Beach Reads: Chick-Lit

Posted by Susan in Beach Reads, Book Reviews | 0 comments

Hello beachcombers! Sue here again for another edition of Beach Reads. I hope you are all enjoying your summer and enjoying our recs.

So, show of hands, who loves Chick-Lit? I know I do. Everything from the classics to the neo-classics. Every once in awhile I just pick up some books off the “buy 2 get 3″ shelf and I’m surprised at how much I enjoy them. Here are some surprises from the discount bin:

From Booklist:
Jackie Norris’ jaw drops when she gets an e-mail from her boyfriend, Jeremy, telling her that he’s seeing someone else in Thailand, where he has gone to “find himself.” A harried 24-year-old copyeditor at a romance publisher, Jackie decides to be proactive and speed up the process of getting over Jeremy by dating other men. But the men she meets are disappointing: a handsome stud she went to high school with is both rude and a lousy kisser, and it turns out that the good-looking intellectual is still living with his girlfriend. Meanwhile, Jackie’s roommate, Sam, separates from her longtime boyfriend and goes from being a devoted girlfriend to single girl extraordinaire, making Jackie envious. The only good guy in Jackie’s life seems to be Jeremy’s friend Andrew, but just as Jackie starts to fall for him, Jeremy reenters her life. Though at times annoyingly neurotic, Jackie is a likable heroine, and twentysomething singles will relate to her frustrating search for love in a big city.

This was one of those surprises, in that it was my first foray into Chick-Lit. I had never read Bridget Jones’ Diary or any of those and to this day have never read a Candace Bushnell book.  So, Milkrun was my first and I loved it. The main character had a dry wit that I loved and it was quirky enough that it had me chuckling to myself, but still not rolling my eyes.  It is an easy read and the perfect book for cleansing the paranormal palette.

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Suddenly single when her aspiring screenwriter boyfriend takes off for a hot job in L.A., bridal magazine editor Emma Carter is forced to reassess her appearance, her job, and her prospects-and take action. A diverse cast of engaging, occasionally offbeat characters, the hilarious sayings attributed to them, and a fast-paced style facilitated by Emma’s pithy sound-bite “confessions” add to the fun in a lively Manhattan-set story that, while not a true romance, leaves the heroine happily pursuing her dreams and involved in a satisfying romantic relationship.

This is another one of those dime store deals that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s told in sort of a diary style, with the narrator giving us her list of confessions.  I love books that are set in New York City, and this is one of those. Emma has was seems like a fairy tale life, but she changes a lot after it gets turned upside down. It’s not too sappy, probably won’t make you cry or feel like crap about your life. Instead, you’ll laugh and feel a little bit better about wherever you happen to be in life.

Brown’s charming debut finds Melissa -Romney–Jones losing yet another job, this time to layoffs due to a company merger. Out on the town with friends, Melissa runs into an old school acquaintance who is working for their old etiquette teacher as a companion for wealthy men. Melissa looks up the teacher and begins to schedule dates, but she’s horrified to discover her old teacher is in fact running an escort service. Melissa quickly gets out of the business, but she’s taken with the idea of a chaste version of it, and starts the Little Lady Agency to help socially clueless men and those merely in need of dates.

I’m pretty sure I laughed my butt off when I was reading this book. Melissa has that dry British humor that fans of Bridget Jones love. She isn’t as raunchy, but makes up for that with delightful snark. Of course, once she starts the Little Lady Agency, she ends up trying to lead a double life and the hijinks ensue. Super fun, and has plenty of sequels to keep you entertained after this book is done.

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