memory of.
I loved this author’s earlier book “Can You Keep a Secret,” which had me laughing a lot. Maybe the reason I liked it was because much of the story involved Jack. Jack asked Emma questions in front of other people and as she answered the questions with lies, she knew that he knew she was lying. Unfortunately I didn’t find similar or any humor in “Remember Me?”
DATA: Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: none. Setting: 2007 London. Copyright: 2008. Genre: chick lit.
OTHER BOOKS: For a list of my reviews of other Sophie Kinsella books, see my 5 star review of “Can You Keep a Secret” posted 2/21/07....more
I did not enjoy the book, but I liked the advice for reconciling after a fight.
This was too chick lit for me, not enough romance. I did not find it fuI did not enjoy the book, but I liked the advice for reconciling after a fight.
This was too chick lit for me, not enough romance. I did not find it funny or enjoyable. I wanted it to be over. I did not care for the way the three female friends acted. They lied to each other and to themselves. Georgia lusted after Henry for many years but it wasn’t returned, so she spread lies about him. Her friends supported her by believing the lies and calling Henry “Satan” and a “slut”. Amy was mad that her friends didn’t “guess” that she was pregnant, when her only hint had been she wasn’t drinking because she was the designated driver. The main female character Gus was dumped by Nate. Gus was obsessive about getting him back and refused to acknowledge the truth about him, herself and another guy who was right for her. One character described these three as playing their “girl games.” Most of the story was about Gus’ obsession with Nate and her related actions.
I planned to give this 1 star, but upgraded it to 2 stars solely due to one paragraph in the book on page 265, quoted below. I liked this quote. It was thought provoking and might be good advice for what to do after a fight among friends or family.
“It had seemed so foreign to me – the idea that you could move forward without a painful airing of grievances on both sides. But maybe Minerva had it right – maybe it wasn’t necessary to pick apart pain. Maybe some things just weren’t worth fighting about. Some friends weren’t friends anymore, but family – and there were different rules for family. It didn’t make sense to sit down with family and detail all the reasons they’d upset you – for many reasons, not least among them the fact that they could whip out a checklist of your transgressions themselves. And after you’d both picked apart the carcasses, why would you want to be friends again? Maybe the important thing was to recognize that everyone felt wronged and slighted – but the point worth concentrating on was that everyone loved each other. If we worked from that premise, we should be fine.”
DATA: Story length: 289 pages. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 2. Length of sex scenes: 1 was a paragraph and 1 was a sentence. These scenes were told/referred to and not shown or described in detail. Setting: current day Boston area. Copyright: 2007. Genre: chick lit with romantic motivations....more
The intent is humor through someone’s dating, job and family frustrations, but it wasn’t my kind of humor.
STORY BRIEF: The entire story is told in firsThe intent is humor through someone’s dating, job and family frustrations, but it wasn’t my kind of humor.
STORY BRIEF: The entire story is told in first person from Jill’s point of view. It’s about her frustrations in her job and searching for a husband. Her son Stephen is a senior in high school. Jill has no money to pay Stephen’s college expenses, and she doesn’t want to saddle him with student loans. She wants to marry a traveling salesman who will be gone a lot and provide money for college. Jill meets and goes on some first dates which are bad fits. At the same time, one of Stephen’s teachers is interested in Jill, but she pushes him away. Jill is divorced, forty and experiencing her first hot flashes.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: This feels more like chick lit than romance, but there is the looking for and finding of romance. Since my preferred genre is romance, my rating may be a little low for chick lit lovers. Most of the humor is in the mix of strange characters in her life, for example: her boss is frequently drunk and gropes her, her ex-husband has a sex change, and her dad is in jail for an Enron-type crime. Also, her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend steals Jill’s favorite skillet, causing much distress for Jill. It is an interesting story with some excellent surprises at the end. But it’s the kind of story that I would read only if it makes me laugh, and it didn’t. I felt like I was listening to my girlfriend’s description of her life. It’s not the kind of story to pull me in emotionally. But that’s not what it was meant for. It’s Jill’s point of view, and we see Jill’s feelings but no one else’s. Humor is in the eye of the beholder, and this one wasn’t a fit for me.
The main value to me was seeing how frustrating it can be looking for a husband. Jill meets new men, goes out with them and finds they are not good fits for her. They have their own quirks and problems. The best match for her was someone who was there all along, but she refused to consider him for a couple of reasons. We also see one of Jill’s girlfriends with a mooching boyfriend problem.
DATA: Story length: 371 pages. Swearing language: moderate to strong. Sexual language: none to mild. Number of sex scenes: 1, two pages long. Setting: current day Las Vegas, Nevada. Copyright: 2009. Genre: chick lit....more
Sort of interesting. I was expecting a comedy, but I didn't laugh.
Someone who talks too much could be funny, but not in this story. I did not like theSort of interesting. I was expecting a comedy, but I didn't laugh.
Someone who talks too much could be funny, but not in this story. I did not like the heroine Liz. She was stupid, naïve and too syrupy sweet. CAUTION SPOILER: I could not stand the stupidity of someone who thought she just graduated from college only to find out she didn't do her final thesis - a 50 page report. When Liz needed to flee her boyfriend in London and go to her girlfriend Shari in France, she refused to call Shari's parents to find out how to get hold of Shari, because she didn't want Shari's parents to tell her parents that things didn't work out with the London boyfriend. Since her parents would find out eventually, to me this was stupid. I found it hard to believe that Luke fell in love with her in just three days. I'm sure he had met a lot of other girls with "nice personalities," and to fall for her should have required other qualities and time. Sexual content: moderate....more
I was told this was a romantic comedy. There were about four times that I chuckled. There was one kissing scenNot as funny or romantic as I had hoped.
I was told this was a romantic comedy. There were about four times that I chuckled. There was one kissing scene. It was an interesting read, but I will probably not read other books by this author. Sexual content: none....more
I hated this book. I cannot admire, respect or like Rebecca in any way.
She is superficial, flighty, has no self control, no self restraint, and no disI hated this book. I cannot admire, respect or like Rebecca in any way.
She is superficial, flighty, has no self control, no self restraint, and no discipline. She lies constantly. She has no work ethic. She cheats her employer. When she brings a sandwich to work for lunch and eats it in 5 minutes, she looks for other things to do rather than get back to work. Since she does other personal things on other company time, I felt it would be honorable of her to give back a little time to the company when she took a short lunch, but no, that would never occur to her. It is hard to enjoy reading about someone I dislike so much. I couldn't believe Luke could find anything about her to like.
The main character, Emma, in another book by this author (“Can You Keep a Secret”) was very similar to Rebecca. I didn't like Emma either, but I did like “Can You Keep a Secret” because of the guy, Jack, and the hilarious interaction between him and Emma. Jack asked Emma questions in front of other people and as she answered the questions with lies, she knew that he knew she was lying. Unfortunately I didn’t find similar or any humor in “Confessions of a Shopaholic.”.
Sexual content: none. Setting: 1997 to 2000 London. Copyright: 2001. Genre: chick lit.
For a list of my reviews of other Sophie Kinsella books, see my 5 star review of “Can You Keep a Secret” posted 2/21/07....more
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