Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles and all sort of things

Oh I missed being here, hopefully I will start post regularly again  although nothing is quite settled right now I’m my life, I rent an apartment in Milan and one in Dublin, my husband is currently in London, I have a new manager and my team will probably undergo a re-organization (again!), and I will  soon have very BIG NEWS…I am so looking forward to december, this year I simply CANNOT WAIT but as my mum says “Patience is ‘the’ virtue of the strong ones” (italian idiom “la pazienza è la virtù dei forti“).

So here it’s the thing about Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles, I was hoping for distraction but all I got is a mild sense of annoyance, Carlos got on my nerves due to his self absorbed personality and poor listening skills, I couldn’t get into him and this is a big issue because this is a romance so the main male character is the focal point of everything.

This is not entirely Elkeles’s fault, it’s clearly one of those situations in which I read a good book at the wrong moment, lately I’ve been noticing that people always say “I am here if you need to talk” but are they really there? Don’t they just pretend for a few minutes so that they can then have their payback time which might take hours if I am the one listening on the other side of the coffee table.

Ok I am rambling… back to Carlos and Kiara all I can say is that attraction might have been in the air (not as overwhelming as in Perfect Chemistry) but love surely was missing and if the epilogue didn’t bother me too much in PC, here I found myself rolling my eyes and thinking “not again“.

I am quoting the super-quotable Carla:

“because we all know there is a BIG difference between love and lust and I just never felt like they crossed that particular line, I felt like I was told they did”

Precisely!

The opposites-attract routine never fails me but this time Kiara was a little too nice and understanding, I would have appreciated some  attitude.

Plus the whole sub-plot regarding gangs’ dynamics wasn’t engaging , it felt a bit like something that Elkeles had to throw in there somehow without too much conviction.

Other reviews:

The Crooked Shelf

Chachic’s Book Nook

Angieville

The YA YA YAs

My grade: 3/5

Em

I went to Vassar for this? by Naomi Neale

We all know how hard it is to discover a  fun-smart-can’t-put-it-down-chick-lit, it’s all  well and good when writers  write about sad things but when comedy kicks in things get complicated.

The way I see it a good chick lit doesn’t rely on sex to keep the reader interested (you won’t find those never-ending steamy paragraphs) and shouldn’t rely on death, illness, catastrophes in all shapes to generate  an emotional reaction.

It’s not easy but Neale (real name Vance Briceland, yes he is a man)  handled everything perfectly well in her/his wondrous novel “Calendar Girl” , I loved that novel, the whole  Elizabethan Failure  Society‘s concept totally applies to my life.

I had great expectations for I went to Vassar for this? but it turned out to be a disappointment.

From  Goodreads:

When modern-day Cathy Voorhees is transported to 1959, screaming and kicking her kitten heels on the board room table, she’s in for a retro treat—her new bosses advances, jello salad, and the granny panties she finds herself forced to wear.

The overall sensation I had while reading this is that the writer  was trying too hard, here it’s a story  that could be sassy-clever-edgy but it’s so overstuffed with references that becomes suffocating.

Plus I had a feeling that Cathy not only time-travelled in time but also had a personality transplant in the process. Overall Cathy displays inconsistent behavior and I did not warm to her character.

There are two very good things: Hank (draws comics about super women, wears framed glasses, unpretentious in that way  geeky types can be , do I need to say more?) and the fact that this could be a perfect screen-play for a movie.  I can imagine  an awesome movie with this storyline and those characters .

It did not work on paper, not for me but others readers think differently.

Vance Briceland writes with different pseudonyms, he is also wrote some ya books (author Naomi Nash) and my next book will be You Are SO Cursed, I see great potential here.

My grade: 2.75/5

Em

My Soviet Kitchen by Amy Spurling

I received a free copy of My Soviet Kitchen , as soon as I opened the package I was intrigued because I found a book, a small compendium guide and a tiny bottle of vodka (a welcome addiction in my cabinet).

From Goodreads:

Memory loss, homo sovieticus, and a wandering phD student. This is Neo-chick lit. with a darker side, a vodka twist and a generous slice of post-Soviet living. It’s 1994 and English Ph.D student, Ivy Stone, wakes up in a Moscow flat with a hangover and a vague sense of unease…
Unable to remember what she did last night or why there is a cryptic Post-It note on her fridge, she begins an emotional, alcohol-fuelled journey via an Uzbek wedding, an Estonian sauna, and a Georgian serenade. What dark past haunts her new Russian man? And will she ever find the author of the mystery Post-It note?

Although I am not sure that we could label this as chick lit I found this novel very interesting, it’s not overly romantic, it’s not that funny, I couldn’t really relate to Ivy Stone and I found her relationship with K.K. as cold as Ivy’s empty sovietic fridge but it’s intriguing, ironic, witty:

“Previous love history: teenage fumblings in the dark followed by a couple of relationship with academia types. The first was volatile soul-searching and state of the nation talks with a classicist, which got pointless after a while; the second was a more predictable biologist, but he was the type that Russians call ‘stiller than water and lower than grass’, i.e. insignificant and small, and we became like Grandma and Grandpa about sixty years too early“

Plus I know nothing about Russia , Uzbekistan and Georgia but after reading this I am considering a trip in this mysterious and resourceful land.

Each chapter starts with a catchy title (“They Keep secrets” “Conversation with a maniac” “A slap in the face”…)  and a food reference like a russian recipe or just an observation, there are pictures, illustrations , a compendium guide and lots of booze (gosh at some points I experienced a literary induced  hangover).

Spurling manages to build a story that also revolves around Vladimir Mayakovsky‘s personal life (it focuses on Mayakovsky’s relationship with Lilya Brik) although I must admit that the storyline is not exactly fluid.

The ending wasn’t exactly a surprise but my issue with  this book revolves around characters, Ivy is an enjoyable character but doesn’t really build relationships with other characters and somehow I never get attached to her or any other character in the story.

It’s not what I would define a heart-warming novel, it’s not exactly swoon-worthy material but I highly recommend reading this because it’s very peculiar in a good way and you might learn a few things on the way.

Other reviews:

West End Extra

Novel Insights

My grade: 3,5/5

Em

Wake by Lisa McMann

Wake is the first book in a trilogy by Lisa McMann.

From Amazon:

For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people’s dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie’s seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can’t tell anybody about what she does — they’d never believe her, or worse, they’d think she’s a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn’t want and can’t control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else’s twisted psyche. She is a participant….

I liked the preview of this book and the dark cover:

I probably would have loved this book as a teen, it’s very intense and while reading I found myself experiencing a feeling of exhaustion, the same feeling that dominates Janie’s existence and the whole narration.

I am not saying this in a bad way, what I am trying to explain is that I wouldn’t pick up this book to sit & relax,  I felt tense and drained the whole time.

This is a third person narration, McMann organizes the book as a chronicle in real time which means that situations and dialogues play in front of the reader, the pace is fast, intense.

Janie has a unique quality that is cursing her existence: she is a catcher which means that she gets involved into other people’s dream as a spectator, most of the time she can’t sleep unless she is on her own and this is the way she discovers  that Cabel Strumheller (a boy at her school, a stoner, a trouble maker) is day dreaming of kissing her.

It also means that over the years she built huge barriers to protect herself and get on with her regular life.

Until Cabel ends up in her dream  and she finds herself being able to confide into him and getting close to him.

From this point the rhythm intensifies and there is an actual mystery storyline (I don’t want to give spoilers).

I won’t probably read Gone and Fade, as much as I enjoyed Wake and the concept behind it I don’t think it has what I am looking for in a YA and it didn’t emotionally involve me as deeply as I would have hoped.

My grade: 3,5/5

Em

The Rules of Gentility by Janet Mullany

I had a really tense and stressful week and yesterday night I was so tired I was feeling drunk regardless of the fact that I came home straight from work (without having a drink first). Not a pleasant sensation. So I tucked myself under the duvet and grabbed a book that had been on my bookshelf for a while (not mine exactly but the one I have in my mum’s place) The Rules of Gentility by Janet Mullany.

I wouldn’t say the book is unputdownable but I was so exhausted that I couldn’t fall asleep and I ended up staying up reading until morning, it was good company and I am not even that into regency  romance. It starts with a very catchy opening:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman of fortune and passable good looks amuses herself in London with fashion, philanthropic works, and flirtation, until a suitable gentleman makes an offer. I consider the pursuit of the bonnets and a husband fairly alike–I do not want to acquire an item that will wear out, or bore me after a brief acquaintance, and we must suit each other very well. And although I have several gentlemen who have expressed an interest, I find all of them lack a certain something; and of course, with a gentleman you cannot replace the trim from another to make the perfect object, as tempting a thought as that might be, although indeed it would be an interesting experiment.”

Regency heiress Philomena Wellesley-Clegg is looking for a suitable husband when she stumbles upon Inigo Linsley, her best friend’s rascally brother-in-law, non exactly husband material. When Inigo proposes a sham engagement to ward off her unwelcome  suitors, she agrees—but only until the end of the social season. You can guess how it ends.

It’s not exactly Perfect Chemistry but the novel  alternates between two narrators: Inigo and Philomena. I didn’t find it convincing when it was from Inigo’s prospective so I do realize how difficult it is to organize a double narration  for the writer. I found it delightful and entertaining, it’s not original but surely enjoyable.

I can resist anything but good flirting on paper and The Rules of Gentility contains some really satisfying bantering.

My grade: 3/5

Em

The overnight socialite by Bridie Clark

Am I a fan of Cinderella? I suppose not, I certainly enjoyed the fairytale when I was a child but I wasn’t crazy about it, my favourite was a fairytale in which Fantaghirò was a princess who pretended to be a prince to fight against her father’s enemies because her dad was to old to fight them off himself. Fantaghirò was feisty, a kick ass character that satisfied my appetite for action, in comparison Cinderella was  frankly plain. Lucy Jo (the main character )  is definitely more Cinderella than Fantaghirò and The Overnight Socialite is more Perrault than Shaw.

The overnight socialite is a retelling of The Pygmalion, a play that was written by Bernard Shaw 1913, interestingly Shaw didn’t believe that Professor Higgins and Miss Eliza could potentially get married,  in the musical My Fair Lady (based on the Pygmalion) there is an ambitious ending , The Overnight Socialite will instead give you a hint of closure.

The Overnight Socialite it’s definitely  a romantic novel, the beginning it’s so promising  that I was kind of hoping for something  a bit more edgy and sarcastic.

Story is a about wealthy  anthropologist Wyatt Hayes IV  who wants to conduct a social experiment in Manhattan and report everything in his new book.  He want’s to prove that any girl, given the right training and material, can turn into The Socialite, chance wants that on the night the idea materializes in Wyatt brain, wannabe designer Lucy Jo Ellis happens to be in his line of vision and desperate enough to take up his challenge on the night the idea materializes in Wyatt brain.

A brilliant piece of chic lit, what I enjoyed most are thoughts and lines that define Wyatt cynical personality (often I find myself thinking that ya writers are careful in describing both the Girl and the Boy while romance writers tend to focus only on the woman) :

“One of the liabilities of being a deep thinker, Wyatt mused, was that it left him vulnerable to existential crises”

The plot is quite engaging and I found myself hooked in the story, Bridie Clark puts life into characters with a style that is smart and sophisticated yet  also fresh and entertaining.

The week point of this novel is Lucy Jo.  Somehow Lucy didn’t really capture my heart, a bit too mellow for my taste, I think there was a potential space for creating a more engaging character, the transformations she undergoes  it’s almost exclusively a fashion  make over, the progressing of the relationship between Lucy and Wyatt it’s almost given for granted and it escapes me why Wyatt at some point starts falling for Lucy.

Witty and Enchanting but surely not mind blowing, I would say it’s the perfect book to read on plane or put it in your summer reading list.

My grade: 3/5

Em

Endgame by Dee Davis

Dee Davis has a new book out, it’s called “DARK DECEPTIONS” and I am thinking of buying it, so far I read two books written by Davis “A match made on Madison” and “Endgame”, the first it’s an excellent chick lit that got far too little visibility and the second it’s a brilliant suspense romantic novel.

Endgame it’s the kind of book that you should read on a friday as you’will probably end up staying up all night, generally speaking I don’t appreciate when the male character it’s a moody dark special agent, Gabriel Rourke is a classical example of exception to the rule.

Cover doesn’t reflect my taste at all:

We have the “two opposites attract theme” in here, on one side is  FBI profiler Madison Harper, Madison is a steely cold professional, very talented at what she does, her family has power and money which means she had to work really hard at building her credibility. On the other side is special agent Gabriel Rourke, Gabriel worked in Iraq, was undercover for many years, has very little faith in human nature and a natural attitude at leadership.

When the two are forced to jointly head up a task force investigating murder in high places-it’s no surprise that sparks begin to fly.Both Madison and Gabriel want to assume leadership of the operation and their initial cooperation isn’t exactly smooth.

The plot is actually interesting but obviously if I wanted an excellent thriller I would stick to Joseph Finder (he never fails to keep me awake as long as it takes to unveil a mystery), unluckily  Finder doesn’t do romance  in his books while Davis is very skilled on the subject.

Dee Davis is a master at keeping the reader on the edge, this is a proper romance with lots of passion on the steamy side, sex & international espionage, it won’t disappoint who is looking for a not-another-boring romance.

Chemistry is good, dialogues are entertaining, Madison is not a wimp, sometimes she falters a bit but overall she is no whiner.

You won’t probably think about this book once you read it but it’s pure escapism and really well done.

My grade: 3/5

Em

Lucy Sullivan is getting married by Marian Keyes

I just had three shots of espresso  coffee and I am now trying to drink up a full bottle of water, hopefully this headache will leave me by the time this post is done.  Well actually I don’t think it will be that easy, realistically it could take me a few days to recover from those last three nights out, anyway a huge fish and chips (and beer)  is waiting for me so I better be fast, I refuse on principle to retreat from a battle that involves food & alchool, action now and consequences later.

“I loved Monday evenings. I was still at that stage in my life when I thought that weekdays were for recovering from the weekend. I couldn’t understand the rest of the world who seemed to be under the impression that it was the other way around”

Well it’s only sunday but I suppose my weekend started on thursday, those witty words were written by Marian Keyes and they are about Lucy Sullivan, main character in “Lucy Sullivan is getting married” who this post is dedicated to.

Marian Keyes it’s a brilliant writer,  if you have never read any of her books I would recommend you do it soon. She wrote books that are far batter than this, best pick would be “Watermelon”,  yet I also really liked “Lucy Sullivan is getting married” and today it’s on my mind.

A good narrator makes all the difference, this is true in many cases in life but it’s especially true when it comes to romance or chick lit, more often than not books that we label as “romance” have a similar plot, so what really makes me love a writer and makes me feel totally unimpressed by another is entirely due to the narrator’s voice and writing style.

Marian Keyes is so brilliant that she could probably write Ikea assembly instructions and engage my attention (needless to say my concentration span lasts  about two minutes when it comes to assembling, which is pretty much the time it takes me to call for help).

For once I kind of like the synopsis presented on Amazon:

Lucy Sullivan fancies herself simultaneously miserable and happy. A 26-year-old Londoner, Lucy is the kind of woman who thinks that any man who’s decent to her must be Mr. Wrong. But when she visits a fortune-teller with a trio of mismatched friends, a marriage is predicted for the near future. When the fortune-teller’s prophecies for the other three come true in peculiar ways, even disbelieving, boyfriendless Lucy begins to suspect that, somehow, wedding bells will ring for her. The identity of the lucky man will come as no surprise, though Lucy remains oblivious until the very end, but there are many eligible bachelors on the scene, among them Gus, Lucy’s sexy but unreliable new lover; Daniel, her oldest friend; Chuck, a handsome American; and Adrian, the video shop man. The attendant mayhem includes drunken meals at ethnic restaurants, flamenco dancing accidents, blind dates gone wrong and many delicious confessions and revelations.

As most of Keyes’ books this novel manages to be light and romantic but it also tackles serious issue like clinical depression and alcholism. Lucy Sullivan is a young woman that makes self-destructive choices, a very delusional character that welcomes all the wrong people into her life and is mean towards the right ones like her best friend Daniel.

If you find yourself feeling really annoyed in the first half of the book, hurry up to the second half and do not quit reading, it will be worth it. Lucy is the kind of character that develops in the book, she embraces a journey of self empowerment.

I also like the fact that we get to see a real friendship turning into something more (a favourite theme of mine in romantic novels).

Go for it if you like an insightful romantic read that deals serious issues with irony & little touches of sarcasm.

My grade: 3/5

Em

Calling Romeo by Alexandra Potter

I am on of those readers who can’t resist a pink cover and when I saw this one I wanted the book badly

I didn’t know who Alexandra Potter was and I had no expectation whatsoever, well first of all she is a great writer and you can find more information on her website, she wrote many brilliant feel-good romances and Calling Romeo it’s one of my favourite.

The book starts slowly, at the beginning we get to know Juliet who has been in a comfortable relationship with Will for a while, maybe a bit too comfortable as Julie starts questioning her life with Will and falls under Sykes’ spell, an advertising executive who works for a rival agency.

Will is adorable, he obviously cares for Juliet but works very long hours, doesn’t put any pride in his appearance and tends to take everything for granted  plus doesn’t believe in marriage. On the contrary Sykes is introduced as the perfect edgy romantic hero.

Juliet, compelled by a bubble of flirting and attraction,  goes all the way in the wrong direction until she bitterly realizes that it was indeed the wrong direction, bad timing strikes as in a turn of events everything is revealed the same very night in which Will proposes to Juliet.

Does Juliet deserve a second chance?

Calling Romeo is a light read but it tackles the serious issue of betraying someone you love, is it possible to forgive?  I believe in second chances but we aren’t always granted one and sometimes rightly so.

It definitely made me reevaluate my relationship with my boyfriend and the little things that make it special to me.

My grade: 3/5

Em

The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols

Brace yourself for the battle of the exes. Did I mention how much I love the “battle of the sexes/exes theme”?  This book is pure escapism, it’s like a  summer read for winter break and again I was really impressed by Jennifer Echols.

Seat Belt (you can find an extract here)

1. a trick in which a snowboarder reaches across the body and grabs the board while getting air 2. what Hayden needs to fasten , because Nick is about to take her for a ride

Nick and Hayden used to be a item, needless to say they had a highly publicized breakup and now they are just schoolmates. When Hayden wins the girls’ division of a local snowboarding competition, Nick is unimpressed, claiming that Hayden wouldn’t have a chance against a guy. Hayden calls Nick’s bluff and challenges him to a head-to-head boarding contest. Their mutual friends quickly take sides, the girls on Hayden’s and the boys on Nick’s, making for an all-out battle of the sexes.

You can probably guess what happens next, the arguing (sounds like foreplay to me), the fights, a few steamy situation. Overall a great read, I am marking this 3/5 as it’s not a memorable, it won’t make you feel dreamy for a few days after reading but still I believe it’s worth a try if you enjoy Ya romance.

My grade: 3/5

Em