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The Debutante Divorcee by Plum Sykes
Chick Lit Review

The Debutante Divorcee by Plum Sykes

When newlywed Sylvie Mortimer gets abandoned on her honeymoon due to her husband’s demanding career, she befriends a fellow Manhattanite, Lauren Blount, who is relaxing on her divorce honeymoon. The girls, seemingly opposites, become fast friends, and Lauren introduces Sylvie to the world of the debutante divorcees- where leaving your husband is just as fabulous as marrying him.
When cracks begin to show in Sylvie’s young marriage to Hunter- her husband acting secretive when he begins working with Sophia D’Arlan aka the Husband Huntress- Lauren tries to convince Sylvie that being a divorcee is not that bad. Fabulous vacations, top of the line parties, and finding comfort in other men. Lauren even has a goal for herself- make out with 5 suitable men before Memorial Day. Sylvie knows that she doesn’t want to be divorced and loves Hunter very much, but the clues of an affair are almost too much to ignore.
The Debutante Divorcee by Plum Sykes is a fast-paced witty tale that is a fabulous follow up to Bergdorf Blondes. But now, instead of trying to find the Prospective Husband, readers follow two women’s very separate lives in their journey of finding love. The lifestyle of the rich and spoiled shines through again, causing for some hilarious tales, but also offers a more grounded perspective through Sylvie’s eyes. The contrasting points of view and name-dropping antics will have readers loving this novel as much as Syke’s first.

March 5, 2010
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Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes
Chick Lit Review

Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes

The Park Avenue Princesses are on a mission- find the perfect Prospective Husband. The unnamed heroine dives right in, finding what seems like the most fabulous men but realizing they are only toads disguised as a prince (literally- a prince). Along with best friend Julie Bergdorf, the group of wealthy socialites go through the life of luxury, their biggest worries being when their next alpha-beta peel is scheduled, and what to wear to the hottest party this weekend.
Following the adventures of the rich and fabulous proved hilarious in Plum Sykes debut novel, Bergdorf Blondes. A light but hilarious read, it was difficult to put down because the characters were able to suck you in and make you feel a part of the clique. Chick lit readers will enjoy the fluffy plot and over the top situations, especially if you were a fan of the Clueless movie! Blondes is entertaining, carefree, and a glamorous trip through the glitzy world of the girls who have it all.

February 28, 2010
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Pieces of Happily Ever After by Irene Zutell
Chick Lit Review

Pieces of Happily Ever After by Irene Zutell

Alice Hirsh is trying to adjust to life in the San Fernando Valley after living in New York. Judgmental and borderline unfriendly, Alice relies on her family- Alex, a wonderful husband and father, working as an entertainment lawyer for the stars, and her precious daughter Gabby. But everything turns when Alex announces he needs a “break”- then Alice finds pictures of her husband cuddling with the hottest man-eating actress in Hollywood, also Alex’s newest client. Suddenly, she is on the verge of getting a divorce, and is having to deal with the demise while the paparazzi is stalking her and five year old Gabby asking all the hard questions.
Alice struggles to get through each day, trying to pick up the broken pieces around her. She finds friends with the most unexpected people- another mother who loves wearing Winnie-the-Pooh sweatshirts but can swear like a sailor and an ex porn star trying to make a better future for herself. Their friendships help support Alice through her mother’s declining health and a possible love interest- with a former paparazzo.
Pieces of Happily Ever After by Irene Zutell is a heartwarming tale of a very real situation and one women’s experience of trying to get her life back on track. I loved the spin with the fairy tale, seeing how Gabby’s love of fairy tales could relate to Alice’s life. The supporting cast really helped shape the novel, with just enough detail on each person’s lives. This is feel good reading material that shows no matter how much you lose, there is more you can gain to get your happily ever after.

February 22, 2010
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Reunion by J.L. Penn
Chick Lit Review

Reunion by J.L. Penn

Jessica Stratford wouldn’t change her life for anything. Living in Maryland, working from home as a budget analyst, and enjoying her time with loving husband Kyle couldn’t get any better. Then Jessica joins the popular social networking group Facebook. She quickly finds her old high school crush David Miller and begins an innocent catch-up conversation. The innocence turns into flirtation, which turns into a lunch, that turns into a dinner…and soon Jessica is on the verge of beginning an affair with the one who got away.
Jessica finds herself lying to Kyle about where she is, who she is talking on the phone to, even starts fantasizing about David when she is with her husband. Her support group- an eclectic group of five girlfriends- tries to help her through her difficult time, but she even starts lying to all of them about what is really going on with her and David. She only tells Candace- probably because Candace herself has been carrying on affair with a pizza delivery boy underneath her wealthy husband’s nose.
Reunion, the debut novel from J.L. Penn, is an excellent contemporary novel about the dangers of social networking and relationships that can be formed over the internet. This is an exceptional story about love, marriage, and friendship, and once I started there was no putting down. This is one of the few novels I’ve read that I was completely hooked within the first few pages. My heart broke when Jessica’s did, I was hopeful when she was hopeful, and devastated when she was devastated. I can’t say enough praises about this book, and I am looking forward to more novels from J.L. Penn.

February 19, 2010
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Stuck in Downward Dog by Chantel Simmons
Chick Lit Review

Stuck in Downward Dog by Chantel Simmons

Mara Brennan needs to get her life together. She has been dumped by her live in boyfriend, who moved out of their tiny basement apartment and took everything with him, including her bed and her self-confidence. She is working at a dead-end job as a receptionist at a cosmetic clinic, and her overbearing sister has taken up residence with her to try to cheer her up after the break-up. Meanwhile, her best friends, Olivia and Mitz, are living the perfect lives with their boyfriends and husbands and dazzling careers. Mara can’t help but feel she is missing out on being able to host her own dinner parties, get a fabulous career, and perfecting her yoga poses.
Mara makes her OM List (Olivia and Mitz List) to try to become a better person and more like her friends. While trying to check off the items such as hosting the best dinner party and becoming a fabulous chef, Mara realizes a few important details. She has a tiny apartment not suitable for hosting parties, and she hates cooking. She also realizes that Olivia and Mitz’s lives may not be so fabulous after all, once cracks begin to show between the three friends. Through it all, she finds a supportive a family that thinks incredibly highly of her, and figures out how she can help her perfect sister through a personal crisis.
Stuck in Downward Dog, the debut novel from Chantel Simmons was an excellent story of trying to find oneself. The challenges that Mara was facing are completely relatable, and the humorous journey of her identity makeover made me laugh throughout. I do have say the beginning started off a bit slow; the plot didn’t start to excite me until about half way in, but once it hit that point I couldn’t put it down! One aspect I really enjoyed about the novel is that it didn’t end with the heroine finding herself by getting a boyfriend. I thought that was really inspiring and even more motivating to readers, sending a message that women can be powerful with their careers and selves without being married. A favorite book of mine and a define recommendation to all.

February 12, 2010
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Underlying Notes by Eva Pasco
Chick Lit Review

Underlying Notes by Eva Pasco

Underlying Notes, the debut album from Eva Pasco follows Carla Matteo as she tries to cope with all life has handed her. Carla is now middle-aged and struggling to find her path in life, whether that be following her ambitions on becoming a teacher, or giving up her career to work alongside her husband Joe at his waste management company. She is also dealing with troubles from her past- her father’s mysterious death and her never ending fantasies about another man- who happens to be her fiercely faithful husband’s friend. With all her troubles, a new neighbor added to the mix only adds more drama, after she realizes her husband is having an affair and plots her revenge. One of the only things to keep Carla calm are her perfumes- spending hours online rating and reviewing different scents with other perfume lovers.
I unfortunately cannot say that I thoroughly enjoyed Underlying Notes. There was too much jumping around in the plot for me to be able to keep up, and the style of writing was bit too poetic prose for my liking. I didn’t get a real sense of understanding with the supporting characters and how they all fit into the story, though I can say that I understood the heroine and why she was dealing with the difficulties in her life. Another aspect that I didn’t like was that the title, Underlying Notes, was worked into every chapter seemingly multiple times, which seemed slightly overbearing. All of that made me want to stop reading more than once throughout the novel, but I am glad I pushed on and kept reading, because there was a nice ending to it all. I’m not exactly sure who I would recommend this book too, but if you are looking for a different style of writing, I would say check it out and see what you think!

February 12, 2010
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Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
Chick Lit Review

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Lara is having a problem: she is being haunted by her 105 year old great-aunt’s ghost. Sadie, who was a daring flapper back in her time of the Roaring 20’s, keeps appearing alongside Lara, but as a younger version of her deceased self. She has some unfinished business and needs Lara to help her find her necklace before she can pass on. At first Lara is frustrated and fed up with trying to help Sadie, who is making her wear ridiculous flapper clothes and makeup and go on dates with boring men just so Sadie can feel “alive” again through the only person that can see her. But as time goes on, Lara realizes how much she and Sadie have in common, and strangely, how Sadie can help with her floundering love life and equally dismal career as a headhunter.
Twenties Girl from Sophie Kinsella was a favorite of mine- which shocked me. Though I am a huge fan of Kinsella I was thinking this novel sounded too out there for me. A ghost haunting her great-niece? But I was proved wrong, and could not put it down! The novel was engaging, humorous, inspirational, and even had a few fun twists thrown in as well. I honestly think Kinsella is one of the few authors that could have pulled this plot off, and she did it with a comedic twist and a bit of mystery throw in. A must read!

February 10, 2010
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Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster
Chick Lit Review

Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster

Jen Lancaster keeps her humorous bit alive with her third novel, Pretty In Plaid. Lancaster takes readers on the ultimate flashback in time, traveling back through the ‘80s and ‘90s and revealing her journey to show just how she got to where she is now. I enjoyed reading about the disastrous birthday dinner when Lancaster was eight and realized how to eat a lobster, her Greek years in college and how she struggled to fit in, and how she came to meet her future husband, Fletch.
Pretty in Plaid was a fun read, mainly because I was learning even more about one of my favorite authors. I like how Lancaster lets readers into her life, and her humor and honesty through each saga keeps me laughing throughout the novel. I do have to be honest and say this wasn’t my favorite novel from Jen Lancaster; it just didn’t give me the same pull as the others I have read. I think maybe because there was not really a “true” plot, it was just basically story-telling and I wasn’t sure where the story would stop. Still an entertaining read and I would recommend to all chick lit fans, just not a personal favorite of mine.

February 9, 2010
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In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
Chick Lit Review

In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

Sisters Rose and Maggie Feller couldn’t be more different. Rose is the “Plain Jane” responsible sister, working as a successful lawyer with a lackluster love life, while Maggie is the wild child, using her good looks and sexuality to get whatever she wants. When Maggie is evicted from her apartment and loses another job, Rose feels she has no choice but to take her little sister in- a choice she highly regrets after Maggie starts “borrowing” money and credit cards, ruining Rose’s expensive designer shoes, and sleeping with her boyfriend. Rose has had enough of Maggie’s inconsideration for other people, and kicks her out after the boyfriend incident, but after weeks of not hearing from her, begins to worry what exactly could have happened to her baby sister.
Maggie goes on the run, first finding refuge at Princeton while posing as a student, stealing money and credit cards from the other students to get by. She learns about her long-lost grandmother that is living in Miami and decides to take a trip to visit the woman she never had a relationship with. After Maggie and Rose’s mother died when they were young in what they believed to be an innocent car crash, all ties with their mother’s mother was cut off by their father and his new demanding wife. While Maggie is learning that she actually has a brain though she has been plagued with dyslexia all her life, Rose is going through her own struggles with her career. She had been dating her boss that slept with her sister, and decides to take an indefinite leave of absence from her high paying career and become- a dog sitter.
In Her Shoes, the best seller turned feature film by Jennifer Weiner takes on more than sister rivalry. I found this novel to be a wave of emotions, especially with Maggie’s case. I was furious with her because of the way she carelessly lived life, but then felt incredibly sad for her because of the curveballs that was throw her way. Some of the plot twists- Rose’s giving up her law career for a dog sitter- seemed a little unbelievable, but with Weiner’s gifted way with words, made me understand why someone would make that choice. I enjoyed following each girls’ path and being able to somewhat relate to their struggles, but In Her Shoes wasn’t a favorite for me. Still a fun read and I enjoyed the movie as well.

February 5, 2010
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