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One Bird’s Choice by Iain Reid
Chick Lit Review

One Bird’s Choice by Iain Reid

While I don’t usually read memoirs, One Bird’s Choice by Iain Reid was recommended to me from a friend, so I decided to give it a try. Iain describes himself as “an overeducated, underemployed twenty-something, living in the big city in a bug-filled basement apartment and struggling to make ends meet.” He finds part-time employment at a radio station near his parent’s home, and decides to bite the bullet and move in with them to help save money. While Iain was hoping for a temporary move, his stay ends up being a year long. As the year goes along, Iain settles a little too comfortably into his new lifestyle, which includes home cooked meals, farm chores, lots of beer drinking, and taking fashion advice from his parents.
I thought One Bird’s Choice was interesting and fun to read. Iain’s parents sound hilarious, and I laughed a lot at many of their scenes. When I started reading, I almost was wondering if Iain was just a lazy pile, and why he wasn’t trying harder to find a job and not have to live with his parents. But as I was getting his perspective on his life and his future, I realized that he simply was unsure what he wanted to be when he grew up. Sure, he had a few goals and interests, but he didn’t have a set career he was trying to achieve. I thought it would be difficult for me to relate to him, being the overly ambitious gal that I am, but through his comedic and truthful writing, I was able to develop a bond. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
[Rating: 4]

October 21, 2011
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The Summer We Came to Life by Deborah Cloyed
Chick Lit Review

The Summer We Came to Life by Deborah Cloyed

The Summer We Came to Life by Deborah Cloyed explores the friendship between four young women- Samantha, Isabel, Kendra and Mina. Childhood friends, the girls take a trip each year to someplace exotic, and this year they are in Honduras. But this trip is different, because Mina is no longer with them. She lost her battle to cancer, and now the three friends are struggling to move forward without her. Each friend is at a different place in her life, and with her own unique problem she is trying to figure out. Also in Honduras with the group are Isabel and Kendra’s mothers, and Mina’s and Kendra’s father. The adults are also trying to find their own answers in life, and to understand about the journey they’ve taken so far.
This wasn’t a terrible book, it was well written and Cloyed takes readers on a unique journey with her characters. I struggled a bit to get into the story after Samantha drowns and goes into a different world, one where she is with Mina again. I just got lost after that plot twist, and couldn’t find the same enthusiasm that I had in the beginning of the novel. The narratives are a bit all over the place- from Samantha’s point of view to the parents, and it was confusing to keep jumping all over the place with that. I think Cloyed really wants readers to take away the lesson to never give up on life, to always keep fighting for yourself and what you believe, which is great. The four girls make for an interesting and creative character set, but the second half of the book just fell flat for me.
[Rating: 3]

October 17, 2011
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Priceless by Nicole Richie
Chick Lit Review

Priceless by Nicole Richie

Charlotte Williams is a typical New York socialite, enjoying the finer things in life and being the apple of her father’s eye. But when darling daddy is taken to federal prison on embezzlement charges, Charlotte’s charmed life is suddenly in ruins. Cheated investors are after her, and even her household staff was duped by her father and questioning her about their money. Charlotte flees New York and finds comfort in the only person that can provide it for her–Miss Millie, the woman who helped raise Charlotte after her mother passed away. Charlotte tries to settle into her temporary life in New Orleans–making a new friend in the fashionista Kat, securing a job as a waitress, and possibly finding romance with Millie’s son, Jackson. But a stalker that set up an unpleasant website about Charlotte is not letting her find peace. He is determined to bring her down because of her father’s actions, and the threats are soon out of control.
Priceless is the follow-up novel from Nicole Richie after The Truth About Diamonds. This novel seemed more fiction to me than the first, where I was able to see parallels from those characters to Richie’s celebrity life. With Priceless, I was much more invested in the story and Charlotte’s troubles, even though I’m sure Richie relied on her socialite experience for some of the scenes. But casting the celebrity bit aside, I thought this novel was a fast read that entertained me throughout. The characters were well-written and made relatable, even though I am far from that social status. I thought Charlotte was very likeable, even though her character could have gone the other way, so I was really rooting for her throughout the whole story. More books like this from Nicole Richie will definitely not be a bad thing.
[Rating: 4.5]

October 15, 2011
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A Parfait Murder by Wendy Lyn Watson
Chick Lit Review

A Parfait Murder by Wendy Lyn Watson

When Wendy Watson asked on Facebook who wanted to review her latest mystery, A Parfait Murder, I signed myself right up. After reading the first, I Scream, You Scream, and thoroughly enjoying the delectable mystery, I knew I wanted to follow the series. I did miss the second book, Scoop To Kill, but I have that on my list to read. For the third book in the Mystery A La Mode series, Tally’s cousin Bree gets an unexpected visit when her ex-husband appears back in town. Sonny shot off seventeen years prior, after Bree got pregnant with her daughter Alice. After never making child support payments, Sonny shows up with a flashy business proposition for the town- and a stunning female on his arm. Sonny hires Kristen Ver Steeg as his lawyer, but she winds up dead- and Bree is holding the gum. Tally knows her cousin is innocent, but with all the evidence and motives pointing straight at Bree, Tally knows she doesn’t have long to clear her cousins name. Meanwhile, Tally is trying to successfully date Finn Harper, a childhood friend and sweetheart who got away, but when a complicated family secret gets revealed, Tally and Finn’s relationship is forever changed.
Once again, I had a great time diving in to this fun mystery series. And seriously- who doesn’t love these covers? They grab my attention right away. Watson brings back heartfelt characters with a lot of personality, and I really enjoyed getting to know Alice. The ending with the family secret simply shocked me, I really can’t say I saw that one coming. There were a few other plot twists that caught me off guard as well, which I love. The suspense was up there, and I think readers will have a great time reading A Parfait Murder. Be sure to check out the rest in the series as well!
[Rating: 4]

October 14, 2011
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Take Me Home From the Oscars by Christine Schwab
Chick Lit Review

Take Me Home From the Oscars by Christine Schwab

While I’m not one to take on memoirs a whole lot, I had to read Take Me Home From the Oscars by Christine Schwab. Her…

October 12, 2011
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Confessions of a Call Center Gal by Lisa Lim
Chick Lit Review

Confessions of a Call Center Gal by Lisa Lim

Madison Lee has graduated from college and is ready to take on the real world…the real world that comes with a ten percent unemployment rate that is only going up. Unable to nab her dream job in print media, Madison settles for the only paying job she can find- a service rep at a call center in Pocatello, Idaho. She gets to work with her BFF all while staring down the delectable foreigner Mika Harket, another co-worker who may be the sexiest man alive. While the phones calls can range from thankful, hilarious, to downright rude (a caller insisting she address him by Dr.) Maddy learns through many trials and tribulations the humbling world of working in a call center.
I had a lot of fun reading Confessions of a Call Center Gal, the debut from Lisa Lim. While I have never worked in a call center, I have held many customer service jobs, and this book reminded me why I hold my tongue when speaking to a service rep. They are just regular people like myself, trying to make a living. Some enjoy working at the call center, others are doing it just to scrape by. Some are young guns trying to make it to the top, others are older women who like to crochet booties for their grandkids on their breaks. This book was a real eye opener to a job that many people either take for granted or look down upon, and I’m glad Lim offered me a copy to read. Maddy and her slew of friends are funny and down to earth. The only thing that lacked for me was the relationship between Maddy and Mika. I really just didn’t get it. I felt it was really awkward and strained the whole time, but other than that, super funny book, great writing from Lim and I would definitely recommend this to chick lit fans. Oh- and my little blog makes a cameo in the eBooks. How fun is that? 
[Rating: 4]

October 10, 2011
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The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman
Chick Lit Review

The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman

I received an ARC for The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman, and though I agreed to read and review, I was a little worried about what my reaction would be. I do like to explore beyond the chick lit genre, and this one is definitely way out that realm. The main character is Judy McFarland, a typical suburban mom whose profession is a kindergarten teacher. She has one son, a senior named Scott, and a husband that is manic over his doctoral dissertation. Judy’s marriage has already begun to disintegrate, but she takes things to a new level when she begins an affair- with a sixteen year old student. Judy starts to mentor Zach Patterson, a high school student and friend of Scott’s, and they soon enter into a torrid affair. The time jumps around from when Judy is a young girl and key times in her childhood, to her adult life and the decisions she is making. The point of view also switches from Judy to Zach at times, which gives readers a nice insight on his thoughts and feelings on the relationship.
The beginning did start off a bit slow for me but about halfway through the novel, I was unable to put it down. You watch as Judy turns from a typical teacher, to a misguided lover, to an insane predator with just a few flips of the pages. I have seen the words “psychological thriller” being used to describe this book, and I would agree. My emotions were played with, I kept shouting out passages to my boyfriend, and I was engrossed until the end. The writing was masterful, and I thought the sub-plot of Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky was a great addition to the main story. I will say that when I was struggling through the beginning, I couldn’t tell what Coleman’s intentions were. Was she trying to say that teacher-student affairs are okay, that Judy was simply a lost woman looking for love? Was she trying to show why these affairs are common, how people can get away with it, and what happens after the relationship is discovered? I almost felt for awhile that is was the first, that readers were supposed to feel sympathetic with Judy. Her best friend has recently died of cancer, her husband was an absent a-hole and her life seemed to be coming apart at the seams. It wasn’t until the end, where the dots seemed to be connected (at least for me) that showed the disease she was suffering from. The last few chapters gave me goosebumps, but the very last section was a little confusing for me. Overall, a solid story that will make you keep thinking about the characters after you finish the book.
[Rating: 4]

October 7, 2011
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Clothesline by Kate Supino
Chick Lit Review

Clothesline by Kate Supino

Kelly, Ana and Sera are three friends with a big problem- they have no money. The friends and co-workers decide to become entrepreneurs, because the three of them aren’t making enough working at the retail store Clothesline. Their big ideas include door to door selling, vending machines, and finally dog grooming. But Kelly has always had an eye for fashion and creating clothes, and a chance run-in with a major celebrity helps open the door for her. Armed with the help of her two best friends, the young women are able to find their happy endings.
Clothesline is the debut from Kate Supino, and I thought it was pretty solid. There were a few holes along the way that had me wondering, the biggest one being why the friends formed a friendship. I know they are co-workers, but the writing had me believing these are best besties, when in reality they actually don’t seem to know each other that well. Ana had a secret throughout the book that she refused to share, which really did hold my interest, but the friendship had me confused on a few occasions. There were a few other instances that had me wondering- such as the immediate help from a celebrity and some odd-sounding dialogue at times, but I enjoyed the story. I could relate to the women as they strive to become successful entrepreneurs, and the ending wasn’t quite what I expected, but in a good way. Overall, a good debut from an author that I will read more from.
[Rating: 4]

October 5, 2011
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Goddess of Vengeance by Jackie Collins
Chick Lit Review

Goddess of Vengeance by Jackie Collins

Lucky Santangelo is back! The dynamite Jackie Collins recently released number 27, Goddess of Vengeance, and the Santangelo family and friends (and enemies) are back in a big way. Goddess focuses mainly on Lucky’s daughter, the eighteen-year-old Max, as she stars to make adult decisions- like sleeping with her mom’s best friend’s soon to be ex-husband. Venus and Billy have headed for splitsville, and Billy finds himself besotted over Max, while Venus simply starts sleeping around. Lucky is somewhat in the background of the story, but her fierce determination, loyalty, and balls of steel are at no shortage. When the disgustingly sleazy billionaire businessman/Middle Eastern Prince, Armand Jordan, tries to buy out Lucky’s precious casino and hotel complex, The Keys, Lucky quickly lets him know who has the last say. And we can’t forget Lucky’s gorgeous son Bobby and new girlfriend Denver, who are trying to work through there relationship obstacles.
It’s a little difficult to write a synopsis with so many leading characters, and I always worry that readers new to the series will give up hope, but don’t! Once you start reading, it is easy to identify and connect with the jumbled cast. I really enjoyed learning more about Denver and Bobby and where there story continued from Poor Little Bitch Girl, and even diving into Max’s character more was interesting to read about. There is no shortage of raunchy scenes and vulgarity, of course, especially when it comes to Armand’s character and his dimwitted view of woman. The ending of the book really picked up for me, and I couldn’t put it down. I loved how all the characters were slowly gravitating towards one location, and had to see how it all finished. I will say that I thought the ending with Armand was a little bit of a letdown. I would have been okay with a much less easy and way out for him to die, after all his disgusting behavior and lewd acts. But other than that, another delicious and frantic story to add to the Santangelo collection!
[Rating: 4]

September 30, 2011
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