Chick Lit Plus Awards

And the Chick Lit Plus Award goes to……

BEST LOL NOVEL

Nominees:

Not Ready for Mom Jeans by Maureen Lipinski

Lowcountry Summer by Dorothea Benton Frank

Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

Sleeping with Ward Cleaver by Jenny Gardiner

Winner: The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

BEST ROMANCE NOVEL

Nominees:

Summer of Two Wishes by Julia London

Something Blue by Emily Giffin

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

Anyone for Seconds? by Fiona Cassidy

Winner: The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

BEST BFF NOVEL

Nominees:

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner

Hope in a Jar by Beth Harbison

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume

Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick

Winner: Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner

BEST VILLAIN IN A NOVEL

Nominees:

Miranda, The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

Olga, Moonlight in Odessa, by Janet Skeslein Charles

Cici, I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk

Patty, The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross

Valerie, Bulletproof Mascara by Bethany Maines

Winner: Cici, I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk

BEST SCANDAL IN A NOVEL

Nominees:

Perfect Blend by Sue Margolis

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

Still Thinking of You by Adele Parks

Poor Little Bitch Girl by Jackie Collins

Pieces of Happily Ever After by Irene Zutell’

Winner: Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

BEST TEAR-JERKER NOVEL

Nominees:

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Promises to Keep by Jane Green

The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen

The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain

On Folly Beach by Karen White

Winner: Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

BEST NOVEL FROM A DEBUT AUTHOR

Nominees:

The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen

I’ll Have Who She’s Having by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

Reunion by JL Penn

Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph

Perfect on Paper by Maria Murnane

Winner: I’ll Have Who She’s Having by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

BEST NOVL WRITTEN BY A CELEBRITY

Nominees:

LA Candy by Lauren Conrad

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler

The Truth About Diamonds by Nicole Richie

Sweet Little Lies by Lauren Conrad

Star by Pamela Anderson

Winner: Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler

MOST INTRIGUING CONCEPT

Nominees:

The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch

Tuesday Tells it Slant by Holly Christine

The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain

Espressologist by Kristina Springer

Bulletproof Mascara by Bethany Maines

Winner: Espressologist by Kristina Springer

BEST FEMALE

Nominees:

Willa, Montana Sky by Nora Roberts

Darcy, Something Blue by Emily Giffin

Becky, Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

Rachel, Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

Sammy, Sammy’s Hill by Kristin Gore

Winner: Becky, Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

BEST MALE

Nominees:

Luc, See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson

Ethan, Something Blue by Emily Giffin

Luke, Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

Alex, I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk

Dan, A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff

Winner: Alex, I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk

BEST SERIES

Nominees:

Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich

Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

Heather Wells Series by Meg Cabot

I Heart Series by Lindsey Kelk

Enchanted Series by Shanna Swendson

Winner: I Heart Series by Lindsey Kelk

NOVEL THAT SHOULD BE A MOVIE

Nominees:

A Total Waste of Makeup by Kim Gruenenfelder

I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk

Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph

Winner: I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk

BEST NOVEL MADE INTO A MOVIE

Nominees:

Flirty With Forty by Jane Porter

My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Winner: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

CHARACTER WITH THE BEST JOB

Nominees:

Sophie, Sophie Katz Series by Kyra Davis

Lydia, The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber

Becky, Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

Heather, Heather Wells Series by Meg Cabot

Marla, Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker by Marla Martenson

Winner: Sophie, Sophie Katz Series by Kyra Davis

BEST WEDDING IN A NOVEL

Nominees:

Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella

Wedding Season by Katie Fforde

Scot on the Rocks by Brenda Janowitz

For Better, For Worse by Carole Matthews

I Do, But I Don’t by Cara Lockwood

Winner: Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella

BEST SUPPORTING CHARACTER IN A NOVEL

Nominees:

Suze, Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

Kelly, Love in Mid Air by Kim Wright

Dot, The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross

Jessica, Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella

Candace, Reunion by JL Penn

Winner: Suze, Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

BEST COUGAR NOVEL

Nominees:

Flirting With Forty by Jane Porter

The Cougar Club by Susan McBride

The Infidelity Pact by Carrie Karasyov

Winner: The Cougar Club by Susan McBride

BEST COVER

Nominees:

Fairytale of New York by Miranda Dickinson

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Misery Loves Cabernet by Kim Gruenenfelder

Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster

Secrets of the Hollywood Girls Club by Maggie Marr

Winner: Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster

BEST SEQUEL

Nominees:

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophie Kinsella

Something Blue by Emily Giffin

The First Assistant by Clare Naylor and Mimi Hare

Slightly Settled by Wendy Markham

Killer Cocktails by Sheryl J Anderson

Winner: Something Blue by Emily Giffin

BEST MYSTERY

Nominees:

I Scream, You Scream by Wendy Lyn Watson

Killer Heels by Sheryl J Anderson

Looks to Die For by Janice Kaplan

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Bulletproof Mascara by Bethany Maines

Winner: Bulletproof Mascara by Bethany Maines

THANKS TO ALL WHO VOTED AND THE AUTHORS WHO DONATED THEIR NOVELS!

Best Job Nominees

The nominees for Character with the Best Job:

Sophie Katz Sopie Katz series by Kyra Davis

Lydia Hoffman, The Shop On Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber

Becky Bloomwood, Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella

Heather Wells, Heather Wells Series by Meg Cabot

Marla Martenson, Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker by Marla Martenson

Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!

Best Novel made into a Movie Nominees

The nominees for Best Novel made into a Movie:

Flirting with Forty by Jane Porter

My sisters Keeper by Jodi Piccoult

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!

Novels that should be a Movie Nominees

The nominees for Novel that should be a Movie:

A Total Waste of Makeup by Kim Gruenenfelder

I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk

Size 12 Isn’t Fat by Meg Cabot

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph

Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!

Best Series Nominees

The nominees for Best Series:

Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich

Shopaholic  Series by Sophie Kinsella

Heather Wells Series by Meg Cabot

I Heart Series by Lindsey Kelk

Enchanted Series by Shanna Swendson

Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!

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!