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Dating Mr. December by Phillipa Ashley
Chick Lit Review

Dating Mr. December by Phillipa Ashley

Emma Tremayne lost her boyfriend and snazzy PR job all in one day, and flees to the Lake District in need of finding herself and forgetting bad memories. She takes up another PR job, and her first assignment is helping a local mountain rescue group raise money for their base. Her idea is to have the twelve male members pose for a “tasteful nude calendar” in hopes of selling enough to raise the funds. The idea is met with some doubts at first, but eventually all the men agree to pose- except one. Will Tennant is the most gorgeous and spearheaded man Emma has ever laid eyes on, but she does not want to feel attracted to him after learning he left another woman at the alter. As her time at the Lake District stretches on, Emma and Will’s feelings slowly begin to show for another, and a near tragic accident leads them to finally admit how they truly feel about each another.
Dating Mr. December by British author Phillipa Ashley is a typical romantic story, telling the tale of a boy and girl who so clearly belong together yet get twisted and tangled along the way before admitting they’re in love. What made this more than the typical romance story was Ashley’s comedic tone that she brought to help make the characters come alive. I especially enjoyed that she not only wrote from Emma’s point of view, but also Will’s, giving readers more of an insight on these two characters. Somewhere in the middle of the story the plot began to fall flat for me, but near the end the pace really picked up. I loved the beautiful ending to the story, and it made want to hear more about these characters and their new lives together.
Rating: 4/5

September 18, 2010
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A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff
Chick Lit Review

A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff

Phoebe Swift is willing to make desperate changes in her life. After the death of her best friend and calling off her engagement, Phoebe abruptly quits her posh job at Sotheby’s and opens her own vintage shop. Her passion for previously worn clothes and the stories they once told is Phoebe’s hook for running her own business, and she quickly befriends a Mrs. Bell and begins to learn her stories. Mrs. Bell is a widow dying of cancer, and asks Phoebe to sell her clothes to new owners. While looking through Mrs. Bell’s closet, Phoebe stumbles upon a child’s blue jacket, and the story behind it fills the pages with mystery and sadness, but a happy ending.
A Vintage Affair by best-selling author Isabel Wolff is a beautifully written story about the essence of friendship, forgiving oneself, and finding love in unexpected places. There are many subject matters that will pull heartstrings, and I found myself wide-eyed in many places due to the emotional intensity of the characters and their situations. Wolff did an excellent job when it came to research for this novel, and it showed when I became quickly immersed in the storyline and could not put this book down. I did think there were a bit too many sub-plots for my liking, but other than that, an excellent read and a definite recommendation from me!
Rating: 4/5

September 17, 2010
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Nancy’s Theory of Style by Grace Coopersmith
Chick Lit Review

Nancy’s Theory of Style by Grace Coopersmith

Nancy Carrington-Chambers is the perfect socialite living in the Bay area with her husband of three years, Todd. When the immaculate Nancy decides that Todd is displaying poor taste in the house he has built and is in danger of ruining her perfect reputation, she decides to get some space from her husband and concentrate on her event planning business, Froth. The first step is to move out of the awful home she shares with Todd and into her own space, where her focus can be solely her business. The next step is to hire an assistant, and to Nancy’s surprise and delight, Todd offers to pay for Derek, the perfect gay English assistant. Everything is running smoothly until Nancy’s flighty cousin leaves her young daughter, Eugenia, in the care of Nancy without so much of a thank you, let alone directions on how to care for a child. To make matters worse, Nancy realizes she is falling in love with her gay assistant, and the thought of leaving her husband is becoming more and more desirable.
Nancy’s Theory of Style by Grace Coopersmith is a hilarious read filled with many laughs, some quirky characters, and fun plot twists. Nancy’s character starts out stiff and borderline unlikable, and I really enjoyed watching her find balance and become less obsessed with perfection. I loved the plot line with caring for her cousin’s daughter, and the emotions tied in with those scenes actually caused me to tear up a few times. I thought Coopersmith’s writing was comedic yet the lessons she was speaking of were profound, and the way she tied them together was, well, perfect. I definitely recommend Nancy’s Theory of Style!

September 14, 2010
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I Remember You by Harriet Evans
Chick Lit Review

I Remember You by Harriet Evans

Tess Tennant makes a drastic decision when she moves from London back to her quaint hometown of Langford. After living 12 years in the fast paced town of London, Tess loses her job and her boyfriend, and decides to hightail it back home. She secures a job as a classics professor, and quickly finds another London transplant to room with her. Tess’s bests and oldest friend, Adam, still lives in Langford, and their friendship quickly becomes strong once again after Tess moves back. Friends since their childhood, Tess and Adam have survived many tests of friendships. But now, after years living in different cities, they are forced to deal with the situation that almost tore their tight bond apart.
I Remember You by Harriet Evans is a breathtaking read of friendship and love, filled with many surprises and twists along the way. Each time I thought I figured out the plot, another loophole was thrown in to knock me off balance. Evan’s writing is fun yet emotional, and though I thought the story started off a bit too slow, the characters easily overpowered me and pulled me into their lives. With so many supporting characters- Tess’s London roommate, the elderly and cruel town villain, and the American heartthrob Tess falls for in Rome, it is near impossible not to fall in love with this novel.
Rating: 4/5

September 11, 2010
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Love in Mid Air by Kim Wright
Chick Lit Review

Love in Mid Air by Kim Wright

Elyse Bearden is unhappily married to Phil, a husband who leaves Post-it notes instead of having conservations with his wife. While the two live separate lives, only on occasion coming together when it involves their young daughter, Elyse struggles with the idea of getting a divorce. She and her friends live the surburbia housewife lives: having bake sales and book club meetings and dinner parties. What would happen to her friendships, and what the others in the town think of her?
On a flight home from Phoenix, Elyse meets Gerry Kincaid on the plane, and not before long, begins a torrid affair with the also-married Gerry. The secret escapes, hotel visits, and late night phone calls allow both Elyse and Gerry to have an escape from their failing marriages. Elyse confides only in her best friend Kelly, who also once carried on an affair with a married man. Kelly does her best in trying to warn Elyse that affairs often lead to heartbreak, and Elyse’s case- could cost her custody of her daughter.
Love in Mid Air, the debut novel from Kim Wright, offers a fresh take on marriage, love, family, and the meaning of friendship. Not too often do we read about the wives having the affair, usual the husband is grazing in greener pastures and the wife needs to pick up the pieces. Though I have never been on the giving or receiving end of an affair, much less been married, I felt I really connected with the main character and the emotions she was feeling. At many times, it seemed she didn’t feel guilty about her adulterous way, which may not be “right” but made her seem that much more real. Wright’s deeply personal writing on her character’s life is what made me like this book so much. I also loved the friendship between Elyse and Kelly, that sub plot made for such an entertaining and wild escape. The only reasons why I can’t give Love in Mid Air a five star rating is because I felt the affair started off way too quickly, without enough back story on the main character to understand why she so calmly began the affair, and because the plot got a little to jumpy between past and present at times. Other than those two details, I loved it and can’t wait to read more from Kim Wright.
Rating: 4/5

September 10, 2010
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I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk
Chick Lit Review

I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk

I Heart Paris, the follow-up novel from Lindsey Kelk’s I Heart Hollywood, picks up where heroine Angela Clark left off. Back in New York and still with boyfriend Alex, Angela is busy working on her blog and trying to decide if she should move in with Alex. Alex keeps asking Angela, but Angela is hesitant because of a messy breakup in her past. When Alex suddenly needs to fly to Paris to perform in a live concert with his band, he asks Angela to go with her. At the same time, Angela is offered a terrific writing opportunity on Paris fashion, and happily heads across the Pond. As usual with Angela, nothing seems to go her way once she lands. Alex’s crazy ex-girlfriend seems to keep popping up wherever Alex is, her writing assignment is not going as smoothly as she hoped, and someone from her work may be trying to sabotage her. Between trying to keep her relationship alive and maintain a professional career, Angela’s trip to Paris is anything but uneventful!
I Heart Paris is definitely going on my Favorites list. The writing was humorous, the characters were extremely likeable, and I loved the air of mystery surrounding the possible work sabotage. It was also refreshing to read a story where the boyfriend is actually a good guy! I loved Alex’s character and how much he loved Angela despite her increasingly clumsy ways and the miscommunication involving the ex-girlfriend. The visions of Paris made me feel like I was in the city, and the fashion will please chick lit fans immensely. I’ve realized that I’ve said I’ve loved parts of this book about three times now, so I definitely need to give it a 5 star rating. This is the third in Lindsey Kelk’s ‘I Heart’ series: I Heart New York, I Heart Hollywood and I Heart Paris, and I sure hope we get a fourth!
Rating: 5/5

September 6, 2010
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Tuesday Tells it Slant by Holly Christine
Chick Lit Review

Tuesday Tells it Slant by Holly Christine

Tuesday Tells it Slant by Holly Christine hits the top of my list for favorite books! I was a bit hesitant to get excited about reading this, the synopsis didn’t fully catch my attention and actually confused me a bit. But once I started and got past the first few jumbled pages, I couldn’t put it down. The story follows the journal entries of Tuesday Morning and the defining moments in her life, from her relationship with her twin sister, Monday, to securing her first real job, to falling in love. But when Tuesday’s life starts slipping out of control, she decides to do something about it. Re-writing her past seems to be the only way she can control her future, so she revisits her journal, methodically changing what has already happened into a new story, redirecting her into a new future. But how precious is the past, and did Tuesday make a mistake rewriting hers?
I know that my synopsis of the story probably sounds just as confusing, but I really think everyone should try this book out. The concept is so intriguing, someone wanting to rewrite their past all with a paper and pen. While I was reading, I found myself wondering what I would change if I had the power to, or if I would leave all my memories intact. I found Christine’s writing to be thought-provoking and eloquent, even while discussing some of the harsh realities people must face. The beginning may throw some readers off like it did myself. The journal entries skip around from events among the years, but once you get just a few pages in, you can start to see a pattern amongst the dates. I highly enjoyed this novel; I found it to be a refreshing break from the usual chick lit or women’s fiction pattern. Tuesday Tells is Slant gets five stars from me.
Rating: 5/5

August 28, 2010
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Scandalous by Tilly Bagshawe
Chick Lit Review

Scandalous by Tilly Bagshawe

Sasha Miller had the unfortunate luck of meeting Theo Dexter. Sasha, a shy, naïve young woman, Sasha was studying at Cambridge University to become a scientist. Theo, an egotistical, seductive womanizer, convinces Sasha to embark upon an affair with him, filling her mind with stories that his wife, Theresa, is to blame for the demise of his marriage. Falling completely under Theo’s spell, Sasha trusts Theo with everything- until he betrays her in such a way that Sasha must leave Cambridge, must transform herself into a new woman. Intent on getting her revenge, Sasha becomes obsessed on how to make Theo pay for ruining her life.
Scandalous by Tilly Bagshawe is truly that- Scandalous. Once I started reading this novel, there was no putting it down. There are about four main characters, and each of there stories are delicately interlaced with one another. The plot methodically moves along, and readers watch as Sasha gets humiliated while Theo becomes a super star in Hollywood. Not only does this story touch on love, betrayal, vengeance, and scandal, but there is also the celebrity world mixed in, with the glamorous lives only the rich and shameless can live. Bagshawe’s writing reminds me of another great writer- Jackie Collins- but the stories are more personal, more realistic. Scandalous definitely belongs on my Favorites list!
Rating: 4.5/5

August 23, 2010
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Love You Love Your Work Let’s Do Lunch! by Micheline McAllister
Chick Lit Review

Love You Love Your Work Let’s Do Lunch! by …

Ashling Donovan decides to move from Des Moines to Los Angeles in hopes of becoming a successful teleplay writer. After moving in with her boyfriend, Ashling sets her sights on securing a job. But when said boyfriend unexpectedly breaks up with her for a Myspace girl, Ashling is desperate for a job, a home, and money. When she shows up to interview as a PA, Ashling is seized with an opportunity, a lie, that could change her life. Overnight, Ashling becomes a widely known head writer, creator of a new show, and her own personal assistant, all in one. But will the truth about her double life identity be discovered- and ruin her Hollywood reputation?
Love You, Love Your Work, Let’s Do Lunch! is Micheline McAllister’s second novel, and just as filled with juicy Hollywood secrets as the first. It was comical to read how people in LA will fall all over themselves trying to name drop, and what some people will do to get ahead. I highly enjoyed reading Ashling’s tale from an Iowa nobody to a big name in Hollywood, all because of a well crafted lie. I did think a couple times that there was no possible way someone could make up being a well respected writer, but in the land of celebrities, I guess almost anything is possible. I think chick lit readers will find humor in this novel, appreciate good writing, and be able to escape in the heroine’s double life.
Rating: 4/5

August 19, 2010
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