The Midwife's Confession: Diane Chamberlain

It took me awhile to get into The Midwife's Confession. I can't explain why though, because once I did get into it, I was riveted. Before you get too bored with the details, let me excite your interest by telling you that this book is one big bag of secrets. Some of them shocking, some of them not so much, but all of them interesting.

Noelle is a midwife and has been since her youth. Bringing new life into the world is what Noelle was born to do. Single and childless, Noelle has spent her life reveling in the lives of her best friends, Emerson and Tara. When Noelle kills herself without any explanation, Tara and Emerson jump into the messy secrets that made up Noelle's life. Some of her secrets are juicy--like her love affairs--and some were startling--like the death of a baby on her watch. Emerson and Tara unravel the real life of Noelle and find that they never really knew her at all.

This is a twisty-turny book. Just when I thought I had something figured out, I was surprised again with some new revelation. In my mind, that indicates good writing. I might even compare the writing to Jodi Picoult, in that same dark, twisty sense. While reading, I was torn between feeling that the characters were very real, and praying that they weren't, because the kind of pain that comes out in this story is just plain ugly.

I really enjoyed some of the characters, but I struggled with the narration a bit. The book is told in chapters, each narrated by either Noelle, Emerson, or Tara. The narration shift wasn't confusing, but I was a little disappointed in the lack of narrative voice that Chamberlain created with each character. Noelle has a distinct narration, but Emerson and Tara have almost identical narratives even though they are supposedly very different types of people. Fortunately the descriptions were written well enough that I was able to identify who was who.

Honestly, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel. It's very chick-lit-y, but it's really good chick lit. There are no helpless or whiny women in The Midwife's Confession; just very strong, competent individuals who share a strange and complicated past.

Rating: $$.5

ARC received courtesy of MIRA.

Summer Sisters: Judy Blume

My mom is an excellent book shopper. She is always on the lookout for new books for me. As a result, my bookshelves are overflowing with little gems like this one. Honestly, I think the only reason she picked this one up was because of the cover. When I was a kid I was unable to articulate Adirondack, and instead called these lovely beach chairs "Adirdondack" chairs. To this day, she and I point to them and gleefully announce that we've spotted an Adirdondack chair.

Summer Sisters is one of Judy Blume's adult novels. Anyone familiar with her early readers books will recall her easy and familiar writing style. That same writing talent is present in this story about two girls who have nothing in common. Victoria--called Vix--is a shy, quiet girl, living a quiet life with her family until she meets Caitlin in the summer of 1977. Caitlin is fun and vibrant and exciting. The new girl in school, Caitlin is instantly popular, so Vix is shocked when she is chosen as Caitlin's summer guest. They spend that first summer together on Martha's Vineyard with Caitlin's family, sharing secrets and creating pacts that will last a lifetime. As they grow up, Caitlin and Vix have a tumultuous friendship, full of betrayals and promises. Caitlin's family takes Vix in as one of their own, so she is forever linked to the vivacious girl of her childhood summers, long after the excitement of their friendship has dimmed. As Vix matures, she begins to see Caitlin for what she really is--flighty and selfish. However, when Caitlin calls, asking Vix to be her Maid of Honor, Vix knows she'll say yes to her summer sister.

So, of course, I can't argue with the incomparable storytelling skill of Ms. Blume. The writing is terrific and the story...well, the story is what gets me. Frankly, I would have expected more intrigue from Judy Blume. This was little more than your average airplane paperback. The plot wasn't exactly notable. Some of the plot elements were hard for me to swallow. And I had a hard time liking Caitlin. She seemed bossy and selfish, and I couldn't understand why a sensible girl like Vix would fall for someone like that.

I can't totally discredit this book though, because I really like some of the secondary characters. For example, Caitlin's step-mom, Abby, is wonderful. She's nurturing, and she tries so hard to open up her heart to her blended family, and she welcomes Vix into her home like her one of her own children. Except Caitlin is resistant and totally snubs Abby, which is just one more reason not to like Caitlin.

For me, this book is middle of the road. It's great writing, and it's certainly interesting. But I'm not gonna lie, I kind of expected more.

Rating: $ 1/2

Singletini: Amanda Trimble

I picked up Singletini at the library booksale. The bright cover and basic storyline about a matchmaker caught my interest. I can now tell you, dear readers, that is where my interest ended.

So the story is about Victoria. She's a flat narrator who punctuates her ever sentence with "Ooh" and "Right?" Highly obnoxious. She loses her desk job and becomes a Wingwoman for hire. Essentially, she goes out with men who hire her to help them meet women. Meanwhile, one of her dearest friends from college just got engaged and wants Victoria to be her personal assistant. And of course there is a love interest (what else could possibly motivate this weak piece of chick lit?).

As you can probably already tell, I am not a fan of this book. As a story it is trite, but tolerable. As a novel, it is ridiculous. It's part "Shopaholic", part "Coyote Ugly". The characters are one-dimensional and the writing is amateurish. It turns out that Trimble is a copywriter. I don't recommend she give up her day job.

Rating: $...or less

Best Friends Forever: Jennifer Weiner

There’s a saying that goes, “A friend helps you move, a best friend helps you move a body.” That is the kind of friendship that Jennifer Weiner writes about in Best Friends Forever. Despite the distance of years, best friends Addie and Valerie are reunited under suspicious circumstances and are willing to revisit their friendship and save each other.

Addie Downs is a fat little girl with a strong inclination to stay at home with her family. She’s not much interested in doing the things that other little girls like to do, and she thinks her family is the best. She’s an outcast at school, but she doesn’t mind, or even really seem to notice. When Valerie Addler moves in next door, Addie’s mother forces her to make friends with the new girl. Val is everything that Addie is not--namely, social. They become best friends, inseparable. Val’s mother is a little flaky, but she is adventurous and exciting in ways that Addie’s mother could never be. While Addie is  envious of Val’s eccentric, boozy mom, Val is hateful jealous of Addie’s four person family, with a dad  who comes home every day, a mom  who loves with her whole heart, and a brother who seems just about perfect in every way. However, things change over time, as they are apt to do, and Valerie grows out of her awkwardness and blossoms into a beautiful blond bombshell, joining the cheerleading team, and partying with the popular high school kids. Addie misses her friend more than anything, but isn’t willing to endure the social pressures of her peers. As Addie becomes ridiculed by the very people Valerie now hangs out with, their friendship becomes strained. Then one night at a party, Valerie is raped by one of the school’s most popular jocks, and confiding in Addie, begs her not to tell. When Addie does expose the truth, Valerie denies it and the entire school turns again Fat Addie. The rest of her high school years are spent in misery.

Fast forward fifteen years, and Valerie has become a weather girl, still a blond bombshell. Addie has become an artist, and has lost all of her extra weight. She’s not exactly successful by societal standards, but she’s happy in her life. The night of the fifteen year high school reunion comes around and Addie chooses to go on a date rather than face the kids who hated her in high school. After the terrible date finally ends, Addie heads home and soon finds Val on her doorstep, claiming she has run over and possibly killed the boy who raped her in high school. Addie, ever desperate to have her best friend back, goes along with Val’s plan to find the body and cover up the mess. When no body shows up, the only logical thing to do is run.

Weiner is a very likable author. She creates characters who are very relatable and puts them in situations that are like a more Technicolor real life—aka, more exaggerated. I enjoyed the characters of Addie and Val, maybe because they remind me so much of me and my best friend in high school. Except that I was never that shy; I was far more social than Addie Downs was. However, it’s not hard to believe that best friends could be ripped apart by the social pressures of high school. It’s also not hard to believe that once you’ve been best friends with a person and shared with them the deepest secrets of yourself, you’re linked forever.

Despite having some fairly heavy elements, this book was a really fun read. It was playful and funny, and a trademark chick lit volume from Jennifer Weiner.

Overall Rating: $$

Girls' Poker Night: Jill A. Davis

Jill A. Davis was a comedic writer for the Late Show with David Letterman. This tidbit of information leads me to want to believe that she is going to be a Good Writer. In my opinion, A Good Writer is someone who knows the rules of fiction writing and adheres to them unless deviation is absolutely necessary for the sake of the story. The writing in Girls’ Poker Night is conversational with too much of the Late Show for my taste. Davis wanders as far from the rules of fiction as possible without entering the realm of the Beats, and for no apparent reason. Her conversational writing style doesn’t add to the mood of the novel. Instead, it exhausts me to the point of frustration. However! Once I became accustomed to the writing, the story itself—buried as it is—is charming.

For the first half of the book I wasn’t at all sure where it was going. There was no anchor to keep me hooked on the plot. Girls’ Poker Night is written in short vignette style scenes, sometimes related, but generally they read more like a series of random diary entries. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, and the wandering writing of Davis made me uncertain of which direction Ruby was headed. Is this a self-help book disguised as a novel about a woman who is forced to muster up her courage? Or is it a trite Sex and the City style romance novel? The truth is, it’s kind of both.

Ruby Capote is a humor columnist who sets out to change her life. She leaves her somewhat odd boyfriend and the boring, go-nowhere life she has, in exchange for a job in New York. She reunites with some of the girls from college and starts up a venting circle in the guise of a Poker Night (hence the title). In her New York life, Ruby is forced to muster up the courage to face her personal fears regarding relationships—fears that many of us might relate to all too well! While simultaneously taming psychological demons, Ruby enters into an unstable relationship with the perfect man, who just happens to be her boss.

A reader like me is commiserating with Ruby one moment, and hollering at her idiocy in the next. Anyone who has struggled with relationships will want to warn Ruby against foolish mistakes, while also empathizing with her choices. She is a completely relatable character who also happens to be hilariously witty. While I don’t love the conversational writing style, I do love Ruby’s quips and clever insights.

I realize that my review of Girls’ Poker Night might seem unclear, so I’ll simplify. Writing? Not so great. Plot? Relatable. Main Character? Charming!

Sleepless Nights: Sarah Bilston

I want to start this review with a nod to Suzanne Williams who got this brand new book to me. I hope this is only the first of many review projects for the Shreve Williams publicity firm.

Sleepless Nights is the follow up to Bilston's Bed Rest. In this novel, we pick up where Bed Rest left off, with Q and her newborn baby boy, Samuel. Bilston has accurately captured all of the anxiety and stress that new moms feel. The sleeplessness is only one facet of those early days of motherhood. Q has the unfortunate task of managing a new born baby boy who has colic, causing round-the-clock crying and screaming.

Bilston has changed up some elements of her storytelling style in this novel, by adding the additional voice of Q's sister, Jeanie. I have to admit that I don't usually like the chapter-by-chapter change of voice, but thanks to Jeanie's spunky character, I looked forward to her narratives.

There is a lot of plot in this novel, between the new motherhood of Q, the confuddled love life of Jeanie, and the small town attorney's office that Q and her husband become involved with. I was expecting this novel to be more focused on the aspects of being a first time mother with a colicky baby, but the true-to-life story addresses the fact that everyday life does not stop when a baby is a born.

Bed Rest: Sarah Bilston

Q is a twenty-something year old woman who has it all: high profile law career, devoted and successful husband, and a cramped apartment in New York City. On the "Modern Woman's List of Things to Do Before Hitting 30," there's just one more item to check off and that's to have a child. Getting pregnant was easy, as were the first 6 months. However, at a regular check-up, it is discovered that Q is not creating enough amniotic fluid and the baby may be in distress. Apparently the only cure for this condition is the old tried-and-true Victorian era method of bed rest. The Woman On The Go becomes The Woman On The Sofa. What ensues is a hilarious and sometimes touchingly poignant story of figuring out what's really important.

At first Q approaches her assigned bed rest with vigor. After all, who wouldn't want a free ticket to be a sloth?! She is waited on hand and foot and absolutely no one demands anything of her. She checks her email, watches re-runs of daytime TV, eats whatever she wants...it seems ideal. Then the third day rolls around and she finds herself bored out of her mind. Q gets herself involved in a neighborhood battle over black mold, and finds herself in the middle an extra-marital affair between her assistant and another lawyer. To add to the hilarity, Q is a Brit expat who has to frequently deal with the misunderstandings of her competitive family.

This was another piece of inconsequential chick-lit, but it was definitely entertaining. I found myself laughing out loud at parts, and wanting to holler at the characters in other parts. Rest assured, there's a happy ending with a healthy baby boy.

Sundays at Tiffany's: James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

For five dollars at Fred Meyer's, I picked up this book by James Patterson--an author I have generally no interest in reading. However, the title alone piqued my interest, being that I am an Audrey Hepburn fan for life and Breakfast At Tiffany's is one of my favorite movies of all time. Reading the back cover was what ultimately pushed me to buy the book; I mean, who wouldn't want to read the story of an imaginary friend come to life?!

Jane is a very lonely child who meets Michael--an invisible friend. He's not exactly imaginary--just invisible to anyone he doesn't want to be seen by. On her 9th Birthday, as per Invisible Friend Rules, Michael has to leave Jane and let her grow up in a world without invisible friends. Theoretically, she is to never remember Michael once he has gone from her life. (I would like to mention here that I find this completely plausible, as I had an invisible friend when I was a child whom I apparently spoke of at length. As an adult, I don't remember this friend at all). As an adult, Jane is still lonely and stuck in a life that doesn't belong to her. At just the right time, Michael sees Jane and she sees him and he sees that she remembers him, and it's fireworks. In a predictable plot, they fall in love and live happily ever after.

Sundays At Tiffany's is kind of a hard novel to review simply because it's so formulaic. I mean, other than the invisible friend bit, it's the typical boy and girl fall in love, there's a predictable conflict and the resulting resolution. The characters are not especially dimensional, though not altogether unlikable. Basically, for what I would call an "airplane paperback", it's not a bad read.

Such A Pretty Fat or Why Pie Is Not The Answer: Jen Lancaster

LAUGHTER! That is the best word to sum up my reaction to this book. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard at a novel. Such A Pretty Fat was not on any of my reading lists, I just happened to pick it up last time I was at Borders. I liked the back cover synopsis, and wanted a lighthearted book. I thought I might get a chuckle out of it, but I never expected that I would find myself laughing out loud on the bus ride home.

Jen Lancaster is a memoirist. She has written a few other books that I will probably be interested in reading now. This particular title is about her battle with weightloss. Having reached a size 24, she decides to take on the project of writing a memoir about dieting. Having never previously successfully lost weight, this battle is full of the ups and downs that every dieter has experienced. The complete lethargy that keeps one from exercising. The love-hate relationship one has with food while dieting. And the complete and utter disappointment at finding that every dieter in the world has some excuse to blame their weight on others. Jen Lancaster is witty and rough around the edges. Her writing is conversational and oh so very real. It feels like chatting with Jen over coffee. Or maybe coffee and pie.

I think the most likable aspect of this novel is that it's sort of universal. I don't think you have to be overweight to enjoy Lancaster's insights and her humor. I admit that there are times when I question the sensitivity of Jen Lancaster's writing, but overall, I find her completely marvelous.

Confessions of a Shopaholic: Sophie Kinsella

Continuing with my addiction to weakly structured chick-lit, I decided to read Sophie Kinsella's Confessions of a Shopaholic before my inevitable viewing of the same-named chick flick. Having seen Kinsella's brightly covered novels gracing the bestseller shelves of the bookstores for a couple of years, it was not a hard sell to convince me to pick up the first "stand-alone" novel in the Shopaholic series. The fact that this particular piece of chick-lit made it to the silver screen gave me the impression that it must be really great writing.

The bottom line is this; I felt like Bridget Jones was writing about her younger years. While Kinsella's writing has a very distinctive Brit accent that I truly appreciate, the writing is otherwise un-notable. It is a conversational monologue about a young woman's struggle with the in-between age. Not quite prepared to take on the responsibilities of adulthood, but desiring all of the perks, Rebecca Bloomwood prattles on about her dull job, her shopping addiction, and her life plan that changes daily, per whim.

As the main character, Rebecca Bloomwood is the most developed of the many characters in Shopaholic. However, to say that she is a well developed character would be inaccurate. Despite the conversational writing, Rebecca remains a shallow and vain, rather two dimensional character. I suppose it was the purpose of Sophie Kinsella to illustrate the amount of personal growth Rebecca experiences throughout the novel, but I found her to be an unbelievable caricature. The other main characters of Shopaholic take up surprisingly little space. It's hard to know what we're meant to think of some of the various people in Rebecca's life because Kinsella has spent so little time describing them and their relationships.

I will give Kinsella props for kicking the tired old romance plot to the curb. While Rebecca Bloomwood does experience a little heart-twittering from time to time, the focus is on her own self-involved problems. It seems that every female writer is sucked into one of two writing options these days; romance or all-female girl power. Kinsella writes a refreshingly new storyline that is truly about a young woman and not about a young woman's quest for love. Though I can only imagine what the subtle romance plot line will turn into in Hollywood's hands.

I am admittedly curious to see how Hollywood will interpret this bit of fluff, but that's where my interest in the Shopaholic series ends. This paperback will be added to the stack of chick-lit I have read and almost as quickly forgotten.