Audiobook Review: The Villa by Nora Roberts

The Villa
Author: Nora Roberts
Narrator: Laural Merlington
Published: January 5, 2002
Genre: chick lit
Audiobook: 14 discs (approx. 15.5 hours)
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): Sophia Giambelli has never worried about competition. For three generations, the Giambelli wines have been renowned for their quality-- from Napa Valley to Italy, and throughout the world. The pride of the Giambelli family and a top PR executive, Sophia loves her job-- and excels at it. But things are about to change at Villa Giambelli. Tereza, the matriarch, has announced a merger with the MacMillan family's winery-- and Sophia will be assuming a new role. As a savvy businesswoman, she knows she must be prepared for anything . . . but she isn't prepared for Tyler MacMillan. They've been ordered to work together very closely, to facilitate the merger. Sophia must teach Ty the finer points of marketing-- and Ty, in turn, shows her how to get down and dirty, to use the sun, rain, and earth to coax the sweetest grapes from the vineyard.

As they toil together, both in and out of the fields, Sophia is torn between a powerful attraction and a professional rivalry. At the end of the season, the course of the company's future-- and the legacy of the villa-- may take an entirely new direction. And when acts of sabotage threaten both the family business and the family itself, Sophia's quest will be not only for dominance, but also for survival.

My Thoughts: I tend to enjoy listening to Nora Roberts in audiobook form because they are something light and easy that I can have playing in the car while I drive around. So, I read the description for this one and thought, "That sounds intriguing, I'll give it a try." But this was not a typical Roberts for me. This novel just dragged on and on and felt like it might never end! Usually, the relationships between the characters is what pulls you in, and while there were some great relationships in the book, Roberts didn't focus enough on those. Instead of focusing on the relationship between the three Giambellli women, he focused on the relationship that (literally) came out of nowhere between Sophia and Tyler. It was a very confusing novel, one that had me mostly shaking my head because it was so tedious to get through.

The beginning of the book was hard to get into and I thought about turning it off and returning it for another book, but I wanted to stick it out. It did get better by the end, but it wasn't enough to make up for the lackluster beginning. There were so many characters introduced all at once, which can be hard to keep track of when you are listening to a book. And there wasn't a since of family immediately, and since this is a book about family, you expect to have a sense of it from the characters. But they all seemed to be living seperate lives from one another and they didn't mesh entirely. Overall, this was a lousy audiobook listen, but it maybe one of those things that better in the printed form than CD form. While it wasn't my favorite Roberts novel, I will still be listening to her books in the future.

Audiobook Review: Mini-Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Mini Shopaholic
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Narrator: Rosalyn Landor
Published: September 2, 2010
Genre: chick lit
Audiobook: 11 discs (approx. 12.5 hours)
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): Becky Brandon thought motherhood would be a breeze and that having a daughter was a dream come true: a shopping friend for life! But it’s trickier than she thought. Two-year-old Minnie has a quite different approach to shopping. Minnie creates havoc everywhere she goes, from Harrods to her own christening. Her favorite word is “Mine!” and she’s even trying to get into eBay! On top of everything else, Becky and Luke are still living with her parents (the deal on house #4 has fallen through), when suddenly there’s a huge financial crisis. 

With people having to “cut back,” Becky decides to throw a surprise party for Luke to cheer everyone up. But when costs start to spiral out of control, she must decide whether to accept help from an unexpected source—and therefore run the risk of hurting the person she loves. Will Becky be able to pull off the celebration of the year? Will she and Luke ever find a home of their own? Will Minnie ever learn to behave? And . . . most important . . . will Becky’s secret wishes ever come true?

My Thoughts: I was unsure if I wanted to read this last book in the Shopaholic series, since it seemed like each book just got a little worse than the one before. But, I didn't want to leave the series unfinished, so I went ahead and picked this one up from the library. I should have followed my instinct and left this one alone because this might be one of the worst books that I have ever read. The book is pretty much divided into two sections (which is unintentional by the author), with the first part mostly being about how awful Minnie, Becky's daughter, is and how her parents are unable to properly rear a child. The second part of the book, it's has if Minnie doesn't exist anymore and Becky throws a surprise party for Luke. It was very disjointed and odd because I really disliked the beginning of the book, but enjoyed hearing Becky plan this huge surprise bash for Luke. So, that's why it was given the rating that it was. I loved hearing about the party and all the planning that went into it. Having to read about Becky's inability to raise a child? Not as humorous and definitely dragged on for way too long.

I enjoy Kinsella's writing and it typically has me laughing, but I am glad that this series is finished. Becky Bloomwood started the series as a girl who wants to change her ways and is all about being a good person. By the end of the series, her materialism is rather sickening and it's awful how she actually never changes and continues to blow money as if there is no tomorrow. I don't know if I would recommend the Shopaholic series to anyone, but her standalone books are very good and will have you entertained.

Review: The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. by Nichole Bernier

The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D.
Author: Nichole Bernier
Published: June 5, 2012
Genre: contemporary fiction
Hardcover: 309 pages
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): Summer vacation on Great Rock Island was supposed to be a restorative time for Kate, who’d lost her close friend Elizabeth in a sudden accident. But when she inherits a trunk of Elizabeth's journals, they reveal a woman far different than the cheerful wife and mother Kate thought she knew.

The complicated portrait of Elizabeth—her troubled upbringing, and her route to marriage and motherhood—makes Kate question not just their friendship, but her own deepest beliefs about loyalty and honesty at a period of uncertainty in her own marriage.

The more Kate reads, the more she learns the complicated truth of who Elizabeth really was, and rethinks her own choices as a wife, mother, and professional, and the legacy she herself would want to leave behind. When an unfamiliar man’s name appears in the pages, Kate realizes the extent of what she didn’t know about her friend, including where she was really going on the day she died.

Set in the anxious summer after the September 11th attacks, this story of two women—their friendship, their marriages, private ambitions and fears—considers the aspects of ourselves we show and those we conceal, and the repercussions of our choices.

My Thoughts: I was really looking forward to reading this novel. So many people had read it and liked that I couldn't wait to join in and see what was so great about this novel. It has several elements that I like: journal entries (I love when novels have journal/diary entries in them!), a summer at the beach, life in a big city. It had elements that I always enjoy, but the book fell short of my expectations. I felt like there was no real push or drive in the novel to move forward. Kate is a mom of two and questioning her husband on some issues (such as his continuing to smoke, even though she asked him to stop years ago). Throughout this novel, she constantly wonders if she knows her husband, if he was faithful to her, if he honors her wishes. However, all she does is question with no real answers ever given. I felt like we were building up to this huge showdown between the two of them, where she doesn't know who he is and he tells her that he hates her being so nosy and absorbed in those journals. But, that never happened. The end of the book was a little odd to me, because you aren't sure how their marriage will survive or if Kate can get over her constant worrying. Bernier just kind of drops it and walks away, leaving me as a reader feel very empty at the end of the novel, like, "what was the point in reading that."

The journal entries were great and helped us to understand Elizabeth more, but they were placed in the story so awkwardly it was hard to tell if the entries were meant to let us know about Elizabeth or prove that what Kate is feeling in her life right now is vindicated. They were just stuck in the middle of chapters so awkwardly, like when you try on a shoe that's half a size too small for you. You just keep on shoving your foot into the shoe, even though you know that these shoes will never work for you. I think that if Bernier had alternated chapters with Kate's current life and Elizabeth's journals, it would have helped the story immensely. This is Nichole Bernier's first novel, so I'm hesitant to read her next one. I did enjoy her writing style, so I'm hoping her storytelling matures over time.

Audiobook Review: Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg

Home Safe
Author: Elizabeth Berg
Narrator: Elizabeth Berg
Published: January 1, 2009
Genre: chick lit
Audiobook: 7 discs (approx. 8.5 hours)

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): In this new novel, beloved bestselling author Elizabeth Berg weaves a beautifully written and richly resonant story of a mother and daughter in emotional transit. Helen Ames–recently widowed, coping with loss and grief, unable to do the work that has always sustained her–is beginning to depend far too much on her twenty-seven-year-old daughter, Tessa, and is meddling in her life, offering unsolicited and unwelcome advice. Helen’s problems are compounded by her shocking discovery that her mild-mannered and loyal husband was apparently leading a double life. The Ameses had painstakingly saved for a happy retirement, but that money disappeared in several large withdrawals made by Helen’s husband before he died. In order to support herself and garner a measure of much needed independence, Helen takes an unusual job that ends up offering far more than she had anticipated. And then a phone call from a stranger sets Helen on a surprising path of discovery that causes both mother and daughter to reassess what they thought they knew about each other, themselves, and what really makes a home and a family.

My Thoughts: I'm so torn by Elizabeth Berg's work and this novel is the perfect demonstration of my opinion of her books. The topics that her books cover are so interesting that I feel the need to read them. Then there is a character who is so annoying that it ruins the whole novel for me, and that character tends to be the main one. In this novel, we have Helen, a recent widow who is struggling with being alone after her husband died suddenly. Her daughter no longer lives at home so she has no one living with her, which gives her a lot of time to think. And what I realized very quickly was that Helen is so weak, it's absurd. There were so many times throughout the book that I wanted to slap Helen and say, "You need a dose of reality and fast. Seriously, grow up!" Unfortunately, I couldn't do that, so I had to suffer through her lamentations of how difficult it is to be a weak woman just to see what happens to the other characters in the book. 

Helen confuses a quiet woman with a weak woman. She says an ode to "weak" women at point, praising how they rely on others to call people to fix things, rely on others to pay bills and never once question their finances. It annoyed me so much because I wanted to tell her that she is not a real woman whatsoever when she relied on her husband to do everything. Seriously, it annoys me so much when women think that they should let a man do everything concerning money/important decisions/taking care of a home. Just get a grip and figure it out yourself! (I'm sorry if I'm preaching from my soap box here, but it's a huge pet peeve of mine.)

The premise of the novel is unique and it was interesting to read about how Dan surprised Helen with her dream house in California. However, hearing her constant complaining about life did not make it any easier to listen to. 

Audiobook Review: Famiy Tree by Barbara Delinsky

Family Tree
Author: Barbara Delinsky
Narrator:
Published: February 6, 2007
Genre: chick lit
Audiobook: 9 discs (approx. 10 hours)
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): For as long as she can remember, Dana Clarke has longed for the stability of home and family. Now she has married a man she adores, whose heritage can be traced back to the Mayflower, and she is about to give birth to their first child. But what should be the happiest day of her life becomes the day her world falls apart. Her daughter is born beautiful and healthy, and in addition, unmistakably African-American in appearance. Dana’s determination to discover the truth about her baby’s heritage becomes a shocking, poignant journey. A superbly crafted novel, Family Tree asks penetrating questions about family and the choices people make in times of crisis.

My Thoughts: I have listened to a few Barbara Delinsky audiobooks now and tend to enjoy them. She writes great characters and often provides scenarios that are something that any woman might go through in her life. In this audiobook, a Caucasian man and woman have an African-American baby, which leads to many questions (obviously). Through DNA testing, they are able to discover who has African-American ancestors and all must grapple with race and how we actually deal with it. While this plot was interesting, there was a subplot that really grabbed my attention and that I felt could have been a novel all on it's own. A mother gives birth to a son who is fathered by a US senator (he denies paternity). After a terrible accident in which the boy is severely injured, the mom is swayed to take legal action by Hugh (who has the African-American baby). This story line was so interesting and I don't feel like it was given enough development, but just tossed to the side and forgotten about by the end. This whole novel actually felt that way, that it was just tossed around and not fully developed. Delinsky is a great writer, so I won't judge her just by this book, but it was a big disappointment. The narration was good and nicely paced, although it did make me a bit sleepy at times because she read so slowly (a big pet peeve of mine with audiobooks). Delinsky had a wonderful opportunity to explore race and how it affects a family, but she just tossed it away with this one.

Review: Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow by Juliet Grey

Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow
Author: Juliet Grey
Published: May 15, 2012
Genre: historical fiction
Paperback: 400 pages
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): Paris, 1774. At the tender age of eighteen, Marie Antoinette ascends to the French throne alongside her husband, Louis XVI. But behind the extravagance of the young queen’s elaborate silk gowns and dizzyingly high coiffures, she harbors deeper fears for her future and that of the Bourbon dynasty.

From the early growing pains of marriage to the joy of conceiving a child, from her passion for Swedish military attaché Axel von Fersen to the devastating Affair of the Diamond Necklace, Marie Antoinette tries to rise above the gossip and rivalries that encircle her. But as revolution blossoms in America, a much larger threat looms beyond the gilded gates of Versailles—one that could sweep away the French monarchy forever.

My Thoughts: One of my favorite historical figures is Marie Antoinette. I just find her fascinating. When you look at her life, it's pretty incredible what she did with what she was given. I mean, if you are married by 14, sent to the palace of the most opulent court in Europe, and then blamed for everything, I think that tends to make for an interesting person. This novel is the second is Juliet Grey's Marie Antoinette trilogy, focusing on the time period from Louis XVI's ascession to the throne to the rumblings that lead to the French Revolution. There was much covered in this book, some of it given ample time and consideration in the plot, where as other things were just too drawn out (for my liking, anyway).

For me, the biggest problem with this book were the characters. There were so many of them! Now, many of them were in the first book in this trilogy, but there wasn't much of a preamble when this book started. Grey gave little background information on the characters, so it took sometime to figure out who was who. There were also so many characters that it was hard to keep track of. I wish that Grey had included a character chart at the beginning of her novel so that you could flip back if you forgot who anyone is or their relationship to Marie (some people only show up a few times in the book, so you forget who they are). 

The storyline of this novel was pretty good, but there were some parts that dragged. Anything dealing with Axel von Fersen (Marie's lover) seemed very slow, which was odd to me because you think it would be more interesting reading about Marie and the man that she truly loved. I did love how Grey portrayed the Affair of the Diamond necklace. I think that's sometimes brushed over in Marie Antoinette novels because of the complexity of it, but this was a great summation of what happened.

If you are at all curious about Marie Antoinette, then I would recommend this series (the first book, Becoming Marie Antoinette). While it was a long book, Grey is a good writer and I look forward to reading her last book in this trilogy.

Review: Paris In Love by Eloisa James

Paris In Love
Author: Eloisa James
Published: April 3, 2012
Genre: memoir, travelogue
Hardcover: 272 pages
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): In 2009, New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James took a leap that many people dream about: she sold her house, took a sabbatical from her job as a Shakespeare professor, and moved her family to Paris. Paris in Love: A Memoir chronicles her joyful year in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
 
With no classes to teach, no committee meetings to attend, no lawn to mow or cars to park, Eloisa revels in the ordinary pleasures of life—discovering corner museums that tourists overlook, chronicling Frenchwomen’s sartorial triumphs, walking from one end of Paris to another. She copes with her Italian husband’s notions of quality time; her two hilarious children, ages eleven and fifteen, as they navigate schools—not to mention puberty—in a foreign language; and her mother-in-law Marina’s raised eyebrow in the kitchen (even as Marina overfeeds Milo, the family dog). 
 
Paris in Love invites the reader into the life of a most enchanting family, framed by la ville de l’amour.

My Thoughts: I enjoy a good travelogue and when I heard that this one was set in Paris, the one place on earth that I am dying to go, I just had to read this book. Eloisa James tells about her year in Paris, about how she made the decision to move her family across the ocean and start over. The book is broken up into chapters, with most chapters starting with a short essay followed by little blurbs (things that she had posted on Facebook). She uses this format throughout the entire book, which I thought was odd. There were the amusing little thoughts that she would write down, but I felt like huge chunks of the story were missing.

I always say that I cannot judge the basis of a memoir because it's not my life, and it's hard to judge. In this book, my one gripe was what James chose to put in her book. In blurb form, it's hard to build a cohesive story about what was happening to them. When she would talk about her children and their difficulties in school, I felt like she didn't tell us enough about how difficult it was for them to transition to a new school and city. I felt like there was so much that was missing from the book, which is what made me give it a lower rating.

I did enjoy her shopping adventures and those alone make the book worth reading. If you enjoy Paris and memoirs, then it might be worth it to check it out. It just wasn't everything that I hoped for.

Audiobook Review: Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani

Big Stone Gap
Author: Adriana Trigiani
Narrator: Grace Bennett
Published: January 1, 2000
Genre: fiction
Audiobook: 10 CDs (10 hours)
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 2.5 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the tiny town of Big Stone Gap is home to some of the most charming eccentrics in the state. Ave Maria Mulligan is the town's self-proclaimed spinster, a thirty-five year old pharmacist with a "mountain girl's body and a flat behind." She lives an amiable life with good friends and lots of hobbies until the fateful day in 1978 when she suddenly discovers that she's not who she always thought she was. Before she can blink, Ave's fielding marriage proposals, fighting off greedy family members, organizing a celebration for visiting celebrities, and planning the trip of a lifetime—a trip that could change her view of the world and her own place in it forever. Brimming with humor and wise notions of small-town life, Big Stone Gap is a gem of a book with a giant heart. . . .


My Thoughts: I discovered Adriana Trigiani's work a few months ago and fell in love with it. She is a gifted writer and has a way of pulling her readers into her character's lives. I had high hopes for this novel but they fell far short of what I have come to expect from a Trigiani novel. Now, I'm not sure if this is because it was in audiobook form, but there was something that just didn't flow with this book. It felt a bit disjointed at times, like we were jumping around with no real direction. I did enjoy parts of the story and I liked the character of Ave Maria, but there was something that was just off.


For me, part of the problem with this novel was the narrator. I don't think I've ever had an issue with a narrator before, or one who I thought ruined the entire audiobook experience, but I felt that way with this story. Grace Bennett narrated this story and her pacing was awful! There were long pauses, as if a new chapter was beginning. Instead, Bennett would take a pause in the middle of a conversation with two characters. It was awful and made for a poor listening experience. It really upset me, and I have never felt that way about a narrator before.


This is the first book in the series, and I debated for a few days whether I should continue with it or not. I decided that I would give it a try based on how much I've enjoyed Trigiani's other books but decided to do the print version instead of the audiobook. Have you read this series? What are your thoughts on it?

Review: Summer Breeze by Nancy Thayer

Summer Breeze
Author: Nancy Thayer
Published: June 5, 2012
Genre: chick lit
Hardcover: 320 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 2.5 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): Morgan O’Keefe feels trapped in a gilded cage. True, the thirty-year-old mother agreed to put her science career on hold to raise her young son while her husband  pursued his high-powered job. But though Morgan loves many things about staying home with her child, she misses the thrill of working with her colleagues in the lab. She’s restless and in dire need of a change.
 
Fed up with New York City’s hectic pace, Natalie Reynolds takes up her aunt’s offer to move to the Berkshires and house-sit her fabulous lakeside house for a year. Passionate about applying brush to canvas, Natalie is poised to become the artist she has forever longed to be. But life on Dragonfly Lake is never without surprises, and for a novice swimmer like Natalie, the most welcome surprise proves to be the arms of a handsome neighbor pulling her up from the water for a gulp of air.
 
When her mother breaks her leg, Bella Barnaby quits her job in Austin and returns home to help out her large, boisterous family. Among her new duties: manning the counter at the family business, Barnaby’s Barn, an outdated shop sorely in need of a makeover. While attractive architect Aaron has designs on her, Bella harbors long held secret dreams of her own.  
 
Summer on Dragonfly Lake is ripe for romance, temptation, and self-discovery as the lives of these three women unexpectedly intertwine.Summer Breeze illustrates how the best of friends can offer comfort, infuriate, or even—sometimes—open one’s eyes to the astonishing possibilities of life lived in a different way. This captivating novel displays a prestigiously gifted writer at the height of her storytelling powers.

My Thoughts: So, I read a Nancy Thayer book last summer (Heat Wave) and didn't like it at all. But, I have seen so many people rave about her books that I thought, "Maybe I just picked up one of her bad ones. I'm gonna give her another try." Let me just say that I was just as disappointed with this book as I was with the last one. While I don't expect chick lit to make me look at the world differently or question my understanding of the universe, I do look for something that could be real, or at least is so hilarious that I can forget the world for a little bit. Nancy Thayer's books do neither for me. They feel so forced that there is no possible way that they could be real. It's all so fake and the dialogue between the characters so jilted that I have to shake my head at how unreal it is.

The premise behind the book is interesting. That's the only saving grace of this novel. Each woman's storyline has something to offer, but Thayer doesn't really develop any of them. There aren't any real struggles. The one who comes a bit close to this, Bella, just decides to give up and follow her boyfriend across the country, seemingly just giving up her life so that she can tag along with him. The other two, Morgan and Natalie, are written so simply. And everything works out perfectly for them, which makes the novel even harder to stomach.

I would compare Nancy Thayer's work to an overly sweet dessert. It's so sickeningly sweet that it hurts your teeth and you hope that the pain subsides quickly. While I was looking for a light summer read, I found something that was so bad that not even the beautiful sunshine could save it. I have decided that Thayer's work is not for me and will not be reading any of her novels in the future.

Review: The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

The Dressmaker
Author: Kate Alcott
Published: February 21, 2012
Genre: historical fiction
Hardcover: 306 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 2 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes. 
 
Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy. Others—including the gallant Midwestern tycoon—are not so lucky. 
 
On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic. Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period's glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love.

My Thoughts: The synopsis for the book sounded so intriguing that I had to pick it up. I'm not a big fan of the Titanic (the movie came out when I was in middle school, along with tons of books about it, so I burned out earlier in life), but I thought that I should give this one a try. Unfortunately, this book turned out to be a bit of a disappointment and remind me why I don't really like Titanic-based things. The portion of the book that takes place on the ship is alright, nothing remarkable. What happens afterwards is so jumpy and awful that I just kept on wishing that this story had ended onboard the ship.

The main character, Tess, is interesting, but she wasn't ever fully developed. She jumped from point A to point Z with no real explanation, just doing it. It left me really confused and not at all interested in her. Her employer was also confusing and her issues where never really resolved at the end of the novel, so once again, confusion. And the romance in the novel was awful. I wish that Kate Alcott had left it out so that Tess might have been able to grow more as a character.

Overall, this novel was a disappointment. Between the plot and the weak characters, it felt like a very difficult read. 

Audiobook Review: The Best of Friends by Susan Mallery

The Best of Friends
Author: Susan Mallery
Published: September 28, 2010
Genre: chick lit
Audiobook: 8 CDs
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 2 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): In high school, studious Jayne Scott and wild child Rebecca Worden became unlikely best friends---a tie that endured even after Rebecca fled her family to live overseas. After Jayne's mother passed away, she became part unpaid assistant, part surrogate daughter to the wealthy Wordens. But now, ten years later, Rebecca is coming home to L.A. to cause havoc for Elizabeth, the mother who all but rejected "her". And Jayne finds herself pulled deeper into the Wordens' complicated family dynamics---especially when Rebecca's brother, David, returns as well.David is the man Jayne always wanted and knew she could never have. But when he gravitates toward her in spite of Elizabeth's protests, her vow to escape the family's shadow is put to the ultimate test. And as lies are shattered and true feelings exposed, Jayne must decide where loyalty ends, and love begins . . . 


My Thoughts: Now, if you have been on my blog for the past few months, you know that my favorite audiobooks are the ones by Sophie Kinsella. However, I realize that there are a finite amount of those books available (please, write faster, Sophie!), so I like to branch out and try new authors. I have a Susan Mallery book waiting for me in my TBR pile, but figured, "Why not try her out as an audiobook?" Let me just say that I was hugely disappointed. I think this may be a case of the real book does not transfer well to being an audiobook. There were some jumps in time that weren't explained, but you wondered how you jumped ahead so quickly (I think that would have been more easily understood on the page.) I also felt like all the characters were one dimensional. Jayne, the main character, basically has no personality. Her best friend, Rebecca, is whiny and annoying. Same with her mother, Elizabeth. The father doesn't care, and David, Rebecca's brother and Janye's new boyfriend, just keeps on professing his love for her and how badly he wants to marry her, even though they have only been dating for two months (I hope I'm not alone in saying that this guy, in the real world, would be labeled as a creep).


For the most part, the plot was weak. There were moments when I was like, "Finally, this book is turning around and will finally pull me in." Nope, Mallery just went back to having Rebecca act like an awful human being and her mother being nosy. I will try Mallery on the printed page, but I will never check out one of her audiobooks again.

Review: 150 Pounds by Kate Rockland

150 Pounds
Author: Kate Rockland
Published: January 17, 2012
Genre: chick lit
Hardcover: 336 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 2 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): A smartly-written novel of two women starting at opposite ends of the scale--and finding compromise and friendship in their journey towards 150 pounds In the fast paced life of blogging, two women stand out: Alexis Allbright, of Skinny Chick, and Shoshana Weiner, who writes Fat and Fabulous. Both have over five million loyal readers. Both are hungry for success. But the similarities stop there. With over 100 pounds on the scale separating them, weight isn't their only difference. Alexis is a loner who is so bitchy the only person who can stand her company is her gay best friend Billy. She gives neurotic New Yorkers a run for their money with her strict daily workout routine, and weighing of food. Shoshana is Alexis’s opposite. Living in Jersey with rowdy roommates, she is someone who “collects friends,” as her mother puts it; and treasures a life of expanding circles...and waistlines. When both appear as panelists on a popular talk show, their lives intersect in ways neither could have imagined. In turns comedic, heartwarming--and familiar to any woman who's ever stepped on a scale--Alexis and Shoshana realize they have far more in common than either could have possibly imagined, and more importantly, something to offer.


My Thoughts: I was interested in this book when I first heard about it, mostly because of the blogging aspect. Not only because I am a book blogger, but there have been other books that I've reead where a blogger is involved in some way, and it makes for a very intriguing book (think of the Gossip Girl series). This book was far from intriguing, though. In fact, it was pretty boring and written like a middle-schooler. The dialogue between the characters felt forced and not genuine. And the dialogue was predictable. You could guess what a character was going to say before they said it. The only interesting part of this book was Alexis' growth from a selfish individual to a person who is focused on others. I enjoyed those chapters told from her point of view, even though they were pretty predictable. I was disappointed in this book and felt like it was mostly just a waste of time.

Review: Heat Wave by Nancy Thayer

Heat Wave
Author: Nancy Thayer
Published: June 21, 2011
Genre: chick lit
Hardcover: 304 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 2 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): Making the startling discovery that her family finances are in dire straits is only the latest shock endured by Carley Winsted after her husband’s sudden death from a heart attack. Resisting her in-laws’ well-meaning overtures to take in Carley and her two daughters, the young widow instead devises a plan to keep her family in their beloved home, a grand historic house on the island of Nantucket. The solution is right at Carley’s front door: transforming her expensive, expansive house into a bed-and-breakfast. Not everyone, however, thinks this plan prudent or quite respectable—especially not Carley’s mother-in-law. Further complicating a myriad of challenges, a friend forces Carley to keep a secret that, if revealed, will undo families and friendships. When her late husband’s former law partner keeps showing up at the most unexpected times, Carley must cope with an array of mixed feelings. And then, during a late-summer heat wave, the lives of Carley and her friends and family will be forever changed in entirely unexpected ways. 


My Thoughts: I was so anxious for summer to start (since it's March and we've had several days in a row where the temperature was 70+), I decided to get my summer reading started early. I wanted to read this book last summer but never got around to it, so when I saw this on my library's shelf, I thought it would be the perfect pre-summer read. Unfortunately, this book fell far short of my expectations and left me shaking my head through much of it. 


Following Carley, a woman who is recently widowed and discovering that her husband squandered their savings and his life insurance policy, she has to come up with a way to make money for her and her two daughters. Now, instead of focusing on the difficulties of opening up a bed and breakfast and how her daughter's cope with the loss of their father, Nancy Thayer breezes through this as if it was mastering a new recipe in the kitchen. It was so unrealistic how easy it was for Carley to renovate her home and start having guests. She made it seem as if opening a business were so simple! Then, there were the characters. Carley was unlikeable as a main character. I didn't feel any of the grief of losing her husband or desperation to find a way to support her family. She just bobbed along like everything was hunky-dorey! Seriously, it was so cliche that she was able to cope with everything so well. On top of this, there was little to no mention of how her daughters dealt with the death of their father. The girls seemed fine and adjusted within a few weeks of the funeral. I know that life goes on, but everything was just smooth sailing in this book.


Also, I found Thayer's writing to be subpar with other authors. The way the characters spoke reminded me of how a seventh grader would write a story. Whenever there were three characters in a scene and one was speaking, they would address the other two multiple times in conversation. It wasn't authentic and felt so forced that it was hard to read at times.


I finished the book quickly, which is one of the few positives that I had with this book. The other positive was the setting. I enjoyed reading about Nantucket and felt that it was portrayed beautifully. It was an easy read but I'm not sure that I will ever read anything by Nancy Thayer again.

Audiobook Review: Sleeping Arrangements by Madeleine Wickham

Sleeping Arrangements
Author: Madeleine Wickham
Published: January 1, 2002
Genre: chick lit
Audiobook 7 CDs
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 2.5 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): Two families, one holiday villa – who’s sleeping with whom? Chloe needs a holiday. She’s sick of making wedding dresses, her partner Philip has troubles at work, the whole family wants a break. Her wealthy friend Gerard has offered the loan of his luxury villa in Spain – perfect. Hugh is not a happy man. His immaculate wife Amanda seems more interested in her new kitchen than in him, and he works so hard to pay for it, he barely has time for his children. Maybe he’ll have a chance to bond with them on holiday. His old friend Gerard has lent them a luxury villa in Spain – perfect. Both families arrive at the villa and realize the awful truth – Gerard has double-booked. What no-one else realizes is that Chloe and Hugh have a history, and as tensions rise within the two families, old passions resurface. It seems that Gerard’s ‘accidental’ double booking may not be an accident after all.


My Thoughts: Madeleine Wickham, aka Sophie Kinsella, is my go-to audiobook author. Her work is funny, light, and a great listen. While parts of Sleeping Arrangements had it's funny moments, it was just a little too much for me to enjoy. Following two families who are accidentally booked at a friend's villa for the same week, you come to learn that Chloe and Hugh, who are with different partners now, have a history. It never seemed like much of a history for me, though, and Hugh seemed to overplay their relationship in his mind (at least, that's how it felt to me). The chemistry between the four adults was off and wasn't what I've come to expect in Wickham/Kinsella novels. To me, the best part of this book was Phillip and his job. His company was recently bought out and he will find out when he comes back from vacation whether or not he still has a job. As it turns out, Hugh works for the company that bought Phillip's company. I thought this could have been explored more and made for a more complete plot.


While I certainly won't stop reading Wickham/Kinsella novels because of this one, it does make me a bit skeptical to pick up another Wickham novel. I think they are a bit more serious than the Kinsella ones.

Review: Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

Midnight in Austenland
Author: Shannon Hale
Published: January 31, 2012
Genre: chick lit
Hardcover: 277 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 2.5 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies. Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. Is the brooding Mr. Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love? 


My Thoughts: I have not read any of Shannon Hale's other books, but with so many books under her belt, I felt like I should give her a try. Unfortunately, this book didn't live up to the expectations that I had for it. I picked up the book hoping for a chick lit book based in the world of Jane Austen, with some Austen references thrown in. However, after a brief mention at the beginning that Charlotte (the main character) had picked up Pride and Prejudice, there wasn't much else to do with Austen. Sure, the main setting was a resort set in the Regency era, but there didn't seem to be much to make a connection between why these grown adults were playing dress up and Austen's books.


The writing was good and I did like how Hale is in the character's head, expressing what their true thoughts are (even the sarcastic ones). She really tapped into Charlotte's thoughts and I enjoyed learning more about her character from the internal monologues. But the writing wasn't enough to make me want more pertaining to Austen. I finished the novel feeling disappointed, feeling like I was fooled into believing that there would be more substance than there actually was.

Review: Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline

Lady Killer
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Published: February 1, 2008
Genre: thriller
Hardcover: 355 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 2.5 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): Mary DiNunzio is a trademark Lisa Scottoline heroine--she's strong, she's smart, and she's got plenty of attitude. In recent years, she's become a big-time business-getter at Rosato & Associates, but the last person she expects to walk into her office one morning--in mile-high stilettos--is super sexy Trish Gambone, her high school rival. Back then, while Mary was becoming the straight-A president of the Latin Club and Most Likely to Achieve Sainthood, Trish was the head Mean Girl, who flunked religion and excelled at smoking in the bathroom. As it turns out, however, Trish's life has taken a horrifying turn. She's terrified of her live-in boyfriend, who's an abusive, gun-toting drug dealer for the South Philly mob. There's only one problem--Mary remembers the guy from high school too. Unbeknownst to Trish, Mary had a major crush on him. Then Trish vanishes, a dead body turns up in an alley, and Mary is plunged into a nightmare, one that threatens her job, her family, and even her life. She goes on a one-woman crusade to unmask the killer, and on the way, finds new love in a very unexpected place. But before the novel's shocking surprise ending, Mary is forced to confront some very uncomfortable truths about her own past, and the profound effects of lifelong love--and hate.

My Thoughts: I have read two other books by Lisa Scottoline and really enjoyed them, so I picked up Lady Killer, thinking that I would like it. Unfortunately, this one wasn't as good as the other two, but not anawful book. For me, I just didn't feel the pull from the characters that I had in the other books. I thought that Mary was a great character and very strong, but everyone around her just seemed to blend into the background. I also thought the plot could have been a bit stronger. It wasn't a great as her other novels, but wasn't so bad that I wanted to stop reading. I know I will continue to look for Scottoline books when I'm at the library, but this wasn't my favorite work of hers.

Review: The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright

The Forgotten Waltz
Author: Anne Enright
Published: October 3, 2011
Genre: contemporary fiction
Hardcover: 263 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 2 stars


Synopsis (from B&N): A new, unapologetic kind of adultery novel. Narrated by the proverbial other woman—Gina Moynihan, a sharp, sexy, darkly funny thirtysomething IT worker—The Forgotten Waltz charts an extramarital affair from first encounter to arranged, settled, everyday domesticity. . . . This novel’s beauty lies in Enright’s spare, poetic, off-kilter prose—at once heartbreaking and subversively funny. It’s built of startling little surprises and one fresh sentence after another. Enright captures the heady eroticism of an extramarital affair and the incendiary egomania that accompanies secret passion: For all their utter ordinariness, Sean and Gina feel like the greatest lovers who've ever lived.


My Thoughts: I wish the book that I had read was the same one described in the summary above, because it certainly wasn't anything like what I read above. Told by Gina, a married woman who begins having an affair with a married man, this story is meant to explore how an extramarital affair affects these two individuals. Instead, I read some woman who seems to whine a lot, abandons her husband (he literally just disappears in the middle of the book, as if the author forgot about him), and is unhappy with her life. It just read like one big gripe session told be a middle-class woman who acts as if her life is so difficult. The characters come across as very bland, there was no development, and there wasn't any kind of story being told. It was frenetic at times, jumping all over the place and making my head spin. Anne Enright won the Man Booker prize for a previous novel, The Gathering. I'm interested to see what that book is about, because this one left me feeling like I wasted my time.