an average chick lit novel
919799
"The Boyfriend of The Month Club" is an average chick lit novel. I was looking forward to reading this book, so I am very sad to say that I was bored by it. All the main characters are very well developed, relatable, and charming. The premise is good. Yet, I could never quite get into the story. It never drew me in. The whole novel felt a bit ambiguous. I kept waiting for that clincher, which would make the entire book an incredible 5 star read, but it never came.

The heroine, Grace, is surrounded by a female posse, quirky family, and slew of bad dates. She and her friends want to turn their book club into a boyfriend club, reviewing men instead of novels. Grace also can't seem to get rid of the dead weight of boyfriends past, present, and future. Then there is the hopelessly charming Joe, who is quite possibly the world's most perfect man. Here's where I start to have issues with this plot. Is it a boyfriend-bashing, us-girls-stick-together chick lit? Or is it a man-of-my-dreams, hard-to get, fall-head-over-heals chick lit? "The Boyfriend of the Month Club" can't quite decide. I don't think Grace could decide either. She is half-heartedly one way, then the other. I kept wishing that she would just stand up for herself.

I did love that Grace was a Latino heroine. Her ethnicity shined brightly. It flavored the story, rather than flashed itself for the sake of calling itself a Latino chick lit story. Brilliant job, Maria Geraci! Well done! And I have to give a show out to Joe. He was a fabulous to-be-desired hottie. I wanted to date Joe.

Conclusion:
I am overall disappointed in "The Boyfriend of the Month Club" because I had such high hopes for it. However, it was a fun 3 star chick lit read. Not too deep and not too fluffy, it would make for a good book club read. Plus the irony of the title would be hilarious. I look forward to what else Maria Geraci has to offer.
1620943
Dempsey Killebrew has a glamorous job, great friends and a fabulous wardrobe. Make that "had" a glamorous job. Her career as a fast-paced, globe-trotting Washington lobbyist is going south and, after being abandoned by her slick boss, so is she. Literally. Soon after she flees Washington, she's renovating an old, rundown house in rural Guthrie, Georgia; living with a cantankerous elderly cousin; dodging two determined FBI agents; fending off the affections of the local lothario and discovering scandalous family secrets.

WHY YOU MIGHT LIKE "THE FIXER UPPER":  If you're a fan of chick-lit, this book fits the bill. It's a light read that provides a quick dose of easy entertainment. There are no surprises here. Dempsey is a typical chick-lit protagonist: attractive, young, ambitious, and nave. From the beginning you know she is going to overcome whatever conflict arises and fall in love along the way. She has the well-meaning girlfriends from whom she receives advice and assistance. There is a lot of attention, detail and description devoted to the renovating work she does to the house, so HGTV fans may feel a connection to the process.

WHY YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE "THE FIXER UPPER": Dempsey can occasionally come across as alternately vapid, bitchy or whiny. Her actions are not consistent and the relationships she develops seem too "pat".  She charms the town folk, meets the perfect man, endears herself to the cantankerous cousin (even the dog likes Dempsey) and, most unbelievingly, becomes best buddies with hardcore FBI agents. I know it's fiction; it's not real, but I just didn't buy it. And somewhere along the way, I lost interest.

Author Mary Kay Andrews seems to be using the same writing formula that has worked for her so many times in the past. I haven't read every single one of her books, so I don't know. But the spunky-girl-in-distress-in-a-small-Georgia-town is wearing thin and becoming boring (other Andrews' variations on this theme would be "Hissy Fit" and "Savannah Blues"). I like Andrews, however, and enjoy her descriptions of southern "folk"; her characterizations are not demeaning and don't veer toward overt cliches. I will most likely continue to read her books, but I think she can do better. Hopefully, she will.
2354186
note: I am not John LaBoyteaux, just using his computer while mine is disabled. I am female, of retirement age.
I enjoyed this novel as something like a "beach read" but without a beach. The characters and their dilemmas were interesting and the writing was very good. As entertainment, I'd give it 4 stars but as a "serious" novel, 2 -- so it averages 3 for me. To begin with, I found the love affair quite improbable: Joy describes herself as dumpy and she's considerably older than Teddy, past  menopause, apparently -- so why is he sexually attracted to her? He sounds like a very good lover and he's certainly good with kids, but there's nothing in his background to explain how he got that way, especially since he spends all his time minutely remodeling houses (down to the design of the throw pillow covers!) and attending to the needs of his overbearing mother, one of the most thorough villains in literary history. (And I don't believe the mother's back story about her mother being a mistreated Irish immigrant servant in 1942, for Pete's sake.)  In spite of so many characters who are academics, the literary tone of the writing, literature and art, and the many "philosophical" observations, this book is absolutely chick lit with an obvious moral: get involved with life, don't sit on the sidelines. So, in conclusion: it was fun, but pretentious.
1780029
I have mixed feelings about this book--although a (sometimes) funny read and a clever storyline, it definitely falls into the category of chic-lit. The story follows the life of Jessie Stone, a woman who is extremely discontent with her relationships, work and life in general. It seems she has just been coasting through life waiting for "the one" to take her away from all that is familiar to give her what she has been dreaming about.

God enters the picture in a quirky sort of way and attempts to almost coerce Jessie into a life lived for Him. I wasn't overly impressed with the way the story played out, the representation of God or that in the end Jessie didn't really learn anything about her relationship with Him. She gets the guy in the end but it still seemed that all of her hopes and expectations were wrapped up in that relationship and she never really learned how to trust and hope in the One who really writes our stories. There are better chic-lit novels out there; I'd skip this one. I received this book as part of Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program.
4466817
It was pretty good for a chick-lit book. It was certainly good enough to keep me reading. Would like to read more by this author.
631556
The value of the book? About what I paid $0. It has some interesting storylines to follow, a "Romance" book in nature. Light reading with some good features. Not everything is a happy Hollywood ending. This could have made a good short story.

It does make you wonder when the daughter Marina will wake-up from her Stepford Wife type of life. Marina, recent college graduate, is about to start life as an adult. She has life all planned including marrying her only boyfriend ever, Jotham, in one year's time. Her single mother Elizabeth has saved for two years to give as a surprise graduation gift, a trip for mother and daughter to Florence. Elizabeth hopes to bond more closely before Marina's new and busy life makes it too difficult. Interestingly, the characters do become quite intriguingly contemplative at times.

Florence is a lovely backdrop but is not really important, but it is beautifully conveyed.

An annoyance is that before each of the 60+ chapters, there is a silly blurb usually between a faux advice columnist and a less than intelligent reader.
1340827
I'm surprised at how kind the reviews at Amazon are.  I found this to be a quite average book - certainly not written with the strength or wit of something like, Lush Life which brought New York so vividly to life,  or the charm of something like Cross Road's Cafe.  Instead it passed the time adequately enough but none of these characters will linger in my head,  and I won't reread this.  I also found it really hard to place how old these characters were,  I thought Sophia was in her 30's but then it said somewhere that she and T Wayne had been married for 25 years.  That really surprised me.  If I can't figure out the basics of how old all the characters are,  then it is not a well written book.

Mercy is coming home to see her sister Sophia and mother Gloria,  but her sister isn't there.  Instead she's gone missing. But Sophia is an alcoholic who has gone missing before,  so Gloria's worries initially seem a bit misplaced.  However it turns out that this time something has happened. Billy is looking for Sophia at the same time his long respected partner Lou (also couldn't place his age,  none of the timelines really worked for me in this book) is having a meltdown.  Shocking things happen.

I didn't really engage with this book,  it wasn't well written,  it didn't have that great southern gothic atmosphere that some books can create and the characters,  (with the notable exception of Lou) were fairly cliche.  And Lou,  well,  we needed to think about him,  but I'm not sure how much I believed his story or found him to be a coherent character.  I guess we spent so much time looking at him through Billy's eyes, and it turned out that Billy had a lot to learn about Lou...
3274441
The story is predictable, the characters are a little too stereotyped and the writing is just ok, but there are a few cute moments that made me smile. The author does not accurately portray men, straight or gay and often times it seems as if she is trying very hard to sound witty
4631650
Seduction: Sophy is darling and makes this book enjoyable. I love how the ladies of society try to immitate her artless fashion disarray, with untied bows, slipping shawls and loose ribbons. Ravenwood is autocratic, annoying and a bully when it comes to getting his way, but Sophy does a good job of managing him. She's no door mat, thank goodness. Overall I liked this book but didn't love it and wouldn't read it again.

Surrender: I can see why this book only has an average rating of 3.5 stars on Amazon. It is totally lacking romance. Thankfully I checked this out from the library, so I didn't pay for it. And I'm also glad this wasn't the first book I read by Amanda Quick or would be the last. This book isn't terrible, I just didn't enjoy reading it. The premise of an heiress falling for a fortune hunter is standard fare, but the heroine vacillates from intelligent to hare-brained, and the hero turns out to be a scold. He's not a bully since he's kind of a push-over for her, but he's constantly lecturing. Even the ending, which is supposed to be the HEA, is really an argument about why each of them were justified in their bad behavior. Not very pleasant reading. I'm giving three stars because it is well written and the plot is pretty good, but the characters ruined this one for me. Attraction plus adventures does not equal romance.
679803
Although I will probably try Ms. Grant's other books, I can only classify this one as decent. The romance seems flat at times, even though the characters are at least passably interesting. There are some refreshing ideas thrown into the mix of standard fare, though the plot line takes some typical outlandish leaps. On two occasions I groaned at cheesy scenes within the romance, and one of the dogfight sequences found me laughing though the author never intended humor.
In short, this is an easily read story with a typical plot and an under-developed romance with potential. My recommendation would be to buy it used.
2344574
Crazy Little Thing is pretty typical of a lot of chick lit: kooky humor, a busted-but-not-broken female lead, a to-die-for male lead and a HEA. I often enjoy this genre, but this one perhaps a little less than most. The problem is what I find to be a somewhat uncomfortable pairing of almost unending self-pity about her recent divorce in the female lead with the broadest possible humor. Here's Sadie the morning after she gets embarrassingly drunk on her first date with the male lead: "I was boarding the Solitaire Express with a one-way ticket to Lonely-ville...No matter how much a man might pretend to like her, he'd always have his eye on other women." I guess the embarrassing drunkenness was supposed to be funny, and this is supposed to be humorously heart wrenching (is that possible?), but I'm just not feelin' it. Brogan doesn't make us care about Sadie, and, since the book is written in the first person, we can't get to know the other characters enough to be engaged, so although there are funny moments in this book, it's more a swing-and-a-miss than a home run.
4504640
I picked this up when Amazon recommended it to me, even though I read the reviews and figured I should expect too much. In short, Some Girls is the story of a young woman who can't find acceptance with her family, or herself. She turns to sex work, and chasing after the idea that money will bring her happiness, she auditions for and then joins what amounts to a harem overseas. The harem is filled with backbiting, deceits, and of course money. Lots and lots of money. But she doesn't find happiness there. She does find a drug addiction, and eventually realizes that this, even with its glamor of jewelry and money, is not where she'll find what she's really looking for. Then suddenly the book pretty much does a 180 and her life is together, settled, happy, and in control. The parts you really want to know- like how she got herself together, are completely glossed over. The writing is okay. Its not horrible, but it could be better. It does make for an easy read- maybe a good beach read this summer. I finished it in about 3 hours time. Pick it up, read it, but don't expect a great work of literature or to have all the answers to her problems, because you'll ultimately be disappointed.
4438943
I bought this as a low-priced Kindle whim, and it provided a couple of days of escapist chick-lit fun, so I suppose I got my money's worth, but I can't really rate it higher than 3 stars, as there are just a whole host of plot problems that distracted me too much. Of course light chick-lit is generally based on completely unrealistic plot setups, so I shouldn't be surprised, but this one pushed it too far. It centers on Lexi, who is separated from her husband Andrew because he doesn't want children and she's decided she does. She goes to Vegas for a fun weekend with her BFF Nicki, and has a one-night stand with Leo. They both feel like they are each other's soulmates, but somehow, through a series of miscommunications, decide not to follow through on seeing each other - or even talking - and Lexi goes back to Andrew and Leo to his career and life. They meetup many years later and the sparks are still there, and they need to decide what to do about it (I don't want to give too much away, so that's the minimal no-spoiler plot summary.)

The male characters are not all that well-developed, so that is part of the problem with accepting the plot - it's hard to buy the idea that Lexi and Leo feel so deeply about each other based on only 24 hours together, and then it's hard to buy Lexi and Andrew's relationship at all. For most of the book Andrew (the husband) is portrayed as not too bad a guy (albeit a workaholic) but then in the end we discover he's deeply dishonest with a bad temper, and it feels a bit bipolar, and like the author is trying too hard to make sure we want Lexi to end up with Leo. All the tortured should-we or shouldn't-we between Leo and Lexi once they meet up again is hard to swallow - they barely know each other after all, so it's hard to buy them planning a future together. And the way they end up meeting again - Leo is the events planner at the hotel Nicki has chosen for her wedding in Vegas - requires a huge leap of acceptance. Lexi is also deeply dishonest herself, so as a protagonist this creates problems. A lot of the plot issues rely on missed communications and lost cell phones and things of that ilk as well, so that makes it harder to buy too. You just can't help thinking that in this day and age, Leo and Lexi would have found some way to be in contact, and all of this self-torture would have ended a lot sooner.

But the book had its moments, and I did read it all the way through, and even enjoyed parts, so kudos for that.
2642085
I think that, sadly, this will be a polarizing book. readers will either connect or not, it will be just that simple. I found The Bookstore to be a well written, well researched, and easy to read debut novel. The premise was good, an unexpected pregnancy and the journey of personal discovery of the heroine, Esme, and a romance. I found the human characters to be a bit too formulaic. The non-human characters; The Owl Bookstore and New York City were however, enchanting and multi-dimensional. The book is full of literary references and quotes from poets, authors and history; again that will either appeal to or repel readers. The pacing was fairly even, if a little heavy on the main characters "reflections." I was rather dismayed by the abruptness of the ending, I would have liked it to be stronger with definite resolution, but that may be my personal preference. I can see this book being quite successful as a book club selection.
*I received my copy from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
2679540
A pleasant read with some laugh out loud moments. This story read to me like a long-ish magazine article or a rom-com script, it was quick, the tone of the writing was light, witty with as many movie and pop-culture references as could be stuffed in, which kept bringing me out of the story that was supposed to be about love, I think. It was like a long internal conversation, being the narrative of the hero as things happen. I did not find this book romantic at all, it was predictable and fairly monotonous, there were really no highs or lows here.
Once I passed the first chapter, I realized that it was more about the philosophy of Drew's life which was all about sex and instant gratification, yet told with a sense of humour. Although he seemed to have good female role models in his life, he treated women with a fair amount of disdain, which is what happens when you live a charmed life with endless wealth and opportunity. Kate was forgettable so the romance did not work for me, I have to like the heroine for the romance to work.
1603791
*A Brief Note to Readers: If you find this review "not helpful", please take a moment to tell me why in the comment section. Thank you.*

If you liked Margaret Dilloway's debut novel "How To Be An American Housewife", then "The Care and Handling of Roses With Thorns" will either equate to it or come about halfway.  The author's latest tale is about 36-year old Galilee "Gal" Garner, a high school biology teacher whose failing kidneys force her to live a restricted life.  Her one pleasure is her roses, flowers she has cultivated and cross-bred to create a one-of-a-kind grand prize bloom that no one has ever seen or smelled.  But when her 15-year old niece Riley shows up at her school one day unannounced, Gal is forced to shift her schedule and her perceptions about family and friends.

The novel has a slow start; interest doesn't build until Riley comes into the picture.  Once she does, the reader is subjected to a predictable story format and hard-nosed Gal becomes softer, less selfish, and more generous with her time.

Despite this, I still found myself immersed in the story and turning pages fast.  Dilloway is a talented writer and creates an interesting protagonist in Gal, drawing from her own sister-in-law's experiences as a three-time recipient of kidney transplants. Where her small and sickly stature fails her, Gal is stalwart in mind, morally upright, and doesn't suffer fools.  Her resilience in the face of her disease is admirable.  Riley is as frustrating to the reader as she is to Gal; her sudden mood shifts are the familiar mechanisms of a child who knows the ways in which they are hurting but is confused as to how to voice them. Gal's friend Dara is a source of amusement with her retro wardrobe and her serial dating (Dilloway described every outfit she wore; I thought it unnecessary).  Yard boy and high school senior Brad shows himself to be a rather dubious character, one that truly tests Gal's ethics.  Minor characters end up being as interesting as the major players despite their limited appearances.

The novel's strongest element is Dilloway's illustration of the complicated relationships of family through Gal, Riley and Gal's flighty sister Becky.  Resentment is hovering everywhere in these relationships and shows up frequently in the clipped dialogue between them.  They don't mince words, and neither does Dilloway.  In fact, the discourse between every character in the book is believable and revealing.  In the end, everyone has a chance to grow, and this is the most satisfying part of the book.

Dilloway's inclusion of rose cultivation is more likely to be of interest to gardening enthusiasts (I learned a few things myself).  Readers looking for dramatic literary fiction may find the asides about care and cross-breeding distracting and/or boring.

Those who read and were pleased with Dilloway's debut novel may see the subject matter of this book as a sophomore slump.  They'd do well to overlook it so they may have a chance to enjoy her skills at character development and story evolution.  Newcomers to Dilloway could still start with this one - it has the potential to encourage them to seek her other work (it has for me).  Recommended.
236091
This novel starts out as pure chick-lit, with the obsession over the male love interest, but she is so shallow and Joe is so clearly a deceiving liar we don't like either of the characters.

Jodi the outsider Australian who has moved into the quaint little village of Tamarin (which kept reminding me of a monkey) was more interesting to me than the main character Izzie. Her life is not perfect, but she gets on with it without bitterness or angst.

Annaliese and her husband splitting was totally dull, with the only spark of interest in that story line her life literally being saved by Mac. But the men in this book are all like cardboard, flat and lifeless. If Joe has any real feelings for her in the book, he sure never convinces us.

The only high point of the book is the Lily thread, and her relationship with Jamie, also a married man, like Joe. They tell the same lies to get their women into bed, only Jamie dies, and she meets her husband Robby and presumably learns not only to love, but allow herself to be loved in return.

Joe is just an awful character, and the whole 40 and pining for a child issue has been done better elsewhere. As for a book of Irish interest, nothing, totally flat. They mention Waterford a few times and the town reminds me of Dungarvan, not far from the great big house Lismore Castle, but there is hardly any visual description of the country at all.

So for the Lily story, 3 stars, the rest was neither romance, nor literary fiction. The whole marketing of this story as an Irish girl's tale was also completely misleading.  For those looking for real modern romance set in Ireland, try Sorcha MacMurrough or Evelyn Trimborn, for historical romance, Shannon Farrell.

Otherwise, anyone looking for happiness or love in this novel is going to be heart-broken. This was a depressing book in the end, defying or rather jumping genres and not ever getting it quite right.