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Swallow by Tonya Plank
Chick Lit Review

Swallow by Tonya Plank

Sophie Hegel is a young lawyer living in New York City. After graduating from Yale Law School and securing her first real job, Sophie is proposed to by her decade older boyfriend, Stephen. While he is proposing, Sophie feels something in her throat, described as a fist-ball, lodging her breathing. From that moment, the fist-ball keeps appearing during important times in Sophie’s life, such as representing clients and meeting other lawyers. Sophie tries therapy to understand what is happening to her, as the fist-ball is causing her to be unable to eat or drink. When the therapist talks about her childhood, Sophie dredges up painful memories about her father, who films pornography movies., and the relationship she has with her mother and sister. The therapist diagnoses Sophie with a psychosomatic illness called Globus Sensate, and Sophie must deal with her issues in order to overcome this disease.
Swallow, the debut by Tonya Plank, is an interesting story. It took me awhile to grasp the concept that there was an imaginary fist-ball constantly in the main characters throat. I really didn’t understand where the story was going. Once I dove deeper in, I could see how her childhood left damaging psychological distress on her adult life, and started rooting for the character to overcome and succeed. Swallow is marked as dark comedy, but I don’t see anything comedic about the story. I thought it was extremely edgy and dark, and I enjoyed Plank’s writing. I think readers should give this novel a chance, even though the synopsis may see a little far-out, the story is meaningful.
Rating: 3/5

August 14, 2010
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Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker by Marla Martenson
Chick Lit Review

Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker by Marla Martenson

Matchmaker, author, and life coach Marla Martenson chronicles her adventures of matchmaking in the land of Los Angeles. Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker is just what it sounds like, giving readers an inside peek into the lives and relationships of those single and looking. With the backdrop being LA, the stories, people, and situations are to the extreme. Martenson has a humorous voice, and I loved reading about how she needed to figure out how to hook up an old, nerdy, overweight, and balding man with a supermodel look-alike who has to have an Ivy league education but prefers to be a 1950’s housewife. Or secure a match for the man who found his sole mate- but her areolas were too large. Or the woman who will sleep with any man as long as he will drop thousands of dollars for her to shop designer labels. Each tale provides new laughter, and I absolutely love this book! I really liked that Marla not only let readers know about her matchmaking work, but also wrote about her own struggles of writing a book, maintaining a wonderful marriage, and keeping her self-esteem up in the city of LA. It’s also a quick read, only took me a couple of sittings to complete, so if you are looking for something fast, funny, and even enlightening, be sure to check out Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker.
Rating: 5/5

August 13, 2010
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Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton
Chick Lit Review

Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton

Mina is a single mom working at a car insurance call center. Peter is a widowed father of twin girls, who crashes his car into a tree stump trying to avoid a cat. When Peter calls the insurance center for help, Mina answers the phone. From that simple phone call, two complete strangers who live miles and miles apart begin a friendly relationship, each wondering if it is possible they found love.
Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton is a charming love story. I enjoyed reading about not only Mina and Peter’s relationship, but the lives the supporting characters lead. Peter’s twin daughters struggle with growing apart, while Mina’s daughter can’t come out of her shell. There is also a little mystery played out with Mina’s troublesome younger sister that kept my interest. Overall, I thought the over the phone love story was too drawn out, that it took too long for the characters to meet face to face. The sub plots almost held me over, but the last few chapters I found myself frustrated that Mina and Peter had yet to meet. I still enjoyed the read, and I would love to see sequel on how the merging families have turned out.
Rating: 4/5

August 11, 2010
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The Starlet by Mary McNamara
Chick Lit Review

The Starlet by Mary McNamara

In Mary McNamara’s debut novel, Oscar Season, readers were introduced to Juliette Greyson. Juliette was the head of PR at the Pinnacle Hotel in Los Angeles, dealing with the rich and famous on a daily basis. After the murder of her cheating ex-husband, Juliette flees to Florence for a break from the LA lifestyle, and that is were The Starlet picks up.
Juliette saves troubled actress Mercy Talbot (think Lindsay Lohan) from diving into a fountain and whisks her away to her Italian estate she shares with cousin Gabriel. Upon arrival to Cerreta, Gabriel is outraged Juliette would bring a drug riddled celebrity on the premises. Gabriel and Juliette are both recovering addicts, and Gabriel does not have the patience to deal with Mercy and her Hollywood ways. The story begins to change when Juliette realizes that someone else may be supplying Mercy with the drugs, that someone being Mercy’s own overbearing mother. After the mysterious death of Mercy’s former co-star, the plot intensifies when another death on set occurs. Juliette is determined to find the culprit, and help save Mercy from succumbing to death from addiction at such a young age.
Even though I had not read Oscar Season previously, The Starlet easily stood its ground alone. The tantalizing pull of celebrities and their over-the-top lifestyles mixed in with drugs, sex, and murder makes this mystery irresistible to put down. I loved Italy as the setting, the beautiful images along with the serene atmosphere of Cerreta made the whole drug/murder scandal that much more scandalous. The love stories that were threaded throughout seemed to get a little confusing, but I guess that is life of the rich and famous. I definitely recommend The Starlet and look forward to reading more novels from Mary McNamara.
Rating: 4/5

August 6, 2010
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Anyone For Seconds? by Fiona Cassidy
Chick Lit Review

Anyone For Seconds? by Fiona Cassidy

Frankie McCormick decides to swear off men after her husband, Tony, leaves her and takes off to the States with his new younger girlfriend. Left behind to raise their two children, Ben and Carly, Frankie can’t help but to be wary of any man. But when Owen Byrne enters the picture, the strong façade quickly weakens. Taken by his good looks and charming personality, Frankie can only find one fault with Owen- his despicable teenage daughter Angelica. Angelica hates Frankie and does not want to lose her father to a new family, and does everything in her power to break the couple up. When tragedy hits the families and visitors from the past re-enter, Frankie and Owen’s relationship is put to the test. They must decide if the love they feel for one another is strong enough to endure the hardships and obstacles.
I found Anyone For Seconds? by Fiona Cassidy a heartwarming story about love and families. The relationship between the main characters has a very real feeling to it, not just all mushy and filled with scandal. The issues that are being dealt with I feel are not written about enough, and I commend Cassidy for tackling not only the issue of broken homes, but giving the children of those homes a voice. There were a few areas that seemed a little slow-going, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I would definitely recommend this book, and anxiously await to read Fiona Cassidy’s second novel, Anyone For Me?

August 4, 2010
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Eyeleash: A Blog Novel by Jess C. Scott
Chick Lit Review

Eyeleash: A Blog Novel by Jess C. Scott

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a “blog novel.” EyeLeash by Jess C. Scott sure opened my eyes to a new style of writing, but I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing. The novel is written in blog style, a young girl keeping a diary online and discussing private topics. Jade Ashton is a 17 year old virgin, who meets Novan, a friend from the past. Novan was once the geeky friend who crushed on Jade, but has grown into a hot songwriter/musician. Jade writes diligently in her private blog over the course of the year, and readers watch the relationship between her and Novan grow deeper and deeper. But when Novan unexpectedly drops Jade, she is left to turn to her friends for comfort and understanding. The deeply personal writing almost feels like trespassing at times, but helps understand the main character and how she is feeling. Since the novel picks up right as she begins her blog and her friendship with Novan, there is really no background story to get acquainted with. I found myself overly confused when a 17 year old girl seems to be living without parents and spends hundreds of dollars shopping but doesn’t have a job. I think if there had been some background at first or even throughout the story I could have a deeper connection with Jade’s character, but I just never got there. I think Scott’s efforts and talents do shine through at times, because there were two sections that I could not seem to stop reading. But overall, the characters and plot lines were too confusing for me to grasp. An interesting read if someone wants to check out blog novels, but not something I’ll be quick to recommend. Also, if reading sex scenes make you uncomfortable, pass on this one. The sexual language is quite strong and common throughout.
Rating: 2/5

August 3, 2010
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Jessica Z by Shawn Klomparens
Chick Lit Review

Jessica Z by Shawn Klomparens

Jessica Z by Shawn Klomparens will be a good read for those who like chick lit with a bit of edge to the story. Jessica Zorich is a twenty-eight year old living in San Francisco, and the plot follows the chick lit pattern for a few chapters. She is trying to find love with her upstairs neighbor, trying to be happy with her job as a copy-writer, and trying to please her family, especially her mother and sister. But the plot takes a thrilling twist when terrorism is introduced, and the intensity is heightened.
When downstairs neighbor Patrick announces he has a girlfriend, Jessica finds herself a new potential suitor. Josh is a dark character, a lithographer with a passion for art, and the relationship between Jessica and Josh is fast-paced and borderline confusing. Hints are sprinkled along the way that Josh may actually be involved with the terrorism that is sweeping the US, and the conclusion is unsettling. There were times during the reading that I couldn’t take my eyes away from the pages, I had to keep reading to see what happened next. But there were also times where I didn’t even want to pick up the book, the plot was too confusing and spotty that I began to lose interest. I appreciate the edgy chick lit, and that a male author could write about the heroine with seemingly ease. An engaging plot, but not enough consistency to keep my attention throughout.
Rating: 3.5/5

July 29, 2010
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The Cougar Club by Susan McBride
Chick Lit Review

The Cougar Club by Susan McBride

The Cougar Club by Susan McBride isn’t to be passed just because you aren’t a cougar! A cougar, a term coined popular by celebrities such as Demi Moore, is when an older woman hooks a young man, such as Ashton Kutcher. The three characters in this novel are high school friends that drifted apart but are now coming back together, all in their 40’s and at a crucial point in their lives. Kat has just been fired from her cushy job and broke off her relationship with her younger man, and ran from New York to her hometown of St. Louis in need of the comfort from her family and friends. Carla is the top anchorwoman that is determined not to let a much younger bimbo steal her job and spotlight, and Elise is watching her marriage fall apart, convinced her husband is having an affair. The three friends tighten their bond and help one another through their separate journeys.
I found The Cougar Club to be a smart, witty, and thought-provoking novel. The characters are all extremely likeable and down to earth, making it easy to feel their problems and search for the solutions along with them. I am not in the “cougar” age yet, but that didn’t hinder my reading experience at all. The life lessons, love lessons, and overall meaning of what true friendships are all about makes this book a must read for chick lit fans.

July 26, 2010
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Muffins and Mayhem by Suzanne Beecher
Chick Lit Review

Muffins and Mayhem by Suzanne Beecher

Muffins and Mayhem: Recipes For a Happy (if Disorderly) Life by Suzanne Beecher is a part memoir, part cookbook of Suzanne’s truly disorderly life. With absent parents, a teenage pregnancy, drug addictions, and a physical impairment, Suzanne’s story of how to overcome so many obstacles makes her novel an inspiring and emotional read. While she highlights the many pitfalls in her life, along with the glory days of opening her own restaurant and finding her husband, readers can see her compassion for baking and cooking, and how her love for the kitchen helped her along the way. Suzanne is a beautiful writer, even comedic at times, but I thought the plot jumped around a little too much for my taste. There are so many events and people that she wants to touch on, that at times the characters got all jumbled around. I did like the many recipes she shares with readers (I hope to try a few out myself) and the wisdom Suzanne evokes. I would recommend Muffins and Mayhem on that alone, but it also is an entertaining, quick read that I think chick lit fans could enjoy.

July 25, 2010
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