Staff Book Reviews by Genre: Chick Lit

Book Review: After You
Moyes, Jojo
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review:

See, here's the problem: I wasn't that enamored with the first book in this series (Me Before You). It just didn't wow me. So with that book as a jumping-off point, this book didn't stand a chance at getting above 3 stars. Still, it was pretty good. The ending was super cheesy, though, which tempts me to give it 2 stars. But hey, I'm feeling generous, so 3 stars it is.

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
Book Review: Me Before You
Moyes, Jojo
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

This was a good book. I found it engaging but not so good that I couldn't put it down. Actually, towards the end I found myself carving out time to read it. It's a romance with a twist. I'd like to see the movie. I'm going to read the second in the series, After You next, so that's saying something.

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen
Gilmore, Susan
2 stars = Meh
Review:

I could take or leave this book. I finished it at least. It was so slow paced and so obviously Southern that I just found myself annoyed by it. I wish it had been more lighthearted and catchy, as the title implied, but no luck.

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
After You
Moyes, Jojo
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

It’s been 2 years since Will Traynor’s death. Louisa Clark traveled for a while, but now she is stuck in a bad job and just treading water. Even surviving a fall from the rooftop of her apartment building doesn’t shock Louisa into wanting to experience more of life. Louisa joins a support group to deal with her grief and develops a relationship with the paramedic who saved her. However, it’s the arrival of teenage girl with a link to Louisa’s past that sets her life into a spin and changes it in more ways than she could ever have imagined. After You, Jojo Moyes’ sequel to Me Before You, is a well-written, realistic look at dealing with grief and all the curves life throws at a person. Fans of the first book will feel like they are catching up with an old friend. Be prepared to cry and laugh out loud as you spend more time with this loveable character.

Reviewer's Name: Milissa
Nine Women, One Dress
Rosen, Jane L.
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

I have to admit, I chose to read this book based on the title alone! I liked the title and I loved the book. Classic chick-lit. The main character of the book is the LBD (Little Black Dress) of the season. The dress that every woman, no matter her age or size, wants! The dress affects the lives of not only the nine women, but a few men too! If you are looking for an easy read, this book is for you! It made me laugh and smile. A fun read! I can't wait for Jane L. Rosen's next book.

Reviewer's Name: Melissa M.
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen
Gilmore, Susan Gregg
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore is not a new book (2008), and I found it quite by accident. It was one of those books whose title intrigued me and front cover graphic caught my eye. It looked like a Fannie Flagg book, so it had to be good, right? I was not disappointed.

This is the coming of age story following Catherine Grace Cline, born and raised in a small, rural town in Georgia in the early 1970’s. A spunky kid with a great sense of humor, Catherine Grace spends her Saturdays at the local Dairy Queen, contemplating ways to escape her small-town and move to Atlanta to reinvent herself. When she is old enough, has graduated high school, and with the help of a close buddy, she finally leaves family, friends, and her boyfriend behind and does make it to the big city. She’s in her element now. However, before things really take off in the city, and much to her dismay, she must soon return to the old homestead when tragedy strikes the family. Once back and over time, Catherine Grace comes to realize maybe her small town life is not so bad after all.

Characters in the book bring out the best and worst in Catherine Grace and are vital to the story. They offer words of Southern wisdom to this dreamer and help her through the good times and bad. These characters include a younger sister (Martha Ann), her Baptist preacher father, a once-close friend of her mother’s (Gloria), and her boyfriend (Hank).

If you’re looking for an action-packed, fast moving story, this is not the book for you. Like its Southern setting, this is a story that must be soaked up with leisure while lying on the lawn being warmed by the late afternoon sun with a glass of wine in hand. Enjoy!

Reviewer's Name: Margaret
Book Review: The Best of Enemies
Lancaster, Jen
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

I didn't like any of the characters in the beginning and almost put the book down and walked away. I am so glad I didn't! I ended up truly enjoying this book and the way the history of Jack and Kitty was revealed kind of slowly so you understood WHY they were the way they were. And it had a great ending!

Reviewer's Name: Krista
Mackler, Carolyn
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review:

The thing about teen books, especially 'chick-lit' style books, is they all seem to run together. As I was reading this book, I realized that somewhere in my hazy pre-baby past, I'd already read this book. I could just barely remember it. It was like having deja vu while reading. But still it was good, even for the second time around.

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
Close, Jennifer
2 stars = Meh
Review:

This was the blandest book I've read in awhile. The characters and situations were so similar and uninteresting that they were basically interchangeable. By the end of the book I couldn't have told you which character did what. Nothing of interest happened in the entire book. The writing was good enough, but man, boring!

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
Weiner, Jennifer
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review:

This was a good book. It was unapologetically not great literature, just a fun, better than average example of chick lit. I enjoyed it. There. I admit it. I enjoy chick lit.

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
Rich, Lani Diane
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

If you want just a good book to read that is light, funny, and yet poignant, give this one a try. Loved it!

Reviewer's Name: Krista
Fielding, Helen
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

Yay! I love Bridget. I can't help it. She has a special place in my heart. At times sad, at times frustrating, at times very funny, and completely full of heart, this book is the perfect homage to perhaps the most endearing heroine in chick lit.

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
Harbison, Elizabeth
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review:

3 1/2 stars. As an Audrey Hepburn buff, I saw this as a modern retelling of Sabrina (well, more modern than the Julia Ormond version). With a couple of references to Ms. Hepburn in the book, this could have been intentional. I enjoyed reading about the work Quinn did with brides on finding their perfect wedding dress, even if it was unconventional. I also loved the daily challenges put forth by Quinn's friend Glenn - those were probably the best, and funniest, parts of the book! The main characters just fell a little flat for me.

Reviewer's Name: Krista
Cabot, Meg
1 star = Yuck!
Review:

This book was like a Big Mac. You read it and feeling like hurling afterwards. It was a cheap ripoff of Bridget Jones (which I enjoyed), with the diary entries and the antagonism towards the male lead that eventually turns to love. Which means it's an even worse ripoff of Pride and Prejudice. Let me just say that guys do not in general care what kind of shoes a girl is wearing, unless they have a shoe fetish. Also, Wondercat seems 'Cathy' lame. All said, this is a lame lame lame book. Bleck.

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
Kinsella, Sophie
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

This was a great example of chick lit done well. It was charming and engaging with a relatively believable plotline and likable characters. Nothing deep, just good fun.

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
Cabot, Meg
2 stars = Meh
Review:

Meh. This book isn't worth reviewing. It's very run of the mill chick lit. But I read it, so it didn't completely suck.

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
Kinsella, Sophie
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review:

This was textbook chick lit. It was good fluffy fun. Well written, but definitely not deep. But that's okay, sometimes it's good to read a fun book. I could see this being made into a chick flick with JLo or Sandra Bullock. Cute summer read.

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
Lancaster, Jen
2 stars = Meh
Review:

It was okay. The author kind of annoyed me with all the cutsie footnotes. But I did read it fast and it did remind me of a friend of mine, so there's that.

Reviewer's Name: vfranklyn
Moore, Edward Kelsey
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

I absolutely loved this book. This is one of those novels where you wish you could just jump right in and sit next to this group of women at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat. Also possibly one of the funniest weddings ever written! Definitely one of my favorite books of the year.

Reviewer's Name: Krista