The BookFetish Blog

Kathleen Long’s first book, Chasing Rainbows , was one of my 2012 favorites.  I’m excited to review her new book, Changing Lanes now.

From the book summary:

Abby Halladay has the perfect life. Or, rather, she will…as long as everything goes exactly according to plan. Abby never leaves anything to chance—not her job as a syndicated columnist, not her engagement to her fiancé, Fred, and certainly not her impending wedding in Paris (New Jersey, that is).

Unfortunately for Abby, even the best-laid plans often go awry—like when Fred runs away to Paris (France, that is), her column is canned, and her dream home is diagnosed with termites. Forced to move back in with her parents and drive her dad’s cab, Abby’s perfect life has now officially become the perfect disaster. 

Then a funny thing happens. Slowly but surely, Abby begins letting go of her dreams of perfection. As she does, the messy, imperfect life she thought she never wanted starts to feel exactly like the one she needs. 

Poignant and heartfelt, Changing Lanes celebrates the unexpected joys of everyday life—and the enduring promise of second chances.

The elements of Chasing Rainbows that I loved are back in Changing Lanes.  A character forced to re-evaluate her life.  A likable heroine who begins to find herself.  You know that little thrill you get, sometimes, when you read? That one where you kind of wish you had the guts to do what the main character is doing? I got that little thrill here.  Wouldn’t it be great if we all had the courage to live the life that’s just right for us?  Of course, sometimes it takes a lot of  challenges for us to see that just right life is, and we don’t always have those things thrown in our path.  But still, if we had the chance to do what feels completely right to us? That’s what reading Long’s books does for me, why they hook me in.

But it’s not just Abby finding her perfect life in this book- that journey is woven through a number of subplots and characters. The challenges these characters face, the secrets they keep, only add to the intrigue of the story and the authenticity of the relationships. We all keep some secrets, for reasons right or wrong.  In Changing Lanes, they add a deeper context to the story.

Fans of women’s fiction should take a look at Kathleen Long’s books. There’s a depth to her characters and stories that isn’t seen in all chick lit books, and I really appreciate that.

Happy Reading!

Back in 2011, I reviewed Lisa Becker’s debut novel, Click: An Online Love Story and really enjoyed it. Now Lisa is back with the sequel, Double Click, and it lives up to all the things I liked about the first book.

Just in case you’ve not read Click, I’m not going to say much about the plot of Double Click so that I don’t spoil anything for you- but I will tell you why I think Double Click is the perfect sequel.

Picking up six months later, Double Click continues what Click did well: revealing the story via a series of emails and the authenticity of the friendship between Mark, Renee,  Shelley, and Ashley.  And even though a short amount of time has passed between the two books, Double Click delves deeper emotionally than Click. That’s not to say that the story doesn’t retain its humor, but more that the characters mature some and their relationship deepens on a number of levels.

I found myself laughing out loud more than once while reading Double Click. I also wanted, more than once, to shake a couple of the characters and ask what they’re thinking.  I love it when I am involved enough with a character that I question her decisions, or care about what he does.  But most of all, I was rooting for these characters.  Each of them, in a unique way, has an opportunity for personal growth. And like many of us, they don’t always see that opportunity for what it is. They’re vulnerable, and scared, and rely on their friends to see them through.

Nothing in Double Click takes away from Click. This is one sequel that lives up to all the best parts of its predecessor. I think fans of chick lit, and anyone who liked Click will be happy reading this one.

Here’s a link to Lisa Becker’s author page on Goodreads. Don’t just take my word for it- people really like both these books.

Happy Reading!

I’ve been talking a lot about Meredith Schorr’s Blogger Girl lately. As many of you know, I was one of the bloggers she interviewed in a countdown to the book’s cover reveal and launch. This is my third time reviewing a book of Meredith’s, and I’m excited to do it. But in the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that I am mentioned in the acknowledgements of Blogger Girl. That’s HUGELY flattering and unexpected honor. And I didn’t know that when I read the advance copy, so rest assured that what I am telling you here is an honest review.

A brief summary: What happens when your high school nemesis becomes the shining star in a universe you pretty much saved? Book blogger Kimberly Long is about to find out.
A chicklit enthusiast since the first time she read Bridget Jones’s Diary, Kim, with her blog, “Pastel is the New Black,” has worked tirelessly by night to keep the genre alive, and help squash the claim that “chick lit is dead” once and for all. Not bad for a woman who by day ekes out a meager living as a pretty, and pretty-much-nameless, legal secretary in a Manhattan law firm.
While Kim’s day job holds no passion for her, the handsome (and shaving challenged) associate down the hall is another story. Yet another story is that Hannah Marshak, one of her most hated high school classmates, has now popped onto the chicklit scene with a hot new book that’s turning heads–and pages–across the land. It’s also popped into Kim’s inbox–for review. With their ten-year high school reunion drawing near, Kim’s coming close to combustion over the hype about Hannah’s book. And as everyone around her seems to be moving on and up, she begins to question whether being a “blogger girl” makes the grade in her off-line life.

As a blogger, I really enjoyed reading Blogger Girl. Meredith really captures the nuances of blogging, particularly because in addition to writing books, she also blogs. She knows what it is like trying to get the tone just right; to offer constructive feedback without being mean; to find time to blog in the midst of all the other things going on in your life.  So that part of the book was really fun because I could identify with it.

At the same time, Meredith gives us an interesting story.  Kim’s dislike of Hannah is palpable, and although I felt it was largely justified,  I also found myself wondering if a part of the dislike was rooted in envy. Kim’s blogging, but Hannah is published.  (Side note: That’s not to say every book blogger wants to be an author.  I offer myself as an example. I’m pretty certain there’s not a book inside me.  If it turns out I eat those words one day, I’ll be as surprised as everyone else).  The Kim/Hannah conflict, in addition to Kim’s burgeoning relationship made for a very entertaining read. Without giving too much away, what I like about the relationship part of this book is that Kim’s not being unrealistically sensitive to what is going on around her. Her insecurities are all too relatable for many of us. That’s one thing I’ve always liked about Meredith’s books, that authenticity.  And it is here again in Blogger Girl.  The best part of the book was, to me, the end.  Again, I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say this. Kim finds resolution. We don’t know what it means for the future, but it wraps things up in a very satisfactory way.

I don’t think any fan of Chit lit will be disappointed with Blogger Girl,  and Meredith’s fans certainly won’t be.   Add this one to your list!

I loved Meredith Schorr’s first two books,  Just Friends With Benefits and A State of Jane. Meredith herself was the subject of my very first author crush interview.  So today, I’m excited to share with you the cover of  Meredith’s third book, Blogger Girl, coming soon.

Before we get to the cover, though, check out this synopsis:

It all started with cocktails. Of course it did. Cocktails with a friend I had known in fourth grade (who grew up next door to my college roommate), a high school friend, and a friend I met in college through my best friend in elementary school.  The high school friend had also gone to elementary school with me, but I didn’t know him then. The high school friend and the one I met in college had gone to middle school together, and the elementary school friend had gone to high school with the friend I met in college. Confused yet? Don’t be. It’s not really important, except that it made me want to know more about people from my past that I have connected with through Facebook, but hadn’t seen in years.

This summer, I was able to reconnect in person with women I went to junior high with, and  some friends from high school. In the case of the junior high ladies, I’d not seen them since I was fourteen- more years ago than I care to admit.  A couple of people from high school, not since the last parties before we all went off to college.

As I mentioned, Facebook has been a boon in aiding these reconnections.  I have glimpses into these people’s current lives. But it was still daunting to book a plane ticket to Maryland for the beach weekend with the girls. I mean, it’s been A LOT of years since I saw these women.  Although they had booked a couple of hotel rooms, I booked my own.  I figured this weekend would either be epic, or quickly turn into the Real Housewives of Crazytown.  Thankfully, it was EPIC. We had such a good time.  In many ways, it was like no time at all had passed.

We moved early in my freshman year of high school. I always felt the time with these junior high friends was unfinished.   We were so young and so concerned with our immediate lives, it’s no wonder we didn’t make a strong effort to stay in touch.  I often wondered what had happened to everyone.

After high school, my parents moved again, my senior year of college. Before that, my summers were spent hanging out with college friends who lived in the same city.  I didn’t really see most of the people I’d gone to high school with, except my best friend.  One thing I had noticed through Facebook was that the cliques that had been a part of high school had, thankfully, dissolved as we got older.  It appeared to me that people genuinely wanted to know what was going on with our classmates.

These two summertime visits have made me wonder about this desire to reconnect.   I have a wealth of friends in my life now, friends from Atlanta I’ve now known for years and see far more frequently than any of these old friends.  Is it that, because of so many moves, I don’t really feel that I have roots anywhere before I was an adult, no “hometown” to return to?  Is it a bit of “What if?”wondering about what might have happened had we all stayed friends and connected through all these years?  Is it just wanting to be able to share old and new memories with people?  Is it nostalgia for the past?

I’m honestly not sure why these connections matter so much to me. I’m not sure that it’s really important for me to know why it matters.  Because it’s made me happy to reconnect with these people.  We’re talking about making the girls trip an annual thing- and I really hope we do.  And I love that it should be easier to see these high school friends more often. I believe in celebrating friendship, and it’s been fun reconnecting with so many people lately and expanding my circle of friends.