Tag Archives: Chick Lit

Candace Bushnell and Stephen King Together at Last, Laurie Halse Anderson

Because this week I read Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell and Finders Keepers by Stephen King. The former could’ve used more scary parts, and the latter needed a lot more sex appeal. And it’s pretty clear to me that a mashup of these two authors would make for a pretty fabulous book. On their own? Two pretty mediocre reading experiences. In Killing Monica, a bestselling author decides the only way to self-actualize is to kill off her most famous creation. Or at least that’s the…

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Laura Lippman, Lauren Oliver, Lloyd Alexander + more

Oh, I have had so many disappointments lately when trying to read Important Books by Important Authors that I needed to spend my spring break immersed in good genre. And even though not every book I read was entirely successful, my plan worked–consider my palate cleansed and my love for reading restored. The best of them was Hush Hush by Laura Lippman. It’s “A Tess Monaghan Novel” which should put me off, because I generally do not like series fiction with a recurring character. For…

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Something Blue by Ann Hood

Synopsis: When Katherine leaves her fiancé at the altar, she heads to New York City to crash with her ex-best friend, only to find a less-than-warm welcome from Lucy, who has man troubles of her own. Review: While the friendships in Something Blue were satisfyingly nuanced, I was left somewhat cold by the overall story. I loved visiting the New York City of the late 1980s/early 1990s, because some of the restaurants mentioned were places I went to when I moved to Manhattan in 1995.…

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Buying In by Laura Hemphill

Synopsis: When Sophie Landgraf takes a job as an analyst at an investment bank, she has no way of anticipating how the financial changes of 2007-2008 are going to change her life. Review: I am perpetually frustrated by storylines where someone is working very hard to succeed at their job, and nobody in their life seems to be supportive of them. I really hate watching fictional characters whine about how the main character is spending too much time at work and not enough time socializing.…

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The Hive by Gill Hornby

Synopsis: A new school year at St. Ambrose means fundraising for the moms, and all the concomitant social climbing, gossiping, and backstabbing. Review: The Hive was an immensely fun read, though I didn’t agree with the author’s choice to leave some key moments off the page. Structuring the story around a series of fundraising events was a great idea, because it gave the in-fighting and social machinations some shape. I felt that all the characters were well distinguished from each other, though I didn’t think…

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The Pretty One by Lucinda Rosenfeld

Synopsis: Three sisters approaching middle age find themselves caught in the roles they were assigned as children, and now the family tension is threatening to explode. Review: I loved the caustic, witty tone of Lucinda Rosenfeld’s I’m So Happy For You, and The Pretty One didn’t disappoint. Olympia is the titular pretty one, but she won’t tell anyone in her family that she used a sperm donor to conceive her 3 year old daughter Lola. Imperia (Perri) seemingly has the perfect life, but her obsession…

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The Twelve Days to Christmas by Michele Gorman

Synopsis: Hannah thinks her boyfriend is about to pop the question at Christmas–but she doesn’t know what her answer will be, and she only has twelve days to figure it out. Review: Hannah, the protagonist of Michele Gorman’s Misfortune Cookie, is back and just as adorably befuddled as ever. Back together with Sam, who is finally residing in Hong Kong, she has a feeling he’s getting ready to propose, which brings up all of the fears and anxieties she never quite dealt with during their…

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Misfortune Cookie by Michele Gorman

Synopsis: When Hannah moves to Hong Kong to be with her boyfriend, she’s frustrated, disappointed, and paranoid to find out that he’s spending more time with his hot boss in Ho Chi Minh City than with her–and she’s desperate to make sure she hasn’t made a mistake. Review: Misfortune Cookie is a sweet chick lit romance that kept my interest. I actually really felt for Hannah’s situation, even though I occasionally got frustrated with her for vocalizing her paranoia in such an obvious way. I…

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Ten Girls to Watch by Charity Shumway

Synopsis: Struggling writer Dawn West is barely eking out a life in Manhattan, but when a chance encounter at a party leads to a job collecting data on Charm Magazine’s 50 year anniversary of their 10 Girls to Watch Feature, Dawn finds out that getting her foot in the door is only the first step to success. Review: I absolutely fell for Ten Girls to Watch–this is chick lit at its finest. Not only was it well-written, with humor and emotional precision, but it also…

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Ninepins by Rosy Thornton

Synopsis: A single mother of a troubled pre-teen takes in a 17-year-old girl with a history of arson, and finds her image of herself as a mother challenged and strengthened. Review: I loved Rosy Thornton’s Tapesty of Love so I leapt at the chance to review Ninepins. Thornton is a gorgeous writer and in Ninepins she offers a compelling situation that reads like a thriller. Laura is an academic living in the fens outside of Cambridge. Her asthmatic daughter Beth is 12 and just starting…

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