Review: Austenland by Shannon Hale

I actually performed the unthinkable with Austenland - I watched the film first. I know, I know. Please don't revoke my Pretentious Reader Licence. In my defence, I didn't know it was a book until I was half-watching the credits after the movie, and then I got super excited about it because I LOVED THAT FILM.

Plot summary: Jane is a young New York woman who can never seem to find the right man-perhaps because of her secret obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. When a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-obsessed women, however, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined. Is this total immersion in a fake Austenland enough to make Jane kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

Normally I'm not that fond of Pride and Prejudice-derived TV shows, books or films, especially American-made ones. They never seem to get the tone right somehow, or it's dumbed down so much I can't watch it without cringing. I only watched Austenland because my sulky objections were drowned out... and then I ended up loving it and naturally changing my contrary, cynical ways forever more. Or for the succeeding five minutes, whichever. 

Thing is, because I'd seen and loved the film, it took me a while to get into the book. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it, but they're almost identical. Normally this is a blessing as I'm the first to complain when a film takes too many liberties, but that's usually when I've read the book first and often with a gap of a few months.

When you see the film only a few weeks before reading the novel, it's difficult to concentrate when you're reading a word-for-word account of what you've already watched on the screen. There's no problem with Shannon Hale's writing or prose at all... it's just that I'd already been there once.

However, I did eventually get into it and I put down the novel smiling like a child (albeit a child who is ill-advisedly allowed to read adult romance and has an obsessive understanding of Jane Austen). It's just such a lovely, uplifting book that restores your faith in happy ever after.

The ending is a little bit OTT, but I suppose we're not exactly going for hyper-realism here, are we? Or at least, I hope not, because I can't imagine who would ever go play dress-up in an English mansion where men pretend to fall in love with you. Ugh. I'll stick to 2015, thanks - the men are awful and do nothing but whistle as you walk down the street, but at least they're honest in their misogyny...

The one thing that annoyed me is how profoundly American this book is. If you're going to set a book in England, at least try. I know that the main character, Jane, is American, but that's not an excuse. They keep referring to the BBC drama (the one with Colin Firth) AS A MOVIE, for God's sake. 

Plus she can't quite get that English half-playful, half-sarcastic, Bennett-esque banter right. She tries, and it's obvious what the author is going for, but most of the time she's just downright nasty to the Darcy knock-off.

Anyway, I loved this book and it pretty much put me in a good mood for two days straight. There's a fun twist, cute romance and and it's just generally lovely. I also highly recommend Austenland, the film version, although perhaps don't watch them too close together :)

Visit Shannon Hale's website or find her on Twitter.

Review: The Vintage Girl by Hester Browne

Why yes, we are still discussing the books I was given for my birthday and yes, they are still the only books I have access to. Thank you for asking. The Vintage Girl was also sent to me by Charlotte - clearly she just has good taste in literature.

Plot summary: When Evie Nicholson is asked to visit Kettlesheer Castle in Scotland to archive the family heirlooms, she jumps at the chance. Evie's passion for antiques means that, for her, the castle is a treasure trove of mysteries just waiting to be uncovered.

But in each heirloom lies a story, and in the course of her investigations Evie stumbles upon some long-buried family secrets. Add handsome, gloomy heir Robert McAndrew and a traditional candlelit gala to the mix and Evie's heart is sent reeling with an enthusiasm that may just extend beyond the Kettlesheer silver... 

I'm picky about my chick-lit (I don't like the term but I don't know what else to call it) - I'm only really interested if there's a twist to it. I don't want 'boy meets girl,' I want 'boy meets girl who has a really interesting job and there are probably some issues around that as well,' or something vaguely similar. Not only does The Vintage Girl fit neatly into that latter category, I also read Hester Browne's The Little Lady Agency years ago and completely fell in love with it.

It made me laugh out loud by the second page, which is always a good start. Frankly, it's a charming, lovely book. It's written very well in a casual, chatty tone that never 'clunks' or makes me cringe and actually emphasises the other plotline - saving Kettlesheer Castle and uncovering the family secrets from a century ago. It's a very nice balance that never made me feel like I was being patronised.

Evie herself isn't your typical fluffy, useless heroine - tripping over her own feet and breaking the china, etc. That said, she's hardly Superwoman either and it's quite refreshing to having a protagonist that I can actually relate to. I couldn't actually tell which of the romantic interests she was going to end up with because they were both nice (which makes a change) so it gave me something to look forward to.

   Along with his suggestive mouth and cavalier way with priceless heirlooms, his hair was one of his redeeming features, being thick and black and tinged with grey, in a sort of rakish Shakespearean-actor fashion. In idle moments, I sometimes pictured him in a doublet and ruff, complaining about the price of lampreys.
   Sadly, the hair and mouth did not make up for the foul temper, the inability to work a credit-card machine, or the biting sarcasm that he liked to think was Wildean but usually made him come across more like a petulant geography teacher.

My only complaint was that the ending is slightly anti-climactic and that certain people didn't really get their comeuppance. I have a Thing about that - when fictional characters misbehave, then they should Have to Learn (it's also the only thing wrong with Pride and Prejudice - damn it Lydia!). Anyway, I just felt that the ending could have been built up a little more or perhaps been slightly more dramatic. 

I now want to read everything Hester Browne has ever written and also reread The Little Lady Agency. I read the entirety of The Vintage Girl in one day just because it made me feel so content and relaxed. It's a lovely unique book - well-written chick-lit with a twist!

This book was:

• The Best Book of 2014 That Was Out Of My Comfort Zone
  

Visit Hester Browne's website or find her on Twitter.

Review: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Ahh Attachments. This is almost infamous now, for its creepy-in-a-not-creepy-way premise and lovely, witty e-mails. So naturally I only got round to reading it when everybody else has moved on to Eleanor & Park and Fangirl. Ah well, such is life. Anyway, Attachments is a wonderful book that I read pretty much in one sitting as I just couldn't bear to put it down.

Plot summary: It's 1999 and for the staff of one newspaper office, the internet is still a novelty. By day, two young women, Beth and Jennifer, spend their hours emailing each other, discussing in hilarious detail every aspect of their lives, from love troubles to family dramas. And by night, Lincoln, a shy, lonely IT guy spends his hours reading every exchange. At first their emails offer a welcome diversion, but as Lincoln unwittingly becomes drawn into their lives, the more he reads, the more he finds himself falling for one of them. By the time Lincoln realizes just how head-over-heels he really is, it's way too late to introduce himself. What would he say to her? 'Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mails - and also, I think I love you'. After a series of close encounters, Lincoln decides it's time to muster the courage to follow his heart and find out whether there really is such a thing as love before first-sight.

In case you didn't bother to read the above (I'm a big girl, I can handle your rejection), Lincoln's job is to read employees' e-mail. He keeps noticing certain amusing conversations between Beth and Jennifer and eventually falls in love with a woman he knows only through her e-mail. It's almost epistolary as it's told primarily through the women's inboxes, although it does switch over in Lincoln in standard narrative form.

This is the kind of book you just want to hug. It's really fun and light-hearted, just... happy-making, if that's a word. You close the book and feel like all is well with the world. For me, I think I liked the book so much because it felt real. This is a situation that could actually happen, and that's rare in chick-lit. There's no beautiful, quirky women setting up a cupcake shop that is successful over-night, no fairy godmother and no stereotypically gay best friend. It could happen and that's awesome. 

Obviously the premise probably should seem a little bit creepy, but it doesn't at all. I think it works because Beth is a tiny bit creepy herself - she does basically follow him around in a completely stalkerish way. Saying that, who hasn't positioned themselves in a certain spot just before a particular gentleman walks by, or done something else vaguely creepy for love? Neither of their behaviour is beyond the realms of possibility. Either that, or I'm the only one and I've just outed myself as a crazy loser.

Lincoln doesn't sit there wanking over their e-mails; the focus is actually more on his life and he even goes so far as to acknowledge that stalking them would be inappropriate and weird. So shame on you Beth!

The ending is a little rushed and twee; it's the only part that feels like a chick-lit novel. It didn't annoy me on a grand scale as I was too high on happy fumes from the rest of the book, but it could have been better. I just couldn't put this down. I wanted to be reading it every single second that I could - it's a rare gem that can be this funny, but also this unique and this easy to relate to.

Read The Lit Addicted Brit's review of Attachments.

Review: One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern

Despite having owned The Book of Tomorrow for... oh, a long time, I have to admit that I'd never read any Cecelia Ahern before One Hundred Names landed on my doorstep. I'd heard that they were usually 'chick-lit' with a quirky, original twist, but obviously that's not much to go on. Nevertheless, I dubiously picked up her latest work... and was thoroughly impressed. I'll definitely be reading my way through her back catalogue before long.

Plot summary: Journalist Kitty Logan’s career has been destroyed by scandal, and she now faces losing the woman who guided her and taught her everything she knew. At her mentor’s bedside, Kitty asks her – what is the one story she always wanted to write?

The answer lies in a file buried in Constance’s office: a list of one hundred names. There is no synopsis, no explanation, nothing else to explain what the story is or who these people are. The list is simply a mystery.But before Kitty can talk to her friend, it is too late.
 
With everything to prove, Kitty is assigned the most important task of her life – to write the story her mentor never had the opportunity to. Kitty has to not only track down and meet the people on the list, but find out what connects them. And, in the process of hearing ordinary people’s stories, she uncovers Constance’s – and starts to understand her own…

One Hundred Names looks and feels like a classic chick-lit... but it's not. There is a romantic sub-plot (which I'll talk about later), but it remains just that -  a sub-plot. It's not what the book is about and it works all the better for it. The emphasis is definitely on the list of names Kitty has uncovered and the people she meets along the way. It's clever, unique and I've never read anything like it.

It did take me a few chapters to get into it properly, but once I had there was no looking back. Once the self-pitying opening was finished, the plot itself really hooked me in. The stories of the people Kitty meets are captivating. I think that's the appeal of the book in a nutshell - everybody feels so real. I'd be surprised if they weren't based on real people; they're just that complete. They have flaws and things don't always work out perfectly, yet their backgrounds and stories are interesting enough to capture my attention completely.

I liked Birdie best - an 85 year old lady in a nursing home. A strange person for me to relate to, but hey ho. Her story took me on an emotional rollercoaster and I found that she was by far the character I rooted for the most. It's clever how Cecelia Ahern has woven a story, something by definition you read because it's interesting, around people who are distinctly uninteresting.It just... works, somehow.

The concept and the characters are wonderful, but I do think it could have used a little more subtlety. It feels like she could have tried a little bit harder to make certain events and conversations less stilted, as sometimes it feels like there are flashing arrows with the words 'PLOT POINT' surrounding certain paragraphs.  Yes, we understand that people don't like Kitty very much - your characters don't need to break-off in the middle of a normal conversation to randomly start shouting.

I had also expected the romance to be a little better. As mentioned above, it isn't the focus of the book at all, but the romantic aspects still don't seem to have a clear direction. There are four potential suitors. Four! This wouldn't be a problem in itself, except Kitty doesn't actually seem to like any of them. It's kind of strange when she eventually chooses one of them - there were no hints throughout the huge majority of the book, but then you're suddenly hit with a ton of very unsubtle sledgehammer tip-offs.

However, I should reiterate that I loved One Hundred Names despite its flaws. The unique concept and wonderful characters more than make up for a few bumps in the writing. It's not perfect, but I really, deeply cared about this novel and that means more to me than any immaculate literary composition.

Visit Cecelia Ahern here or find her on Twitter.

Review: Shopaholic & Sister by Sophie Kinsella

So I'm not a huge chick-lit fan, but I do have particular authors whose work I know I'm going to love. Sophie Kinsella is definitely one of these, if not the highest ranking on my personal scale of Awesome. I haven't read a single book of hers I didn't immediately love - I've read all the Shopaholic books up to this one (read my review of Shopaholic Ties the Knot here) and Can You Keep A Secret? was the story that got me reading chick-lit in the first place. That said, I have to admit I didn't like Shopaholic & Sister quite as much as the others, although the light and fun tone this series is famous for is still intact.

Becky thought being married to Luke Brandon would be one big Tiffany box of happiness. But to be honest, it's not quite as dreamy as she'd hoped. 

The trouble started on honeymoon, when she told Luke the tiniest little fib, about the teeniest little purchase. Now she's on a strict budget, she doesn't have a job - and worst of all her beloved Suze has a new best friend. Then she receives some incredible news. She has a long-lost sister!

Becky has never been more excited. Finally, a real sister! They'll have so much in common! They can go shopping together... choose shoes together... have manicures together...

Until she meets her - and gets the shock of her life. It can't be true. Surely Becky Bloomwood's long-lost sister can't... hate shopping?

So Becky Bloomwood can be a bit of an annoying character occasionally- she makes stupid decisions, gets herself into scrapes and then never owns up until it's too late. She's loveable (and I do sympathise with her faults more than I'd like to admit), but most of her troubles are down to her own lack of judgement. Not so in Shopaholic & Sister though, or not completely at any rate. That's not to say Becky isn't her usual spending self - she is. It's just not really the focus of the novel. 

See, all her close relationships - her husband, her sister, her best friend and her boyfriend are all absolutely horrible to her in this book, for no apparent reason. It actually crossed the line into downright depressing. I mean, I know it's a chick-lit book so chances were always that it'd all be resolved into fairy dust at the end, but it genuinely made me sad while I was reading. I can't help but think it could have been toned down a little.

I think that, for me, the problem wasn't that Becky's sister didn't like shopping. The problem was that Becky's sister was an irritating, judgemental bitch. I wanted to smack her a good few times myself, and I wasn't the one trying to befriend her! It just didn't seem realistic that Becky would keep trying to reconcile, even though Jess shunned her more more than once. I just wanted her to get a backbone.

The ending is actually very good. Slightly over-dramatic and unrealistic (not to mention twee), but it successfully dispelled the dark cloud hovering over my head from the rest of the book.A true chick-lit ending - fluffy and happy-making!

I have to give a nod to Sophie Kinsella for this one - it must be difficult coming up with so many different premises for the Shopaholic books. It's such a simple concept that I'm amazed her books haven't just become the same thing over and over again. I know I've complained about how depressing this book is, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Like I said before, I've never read book by this author I didn't like. They're just so fun and easy to read (bouts of depression aside).

Read my review of Shopaholic Ties the Knot or visit Sophie Kinsella's website here.

Review: The Secret Shopper's Revenge by Kate Harrison

I bought this book about two years ago after reading most of the Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella, and somebody told me they were vaguely similar. I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to read it, but I finally picked it up last week after being prompted by the The Time Will Come meme.

New mum Emily wants revenge on the stick-thin assistants who laugh at her post-baby tummy and post-baby budget. But frumpiness has its advantages when you're wielding a secret camera - and sending the damning footage straight to head office. Store manager Sandie has a lifelong love of the world of retail - the glitz, the glamour, the stockroom. Then she's fitted up by an ambitious assistant and secret shopping is the only way to keep her one passion alive. Glamorous widow Grazia can't leave behind the high life, despite her chronically low bank balance. The more she's buying - and spying - the less time she has to mourn her husband or her fair-weather friends who've dumped her. They're Charlie's Shopping Angels, controlled by a mysterious figure who sends them assignments. But when they're sent to stitch up a doomed shop owned by Will, the angels begin to feel divided loyalties . . . 

The story is told in the alternating POVs of Emily, Sandie and Grazia. Emily's husband has just left her for another woman, but still expects to control her life from another country, and she lets him. Sandie was unfairly sacked from her job and is ridiculed by her Grandmother for working in a shop. Grazia's husband has just died and has left her with an armload of debt and hurtful secrets. So, Ms Harrison balances out the silliness of shopping with more serious problems that a lot of women can relate to. Unfortunately, none of the women are exactly likeable - Emily is so weak and silly I wanted to beat her with the Grow-Up stick, Grazia is unbelievably shallow and Sandie would have been more pleasant if she wasn't such a know-it-all.

Still, the point of these books is watching the characters solve their problems and become nicer people, and that happens in a nice, 'aww' kind of way. I liked how the characters slowly bonded and became closer to each other as their job pushed them together. Plus, mystery shopping is good fun to read about, and I can't say I was sorry when a lot of the bitchy sales assistants got their come-uppance! The concept of 'Charlie,' their mysterious boss, bugged me though. It just seemed silly and completely unnecessary. They could easily have been the 'Shopping Angels' without the tacky gimmick.

It's written in an oddly formal style that just didn't quite match the tone of the story. I mean, it's not meant to be funny or whimsical, but I do think it needed to lighten-up a bit.

This is one of those books that you can really only describe as 'okay.' I enjoyed reading it, but I don't think I'd want to do so again. Just don't make the same mistake I did - it's not a Shopaholic book in story, characters or tone.

Review: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

I seem to be going through a bit of an adoption/abortion/infertility kick lately, it's strange. In a row, we've gone from The Dead-Tossed Waves (adoption), through Handle with Care (adoption and abortion) to end up with What Alice Forgot (adoption and infertility). Isn't it strange how you end up picking up books with similar themes completely unintentionally?

Imagine losing the most important ten years of your life …

Alice is twenty-nine.She adores sleep, chocolate, and her ramshackle new house.She’s newly engaged to the wonderful Nick and is pregnant with her first baby. There’s just one problem. All that was ten years ago …

Alice has slipped in a step-aerobics class, hit her head and lost a decade.Now she’s a grown-up, bossy mother of three in the middle of a nasty divorce and her beloved sister Elisabeth isn’t speaking to her.This is her life but not as she knows it. Clearly Alice has made some terrible mistakes.Just how much can happen in a decade? Can she ever get back to the woman she used to be?

I borrowed this from the library weeks and weeks ago, but never bothered actually picking it up to read it. I only chose it because my usual city library was closed for renovation so I was in a little village version that basically only carried large-print books for the elderly and YA books in an optimistic yet doomed to fail attempt to get the drug-addled teenagers to read. I was pretty desperate so I grabbed the two books that looked even vaguely readable and left. I read the other one, Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book on the train home (my review's here, see?) and as my review was posted on July 29th, it means I've had What Alice Forgot on my shelf for at least six weeks. I swear, I bet the library wishes they'd never given me a damn card in the first place.

Anyway, I've read it now and I can't say my life has been enriched. I mean, it's alright, but it isn't quite sure what it's meant to be. It's part-chick lit and part- serious family saga.. It's perfectly readable and I don't regret the time spent doing so, but I'd have preferred it if it chose a genre and stuck with it. 

There was only one likeable character in the whole book - Alice's sister, Elizabeth. I found Alice to be whiny, Nick to be rude, Barb to be oblivious and Alice's new friends so be so obnoxious I wanted to punch them. I know that the whole point of the book is to show how Alice's life has gone completely to pot due to her failed relationships, but I couldn't even muster sympathy for the heroine. 

The ending seemed a little anti-climactic to me. Because the book starts with young Alice, that seemed 'correct' in a way. It read as though that version of Alice had leaped forward, instead of the older Alice looking back. Because of this, it seemed like the happy ending should be young Alice back in her old body, vowing not to make the same mistakes again or whatever. When that didn't happen, it just seemed kind of boring.

I don't mean to slate this book. It wasn't at all as bad as I've accidentally made it sound. It's just one of those books that you enjoyed reading but you don't particularly feel the need to ever pick up again.

Review: Fish out of Water by Mary Janice Davidson

I've always been more of a fan of Mary Janice Davidson's vampire series, but I loved Fish out of Water regardless. I read the entire damn thing in one sitting. Granted, it's not a long book and it's hardly difficult literature, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even got the Happy Book Fuzz at the end.

Fred the Mermaid has taken the bait and chosen to date Artur, Prince of the Black Sea, over human marine biologist Thomas. And just in time. The existence of the Undersea Folk is no longer a secret, and someone needs to keep them from floundering in the media spotlight. Fred has all the right skills for that job, but has a hard time when her real father surfaces and tries to overthrow Artur’s regime.

I did enjoy the other two Fred books (Sleeping with the Fishes and Swimming Without a Net) but I vaguely remember not thinking that much of them. I mean, they were alright, but nothing compared to Betsy and her vampire consort. I picked up this one at 11pm last night because I wanted something light to read in bed after the depression and misery that was The Postmistress (review here). It's been languishing on my TBR for more than a year now, but I was never that way inclined. Shows what I know, because then I laid in bed and read the entire thing until the stupidly early hours of the morning.

For those who are new to Mary Janice Davidson's books... you're missing out. Her first series begins with Undead and Unwed - it's about a young, blonde, vain woman who, shockingly, gets turned into a vampire. I know, I'm allergic to vampire books now too, but these came out before the trend and they're actually good. It's vampire chick-lit, I suppose.

On to the mermaids. I really like Fred's voice. She's snide, bitchy and grumpy where Betsy is spoilt and shallow. I've read reviews that said the two are the same, but I don't see it. Sorry, I'll shut up about the vampires now. Uhh... oh yes. I love Fred. She doesn't want the huge media attention and gets self-conscious around the beautiful women, just like the rest of us. She just seems more real, more human than Betsy. Ha, it's funny because she's not really human! </bad joke>

I think I liked this book more because it has a better plot than the others. There's a love triangle present between Fred, the Prince of the Undersea Folk and Thomas, an ex-colleague. The previous two books focused more on the romance aspects; Fish out of Water still has that triangle but it's more of a sub-plot. Instead, the real point is to foil the coup that is forming to overthrow the underwater government. The 'twist' is a little predictable, but so what?

I just love the characters in this. They're snide, bitter and make catty remarks... all the things I admire in a person. I especially liked the banter between Fred and Jonas as you can really see the years of friendship and loyalty between them. I was less impressed with the lack of chemistry between Fred and Artur, but I think that was due to the formal way he speaks.

I'm not sure why, but reading light, fluffy books when you're fed up always makes you feel better. I was in a horrible mood last night, but after reading this I went to bed with a smile on my face. Who doesn't like sarcastic mermaids and fluffy endings? 

Review: Shopaholic Ties The Knot by Sophie Kinsella

Remember how yesterday I was babbling on about how books can protect you from the outside world because I read Emma and temporarily forgot why I wanted to break something really, really hard? Well, it's here. Today I've gone one step better. Shopaholic Ties The Knot not only made me forget, it completely lifted my spirits and now I can barely fathom why I was so upset in the first place. It's just that kind of book. And if you think about it, it's probably the same kind of novel as Emma, just 200 years on :)

Rebecca Bloomwood has the dream job. She’s a personal shopper, so is able to spend other people’s money all day instead of her own. And she gets paid for doing it. The perfect job, the perfect man - gorgeous Luke Brandon – and now … the perfect wedding.

Yes, Luke has proposed and wedding bells are in sight. No excuses are needed to start the shopping trip of all time. And Becky’s parents are just assuming that the wedding will be at home – a marquee in the garden and Becky in her mum’s wedding dress, which she’s been saving specially for the occasion. But Luke’s mother has very different ideas – a huge affair in New York in a forest glade setting – or perhaps a Venetian Ball, or a fin de siecle extravagance?

Now Becky’s getting confused. She doesn’t want to say ‘no’ to anyone. The plans are going ahead, and soon it will be too late to turn back – from either wedding…

I'm not a massive chick-lit reader at all; in fact, Sophie Kinsella's books are the only ones I can actually remember enjoying. But I really do love these books. I think it's because Becky Bloomwood is just a normal person - there's no high-powered career, glamorous life-style, irritating love triangle or any of those other cliches. When she makes mistakes, you understand the reason why she made those mistakes and you can feel her frustration and anxiety grow as she struggles to resolve them without her world crashing in bits around her.

I think that's it in a nutshell; why Ms Kinsella's books are so good. Becky reminds me of myself to a ridiculous extent - I'm adept at putting things off until the last minute, and never thinking about the long-term consequences of my quick-fix solution. She's loveable throughout though (just like me ;) ), you never feel the irrestitable urge to throttle her like you do with some 'heroines' in this genre. You just know you'd love her if you met her.

The other thing which is keeping me sane is an invaluable tip which I would recommend to all brides-to-be. In fact, I'm surprised they don't mention it in any of the bridal magazines. It's to keep a small bottle of vodka in your bag, and take a sip whenever someone mentions the wedding.

For the record, this isn't your usual 'bridezilla suddenly realises that the truly important thing about her wedding isn't the cake' story. It's more interesting than that. The ending is inspired - I've pretty much read the whole thing in one sitting (hey, it's been a slow day), but I still had that tight feeling in your stomach when you're quite sure how the ending is going to come together... but then it does and you feel wonderful.

It's not as Shopaholic-y as the first two. Obviously Becky still has a spending problem, but it's more of a brief mention here and there while the wedding is the main focus. It doesn't lose anything for that though. She still comes across as the same character, just perhaps one that has moved on in her life a little. I love it when characters grow.

It's the kind of book that leaves you with the happy feeling that you could do anything you damn well wanted.