Finding Hollywood Nobody is a wild ride through the eyes of Scotty, a very unusual sixteen year old girl. Not every sixteen year old girl grows up around Hollywood stars. And not every one discovers that the woman she thought was her mother is actually…her grandmother? Charley is one of those people who makes food look pretty for the media. Her job is pretty flexible, which is good, because she’s busy dragging Scotty across the country to escape the clutches of Biker Guy. He’s been following them for years and the two women are afraid that he’s part of the mob sent to finish them off. All the while, Scotty keeps a tell-tale Hollywood blog updating celebrity watchers of the going-ons of her friends.
The book is an entertaining read and Lisa Samson keeps an energetic pace throughout the novel. Readers are brought through the Jungle Room in Graceland and down to a tiny town in Texas that is bursting with new life as a high-budget horror flick comes to town. Scotty also discovers something foreign to her: friends her own age. She also finds Jesus within the pages of the book—it’s a natural event and doesn’t sound forced or preachy.
If you are looking for a great series for a teenage girl you know, introduce her to Scotty. She’ll be begging you for more.
Review by Caitlin Muir
Posted by jill, in Chick-lit, Lisa Samson
The Big Picture, by Jenny B. Jones, revolves around teenager Katie Parker. When Katie’s mom arrives at her foster home out of the blue on the same night that Katie’s sort-of boyfriend, Charlie, tells her he’s hanging out with his ex again, Katie’s once perfectly ordered life goes down the drain. To make matters worse, the mayor is determined to close the town’s beloved drive-in theatre to put in a strip mall. As the day to move back in with her mom looms nearer, Katie is caught up in getting Charlie back, but when she finally does move, her problems only get worse.
In this third installment of the Katie Parker series, Jenny B. Jones incorporates a wide variety of trials for Katie. Toward the beginning of the novel, Katie’s obsession with some of her problems drags on; however, as the book progresses and Katie is put to the test in ever more serious or humorous ways, the story becomes vastly more interesting. Although it starts slow, The Big Picture makes a great comeback, leaving the reader delighted with the novel.
Review by Jane Muir
Posted by jill, in Chick-lit, Chick-lit Authors, Jenny B. Jones
It’s official. I want to be a SisterChick when I grow up. I hope I might be so lucky. Robin Jones Gunn’s SisterChick series is centered around the lives of two “midlife mamas”, Elizabeth (Liz) and Kellie. The two friends have been through ups and downs together and know each other almost well enough to read the other’s thoughts.
Sisterchicks Go Brit, the seventh book in the series, finds Liz and Kellie on their way to see Big Ben. How they end up traveling to the UK is a story in itself, but I’ll leave that a mystery because what’s best about the book is what’s in the middle - the trip itself. The gals visit all of the places I’d like to go if I were cross the pond - the old haunts of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, the sights and sounds of London, shopping at Portabella Road in Knotting Hill. Ahhh, I could envision myself alongside them as they bopped from place to place. (and bop they did)
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Posted by jill, in Chick-lit, Robin Jones Gunn
Joan. Boring name for a boring life. Or so Joan believes until she meets her new next door neighbor. The handsome doctor her age makes Joan realize that there may be more to life than settling for living at home, getting up every morning to go to an unfulfilling career and wishing she were living one of her sisters’ lives.
But Joan knows she can’t make a change because no one would be there to care for her aging grandmother - a job that she has taken upon herself, but truly enjoys. Not to mention, the doctor may be adorable, but he’s also a Christian. And Joan’s not so sure that’s what she needs right now. Her life is comfortable - why complicate it with thoughts of love and religion. Joan’s not sure her life can handle either.
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Posted by jill, in Chick-lit, Reviews, Virginia Smith
Meet Joan. The young manger of a furniture rental store in a small town, she stayed at home to help take care of her aging grandmother while her sisters were busy getting on with their lives. She’s dependable to a fault and has no idea how to restart her life when she discovers that she is one of the only members of her graduating high school class to stay in town. Allie, her older sister, is getting ready to have a baby, while Tori, her younger sister is still having fun sowing her wild oats. Even her greasy ex-fiancé who dumped her for a whirlwind romance with an office mate that ultimately made it down the aisle is moving on to better things and a bigger town. Joan feels Stuck in the Middle. While she’s the only sister in her family who is still going to church, she isn’t exactly feeling moved by the Spirit. Life is one big rut and she’s right in the middle of it.
Until her new neighbor moves in that is. The young Dr. Ken Fletcher, whom her ailing grandmother mistakenly assumes is a drug dealer, might be just what she needs to get her life back on track. Unfortunately, Tori the man-eater is set on digging her little claws into him too. The sibling rivalry is about ready to begin and Allie is set on giving Joan some much needed flirting lessons. What follows is a charming introduction to the Sanderson sisters and Virginia Smith’s Sister-to-Sister series.
Joan is a likable heroine. She’s reliable, smart, but perhaps a tad bit too organized for her own good. She’s pretty without being vain and is one of those people you would love to have as a best friend, just because she’s so genuine. Joan is also the girl who was a bit of a wall-flower, the girl next door who was taken for granted because she hadn’t found her voice or self-confidence.
A series of events causes Joan to discover the self-confidence she’s been lacking and patch up relationships she didn’t even know needed help. Readers are brought alongside Joan’s personal journey, cheering her on every step of the way as she becomes closer to God and those around her.
By the end of the book, the reader will be left wishing that perhaps they had discovered the book just a little bit later in the year. Not because there’s anything wrong with the book but rather, that it will be all that much sooner to the debut of the next novel in the series.
Review By;
Caitlin Muir
domesticbootcamp.wordpress.com
Posted by admin, in Chick-lit
Quirky and hilarious – those are the words I’d use to describe Sharon Dunn’s newest release, Death of a Six-Foot Teddy Bear. The title alone made me chuckle and the book doesn’t disappoint.
The Bargain Hunter’s Network (BHN) is a group of women that shop together and, naturally, seek out sales and bargain prices. BHN consists of four women: cat loving Ginger, Kindra the college student, Suzanne the mother of four, and Arleta, the senior citizen of the group.
In Death of a Six-Foot Teddy Bear, the second book in the Bargain Hunters Mystery series, the group travels to Calamity, Nevada, the site of an invention convention in which Ginger’s husband wants to take part.
The group arrives in Calamity and from there things go steadily downhill. A mystery ensues and the HBN ends up right in the middle of the action. The result is a hilarious novel that, while at times silly, entertains and gives a nice break from reality which is something I can always use.
Review By:
Jill Hart
CWAHM
Posted by admin, in Chick-lit, Sharon Dunn
A Matter of Wife and Death, the sequel to Desperate Pastors’ Wives, intertwines the lives of four PWs, each with her own chaos to share: Mimi struggles with a month-old baby who refuses to sleep more than a few hours at a time, a police officer who has the nerve to give her a ticket, and an attractive principle; Jennifer has been waiting for ten years to have a baby, and she’s finally come to the end of her rope – is invetro fertilization her only option? Lisa’s fourteen year old daughter and the church her husband pastors choose the same time to rebel against authority, while Felicia balances between work and family; but with both her job and her family’s peace on the line, it looks as if her perfectly ordered life might be falling away from her.
A Matter of Wife and Death is made great by its personal and real representation of modern Christian women and the struggles that they face. Its characters face the trials and tests that many wives and mothers deal with, as well as more unique dilemmas – like the suspicious death of a fellow PW.
Review By:
Jane Muir
Posted by admin, in Chick-lit
It is February FIRST, time for the FIRST Day Blog Tour! (Join our alliance! Click the button!) The FIRST day of every month we will feature an author and his/her latest book’s FIRST chapter!
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Posted by admin, in Book News, Chick-lit
Melody Carlson, author of more than 200 books, returns with a new book, I Heart Bloomberg which will be released in April. Set in Portland, Oregon, the book is the first in the 86 Bloomberg Place series. Carlson takes a look into the lives and friendships of four new roommates. As you’ve probably guessed, the girls live at 86 Bloomberg Place.
Kendall, who received the house as a gift from her grandmother, has decided to take in renters in lieu of getting a job. Who wants to work when you can pay for your shopping sprees by collecting rent? She sets out to find three roommates, going so far as to ask for resumes in her newspaper ad.
After Kendall decides upon her new tenants, the fun really begins. Megan, Lelani and Anna each have their own reasons for moving in to Kendall’s house. And once they’ve moved in none of them is sure the arrangement is gong to work. Can they learn to live together or will Kendall’s big plans fall short?
I Heart Bloomberg is a fun read. It focuses on the friendships of the girls and not so much on any romance. I have a feeling the upcoming books will go more into each of the girls’ romantic relationships. Carlson gives a glimpse into each characters life by writing from one girl’s perspective for each chapter. I enjoyed getting the chance to read from each character’s point of view. It was interesting to see the dynamics develop and to see how things affected each girl’s life.
Review By:
Jill Hart
CWAHM
Posted by admin, in Chick-lit, Melody Carlson
