Guest Post: Smart Chick Lit

I’ve been asked in the past why I read chick lit, as if it isn’t “real” fiction.  I get that it isn’t the genre for everyone, but I like it.  But, why do I like it?   Why do any of us read what we read?  I thought about it, and polled friends who read chick lit to see what they thought.

 

What makes you like it, I asked them?  Overwhelmingly, we all said it is the heroine that draws us to the genre. When we read women’s fiction, we want to feel like we’re having coffee with a girl friend.  More than that, we want someone who isn’t perfect, because we know we certainly are not perfect. But we don’t want our heroine to be an idiot.  As my friend Katherine said “You like a heroine who has faults, but you don’t want one who makes the same mistakes over and over again.”

 

We want a heroine with gumption, who can find the happy ending but who can also get through things without relying on her man.  We want clever, witty heroines who may get themselves into a mess, but also have the ability to also get themselves out of it, preferably with an appropriately acerbic comeback.  We want a heroine who lives in the real world.  My friend Lisa, a working mother of three, said “One of my biggest pet peeves in books is when the heroine has kids and she’s out every night, never the mention of having to get a babysitter or fix dinner – makes me think what the heck am I doing wrong?”

 

I like heroines who struggle with the same mundane things my girl friends and I all talk about, like wanting to lose weight, wondering if that perfect guy really exists, fearing we’re not quite a good enough mother/wife/daughter/sister/friend/employee. I look for complex characters, perhaps who are facing fallout from their unpopular or unconventional choices. Mostly, I want to root for my heroine, that whatever her happiness is, she is able to find it.

 

We like heroines who aren’t a cliche.  Unique heroines are so much more interesting and believable.  In fact, it is when we recognize so much of ourselves in our heroines that we are completely drawn in to a novel. It is what brings us to laughter or tears, what really makes us cheer for her.  After all, when we like our heroine that much, we feel like we’re cheering for ourselves, too.

 

So who writes the heroines we like the most?  Jennifer Weiner is brilliant at writing a real, identifiable character, placing her in realistic situations, and providing the right amount of drama and humor as the heroine figures out her life.  Emily Giffin gives us very well drawn, complex heroines who may take an unconventional path, but still have us rooting for them.  Meg Cabot and Jane Green write heroines we like to read. I also love Marian Keyes.  Ireland, and Irish heroines are at the heart of most of her novels, but I adore them.  The heroines are quirky yet endearing, and Keyes is great at slipping in an unexpected plot twist. 

 

Smart Chick Lit, that’s what I think most of us are looking for, and the plucky, clever heroines written by these fabulous authors keep us coming back for more.

Guest Post by Ashley Williams from My Book Fetish. Visit her webiste here!

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin

I was waiting anxiously to read Emily Giffin’s fifth novel, Heart of the Matter, as I have yet to be disappointed by this talented author. And sure enough, the opening scene is enough to draw me in and start rooting for the characters. The novel is narrated in turn by both Tessa, the wife of pediatric plastic surgeon Nick Russo, and Valerie, mother to Charlie who is burned badly while at a sleepover. Nick starts to dangerously cross the professional line with his patient Charlie and mother Valerie, and Tessa begins to suspect Nick is having an affair. With both women telling their side of the story, it is impossible to be unsympathetic to either, and my heart was literally aching for each family. The emotions this story brought out of me were intense: at one point I actually threw the book away from me I was so distraught and crying! I can fully say that is the first time I have really let me emotions get the best of me during a reading.

It’s no question that Heart of the Matter will be going under my ‘favorites’ section. Giffin fans will be delighted that yet again her past characters are making cameos, as Tessa is the sister to Dex from Something Borrowed. Dex and Rachel appear multiple times throughout the story, and it was great fun meeting up with them again and seeing where they are in their respective lives. Once I got to the last three chapters, there was no chance of putting it down.  This layered novel will pull readers in from the beginning, and keep them wanting more after the last page is turned.

Enter the Emily Giffin Contest

One of my favorite authors, Emily Giffin, is running a FABULOUS contest through SheKnows.com. She is giving away a few of her favorite things- including a Blackberry and a pair of designer shoes! Check out the contest and enter here!

In My Mailbox: Week of May 9th

In My Mailbox: Week of May 9^th

 

With the busy Mothers Day Weekend, I didn’t have much time to scope out books, but only receiving one this week didn’t bother me at all because it is the latest from my favorite author!

 

Title: Heart of the Matter

Author: Emily Giffin

Received: From SheKnows book club for review

Synopsis: Tessa Russo is the mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Despite her own mother’s warnings, Tessa has recently given up her career to focus on her family and the pursuit of domestic happiness. From the outside, she seems destined to live a charmed life.

Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie–a boy who has never known his father. After too many disappointments, she has given up on romance–and even to some degree, friendships–believing that it is always safer not to expect too much.

Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, the two have relatively little in common aside from a fierce love for their children. But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined.

In alternating, pitch-perfect points of view, Emily Giffin creates a moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most.

Emily Giffin/Irene Zutell Giveaway

I’m a little late posting this, but some of you still have time! Bestselling author Emily Giffin is teaming up with Irene Zutell for a fabulous giveaway! Buy Irene Zutell’s Pieces of Happily Ever After and send your receipt to Emily Giffin, along with which of Giffin’s first four books you want, and get a signed copy of that book! So that’s 2 books for the price of one! It’s for today, April 28^th, only so head over to Amazon.com and get your copy of Pieces of Happily Ever After.

John Krasinski to Star in Something Borrowed?

It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but negotiations are in process for John Krasinski to star alongside Ginnifer Goodwin in Emily Giffin’s “Something Borrowed.” Krasinski would play the role of Ethan, Goodwin’s friend and confident, and is also reported to sign a two movie deal, also set to star in the sequel “Something Blue.” What do you think of the choice?

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Ginnifer Goodwin to Star in Something Borrowed

Actress Ginnifer Goodwin has signed on to play Rachel in Emily Giffin’s novel turned film Something Borrowed. Goodwin, who starred in last year’s hit He’s Just Not That Into You, will be playing the “good girl” in the film, who unexpectedly starts an affair with her best friend’s fiancé. Author Emily Giffin seemed pleased about the choice, her Facebook page read, “I am thrilled to announce that GINNIFER GOODWIN will be playing Rachel in SOMETHING BORROWED!!! I think she is a fabulous actress and perfect for the role (so much how I imagined Rachel when writing the book). Hope you all agree!”

Do you agree? And who do you want to fill the roles of other main characters- Darcy and Dex?

Emily Giffin’s Something Borrowed Closer to Production

Emily Giffin’s novel Something Borrowed is getting closer to production! Variety reported that Luke Greenfield has signed on as director of the romance novel that will be coming to a theater near you. Greenfield has produced big name films such as “The Girl Next Door” and “Role Model’s” and will be joined by Wild Ocean Film’s Aaron Lubin and Pamela Schein as producers. Alcon Entertainment will produce the film (which will keep the novel’s title of Something Borrowed) and will bring along big names such as Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Molly Smith, and Hilary Swank. Jennie Urman penned the screenplay.

Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin

Love the One You’re With is a classic Emily Giffin novel. The heroine is Ellen Dempsey, who has just married the perfect Andy, and is living happily in the bustling New York City. A chance meeting throws Ellen and her old boyfriend, Leo, together in the New York streets. Leo has always secretly been in Ellen’s thoughts, even though he broke her heart years before. This meeting leads to Ellen having serious concerns about the way her life is going- and the man she married.

Matters get more complicated once Andy’s career moves them from New York City that Ellen loves so much down to suburban Atlanta. The marriage begins to crumble as more “chance” meetings happen between Ellen and Leo, and feelings of resentment towards her new life pushes Ellen further from her husband.

As it seems with Giffin’s novels, just when you think you have the plot figured out, it spins in another direction. Love the One You’re With is no different, keeping readers on their toes with compelling drama, heart-stopping moments, and suspense that keeps the story line moving at a fast pace. I found this novel to be fresh and relatable, and really causing me to think about my life and goals, and I love when my readings can have that effect on me.

Baby Proof by Emily Giffin

Claudia Parr counts herself to be incredibly lucky. As a successful editor at a Manhattan publishing house, she is full steam ahead on her career. She meets, falls for, and marries Ben, who has the same career track state of mind. Neither could imagine themselves with children. They are too busy enjoying their hectic careers, traveling to exotic and fun locations on spur of the moment, and spending time together. It couldn’t be more perfect.

Until Ben’s biological clock starts ticking. Now he wants children. Claudia feels betrayed. How could he do this to her? She is thirty-five years old, but has no desire for children. She would have to cut back on her career, slash her travels, and care hand and foot for another human being. Sure, maybe that is a selfish way to think, but it was decision that Claudia and Ben had made together. How dare he change that?

I was surprised at the next event- a divorce. I thought no way would Claudia divorce someone she loved so much. Wouldn’t she just have a baby? No way. Claudia was firm about not changing her mind, as was Ben, and quickly a divorce was under way. Emily Giffin gives readers a thoughtful, heart-warming, irresistible to put down third novel with Baby Proof and the challenges that the heroine faces after leaving the love of her life. Even if you have never been married or thought about having children (like myself) I was immediately drawn into the plot. The writing is personal, the narration is to the point, and the characters are wholly believable.

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