Review: If Andy Warhol Had A Girlfriend

Don’t you love when a book leaves you smiling at the end? I can’t say every book does that to me – in fact, very few do – but this novel certainly did. It turned out to be one of the sort that somehow gets under your skin and makes you think for days after reading it.

Meet Jane Laine. She works for the prominent Dick Reese gallery in New York City. At the beginning of our story she has just been dumped unceremoniously by her boyfriend Jack. She enjoys her artsy job, although Dick Reese, the gallery owner, is a complete tyrant, and at least one of her coworkers is catty and annoying. Jane holds a Master’s degree in Art and usually is really good at figuring out the meaning behind each artist’s piece. That is, until she comes across Ian Rhys-Fitzsimmons. Ian is known as a genius, and his work is highly regarded throughout the art world. When Jane’s boss drops the bomb on her that she has to accompany Ian on a five month international art fair tour, Jane is disappointed. How is she going to promote an artist’s work she doesn’t even “get”? And why now, when she is trying to get her love life started back up? (more…)

Review: Bundle Of Joy?

I read this book as soon as I got my hands on it, since I really like Ariella Papa’s writing style and previous books. This book might look like a mommy lit type of novel, but it’s really more of a “singleton’s best friend gets pregnant” book, and so much more.

The main heroine Voula is a character that really stands out from the norm. She had a turbulent and somewhat tragic childhood; she has a stubborn Greak mother who believes Voula should be living at home until she is married; she likes to be alone and has only had 2 1/2 boyfriends (technically) in her life so far. She lives with a beautiful Italian man with a large libido and has a freelance writing career that is satisfying, but just paying the bills. (more…)

Review: My Favorite Mistake

My Favorite Mistake is a story about a girl named Faith, who has long since left her hometown in the state of Minnesota, and is now based out of Los Angeles. She is a world-traveling culinary writer currently visiting Italy for an article, when she gets a phone call from her younger sister Skye back in Minnesota. It seems Skye has gotten herself into trouble once again and desperately wants Faith to come home. (Home as in Minnesota, not Los Angeles). Skye’s husband has left her, she is pregnant, and the bar that they co-own is in financial trouble. Faith at first is adamant about not wanting to go home for various reasons, but after a couple of terse phone calls (one from Faith’s own ex, who can’t stand her but really thinks she needs to get back to Minnesota to help her sister), Faith gives in. Upon returning to Los Angeles, she packs her stuff up and takes a road trip to Minnesota. (more…)

Review: See Jane Date

See Jane Date by Melissa Senate was one of the first books in the Red Dress Ink series that I read. Several years later, it remains one of my absolute favorite chick lit novels.

Meet Jane, a 20-something-year-old gal living, dating and working in Manhattan. Having been single for a while after her last boyfriend dumped her unceremoniously, Jane is in a slight pickle: she had to find a date for her cousin’s wedding, since everyone in her family was under the impression that she had a boyfriend. With both parents dead, it was understandable that Jane felt a lot of pressure in her family.

After a few disastrous (but fun to read!) dates, Jane thinks she may have found the perfect man. After a few amazing dates with a doctor who suddenly stops calling though, she realizes she may be back to square one. At the same time her job has become very stressful. She is forced to edit a memoir from childhood nemesis Natasha (fondly referred to as “the Gnat” out of earshot by Jane and her friends). At the same time she is trying to placate her Aunt Ina and various cousins that everything is fine in her life. (more…)

Review: Dating Can Be Deadly

Meet Tabitha. After having her purse snatched while waiting for the bus with her friend Jenny one evening, she comes across something very disturbing in a graveyard. Blessed (or is it cursed?) with the gift of clairvoyance, it’s not the first time Tabitha has been able to see visions of horrible things to come. Sure enough, she is soon thrown headlong into a mystery involving a woman’s death, two handsome men, an old abandoned building, disgusting beetle bugs, and frightening nightmares and visions. Somehow she must get to the bottom of the mystery because it seems whoever is responsible has chosen her for his next victim… (more…)

Review: The Next Big Thing

If you enjoy books that feature bigger than average women, you will absolutely adore this book. Even if you tend to steer clear of such books, you will still love this novel. The main heroine isn’t annoying, cliche or whiny – she is strong, sarcastic and will grow on you throughout the book.

Meet Kat Larson – she is overweight, slugging away in a PR company, and has a British internet boyfriend. Unfortunately he thinks she is a size four because she doctored the picture she sent him in Photoshop. Sound familiar? She isn’t exactly unhappy, but she knows she needs to improve her life in a big way. When her British boyfriend begins making noises like he wants to meet, she knows something has to be done. (more…)

Review: Notes From The Underbelly

Ever find yourself dragged into pregnancy kicking and screaming? That’s how Lara Stone, main heroine of this book, finds herself. She had been putting off getting pregnant for some time – because after all, she had finally worked her way down to a size 4. As an admissions counselor at Bel Air Prep, Lara doesn’t have time to have a kid. However, her husband Andrew gives her an ultimatum one night: either agree to have a child, or reassess your marriage priorities. (In other words, “get pregnant or get out”).

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Review: The Frog Prince

Meet Holly Bishop. After the devastating break-up with the gorgeous and smart Jean-Marc – who was supposed to be the Prince Charming she was to spend the rest of her life with – she is struggling to accept that she is already divorced at 25. Holly now lives alone and works as an event planner in the bustling city of San Francisco. When her boss Olivia accosts her one day and says she must either do something about her personal life or think about getting another job, Holly has little choice but to join Olivia and her friends for drinks out. Although the night is somewhat uneventful but humiliating, it shows Holly that it’s time to take control of her life. (more…)

Review: Look Closely

With three previous regular chick lit novels under her belt, Laura Caldwell’s latest book Look Closely is a suspense/mystery chick lit novel – one that I found hard to put down.

It all begins when New York City Attorney Hailey Sutter receives an anonymous letter one day that simply reads: “There is no statute of limitations on murder. Look closely”. Immediately Hailey knows that the note has something to do with her mother’s death, which happened over twenty years ago but has always been shrouded in mystery and silence. As a matter of fact, she has been estranged from her sister and brother her entire adult life, and her father, who practices for the same law firm as Hailey, always closes up whenever the subject is brought up. (more…)

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