This is the first Jennifer Crusie novel I've tried, after hearing from numerous people on LiveJournal that she's worth reading--and, well, adhering to the LJ canon has rarely steered me wrong so far. I did like it. It was cute and had just the right level of fluff, and I really liked the dialogue, which was often witty and fun. The hero and heroine, Nick and Quinn, weren't made overly stupid for authorial reasons, though towards the end of the book, I was just urging them to go get busy already, More...

Quinn McKenzie is a high school art teacher who is dating the well admired high school coach Bill. She is finding herself bored with her everyday life and really wants to make a change that will make her feel excited again. When a stray dog was found at the high school, Quinn believed that the dog was a sign to start this change she desired by adopting the stray dog and she named the dog Katie. Her boyfriend, Bill, did not want the dog in their lives because he believed that this dog would mess More...

1.5 stars

I usually affiliate Crusie with silly yet fun contemporary trashy romance novels, where I quite like the characters and like reading what they go through before the usual conclusion. While this one started off like one, it quickly devolved into something that wasn't really fun to read.

Everyone's angry and short-tempered, which is annoying in itself, but then there's the ladies of the books (with the exception of Edie) whom are just so unreasonable and rather high maintenance. I felt sor More...

Whenever anyone has a problem or a crisis the person to go to is undoubtedly Quinn McKenzie. She’s known for being cool and collected even under the most trying circumstances – Quinn is just an all around sweet, practical girl. But Quinn is bored with her practical life.
She’s never been one to break the rules or kick up a fuss but as soon as she lays eyes on a particularly scruffy stray dog, Quinn knows this is something she can’t walk away from.

Even with the constant reminders from her nice-guy More...

I've enjoyed a few of the more recent Crusie books and have been checking out her backlist now that it is in eBook form. Unfortunately, I think she was still finding her way in her early books. What I enjoy about her more recent books is the realistic, humorous voice of her characters, primary and secondary. That humor is still in evidence here, but she's also trying to mix in suspense, and I think it results in just too much going on. As a result, character development suffers.

Quinn is interest More...

If you hadn't already noticed the lack of activity happening at this here bloggy, I've been in a bit of a reading slump. Sad, but true. I found myself picking up book after book only to set it back on the shelf, never quite in the mood for whatever the reason (although in all fairness part of the blame lies with me having just reread Ellen Emerson White's brilliant President's Daughter series - it's dang hard to follow such genius). But then I had a revelation of sorts: what I really needed was More...

This book is like a well worn jumper that you pull on to keep you warm as the early winter chill starts to bite. I love it. I have it sitting permanently in my bedside cupboard, ready to drag out if I need a little pick me up. Its premise is simple but smart. Quinn, thirty-six, leaves her boyfriend, Bill and starts to lead a new, more spontaneous life which includes among other things, a (very) hot affair with Nick, her used to be brother-in-law now best friend. The only problem is that Bill sti More...

Well, having read Getting Rid of Bradley, I was disappointed in this novel from Crusie. I believe this one came out first but no matter, it is almost the exact same plot. Boring girl leaves boring guy. She loves dog(s) and needs a change by way of a haircut. Meets a dark, rebel-type bad boy with a heart of gold who eventually falls in love with said character despite being a bachelor-till-I-die type. He saves her from mysteries threats from ex boyfriend. She has a close call with death/abuse. Al More...

This was one of Crusie shorter books, and honestly it was funny but it was also really disturbing at the same time. Quinn is the main character and she is tired of being the sister who is always calm and collected and nice to everyone. She always ignores what she really wants because she thinks people need to see her as being the responsible one in her family. When she decides to adopt a dog from the pound and takes it back home her live in boyfriend Bill tells her she can't have the dog. Quinn More...

This book was about change: looking at your life, and yourself, and realizing that you've just "settled." It starts with a little dog that the main character, Quinn, finds and decides to keep, except her live-in boyfriend doesn't want. When he takes it to the pound, something in her breaks loose and she rescues the dog and leaves him. That's the beginning of a widespread domino effect - for her, and those around her.

I would like to give this book a higher rating, because the author did a better More...

"Crazy for You" takes place in a small town where the general thought seems to be that women need a man to take care of them, and most women would do anything to keep from being alone. After two years in a boring relationship in which she doesn't have much of a voice or personality, Quinn breaks up with her boyfriend who refuses to let her keep a stray dog.

This act of "craziness" is just the beginning for Quinn. She moves out, buys a house, cuts her hair, and starts flirting with her ex-brother More...

I had read this book a few years back, and found it to be a mediocre/ok read. The heroine decides she is in a dead-end relationship that she had no control over, so she leaves; the hero is Nick, her former brother-in-law who is also her best friend AND he's carried a torch for her for years and years. The Dead End Relationship fellow is the crazy one - he becomes a stalker of sorts, acting out all kinds of weird behaviors that show he is losing touch with reality.

It's typical Crusie - a weird/ug More...

Da http://leggerefantastico.blogspot.com
Ritorna a farci sorridere con l' ironia e la freschezza che la contraddistingue, Jennifer Crusie e il suo nuovo romanzo targato Leggereditore. Pazza di Te.
Questa volta ci spostiamo da Temptation, cittadina in cui è ambientato il precedente e omonimo romanzo, per giungere a Tibbett e conoscere la nostra nuova protagonista, tale Quinn McKenzie, trentacinque anni, insegnante al liceo, fidanzata da due anni con il coach più perfettino del pianeta, e persona ma More...

I've been laid up with a back injury for the last 10 days so I've had a lot more reading time than usual, and I'm on a real Jennifer Crusie ride.
Loved Crazy for You, it is full of all the craziness that is a Jennifer Crusie novel.
Quinn McKenzie is in a relationship with the 'perfect' guy, Bill. He the town's high school football/baseball coach and idolised by everyone in the town, but Quinn is looking for something a little more exciting in her life. She ends up with a stray dog that she wants t More...

Originally posted here.

It's funny because I claim to be a Jennifer Crusie fan and I've read several of her books but I don't think I've ever posted a review here on the blog. Whenever I feel unenthusiastic about reading any of my books, I go for a Crusie because I know that it will get me out of a slump. It might not be obvious because I'm still posting reviews and discussion posts but when it comes to reading, I've been somewhat lazy the past couple of weeks. I knew I could jumpstart my reading More...

When I pick up a romance, this is the type that I usually grab - something that looks like it will be funny. However, starting to read this one I almost put it down after the first ten pages because I was frustrated with all the names and trying to figure out who was who. I found Crusie's use of long sentences and her way of introducing people to the reader was confusing. She'd refer to someone as their relation to her first and then several paragraphs later drop their name in without referring More...

When I said I was looking to learn more about the erotica genre, a friend recommended this book to me. She said the scene against the wall was smoking hot. It was. Turns out that was the high point of the book, though. I listened to the audio version, and it was OK. Seven discs long. Not too long, not too short.

Here's the thing. I've never read a romance novel all the way through before. This was my first. When I was 50% through the book and there hadn't even been any kissing yet, I pretty much More...

I guess I'm addicted.

I mean, there's really no excuse for the number of Jennifer Crusie novels I've devoured if I didn't really like them, at least a little bit. I recognize that the plotlines are transparent, the characters are a bit silly, and the sex scenes are strangely reminiscent of each other. But they're perfect to casually pick up, read a bit in the workroom, read a bit on the reference desk, and read before going to bed. I never feel like I'm missing a pivotal moment despite not devot More...

Jennifer Cruise never rarely disappoints! This story was near perfect. It was party fiction with 5 POV's. I'm not a fan of party fiction, and initially I thought I'd be putting this back on the shelf. But she had me before the end of the first chapter!

Once upon a time, there was a mutt, and before the happily ever after this mutt would change everything and then put it back together again. Katie, the mutt, sneaks into Quinn's life and puts a wrecking ball in her seemingly perfect relationship wi More...

Ugh. The only good thing about this book was the main character's name: Quinn.

The main characters were just so under-developed and motivated by stupid things. They weren't characters I respected or wanted to be friends with. The little growth seen in the book by them felt so forced.

Like who dates a guy for 2 years and breaks up with them via a written letter. No wonder he went psycho. And I guess one night of sex with your best friend is enough to change your entire belief system on relationshi More...

Jennifer Crusie is a genius at creating quirky characters that completely pull you into the story and captivate you from page one. "Crazy for you" was no exception. Quinn McKenzie has decided she has had enough of being the dependable one and wants to make a change to her life. It starts out seemingly simple enough when she decides to adopt a stray dog, but that is where things take a different route than planned. Her boyfriend, the local high school football coach that is idolized by the town, More...

I had no clue that there was a Crusie book that I hadn't read. It was from early in Crusie's writing career but her voice still shines through. It's not my favorite of hers (right now, it's Agnes and the Hitman... or Bet Me) but still a quick, fun read.
Our heroine is Quinn McKenzie. She's always gone along with the flow, doing the things that were expected and it's been okay. Until the dog. Her best friend finds a stray that Quinn immediately falls in love with, much to the dismay of everyone ar More...

Resistance to change is a common thread throughout this book. Crusie is clever in using the desire for change and the resistance to it to motivate her characters. People are resistant to change. Often it is easier to accept circumstances that are less than perfect, than it is too venture into the unknown that is change. What struck me, was the rather skewed and sexist manner that Crusie uses to show this, with the women all portraying motivators, by desiring change, (they either act on it direct More...

One ugly little dog serves as a catalyst for several different women to realize that their lives are stagnating in this dizzy little romance. There's the usual signature Crusie likeable heroine, entertaining minor characters, and crackling dialogue.

Unfortunately, the villain is increasingly mustache-twirly. I know Crusie is trying to justify first why Quinn would have stayed with him until now and then why she would be justified in leaving, but the stalkerific behavior should practically come w More...

Crusie's books are always fun to read. One of the things I like most about her books is that the relationships in them are almost always believable. In Crazy for You, Nick and Quinn have been best friends for some odd years. But when Quinn decides that she doesn’t like the direction her life is taking her, she starts making changes. One of them is her relationship with Nick. Nick doesn’t like commitment and avoids getting involved in anyone else’s problems as much as he can. But he can’t bring h More...

I'm such a Crusie fan it's almost indecent. This book was such fun!

Quinn McKenzie's day started out in it's usual normal 'beige' way and then a stray dog came along and messed up her life, her friend's lives and her parents. Before she knew it she'd broken up with her boring boyfriend, her best friend had left her husband, her mother had come out of the closet, and her best friend Nick has kissed her and she's seeing fireworks.

What follows is her ex kidnapping her dog, stalking her and her dis More...

One thing about Crusie's novels: there's always something going on beneath the surface.

You might think this is just a story about a girl having to chose between two men. Her rock-solid live-in boyfriend, thoughtfulness incarnated, and boring as boiled eggs on the one side, and on the other, somebody she's always had a crush on. He was once married to her sister for a few disasterous weeks. The sister has moved on and is happily settled, but Quin still can't get past Nick. Who is something of a k More...