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With Just One Click by Amanda Strong
Chick Lit Review

With Just One Click by Amanda Strong

Amanda Strong is on tour with CLP Blog Tours and her novel With Just One Click. This book is an attention grabber from the beginning, and will keep you hooked along the way. The story follows three women: Chloe, a successful movie reviewer still looking for love; Morgan, a stay at home wife who is happily married; and Brynn; a not so happily married wife, who has become bored with her workaholic husband. All three women have something in common: Facebook. The social media craze that swept us all is the main focus of the book, and will surely you get thinking- and talking- about your opinions of the media giant.
Each woman has a different journey with Facebook. Chloe friends the man that broke her heart many years ago, breaking up with her in a note because of his overprotective parents. Now, the spark is still there between them, but can they make a relationship work while leaving on different sides of the country? Morgan discovers her jealous side when she sees her husband is friends with a high school girlfriend, the class flirt who constantly writes on his wall. Her once happy marriage turns into one of paranoia and Facebook-wall stalking, until her husband eventually defriends Morgan. And Brynn also finds an old boyfriend through Facebook, but teeters dangerously close to an affair. Her stale marriage and unhappy home aren’t giving her a reason to stay faithful and keep her family together, and with the lines of communication so open and easily available now…..
I was searching my word banks to come up with a one word description of With Just One Click, and I think I got it: riveting. This was a riveting novel. I loved how each character showed a different side to what can happen when you join social media: the good, the bad and the ugly. Trust me when I say this book will get you talking. I’ve talked to my boyfriend, my mom, co-workers, and brought up the story in random conversations with friends, simply because I was so intrigued. I thought Strong’s writing and ability to master three characters was exceptional, and the ending provided a nice twist that I didn’t see coming. This is a must read, and a definite for my Favorites List!
[Rating: 5]

November 11, 2011
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Little Black Dress by Susan McBride
Chick Lit Review

Little Black Dress by Susan McBride

I love me some books with a magical twist to them. And Little Black Dress by Susan McBride delivers just that in her latest, and spectacular, novel. Even though I appreciate a good paranormal twist in books, sometimes they can be hard to achieve. But McBride manages to pull it off, all while delivering an emotional story that had me cheering and crying at the end. The main character is Antonia Ashton, a workaholic who is forced to move home to Blue Hills after her mother, Evie, suffers a stroke. While going through her childhood home, Antonia stumbles upon secret after secret. Much of the hidden past has to do with her aunt Anna, who mysteriously vanished fifty years earlier the night before her wedding. Through the help of one little black dress, the three women learn lessons about family, love, and even magic.
I just adored this book. I didn’t want to put it down, I wanted it to keep going after I finished; just an all around great read. All three characters are complex and engaging, and I was invested immediately in their stories. The book changes from past to present, and kept giving readers a little taste of what happened between Evie and Anna and why Anna ran away and how that linked to Antonia in the present. I think chick lit readers would have a great time reading this book, and it sure makes you want your own magical LBD! This makes it on my Favorites List for 2011. Get your copy!
[Rating: 5]

November 9, 2011
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Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger
Chick Lit Review

Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger

When I was asked to review Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger, I jumped at the chance. Who didn’t love The Devil Wears Prada? And I’m happy to report this book was just as great. The story follows happily married couple Julian and Brooke Alter. Brooke is working two jobs with the goal of starting her own nutrition business, and Julian is a struggling singer-songwriter hoping to hit it big. The couple’s world is rocked when Julian snags the attention of Hollywood big-wigs, and overnight becomes the “it” guy in town. Suddenly, Brooke and Julian are holding on tight while they ride the fame coaster, trying to stay grounded and sane. Brooke isn’t interested in celebrities, paparazzi, and the works of being famous. But Julian gets carried up in his new life––the money, publicity….the woman. Not only is Brooke having to deal with that train wreck, but her life, her career, everything she has worked so hard for, is slipping out of her reach thanks to her new high-profile life. Can Brooke and Julian’s marriage survive, or will the cost of fame tear them apart?
When I first started reading this book, I thought Julian was quite an ass-bag. I really thought he was just using Brooke to make ends meet and so he could keep working on getting discovered. As I kept reading, I realized that he did clearly love his wife, and she felt the same way. While their interests may have been different, the love and respect that should be in a marriage were there. It wasn’t hard to guess that something like an affair would be brought up, because come on––who in Hollywood isn’t accused of cheating? When I got to the end of the book, I was sure I was just going to hate what happened. I thought I could guess the ending, but I was wrong. While I won’t give anything away, I will say the ending made me think. It was more than just a typical fluffy let’s be happy ending. The roller coaster ride of emotions that Weisberger took me on, combined with a scandalous chick lit plot and some important lessons we learn from Brooke and Julian, earns this book a five star rating from me!
[Rating: 5]

November 7, 2011
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A Life That Fits by Heather Wardell
Chick Lit Review

A Life That Fits by Heather Wardell

When Andrea returns home from a business trip, she is sure her boyfriend of fourteen years, Alex, is about to propose. Imagine her surprise when instead of diamond ring she gets her heartbroken. Alex has found someone else, and promptly moves out of their shared home. Andrea is devastated, in shock, and can only think of ways to get Alex back. She doesn’t care that he cheated––she just wants her first love back.
A Life That Fits is another superb novel from Heather Wardell. I didn’t want to give too much away in the synopsis, so I cut myself off short. But let me tell you––there were more than a few times that I gasped while reading. I just love the plot twists that are in there! Wardell shows off her writing and character development skills yet again, especially with her heroine. It could have been easy to view Andrea as a weak, pathetic woman who will gladly take her cheating boyfriend back, but that’s wasn’t how I felt at all. I understood Andrea’s pain and confusion, and even her plan to reinvent herself to try to get Alex back. It didn’t surprise the minute I closed this book that I knew I would give it 5 stars. Keep them coming Heather!
[Rating: 5]

November 2, 2011
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Chosen by Denise Grover Swank
Chick Lit Review

Chosen by Denise Grover Swank

I am a big fan of chick lit (no, really!) but every once in awhile I like to dip into another genre. When Denise Grover Swank questioned me about CLP Blog Tours being a good fit for her second novel––the paranormal romance Chosen––I immediately jumped at the chance. Denise impressed me on a whole new level when I read her debut Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes for her first blog tour go-round. Not surprisingly, my other bloggers jumped at the chance to host her again––even those who don’t normally go for paranormal reads. So how did Denise do with Chosen?
Stellar! Another page-turner that had me biting my nails and desperately clicking the ‘next’ page on my Kindle. Emma Thompson and her five-year-old son Jake have been on the run from bad men for years. Though Emma isn’t positive what these men want with her son, she knows it has to do with Jake’s ability to see into the future. While on the run, Emma meets Will, who offers to help her escape. Little does Emma know that Will is actually on the job––he is a mercenary who has been given orders to capture Emma. Chosen is full of twists and turns and gasping and heart-breaking and blushing moments. The paranormal/fantasy aspect of Jake seeing in the future and the tattoos that mysteriously appear on Emma and Will are well written and flow with precision. I was on my seat almost the entire time reading this, and the cliff hanger ending will leave you wanting to yell at Denise to hurry up with book number two! Another five star review for a Denise Grover Swank novel, who clearly shows her writing skills and ability to work with multiple genres.
[Rating: 5]

October 31, 2011
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Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank
Chick Lit Review

Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank

Denise Grover Swank is on tour with CLP Blog Tours, and I am sure glad she is! I could not put down Twenty-Eight and a…

August 22, 2011
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One Flight Up by Susan-Fales Hill
Chick Lit Review

One Flight Up by Susan-Fales Hill

One Flight Up by Susan Fales-Hill circles around four married friends, each at a different stage in their life, each unhappy in their own ways. India Chumley, our main gal, is a biracial, high powered divorce lawyer, whose clients and her own mother’s marriage keeps her from saying “yes” to all the proposals her hunky French boyfriend keeps bestowing on her. That, and the fact that she is still in love with Keith, her ex-fiancée who cheated on her weeks before their wedding date. Abby Rosenfeld Adams discovers her husband Nathaniel is having an affair, quite possibly multiple affairs, and is devastated that her high school sweetheart would throw away their years of marriage for a younger protocol. Esme Sarmiento Talbot is a spicy Colombian that has become bored of her suburban ways and too sweet husband Tim. She finds excitement with the waiter, and the bartender, and the doorman, etc. Monique Dawkins-Dubois is a successful gynecologist who married her husband mostly for his checkbook, and now is finding comfort in the arms of another employee. All friends have dived into affairs, but when their adulterous actions come back to haunt them, they must ask themselves- was it all worth it in the end?
I had a fabulous time reading One Flight Up. All the characters were similar with their unhappiness about where their life was, but all had different approaches on how to make it better. While I don’t typically like reading about affairs and cheating (I’m still a young gun that believes marriage is forever) I couldn’t help but get sucked into their world. The writing was flawless, and once I hit the middle of the novel, I really couldn’t put it down. I had to see what would happen to each woman, how she would come out of her particular situation. There really wasn’t a character I disliked, though I didn’t approve their choices, but as a reader, I could easily understand how they were feeling and why they were making their mistakes. I realized towards the end that maybe this is a little too much like my beloved Sex and the City. I saw Carrie and her Big issues with India and ex-fiancée Keith, Abby has the art loving, WASPy-like Charlotte, and Esme as a married Samantha. But that didn’t necessarily detract from my liking the book, because I’m still giving it five stars. A great book that I think chick lit fans will enjoy as well.
[Rating: 5]

August 19, 2011
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The What If Guy by Brooke Moss
Chick Lit Review

The What If Guy by Brooke Moss

I received The “What If” Guy by Brooke Moss through Danielle at Entangled Publishing for Brooke’s blog tour. The story follows Autumn Cole, a single mother who has lost her posh job at a Seattle art gallery and is forced to move back to her hometown of Fairfield to help herself recover financially, and to help her ailing father. Billy Cole, also known as the town drunk, as several medical problems thanks to his years of alcoholism, so Autumn moves her and Elliott- her twelve year old son, into her childhood home. Autumn gets the shock of her life after the move- her own son’s history teacher is none other than Henry Tobler- the love of Autumn’s life that she had to leave behind once she found out she was pregnant from a short-lived fling. Now faced with Henry again after all these years, Autumn realizes her deep love from him never faded. How can Autumn carry on with him so close? Could she possibly get a second chance with her “what if” guy?
I absolutely adored The “What If” Guy. The prologue drew me in right away, and the writing was so beautiful throughout. I was enamored with the love story that was full of missteps, bad timing, and assumptions. Autumn and Henry just dance around each other, both so clearly wanting to give their love a second chance, but with so many obstacles now facing them- Autumn’s son, Henry’s still to be finalized divorce, they just never seem to find a chance to really open their hearts to one another. There were plenty of great sub plots as well- the heartbreaking demise of Autumn’s alcoholic father, Autumn’s friend Holly and her expanding family, and the charming town of Fairfield and the characters that fill the streets. The ending completely sold me on giving this five stars. I loved that the epilogue was written in Henry’s point of view, and everything was tied up so neatly that I just felt satisfied when I closed the book. Another favorite in 2011!
[Rating: 5]

August 10, 2011
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Stay by Allie Larkin
Chick Lit Review

Stay by Allie Larkin

Seriously, who can resist this cover? Better than the cover- the actual story and the characters that filled the pages. Stay is an impressive debut from Allie Larkin that belongs on your to-read list. The story follows Van Leone and her baggage of emotional problems- from losing her mother to cancer to losing the love of her life to her best friend. Van succumbs to loneliness one night, and impulsively buys a German shepherd puppy over the internet. When Joe (the outrageously large puppy) finally arrives, Van isn’t sure what she got herself into. On an emergency trip to the vet one night, Van meets Alex the veterinarian, and the sparks fly. But their budding relationship turns complicated when Van’s other emotional baggage comes to town- her best friend and her new husband.
It was so easy to fall in love with Van. She was a good person with a big heart, but always a little unsure about where to step. Her mother was the housekeeper for her best friend’s family, which always left Van feeling not as worthy. Because of this, Van seems to give in just a little too easily sometimes, like she doesn’t feel she is good enough to finally get the long end of the stick. Her journey reads as authentic, and the addition of Joe the puppy was like magic. Not only did Joe lead her to Alex, but he brought joy to life like only a dog can, and helped her jump through the hoops and hurdles life brought her. You have no idea how badly I wanted to finally go out and by that golden lab I have been eyeing after reading Stay. But the story is so much more than about a girl and her dog, or a girl looking for love. It’s about a girl finding her footing in life, how to cope with the loss of a parent, how to triumph when circumstances can bring you down. And, it’s all down with humor. I am giving this book the five stars that I think it deserves, and a place on my Favorites List!
[Rating: 5]

August 5, 2011
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