Summer in the City by Robyn Sisman

Summer in the City by Robyn Sisman introduces us to Susan Wilding, the struggling Londoner who is ready to give up on men, and Lloyd Rockwell, the New Yorker living the good life with his perfect girlfriend. Both Suze and Lloyd are working for the advertising agency Scheider Fox; Suze trying valiantly to work her way up by showcasing her creative graphic talents, and Lloyd enjoying being a well respected hot shot executive at the top of his game.  The two are in for an adventure when the company offers them a  ‘house-swap’ opportunity, letting them try to adjust to life on the other side of the pond.

Suze and Lloyd couldn’t be further opposites, with differences in their style of living, work, and love lives. Suze meets a man in Manhattan who she falls fast for, but turns out he is a sleaze trying to make a name for himself in the celebrity world and simple using Suze as a toy. Lloyd proposes to his girlfriend Betty, all while knowing something is terribly wrong with the relationship. Deception plays a large role in this novel, with Suze trusting the wrong co-workers and inadvertently helping them get Lloyd fired. After be-friending Lloyd’s best mate, Jay, Suze realizes the terrible mistake she has made, and is determined to help Lloyd get his job back. Over phone calls, emails, and more talking with the middle man, Jay, a romance begins to show between Suze and Lloyd. But what does that mean for Lloyd and his fiancée Betty, who is well under way with their wedding plans? What happens when Suze and Lloyd return to their respective lives, thousands of miles from each other?

Robyn Sisman pens a delicious novel that transports the reader back and forth from London to New York, trying to keep up with the characters and the hectic lives they are leading. Get caught up in the drama, deceit, and unlikely romance as opposites truly do attract in Summer in the City.

 

Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella

One day, she’s Lexi Smart: shy, crooked teeth, frizzy hair, with a  no-good boyfriend and life seeming to go nowhere. The next, she is Lexi Smart: powerhouse businesswoman with glossy hair, manicured nails, and a fast car. Remember Me touches on a classic case of amnesia with Lexi being a victim of a car crash, causing her to lose her memory of the past three years. The last she remembers is her old self, getting ready for her fathers funeral, furious with her low life boyfriend and dumpy assistant’s job. She doesn’t remember how she got to this amazing place in her career, why she is suddenly so beautiful, and worse- who her husband is.

It seems as thought Lexi has gotten everything she every wanted, seemingly overnight for her. Money. Power. Love. But something is wrong. Her best friends hate her. They won’t even speak to her after she’s been in the accident. All the employees that work under her seem to despise her. And she’s feel no connection what so ever with her fabulous rich husband. How did she possibly marry him? And why does his colleague, Jon, keep trying to tell her that Lexi should be with him?

Sophie Kinsella nails it again with Remember Me. Not only is there humor, a light hearted spirit, but the reader feels the frustration and urgency Lexi is struggling with throughout the chapters. We want her to regain her memory; we want to know just as bad as she does how she got to this unfamiliar place. The characters are relatable and the plot is witty and fast paced, a real page turner while new events and surprises are uncovered.

 

Breakfast at Stephanie’s by Sue Margolis

Stephanie Glassman needs her luck to change.  A single mother to Jake on the verge of not being able to pay her bills, Stephanie is pleasantly surprised when she runs into an old crush- Frank Waterman-while showcasing her singing talents at a department store during Christmas time. But of course, Frank is shopping with his gorgeous fiancé, and Stephanie’s hopes of finding love seem to be dashed again. But wait! Stephanie’s two week fling from Verona, Albert, has shown up on her doorstep. Albert is Jake’s father, and though he is usually non-existent besides from occasional phone calls and short visits, he has turned a new leaf. He wants Stephanie to marry him, so the three of them can be a proper family.

At the same time, Stephanie’s hopes of becoming a jazz singer could be getting closer to a reality. She has been picked up by Ossie Da Costa, a pint sized yet powerful London agent who has offered a job that could solve her money woes for years to come-but the job is unethical. Stephanie is faced with a decision- go with her morals, or take the money.

And now Frank is back in the picture. His wedding plans are no longer after ending it with his fiancée, and he wants Stephanie. Suddenly, Stephanie is faced with too many life changing decisions that she can handle. Her career. Marrying Albert and letting her son have his father in his life. Being with Frank instead, whom she now thinks she is truly falling in love with.

Breakfast at Stephanie’s by Sue Margolis is full of wacky characters such as Stephanie’s 79 year old grandmother, who is still leading an active sex life and eager to talk about it. Stephanie’s father who is having problems with penis extensions. Stephanie’s friend Cass who seems to be somewhat of a sex addict, and Lizzie, who realizes her husband has been having an affair.

The writing is fast paced, but sometimes too fast for my fancy. Frank’s character is too small, I was left with confusion about who exactly he was, why he was no longer with his fiancée, and just how he became so infatuated with Stephanie after only a handful of meetings. Be aware of the graphic sex scenes that had me cringing in multiple spots, but just like with Margolis’ other novels, the British humor is right on in this entertaining tale.

 

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophie Kinsella

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan is Sophie Kinsella’s follow-up to Confessions of a Shopaholic. Becky Bloomwood is back, after paying off all her high flying debts she accumulated on her multiple shopping sprees. Since paying off those debts, along with her new job of financial advisor on a morning talk show, Becky has the mind set that she is free and clear to shop her fashionable little heart out again. You see it coming: the collection letters in the mail, her new bank manager offering no sympathetic ear, and the continuous downward spiral of her shopaholic life.

It only gets worse after Becky’s famed PR boyfriend, Luke Lloyd, moves them across the pond to New York City, in hopes of opening a new branch. Becky’s financial woes are leaked to the press, causing lost deals for both Becky and Luke, and Becky boards a plane back to London, thousands of dollars gone and worse, single. You ache for Becky even though you are well aware that it is her fault; how could she let herself spend thousands of dollars on one dress or hundreds of dollars on some new makeup? Now Becky has no hopes in getting a job and prepared to hit rock bottom.

But like all good chick lit books, Kinsella finds a way for Becky to come out on top. The last few chapters fly by with action, deceit, new opportunities, and the ultimate cliff hanger in the last page of the book. We know that a third book in this series will be coming, and I look forward to it as much as I did this well written second novel.

 

Something Blue by Emily Giffin

Something Blue, Emily Giffin’s follow-up novel from Something Borrowed, gives a spectacular narrative twist. Instead of following through loveable Rachel’s eyes, whom we all came to adore and sympathize in the first book, we now follow Darcy, the best friend whom was betrayed by BFF Rachel. But as we learned from Something Borrowed, Darcy wasn’t as loveable or relatable as Rachel proved to be.

But this is whole new book, a whole new chapter in Darcy’s life. We see from her point of view how she felt about her best friend, ‘plain Jane’ Rachel stealing her hunk of meat fiancée. We begin to see a different side to this character, making you actually think she has feelings, and cares for someone outside of herself.

Throw in the curveballs. Darcy has lost her perfect life. No fiancée, no big beautiful princess wedding, and no best friend. One more heartbreaker to add: a baby on the way. Darcy knows who the father is, a loser fling who wants nothing to do with her and vice versa. What’s a girl to do? Fly to London, and hide away with her childhood friend, trying to sort out of her life got this way.

Giffin’s talent shines in her second novel, showing how well she can visualize and make us feel for each and every character she adds to her books.