Series Spotlight: It’s Reigning Men by Jenny Gardiner
IT’S REIGNING MEN series: Book One: SOMETHING IN THE HEIR He’s a prince with a problem, she’s a commoner with a getaway plan. Modern-day Prince…
#BookReview: Something in the Heir by Jenny Gardiner
Reviewer: Michelle I received a review copy Emma Jamison preferred living her quiet life of photographing famous people over anything wild and crazy. When she…
Slim to None by Jenny Gardiner
Abbie Jennings loves her job as Manhattan’s top food critic- until her identity is revealed and her unflattering picture with ever-expanding waistline is splashed across the newspapers. She becomes the joke of the town as the overweight food lover, and promptly loses her job at the New York Post since she can no longer go incognito to restaurants. Abbie takes this opportunity to finally go on that diet and shed some pounds, but struggles with motivation and the reasoning behind her relationship with food. To add to Abbie’s problems, she is going through a difficult time with her husband, who is trying to persuade her to leave the city and finally start a family. It takes the guidance of an unusual friend to finally help Abbie see what she really wants out of life.
Slim to None by Jenny Gardiner is a good story. I didn’t get real invested in the main character, and some off the story lines seemed just a bit off for me. I did like the plot, and the descriptions of some of the delectable dishes made me start eating while reading, but it just wasn’t enough. Sometimes, Abbie’s character came off as incredibly selfish, never really listening to her husband and continually doing things the way she wanted. There is also a best friend in the story, who I never could quite figure out what she was doing there. She popped up at random times, and during most of the meat of the story, she wasn’t mentioned at all, only to return once again at the end. I found myself confused throughout the duration, as the writing was a bit all over the place and jumping from scene to scene without any real fluidity. Like I said earlier, I did like the story, I thought it was interesting though not necessarily unique, and I believe some good life lessons can be taken away from the main character’s troubles. Slim to None won’t be on my Favorites List, but I think some other chick lit lovers will be able to appreciate this story.
Rating: 3/5
Best LOL Nominees
The nominees for best Laugh Out Loud Novel:
Not Ready for Mom Jeans by Maureen Lipinski
Lowcountry Summer by Dorothea Benton Frank
Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes
The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Sleeping with Ward Cleaver by Jenny Gardiner
Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win prizes!
In My Mailbox: Week of August 29th
In My Mailbox: Week of August 29th
Title: Single in the City
Author: Michele Gorman
Received: From Michele Gorman
Synopsis: It’s official. Hannah has left her friends and family in the US behind and is following her dream. To live in London. She’s going to find:
1. Her dream guy. A prince or Hugh Grant would be nice. Or does she have to settle for her half-naked Australian housemate or an “English gentleman” with terrible hygiene habits?
2. Her dream job. Something fantastic in fashion. So how has she ended up being the mini-me for an evil party planner who doesn’t even trust her to arrange the paperclips?
3. Her dream friends. But everyone in London seems to have known each other for years and Hannah doesn’t know the rules of engagement. Who’s she going to have fun with?
Dream life? Should Hannah just dream on? She wanted a big change but maybe it would have been simpler and cheaper to just get a new haircut. Was she mad to move 3,000 miles away from everyone she knows? Will she ever find love and her perfect life in England?
Title: Chronicles of a Midlife Crisis
Author: Robyn Harding
Received: From Robyn Harding
Synopsis: Lucy had no clue that her husband of sixteen years was about to bolt. Now she’s dealing with shock, loneliness, and girlfriends who alternately pity her and provoke her. She also-unbelievably-is apparently competing with her own teenage daughter for a new man’s attention.
Trent pictured freedom, self-discovery…and maybe some sex with actual passion. So far, he’s mostly watching hockey in a hotel room and wondering what’s next. Being middle-aged and married isn’t easy. The jury’s still out on being middle-aged and single…
There are two sides to every breakup. In this witty, heartfelt novel, Robyn Harding explores them both-and takes us on a journey through the end of a marriage and the beginning of something new…which may or may not be something old too.
Title: Slim to None
Author: Jenny Gardiner
Received: From Jenny Gardiner
Synopsis: Abbie Jennings is Manhattan’s top food critic until her expanding waistline makes staying incognito at restaurants impossible. Her cover blown on Page Six of the New York Post, her editor has no choice but to bench her—and suggest she use the time off to bench-press her way back to anonymity. Abbie’s life has been built around her career, and therefore around celebrating food. Forced to drop the pounds if she wants her primo gig back, Abbie must peel back the layers of her past and confront the fears that have led to her current life.
Title: Little Miss Straight Lace
Author: Maria E. Romana
Received: From Maria E. Romana
Synopsis: When a brilliant biostatistician learns too much about her pharmaceutical client’s research, her life begins to spin out of control, and a dashing computer security expert from South America seems the perfect antidote. But is his arrival really just the happy coincidence it appears to be? Find out in this complex tale of suspense, humor, and romance.
