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Dec 16, 2009

Robyn rated it:

The first three paragraphs are GREAT. The rest... is not. Cliched plot, cliched characters. It's been done before, and definitely done better.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 11, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

The first paragraph of the book got me, hook, line, and sinker:
Modern women don't believe in love. Believing in love carries roughly the same stigma as halitosis. It's as old-fashioned as going on a diet (as opposed to a detox). It suggests you have no sense of irony, and you like Meg Ryan films (the traditional sort). A modern woman cannot accept that Father Christmas is a fraud and persist in believing that one sunny day her dark handsome destiny will appear in a puff of Fahrenheit and More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 10, 2007

Sarah rated it:

Until recently I have shunned "chick lit" but I also don't believe in completely ignoring a genre because of personal prejudice. I chose to read this book for two conflicting reasons that in themselves sum up the book beautifully: the sleek cover art and because of the "tougher issues" addressed in the book.

The book for the most part is a typical chick lit: a thirty year old successful woman in a glamorous job tosses aside her long time boyfriend/fiance for her ow More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 20, 2008

Jenny rated it:

Had to stop reading this book because it was bumming me out. Anna Maxted has a knack for weaving totally serious and depressing topics into her pink covered lady books. Which is cool, you know. Convincing the world that chick lit isn't just fluff and all. But the main character gets raped in the beginning of this book. Okay, I can deal with that. I kept reading. But her struggle with herself to decide if she can apply the R word to what happened to her, and vacillating between thinking it's her More...

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Sep 20, 2008

♥ Marlene♥ rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Stephanie rated it:

i'm glad to say this book ended much better than it began...things taken more seriously, interesting events that occurred. pretty good, considering how frustrated i was early on.
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2/5/2008...i'm becoming more unsatisfied/frustrated with maxted the more i read her. this one has some weird references to a possible date rape scenario, seems to minimize it, much in the way one of maxted's other books minimized the main character' More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 13, 2008

Miss Michael rated it:

Anna Maxted is my guilty pleasure. This was the third book I'd read by her. It's probably my least favorite, but I still enjoyed it. I pick up her books to laugh and get a happy ending, and Maxted delivered on both. One thing I appreciate about her books is that even though they are funny, they also have a serious undertone. I think that in this book she tackles something more difficult than in the other two books I'd read by her, and maybe that's why I didn't like it quite as much. Still worth More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 29, 2011

Georgiann rated it:

This book was a little different than i expected it to be It,s set in London .Holly is the twenty nine year old owner of Girl meets Boy a dating service for those who are beautiful inside and out. Though she,s a success at match making her own love life is a disaster. Her ex fiance still lives in the house with her that they bought together.He doesn,t really work , he has a job as an elephant for childrens parties once in awhile. His parents are rich and they treat him like a child. When he fi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 18, 2011

Dawn rated it:

For me, the story turned out to be secondary to the psychology of the characters. This book made me notice that i often read the action and conversations more closely, but skim through the thought processes. The reason i noticed is because when i went to do that (during a conversation that was interrupted for a pages-long mental soliloquy) it didn't work. Initially that was annoying, but i came to LOVE this book for just those trains of thought. Holly's thoughts and feelings seemed amazingly More...

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Sep 18, 2007

Charlotte rated it:

This is Anna Maxted’s third novel, and once again, she’s outdone herself. This time, her main character, Holly, is a successful, confident woman – that is, until she is sexually assaulted. Holly’s world is turned upside down, and the novel becomes about her journey back to her old self. Once again, Maxted had you multi-tasking while you read her books – you flip the pages, both laughing and crying.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 27, 2011

Kate rated it:

As the rating suggests, this book was okay. There is nothing special about it, the narrative wasn't riviting although it was interesting how the protagonist views and deals with her rape. Funny in places but overall not amazing.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 28, 2010

Sharal rated it:

Definitely not your typical chick-lit that I usually am drawn to. Though there are several witty and entertaining characters, the core of the story deals with the serious issue of date rape and the aftermath. The author does an excellent job of drawing you into Holly's life as she tries to cope with her experience while trying to maintain a sense of normalcy in her life. Though she stumbles along the way, she proves to herself that she is a survivor.

Several sub-plots involving Holly' More...

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Jul 03, 2008

Lynn rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Oct 15, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

This book was really unimpressive, and it was hard to get into. I never got into it, even by the last page. Reading it to the finish was just an act of stubbornness. First of all, the characters did not seem believable at all. The main character, Holly, who also serves as the narrator, apparently runs her own business and owns a home, but she can lock herself up at home for weeks at a time without doing any work. She has a sister named Claudia who is a lesbian, and she has another sister who is More...

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Oct 03, 2009

Sarcomical rated it:

i'm not completely sure if i want to give this 2 stars or 3. it was easy reading, like a beach book, except it was quite a bit longer than most of those and also covered some pretty serious material. i love her conversational text and the humor - a few times i did laugh actually out loud just a tiny bit. (nothing ridiculous, just a little heh-heh of course - don't judge me). i enjoyed the beginning and end, but felt like i was struggling a bit through the material in the middle and wasn't as exc More...

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Sep 19, 2011

Alexandra rated it:

When I first saw this book, I knew it would be something fun to read, and I was right. Not only was it a hilarious chick-lit, it also covered topics that pertain to me that were more serious. The characters were witty, which I really enjoyed and I was drawn into their lives, especially that of Holly's. I liked Maxted's realistic approaches, and although the main topics were more serious, it was an easy, interesting read.

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Jul 27, 2009

Amanda (manda4099) rated it:

This was the second book I read by Anna Maxted. It was better than the first(Running in Heels), but like that one I felt like I was running around in circles, or rather the main character was running in circles. Both books by Maxted involved the main character/narrator working through some major issue that has impacted their life. Both issues are things that I would never imagine happening to me, so it was interesting to see the characters from both books reactions to life.
Behaving Like More...

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Mar 18, 2010

Tory rated it:

The blurb on the back of this book made it sound like it was going to be cheeky chick-lit about a pro-fessional match-maker who can’t find love herself. But then it turned out to be about rape, coping with the past and moving on. About not letting yourself suffer because of someone else’s mistakes. About moving on.
And all that with a happy ever after… fiction is cool like that.

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Nov 19, 2010

Valissa rated it:

"And you have to be pretty pleased with yourself to host a party. The subtext is, "I'm so interesting, I think you should all come to my home and bring wine."

"Like knickers, I believe your reading matter should be chosen for your benefit, not anyone else's. A good book is a friend to be made yours, to be dropped in the bath, smeared with chocolate crumbs, enjoyed.

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Feb 11, 2011

Jules rated it:

I like how Maxted doesn't just write fluffy chick lit and I felt this one was more realistic in it's approach to the "issue" than Running in Heels. It's still a little sugar coated for me. I love how she doesn't make the issue the only theme though, as in real life the world doesn't stop turning for just one person's trauma.

I'll definitely be picking up her other books.

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Jan 04, 2010

emily rated it:

Dammit why don't they make half stars? I've needed them twice just now. Sigh, this is Brigid Jones part 57 but I don't care, I dug it. And hells bells, it actually wasn't B. Jones because the main character is a bit hefty and she LIKES it! An excellent excellent bathtub read.

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May 07, 2010

Angela rated it:

Despite some the reviews I've read on this, I was impressed with this book. I grabbed it for some light, humorous reading, a chick-lit book that I could just drown myself in but I love the way it was done. It definitely took on some of the more serious topics and did it well. It was still light reading but I feel that it was done in a matter that made me want to keep reading and not want to put it down! When tackling serious topics, it was still humorous and made out to be a journey in a women's More...

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Mar 19, 2009

Amber rated it:

Love this author. Poor Elizabeth had to hear me recite the whole book about halfway through because I was invested. I read in about a day and enjoyed it muchly.

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Jan 24, 2009

Terra rated it:

This was the first of Anna's books that I read and it kept me coming back for more. I really enjoyed this book. Hilarious and relatable!

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Jul 15, 2011

Allison rated it:

This book was very different than what I had anticipated. It was emotionally unsettling at parts & sometimes I wasn't sure if I could continue with how the protagonist was dealing (or not dealing) with events in her life.

I thought of Manjit. In his early twenties, Manjit suffered from clinical depression. Nick, trying to be helpful, had suggested that going for a run in the park might help. Wasn't exercise good for depression? No, replied Manjit. Exercise was good if you merely

More...

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Dec 29, 2008

Megan rated it:

This book was so freaking cute. Very light-hearted and endearing. Very well written and easy to read. A nice, sweet, girly pick-me-up.

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Nov 28, 2008

Teresa rated it:

This was a good book; chick-lit, but with a good, serious side. Could be helpful to women going through tough times.

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Aug 06, 2011

Jamie rated it:

i loved it...caution do not read in public ..may cause unexplainable bursts of laughter or emotion...recommended to all

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Aug 02, 2010

Nicole rated it:

I always like Anna Maxted's novels. Not as bad as some "chick lit," they're always excellent vacation/road trip reading.

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Aug 20, 2011

Sophie rated it:

Much deeper (I thought) than the cover would have you think. Made me want to think the best of everyone.

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