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Fifteen Minutes of Shame

by Lisa Daily (Goodreads Author)

3.45 of 5 stars 3.45 · rating details · 326 ratings · 53 reviews

View our feature on Lisa Daily's Fifteen Minutes of Shame.

What happens when America’s favorite dating expert finds out on national television that her husband is cheating on her? Darby Vaughn’s fifteen minutes of fame quickly becomes fifteen minutes of shame when the story of her divorce is splashed across supermarket tabloids. If Darby takes her philandering husband back...more

Paperback, 304 pages

Published March 25th 2008 by Plume

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Sep 13, 2010 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

What happens when America's favorite TV dating expert finds out on national televsion that her husband is cheating ? Darby Vaughn's fifteen minutes of fame quickly spin into fifteen minutes of shame. Not only is the most humiliating moment of her life splashed across every supermarket tabloid and celebrity gossip show, but also her reputation as America's love guru is shot.
Her fans are turning on her, her book sales have tanked, and her love life is fodder for late--night television. If Darby b...more

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Jun 23, 2008 Darshan Elena rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review testifies to my own fifteen minutes of lame. This novel's achievement: faithful adherence to the parameters of chick lit, a genre I will henceforth deem chick litter. Still, I finished the flimsy ditty, which is its own form of shame.

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Mar 05, 2012 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fun-romance, romance

This was a fantastic novel! I enjoyed every minute reading it!
This is definitely a must read, it is difficult to put this book down once you start reading it.

I would recommend this novel to anyone that likes fun romance novels.
This is a must read for anyone who likes the film "He's Just Not That Into You"

Darby is a fantastic character that almost jumps off the page. All the rules that girls are told are mentioned in this novel, we hear this advice all the time... yet Darby proves all of these ru...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Leah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-2011, ebooks, favorites

When I decided to purchase Fifteen Minutes of Shame, there was no reasoning toward that. Lisa Daily isn’t anybody I’ve ever heard of. Basically, I went into the book blind. I didn’t look at reviews, I skimmed the synopis, I just bought it because I liked the look of it. Yup, I judged a book on its cover and I dove straight into the novel. And do you know what? It was the greatest thing I’ve ever done. Because I had no pre-conceived notions, nobody’s reviews buzzing in my mind, no low star GoodRe...more When I decided to purchase Fifteen Minutes of Shame, there was no reasoning toward that. Lisa Daily isn’t anybody I’ve ever heard of. Basically, I went into the book blind. I didn’t look at reviews, I skimmed the synopis, I just bought it because I liked the look of it. Yup, I judged a book on its cover and I dove straight into the novel. And do you know what? It was the greatest thing I’ve ever done. Because I had no pre-conceived notions, nobody’s reviews buzzing in my mind, no low star GoodReads ratings to fling around my brain. I just had the book in front of me. Let me tell you, Fifteen Minutes of Shame is one of the best books I think I’ve ever read. I adored every page, and I like that for the most part, the book didn’t conform the way most Chick Lit novels do.

Fifteen Minutes of Shame, to sum it up, made me happy. Any book that starts with the heroine stalking her husband in a bush is going to win my approval immediately. Throw in puking on Matt Lauer’s shoes a few pages later and I was hooked. Seriously, this is one funny and heartfelt novel. Obviously it’s a bit formulaic, with Darby getting dumped by her husband – on national TV no less! – when he decides to go back to his ex-wife, but the book runs deeper than that. While Darby’s understandably upset to lose her husband, she’s also upset to lose the two kids she’s looked after for four years, Lilly and Aidan. And Darby decides to go for custody of the two kids, bringing Holt into her life. Of course, Will comes back for a second chance (don’t accuse me of spoiling it, it’s obvious!) and I did think ‘Oh here we go’, but what Darby does is surprising. It truly surprised me, and it just made me so happy.

What really made the book for me was probably Darby herself. I mean, come on, you’re obviously going to root for someone who stalks her husband in a bush. Not to mention making a fool of herself on TV numerous times. She’s someone you can truly root for, somebody you want to have a happy ever after. Sure she wallows for a bit after the ending of her marriage, but once she decides to fight for the kids and prove to the world she is worth of giving dating advice, she really lights up. I probably say this too much, but I loved her and she’s one of the most likeable heroines ever. Sometimes a female character like Darby comes along and blows you away. Darby blew me away, I seriously loved her. She made the book, and she’s one of them characters that will stay with me long after I’ve read the book.

The rest of the characters make for a fantastic read, too. There’s Darby’s ‘Dreamgirls’, her best friends forever, who help her when Will dumps her. I loved how they were non-judgemental, even when Darby was wondering whether to give Will a second chance. I wasn’t convinced by Will, as you might expect. I thought what he did to Darby was horrible – what kind of person dumps their wife on national telly by doing a press conference with their ex-wife? Oh, right, Will does that. Gigi, Will’s ex-wife, was also uninspiring, but, like Darby, I could understand her motives and why she did what she did. Still didn’t like her, mind. But my absolute favourite character was Holt, Darby’s lawyer. He had some super Southern charm and I was a sucker for him from the first time we met him. Talk about swoon-worthy. It’s almost worth getting married, just so Holt can be your divorce lawyer. I know he’s fictional, but a girl can dream, right?

Fifteen Minutes of Shame, from page 1 to page 301, was a pleasure. I was hooked from the beginning, and everything that happens in Darby’s life kept me hooked to the very end. Like I said, I did worry it was going down the predictable route but that was a mild panic at best and didn’t happen, thankfully. Whenever I come across two characters I think are perfect for each other, I get that lovely warm feeling in my stomach, and with Fifteen Minutes of Shame, I knew from the first meeting just who Darby would end up with. Not that I’m going to tell you who it is. Psh, it would ruin it and there’s nothing like an ending you didn’t expect. Well, you know. I was absolutely gutted to go onto Amazon and find no second novel from Lisa. I mean, she’s super talented and her writing just flows, so I’m hoping madly that a second novel is in the offing at some point. I adored Fifteen Minutes of Shame and would recommend it to all.(less)

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Oct 06, 2012 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: drama-gen-fiction, own-book-form

Award-winning relationship expert Darby Vauhn has her life turned upside down when she finds out not only that her husband has been cheating on her with his ex-wife, but that he’s divorcing her. What’s worse is she finds out on national television while promoting her new book. Torn apart internally, hounded by reporters and gossip columnists, and desperate to get her step-children back, Darby quickly retreats toward the warmth of a close-knit circle of friends and hires the best divorce attorney...more Award-winning relationship expert Darby Vauhn has her life turned upside down when she finds out not only that her husband has been cheating on her with his ex-wife, but that he’s divorcing her. What’s worse is she finds out on national television while promoting her new book. Torn apart internally, hounded by reporters and gossip columnists, and desperate to get her step-children back, Darby quickly retreats toward the warmth of a close-knit circle of friends and hires the best divorce attorney she can find in response to her husband’s demands. Fifteen Minutes of Shame focuses on the harried woman trying to get custody of the children, trying to save her career, and falling in love all at the same time.

I’ve always felt bad for celebrities. Sure, they now know what to expect from the limelight before going in, but this is no excuse for the media and paparazzi to turn into rabid sharks smelling blood when tragedy strikes. Darby’s encounters with this were horrifying to me as a person, while also amusing in a bizarre way as she unerringly stumbles into one bad situation from another. Leaning on the advice of her friends, she further proves that to make it through the tough times, having that all-important support group is crucial. The budding romance between her and a certain someone took me by surprise as it’s not the generally grinned-upon approach, but I was rooting for the handsome couple by the end of the story with both hands raised.

I was wondering how the author would handle the taboo situation with the children. I can see both the legal – and the main characters’ – perspective. In the end, it is handled well with the right sort of closure, the only sort that makes sense. As a character, Darby is a fun one. She has a sense of humor that helps her stay alive yet is serious where she’s supposed to be. Her sense of self is strong, but of course she’s human and falls prey to the typical self-doubts and self-recriminations all too common for us all.

In the beginning, the pace holds strong as disaster continuously strikes from all directions - reminds me of a hurricane attacking a house built with dominoes. The middle section is more about picking up the pieces, trying various antics advised to her through her publicist and friends (some work well, leaving me cheering – others fail, leaving me laughing). While it’s not clear to what end it’s leading, it ultimately finds a good, comfortable place.

As a chick-lit story, this one should please readers of the genre. Fun, witty, serious, it deals with issues that confront most of us, and the resolution is found not by Darby looking to lean on others or a man but by searching deeper inside herself. Highly recommended for a fun, but also slightly thought-provoking, time.(less)

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Jan 02, 2009 Monie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Darby Vaughn is America's relationship expert. She has a successful dating tips book, TV and radios shows, a loyal following of fans and a perfect marriage. That is until her weasel of a husband dumps her for his ex-wife. To make matters worse Darby finds out about the break up from Matt Lauer on the Today Show and she promptly tosses her cookies on live TV.

Utterly humiliated Darby runs to the comfort of her "Dreamgirls", the group of friends that have been there for each other since college. Af...more

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Jul 07, 2008 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

For those of you who haven't heard of Lisa Daily, she's a dating specialist and the founder of the Dreamgirl Academy, in which she teaches women to be their best selves so they can be better catches and find better men. She wrote the nonfiction dating guide book Stop Getting Dumped! which eventually became a bestseller. Fifteen Minutes of Shame is her first novel.

The book opens with Darby spotting her husband at a gas station down the street even though he's supposed to be on a business trip in...more For those of you who haven't heard of Lisa Daily, she's a dating specialist and the founder of the Dreamgirl Academy, in which she teaches women to be their best selves so they can be better catches and find better men. She wrote the nonfiction dating guide book Stop Getting Dumped! which eventually became a bestseller. Fifteen Minutes of Shame is her first novel.

The book opens with Darby spotting her husband at a gas station down the street even though he's supposed to be on a business trip in Atlanta. From there we follow Darby through all of the freak-out modes any woman would go through if they find out they've been lied to about something that has sure signs of an affair. In the end her freak out appears to have been a big mistake. Everything seems to be in order, so she heads off on her previously-scheduled book tour...only to find out on the Today show that her husband has filed for divorce. Dating expert Darby Vaughn has just been broken up with on national television. In essence, the terribly public divorce ruins her carreer (albeit momentarily) and she is left depending on her girlfriends to help her figure out what went wrong as she navigates through the sea of divorce and strives to get custody of her stepchildren.

All in all, I really liked this book. It was a fun easy read and I loved that it didn't make "finding a man" the main point of the story. Most chick lit books irritate me because the women in them all seem to think they have no life, no matter how successful and powerful they are, if they don't have a man. In this book, we see Darby take the humiliation of a nationally televised breakup and work her way out of it within weeks. She shows strength of character and realizes that maybe all the advice she's been giving over the years (never take back a cheater, etc.) aren't quite as easy to follow when it's your own relationship on the line. The one part of the book that I didn't really buy into was her wanting to get the kids back because she loved them so much. There were a lot of touching moments with the kids in the beginning, but once they are gone with their dad and his ex-wife it seems like they're just thrown in haphazardly.

So, overall, I'd recommend this book. It's a great beach read and doesn't take too much concentration. And it had the added benefit of not making me feel completely vapid after I read it. (less)

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Feb 04, 2011 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, reviewed

Darby Vaughn seems to have it worked out with her life. She is married with two kids, step-kids but kids that she has raised the past three years and loves and a career as a dating expert with a new book out. She is finally booked on the TODAY show and instead of talking about her book she is asked about her impending divorce that Darby knows nothing about. Suddenly, Darcy has to figure it all out again when she though she had meet and married the only man she would ever love. And make some toug...more

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Jun 03, 2009 AuthorsOnTourLive! rated it 5 of 5 stars

Relationship expert and non-fiction author Lisa Daily's hilarious debut novel Fifteen Minutes of Shame, will delight fans of Jane Green and Sophie Kinsella. What happens when America's favorite dating expert finds out on national television that her husband is cheating on her? Darby Vaughn's fifteen minutes of fame quickly becomes fifteen minutes of shame when the story of her divorce is splashed across supermarket tabloids. If Darby takes her philandering husband back, her career will be over....more

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Sep 21, 2012 Leslie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a good read - predictable in many places - but a light hearted romp through divorce and finding out who you really are underneath all of life's challenges. There were times when the author took you into darker emotions it wasn't all clear sailing, but like I said, it was predictable. Great for anyone not wanting to do anything more than follow along - you don't need to engage your brain to enjoy this book.

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Sep 04, 2009 Michele Minor rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a typical chick lit book where the girl gets dumped by her current boyfriend and she finds out about herself. The girl though is famous relationship expert, Darby Vaughn and she gets dumped on national television through the Today show. Her career is also jeopardized when her husband decides to go back to his ex wife and takes his kids with him since Darby is only their step mother.

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Jan 05, 2011 Virginia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: chicklit, read-2011

A chicklit version of Chalk Circle or Solomon's case between the two mothers, this was a fast and enjoyable guilty pleasure. I picked this up while I was at my brother's place in DC (it's his fiancee's, not his) and only got partway through. I didn't expect to like it enough (or care enough about the characters) to get it from the library when I got back home. I liked it. :)

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Jul 24, 2008 Colleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-has-it, contemporary-romance, chick-lit, 2008

I felt this was a very realistic and wonderful book. Maybe it's not realistic in that people get dumped on national tv every day, but the book does a great job in getting the reader tangled up in Darby's life as it spirals out of control. Who hasn't faced a situation in their life at some point where they thought their entire life was over as they knew it? This book allows you to see how Darby regains control of her life after her loser of a husband betrays her in the worse possible way (persona...more

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Mar 29, 2008 Karina rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: all romance, chick lit, and women's fiction lovers

Shelves: contemporary-fiction-chick-lit

I was really impressed with Lisa Daily's first novel and read it in one day, not wanting to put it down until I finished it.

Basically, a relationship guru has to try to save her career when her marriage falls apart--on television, no less. Throw in great characterization, good momentum, a great writing voice, and great dating tips from Lisa Daily's relationship book, and you've got yourself one fun read. I think it pretty ingenious that Lisa was able to interweave so many cool dating tips, whic...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Stephanie Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Yes, I think it focused a bit too much on Darby dealing with the fallout of her marriage, yes I think she was a little too obsessed with getting the kids back, but I have to say I really liked it. I would have liked her connecting with Holt a little sooner, but I think it would have made her look a little shallow and getting over her husband too easily.

I don't normally like this type of book, but this one I liked. I found myself nodding my head in agreement when Darby's rules of dating. I liked...more

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Jan 22, 2009 Mary (BookHounds) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed

I just love Chick Lit and with that said, this is a great Chick Lit read. This is not going to win any Pulitzer Prize but it is a nice diversion for a stormy afternoon. This is one of those books that has just enough elements where is could possibly be true, but not quite.

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Jul 29, 2011 Margaret added it

Shelves: 2010

This was a quick, fun read which zoomed to the top of Mt. TBR since I wanted something light and fluffy. The main character maybe tends to over-analyze everything which is easy for me to spot since I think I do it as well. An enjoyable fun little romp :)

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Oct 05, 2010 Mitzy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book had me hooked from the first sentence. I read it in less than two days, I couldn't put it down! If you've ever felt resentment towards an ex (or current distant lover), or just looking for a good femme read - this is it!

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Jul 30, 2009 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun read! There was parts that made me really sad and other parts that made me laugh out loud. I really liked the character of Darby. I felt for her--about her life growing up and I identified with her--about her love cheating on her. And I loved how she wanted custody of "her kids" even though they weren't hers by birth. There are many stories about lost love, but I'm not sure that I have read one where the main character fought for kids that weren't hers. I enjoyed reading the littl...more

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Mar 22, 2011 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Typically chit-lit. Girl marries nice guy, they break up, she figures life out and meets the perfect guy, cheater guy wants her back, she has to make a decision.

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Feb 16, 2010 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book!! Couldn't put it down!! I love a good chick lit book!! This is a good one to read!!

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Sep 16, 2009 Erica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chic-lit

This book was a lot of fun to read, but also had more substance than most chick lit. I definitely recommend it!

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Apr 10, 2011 Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First time reading this author but I would read more of her books. Good chick lit.

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May 12, 2009 Kristie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Yes, I read it in a day, but that doesn't mean I'd classify it as "can't put down."

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Apr 30, 2013 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: chic-lit, romance, 2013

More like 3.5 stars.. it was good your typical chic lit type story..

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Dec 27, 2008 Connie rated it 3 of 5 stars

definitely a chic lit book. Light read. Enjoyable.

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Jul 06, 2012 Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nice light read, finished in one day of commuting.

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Jan 17, 2009 Kathryn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bookmovement, own, bookcrossing, 2009-books

great book. I really enjoyed reading this one. I could relate to the main character and how she felt about "her" children. not your normal 'romance'... but definitely chiklit.

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Feb 03, 2009 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Quick, easy, light read...

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Jun 12, 2013 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Love Holt.

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About Lisa Daily

I've been writing for a long time, since third grade actually, when I wrote a romance serial starring everybody's favorite hunky science teacher, Mr. G. Every day the girls would gather under the slide to hear the latest installment of Mr. G's feats of romance and bravery, which involved things like giving only the third grade girls cupcakes, or riding up on the playground on a white horse to save...more

More about Lisa Daily...

Books by Lisa Daily

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How to Date Like a Grown-Up: Everything You Need to Know to Get Out There, Get Lucky, or Even Get Married in Your 40s, 50s, and Beyond

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