Chick Lit

A
Sarong Party Girls

Jazeline Ah Huay ‘Jazzy’ Lim embraces life as one of Singapore’s Sarong Party Girls, young women who stalk the club scene in search of an “ang moh” (wealthy white foreigner) to marry. However, Jazzy is twenty-six now, and she can’t rely on her youth and looks forever. It’s time to lock ...

A+
My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton

It’s rare the novel that entrances its reader so thoroughly that you find you’ve passed half the day reading a story and you’d feel as if you'd die for more. Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie weave such an enchanting spell with their take on the life of Eliza Hamilton. Put it on your wish list n ...

B-
The Boy is Back

Meg Cabot always makes me laugh. What distinguishes her best books from her less successful efforts is the depth of characterization behind the humor. Unfortunately, The Boy Is Back ranks among her less successful and shallower efforts. This is a story told entirely through text sources (text messag ...

B-
Breakfast Under a Cornish Sun

Remember the heyday of chick lit (still wishing they could find a better term for it) 10-15 years ago?  The combination of comedy, often with a dash of romance, and deeper emotion could be hard to pull off, but when it worked, it was such fun. Breakfast Under a Cornish Sun is a romantic comedy writ ...

B
The Rule Book

Have you ever worked a job where the employee handbook would rival the thickest tomes in the Library of Congress? If so, you'll relate to the heroine of this funny, quirky office romance. As the newest employee at public relations firm Starr Media, Lainey Taylor, the second assistant to CEO Broga ...

B+
The One You Really Want

I generally read each new book by Jill Mansell within a few days of release, so I was very excited when this appeared on the review list. I was less excited when I discovered it’s a reissue, but ended up quickly captivated, enjoying both the story and the characters. However, if you’re looking f ...

B-
Dear Emma

I liked this book a lot more prior to writing its review. Overall it was well-written, funny, and extremely easy to read. I finished the book in a few days, which is exceptionally quick for me since I am in college and do not have a great deal of time to dedicate to reading lengthy novels. However, ...

C+
The Unexpected Consequences of Love

Narrated by Beverley A. Crick I love contemporary romances set in the U.K. and have enjoyed many of Jill Mansell’s novels. This book delivers on the setting, with most of the action taking place in a seaside town in Cornwall. I enjoyed parts of this novel, but with at least three primary couple ...

C
Just the Way You Are

I dove into this book hoping for a fun, frothy Brit Chick Lit along the lines of Sophie Kinsella. Unfortunately, while there were fun moments, I was largely disappointed in the romance. Six years ago, Ava Clements had a secret admirer who frequently wrote her love letters extolling ...

C+
Bliss

This book is as light and fluffy as a piece of cake that the heroine would have baked in her shop. There were glimpses of really engaging moments, but for me the fluffier aspects overwhelmed anything of substance. Because of this, it was an overall enjoyable, light read but not a DIK. ...