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Perfect Is Overrated by Karen Bergreen
Chick Lit Review

Perfect Is Overrated by Karen Bergreen

Perfect Is Overrated by Karen Bergreen follows Kate Alger. After a few years of suffering with post-partum depression, Kate believes that she finally has found the cure – a few gruesome homicides. When someone starts offing the uppity moms at her daughters preschool, she dusts off her old Assistant DA skills and puts them to the test. Will she be able to find out who is behind all of the recent killings? Only time will tell, but in the mean time, we catch a glimpse into Kate’s hilarious and slightly twisted life and see what her life as a mom is really like. We also catch a glimpse into the wickedly insane and over-the-top parents at the Hawthorne Preschool.

I was a really big fan of Karen’s first book, so when she contacted me to read/review her second, I jumped at the opportunity. She strikes gold again! Karen writes a mystery that should be considered a comedy. I stayed up way past my bed time (which is quite early these days- thank you very much) to finish this one because I couldn’t put it down. The characters are hilarious cleverly crafted. The story is believable, especially since I am new into the world of extreme moms and daycares. If you don’t have experience in that arena, consider yourself lucky. The story has great flow and moves along very quickly. There are quite a few twists and turns throughout, so make sure that you pay attention. Overall, a really fun read! I would highly recommend this one to anyone looking for a fun time!

October 30, 2012
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White Jacket Required: A Culinary Coming-of-Age Story by Jenna Weber
Chick Lit Review

White Jacket Required: A Culinary Coming-of-Age Story by Jenna Weber

White Jacket Required follows the uber-popular food blogger Jenna Weber, who writes daily on Eat, Live, Run. We follow Jenna as she graduates from college and wonders what to do next. She decides to pursue one of her passions and enrolls in culinary school – but to become a food writer, not a chef of any type. She conquers the rigorous program, gets her first job waking up in the wee hours of the morning to bake bread, is hit head on with an unexpected family member passing and finds love.

This type of book is definitely a first here on Chick Lit Plus but I have been such a fan of Jenna and her blog that I definitely wanted to write about my experience whilst reading her book. Now, let me be up front first and foremost, I have been reading Jenna’s blog for at least two to three years now and already knew most of these things about her, so the book didn’t have too many secrets for me. But, I absolutely loved her honesty and her story telling. I loved watching her pursue her dreams in culinary school and I loved when she recounts her early mornings at her first job. I was also heart broken when she spoke about her brother and his passing. Like I said, I already knew this about her from her blog, but this was told in such a different light and with such intimate honesty that I felt like I was right there with her. While reading, I often wished that we had been friends so that I could have held her hand during those hard times, or smiled right along with her during many of the positive moments in her life. Overall, this coming-of-age story is a really great read – especially if you are into food, because lucky for you, there are recipes found at the end of every chapter, many of which are delicious! A really fantastic read filled with real charm. I highly recommend it.

[Rating: 4.5/5]

October 26, 2012
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Out of the Blue by Lisa Maliga
Chick Lit Review

Out of the Blue by Lisa Maliga

Out of the Blue by Lisa Maliga follows Sylvia Gardner, a naive cashier who lives with her mother in Illinois. After she is dumped by her first boyfriend, she falls in love with an English actor who stars in a popular TV show. She spends the next two years researching him and then finally makes the leap and heads to Cotswolds village where she hopes to magically run into him. With little money to her name, she finds room and board in exchange for working at the hotel. Harry, the drunken proprietor causes quite a ruckus and definitely makes things a little more complicated for Sylvia.

I really enjoyed Out of the Blue and found the characters cute and quirky. I thought it was really cute to see Sylvia fall in love with the grand Alexander but a little unlikely … I guess we can all hope, huh? I enjoyed watching her spend her time working in Cotswolds village and I thought Harry was an absolute hoot. Overall, a fun story with a few unexpected twists and turns. My only complaint is that the story can get a little slow at times, but it doesn’t take long to pick back up, so it isn’t anything major.

[Rating: 3.5/5]

October 25, 2012
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That Time of the Month by Emily Shaffer
Chick Lit Review

That Time of the Month by Emily Shaffer

That Time of the Month by Emily Shaffer follows the financially unstable and unemployed Ellie. She wants to change her life for the best and decides to give herself thirty days to turn things around and pursue her dreams or end up on the floor in her niece’s toy room. At first, things seem simple but then things slowly become more and more complicated once she introduces a crazy cast of characters. As she makes her way through the thirty days, she withdraws herself from everyone and realizes that she has become a not so nice person. But, is it worth it? Will she allow everything to get in the way of what she really wants? Only time will tell.

That Time of the Month is an absolute hoot. I can’t recall a book dealing with the pursuit of one’s dreams that casts such a hilarious group of characters. Ellie is fabulous as she pursues her dreams and I loved watching her interactions with her best friend and her love interest. I feel like she and I could definitely be friends in real life and I really liked that. Another thing that made me love the book were the endless lists. I am such a die-hard list girl and I found this aspect of the story to be completely relateable. This book is an absolute must read for anyone who has ever fought to pursue their own dreams. But, be ready to smile because this book will definitely make you want to. Overall, a fantastic and fun read!

October 19, 2012
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Twelve Months by Steven Manchester
Chick Lit Review

Twelve Months by Steven Manchester

Twelve Months by Steven Manchester follows Don DiMarco who has a very good life – a loving family and an overall enjoyable life. He thought he had it all until he finds out that he has stage IV colon cancer. Faced with the life changing news, he has two options – he can throw in the towel and give up on life or he can life his last year to the fullest. He decides to go with the latter.With his loving family by his side, he embarks on living his last twelve months to the fullest. He goes on adventures both internally and externally, learns to forgive, makes up for lost time, does things he has always wanted to do, and most importantly grows.

I absolutely adored Twelve Months by Steven Manchester. It is very rare that a book can solicit so many emotions in one reading, but I truly felt them all. At some points I was devastated right along with Don, then prideful, then loving, then laughing hysterically. This book is good – real good, which is quite a feat because the market is filled with “bucket list” type books. Like those before it, this book is similar in a sense, yet so incredibly different that it will knock your socks off. As a reader, you get to watch Don grow more in a year than most do in their entire lives. Overall, a fantastic book that will make you think twice about your own life and sweating the small stuff. Definitely a MUST-READ!

[Rating: 5/5]

October 18, 2012
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The Midwife of Hope River: A Novel of an American Midwife by Patricia Harman
Chick Lit Review

The Midwife of Hope River: A Novel of an American …

The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman follows Patience Murphy who has the gift of escorting women through the challenges of bringing children into the world. During the depression, Patience takes on a job that is risky and doesn’t yield much of a financial return … yet is one of the most difficult jobs imaginable. After her mentor dies unexpectedly, she takes the helm and although she feels completely out of her element, she takes things slow and begins to trust herself. In a little over a year, we see Patience grow in many ways and we watch as the story twists and turns, intertwining many lives.

Oh boy! Every once in a while a real gem of a book comes along, and this is THE book! I absolutely adored The Midwife of Hope River. I agreed to read this book at first because I just had a baby, but let me tell you, this book is about so much more than just women having babies! This story encompasses the great depressions better than I’ve seen in a long time. Through the course of a year, not only do we get to see Patience grow and become a strong and confident midwife, but we witness racial tension and economic woes on a whole new level. This book blew me away and I loved the way Patricia weaves the main story through such a vivid and descriptive historical backdrop. Overall, a phenomenal debut that I absolutely loved. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

[Rating: 5/5]

October 16, 2012
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Bleak by Lynn Messina
Chick Lit Review

Bleak by Lynn Messina

Bleak by Lynn Messina follows New York writer Ricki Carstone, author of debut novel, Jarndyce and Jarndyce. She strikes gold when she finds out that her book has been optioned into a movie and that Moxie Bernard, teen throb extraordinaire, has just signed onto star. Her life becomes like a scene in all of the movies, with glitz and glamour … well, enough to make Ricki quit her full time job and risk it all in hopes of making it big time as a successful screenwriter out in LA. Harry, an out of work actor who claims to know all about the biz, helps her dive into the screenwriting world, but she soon realizes that there is a price to pay for his assistance. But, she figures that it will all work out in the end when she sees her name on the big screen. But, how long will it take? And will it EVER happen?

I was first introduced to Lynn Messina when I reviewed her debut novel about zombies. I love her wit and humor and I think both come in very handy in this book as well. In a hilarious update of the Dicken’s classic, Messina brings up a wonderful question and truly makes you think. How long is too long when it comes to your dreams?!? I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t possibly say more good things about it. Ricki is truly talented and it makes your heart ache as you see her fight for her dreams, yet make bad decisions after bad decision. I wished and hoped every single time that she would learn from them, but as humans, sometimes lessons are hard to learn. This book was a very thought provoking read from an honest perspective. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Rating: 4.5/5]

October 11, 2012
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To Be Honest by Polly Young
Chick Lit Review

To Be Honest by Polly Young

To Be Honest by Polly Young follows fifteen year old Lisi Reynolds. Like most teenagers, life can never be perfect. Her best friend Josh has a tumultuous love life, her mother is a shop-a-holic and the love of her life, the uber hot and swoon-worthy Chad doesn’t even know she exists … so she takes matters into her own hands and fibs. Albeit small, they are still fibs. So, what’s wrong with that? Well, that all changes when a rare moment presents itself and she finds herself living in another’s shoes. Life seems cool and better than she ever imagined in Miss Mint’s shoes. Why would she ever give it up? Well, only time will tell.

To Be Honest by Polly Young is a fun, youthful take a familiar story that is too much fun to resist. Polly does a fabulous job at creating a troubled (or she thinks, what youth doesn’t seem to be traumatized at fifteen?) and giving her the opportunity of a lifetime to swap places. I really enjoyed this story and found myself pulled in within the first couple of pages. I loved Lisi early on and found her story, and her dilemma, quite charming and wondered what I would have done if I had been presented with a similar situation at fifteen. Fortunately for everyone involved, I’ve never been given that chance, but this one is definitely an enchanting story and I absolutely adored the ending. I think you will too.

[Rating: 4.5/5]

October 9, 2012
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In My Mailbox: Week of October 7
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of October 7

In Samantha’s Mailbox:

Title: Enchanted by Starlight
Author: Tina L. Hook
Received: From BookSparks PR
Synopsis: Be careful what you wish for…Grace, Skylar and Alina are connected by destiny when an enchanted comet crosses the night sky. As their most secret ambitions ignite, their ordinary lives take a magical detour down a powerful but dangerous path.

Grace, emerging from her dejected childhood, develops the power to make men fall in love with her. Skylar leaves her impoverished past behind and pursues the social status she has always longed for. Without dreams of her own, Alina covets the power to unravel other lives and seeks revenge. As they crash into and slip away from each other in a cycle of envy, deception and love lost, these three women are forced to look deeper into their own hearts for the true meaning of enchantment.

Title: From Notting Hill With Love…Actually
Author: Ali McNamara
Received: From Sourcebooks
Synopsis: She was just a girl, standing in front of a boy …wishing he looked more like Hugh Grant. Scarlett loves the movies. But does she love sensible fiance David just as much? With a big white wedding on the horizon, Scarlett really should have decided by now …When she has the chance to house-sit in Notting Hill – the setting of one of her favourite movies – Scarlett jumps at the chance. But living life like a movie is trickier than it seems, especially when her new neighbour Sean is so irritating. And so irritatingly handsome, too. Scarlett soon finds herself starring in a romantic comedy of her very own: but who will end up as the leading man?

Title: Meant To Be
Author : Karen Stivali
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: Sometimes you’re already committed to the wrong person when fate finally brings you the right one.
When NYU professor Daniel Gardner’s career-obsessed wife convinces him to move to the suburbs, he hopes it’s a first step toward starting the family he longs to have. Instead of domestic bliss he finds his neighbor, Marienne Valeti. She loves her freelance design job, but must contend with a growing sense of isolation created by her husband’s indifference. A penchant for good books, bad movies, and Marienne’s to-die-for brownies sparks a powerful bond between them. Passion simmers, but they resist its lure, surrendering only in the seclusion of their minds. Their friendship helps them weather every hardship, from divorce to widowhood, leaving them both secretly wondering if it can survive a first kiss.
Author’s Note: Meant To Be is listed as Women’s Fiction with Strong Romantic Elements. It strongly crosses genres with contemporary romance and will appeal to many fans of romance novel—it is an atypical friends to lovers story with a strong romantic arc and a happily ever after ending. This book deals with adult issues and contains graphic/mature language and explicit sex scenes. If it were a movie, it would be rated R. Although I am also a published erotic romance writer, this book does not contain erotic content.
Title: Happily Ever Before
Authors: Aimee Pitta & Melissa Peterman
Received: From Aimee Pitta & Melissa Peterman
Synopsis: Two sisters, one drunken pact and a choice that changes their lives forever.

HAPPILY EVER BEFORE is best described as the comedic literary love child of the hit film’s Bridesmaids and Baby Mama. It is the story of two sisters, who while watching a Lifetime movie marathon (of course!) make a drunken pact that has more unconventional consequences than anything Lifetime could program.

HAPPILY EVER BEFORE, a fractured fairytale, tells the story of Grace, the free spirit older sister, who promises Clair, her wound-too-tight younger sister, that she’d have her baby, should the need ever arise. But she certainly never thought she’d have to “deliver”.

Now everyone, from Clair’s WASP-y in-laws to Diane, Grace and Clair’s mom, who has put her own life on hold, to Clair’s husband, Henry, who has a compulsive need to give Grace bizarre and overly personal pregnancy gifts, to George, Grace’s best friend who now needs to find a new drinking buddy, are dealing with situations they never dreamed of.

As the sisters are faced with hormonal surges, new romances, and a calcium enriched diet, they are forced to navigate this new family dynamic and test their sisterly love in ways that keep the reader laughing out loud.

October 7, 2012
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