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Certain Girls (Cannie Shapiro #2)

by Jennifer Weiner (Goodreads Author)

3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 · rating details · 24,359 ratings · 2,385 reviews

Readers fell in love with Cannie Shapiro, the smart, sharp-tongued, bighearted heroine of Good in Bed who found her happy ending after her mother came out of the closet, her father fell out of her life, and her ex-boyfriend started chronicling their ex-sex life in the pages of a national magazine.

Now Cannie's back. After her debut novel - a fictionalized (and highly sexual...more Readers fell in love with Cannie Shapiro, the smart, sharp-tongued, bighearted heroine of Good in Bed who found her happy ending after her mother came out of the closet, her father fell out of her life, and her ex-boyfriend started chronicling their ex-sex life in the pages of a national magazine.

Now Cannie's back. After her debut novel - a fictionalized (and highly sexualized) version of her life - became an overnight bestseller, she dropped out of the public eye and turned to writing science fiction under a pseudonym. She's happily married to the tall, charming diet doctor Peter Krushelevansky and has settled into a life that she finds wonderfully predictable - knitting in the front row of her daughter Joy's drama rehearsals, volunteering at the library, and taking over-forty yoga classes with her best friend Samantha.

As preparations for Joy's bat mitzvah begin, everything seems right in Cannie's world. Then Joy discovers the novel Cannie wrote years before and suddenly finds herself faced with what she thinks is the truth about her own conception - the story her mother hid from her all her life. When Peter surprises his wife by saying he wants to have a baby, the family is forced to reconsider its history, its future, and what it means to be truly happy.

Radiantly funny and disarmingly tender, with Weiner's whip-smart dialogue and sharp observations of modern life, Certain Girls is an unforgettable story about love, loss, and the enduring bonds of family.

Readers fell in love with Connie Shapiro the smart, sharp tongued, bighearted heroine in Good in Bed who found her happy ending after her mother came out of the closet, her father fell out of her life, and her exboyfriend started chronicling ther ex sex life in the pages of a nationa magazine.
Now connie's back, after a her first novel, a fictionalized and highly sexualized version of her life became an overnight bestseller she dropped out of the public eye and became a mom writing under a psyudonmy and writing sci fi Adapting to life in the subburbs is not as easy as she thought it would be.
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406 pages

Published (first published April 28th 2000)

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May 05, 2008 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: mothers and daughters everywhere, anyone with a heart

Shelves: everydayreads, chicklit, alltimefavorites

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

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Jan 31, 2008 Naomi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I procured an advanced reader copy of this title in a couple of days, being so excited for the sequel to one of my favorite books ever. Cannie is a great heroine and I couldn't wait to revisit her 13 years after the birth of her daughter, Joy.

While initially I was a bit disappointed, "Certain Girls" is a fast read, and anyone looking for a continuing story of Cannie, Joy, Peter and the rest won't be sorry. While I don't want to give up any spoilers, I sobbed like crazy through my last half hour...more

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Oct 07, 2008 Alisha rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit

First off, let me start off by saying I'm a big Jennifer Weiner fan. Her books are the perfect in-between books. You know, those books that are light and fluffy reads and that are perfect to read in-between serious books? That's what describes Jennifer Weiner's books.

Now, "Certain Girls" is a sequel to Weiner's hit novel "Good in Bed". In my opinion, there are three types of sequels. The first type are those certain sequels that are great. They are even better than the original novel and it tend...more First off, let me start off by saying I'm a big Jennifer Weiner fan. Her books are the perfect in-between books. You know, those books that are light and fluffy reads and that are perfect to read in-between serious books? That's what describes Jennifer Weiner's books.

Now, "Certain Girls" is a sequel to Weiner's hit novel "Good in Bed". In my opinion, there are three types of sequels. The first type are those certain sequels that are great. They are even better than the original novel and it tends to make them look better. The second type are those that don't really make much of a difference to the original novel. These are loose sequels. They have some of the original novel's backstory, but not so much where it's absolutely necessary to read the first novel. They can be read as stand-alone novels. Lastly, there are those sequels that are better in theory. The ones that make the original novel worse. "Certain Girls", unfortunately, falls under the third category.

I loved "Good In Bed". I thought it was a gem. "Certain Girls"...not so much. First off, Cannie Shapiro (the heroine of the first novel) did a complete 180. It seemed like she went from three steps forward (in the first novel) and two steps back (in the second). She became this smothering, obsessive, character. What happened to the witty, sharp-tounged heroine from the first novel? And Joy, her daughter, was obnoxious and bratty. I know she's only twelve, but she was overly bratty. It went to the point where I wanted to skip the chapters she narrated (I didn't, but boy, did I ever want to!). And don't even get me started on the ending. I'm not going to say it, so that I don't spoil the book. But the ending was majorly depressing and completely unnecessary.

So, if you loved "Good In Bed", do not read "Certain Girls". It will change you perceptions of the first novel and not in a good way. "Good In Bed" should not have been messed with in this way. Which is why I rate this two stars. (less)

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Jan 06, 2011 Min rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was excited about this book since it was a return to Cannie Shapiro's world. We met Cannie in Good In Bed, where Cannie (like author Weiner) lives in Philadelphia. This book picked up twelve years after where GiB left off.

Joy is preparing for her bat mitzvah, and Cannie is figuring out how to navigate being a wife, a mother of an adolescent, and a good Jewish mother all at once. The last she needs is for Joy to read the semi-autobiographical book Cannie wrote right after Joy's birth detailing...more

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Aug 02, 2008 Eva Mitnick rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit

"Good in Bed" was such a toothsome piece of chick lit that I was very much looking forward to reading more about Cannie. However, Certain Girls is quite pallid by comparison. Much of the earthy energy of the first book is missing, and instead this is an almost mediocre mom-and-teenage-daughter story. I say "almost" because Weiner is an entertaining writer who often throws a surprising insight or a fabulous one-liner into the mix just as things are getting tiresome.

Actually, the fabulous one-line...more

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May 14, 2008 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, chick-lit

“Good in Bed” is one of my Top Ten Favorite Books of All Time. It’s funny, it’s all about various relationships and there are even lesbians in it. Over the years, I’ve wondered whatever happened to Cannie Shapiro and Joy?

Well, Cannie turned into a scaredy cat housewife/closet writer and Joy turned into a typical teenager.

“Certain Girls” takes place 13 years after the end of “Good in Bed.” Cannie is married to Dr. K and Joy is in middle school, preparing for her bat mitzvah. We find out in flas...more

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Apr 14, 2008 Whitney rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I, of course, loved this book because I think I would love anything Jennifer Weiner writes. I am a little surprised that people disliked the book because of the overwhelmingly sad occurance at the end of the book. Did you all think Good in Bed was light hearted and breezy? Because, compared to this, I would say it was much less fantasy. The reason her books touch so many of us profoundly is because she writes about things that many of us endure, but aren't necessarily socially acceptable to disc...more

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May 12, 2008 Ellenjsmellen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, fiction

Got this from the library and really enjoyed it. It's where Cannie Shapiro from Good in Bed left off plus another 12 years later. Mother/daughter story told from each point of view in alternating chapters. Break out your tissues towards the end.

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Aug 05, 2008 Wendi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well...what's to say about this book; it's no different than any other book Jennifer Weiner has written. Fat chick whining about being fat.

The first Jennifer book I read was "In Her Shoes". I read it because I saw the movie adaption because I love the actress who plays the older sister. Being an only child I was totally enthralled by the relationship between the sisters in the book and the grandmother they didn't know. I loved watching how both sisters transformed and became different women. An...more

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Aug 05, 2008 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: the gals

There is just something about Jennifer Weiner that I love. It could be that she is less than skinny, sort of Jewish, and from Philly (remind you of anyone?). Maybe I am vain, but I like books that I can relate to (at least a little bit) and that remind me of things that I know...like growing up Jewish, struggling with weight and then learning to love yourself, crazy hair, and of course all of the wonders of Philadelphia. And then of course there are things that I can't relate to in this book...l...more

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Dec 22, 2008 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought this was a good sequel, and found it interesting that so much time in Cannie's life had passed between book 1 and 2. It was not quite as good as Good in Bed to me, but still thoroughly enjoyable. My only criticism: I thought Cannie's daughter was written with a little too much mature insight for a 7th grader—but other than that, just a fun read.

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May 13, 2008 Charlotte rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really wish that I could have given this book 3.5 stars. Like all of Weiner's books, it was very well written and engaging. A follow up to her first book Good In Bed, this story shoots us ahead 13 years as Cannie prepares for her daughter Joy's bat mitzvah. I had a few problems with the book... First, in this book Cannie has written a story about a portion of her life and is dealing with the repercussions of this. This gets a bit confusing when she starts talking about the things that she wrot...more

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May 02, 2008 Linda rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I actually did not finish this book. I have been reading it for 5 days now and should be finished with it by now but am only on page 71. It is so slow, that I cant even get excited about reading it.
I will read the last couple of chapters to see how it ends. Even if it is a book that I like, I can read the end and then go back and finish it.

I have read other Jennifer Weiner books and really liked them, but I cant recommend this one.

Okay I tried to read the last few chapters. Then I came to the t...more

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Aug 11, 2008 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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Apr 08, 2008 Keris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

I couldn't decide whether to re-read Jennifer Weiner's debut novel, Good in Bed, before reading the long-awaited follow-up, Certain Girls, but in the end I chose not to. I thought I could remember enough about Good in Bed that it wouldn't be necessary and, at the same time, I wanted to see if Certain Girls could stand on its own.

Well, it turns out that I didn't remember Good In Bed as well as I thought, but Certain Girls certainly stands on its own. I think (but, you know, I can't be sure) that...more

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Aug 16, 2008 Bea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I went ahead and bought the book for our trip to Maine. I really wished I had reread "good in bed" prior....although it was easy to remember parts of it--especially the younger sister!

this sequel was wonderfully written, I love Cannie's character, how her husband adores her, how she is obsessed about her teenage daughter. I like how the daughter was experiencing growing pains and how Cannie had to deal with them.

I got a potential parenting phrase from the book too "you get what you get and you d...more

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Jul 22, 2008 Erika rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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Apr 22, 2008 Katherine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have this feeling that I like Jennifer Weiner. Not necessarily her books, but her. And so I keep reading her books, and sort of enjoy them, and am always sort of disappointed. She has promise on which she doesn't completely deliver. Her plots are fairly conventional. I nearly gave up reading this, as I began to find the format (switching chapter between and mother and a really annoying daughter) to be tedious. For some reason I persevered and found that it improved. And yet... still, I apparen...more

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Dec 17, 2008 Kirstin rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

No need to read

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Mar 27, 2009 Coco rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I just read this one and as I was reading it, my thirteen-year-old starting asking questions about it. Then, she asked if she could read it too. I was a bit hesitant about the content, but thought, well, at least she's reading, right? Suddenly, every time I reached for Certain Girls, it was missing. I'd have to hunt it down and rip it our of my daughter's hands. It was interesting because we both took different messages away from the book. She definitely feels as if I'm not the most overprotecti...more

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Feb 16, 2009 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the first of Jennifer Weiner's books that I've read. I first heard of this author on a morning news show, can't remember if it was Good Morning America, Today, or CBS Early Show.

Anyway, a while later, a friend of mine mentions reading her book "In Her Shoes." I didn't think much of it until the movie of the same title came out and was showing on cable.

I saw it and loved it. So, when I saw this book at the library where I go to school, I picked it up right away, deciding to devour it d...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Laura rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Our book club featured this book and when it was selected, I didn't care one way or the other, so went along with it. After reading it though, I HATED it. If you DO read it, don't read the ending. It's lazy and a terrible shame that the author did what she did, the conclusion adds nothing to the story and drags the events out for "dramatic effect." If it were a movie, the audience would say a collective, "oh come on." What I felt was a C- book used an F ending.

To be sure: skip the ending. BUT -...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Sheila DeChantal rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

13 years after Cannie’s debut in Good In Bed, she is back in full size humor and still working on her weight, her Physician husband Peter’s sudden desire to have another baby, and planning her daughter Joy’s bar Mitzvah (without the spaghetti strapped “way too adult” looking dress Joy has chosen for herself.) Oh yes, there is also that writing career she is supposed to be working on…. well, lets put a pin in that….

When Joy discovers her mothers highly verbal and descriptive novel she wrote years...more 13 years after Cannie’s debut in Good In Bed, she is back in full size humor and still working on her weight, her Physician husband Peter’s sudden desire to have another baby, and planning her daughter Joy’s bar Mitzvah (without the spaghetti strapped “way too adult” looking dress Joy has chosen for herself.) Oh yes, there is also that writing career she is supposed to be working on…. well, lets put a pin in that….

When Joy discovers her mothers highly verbal and descriptive novel she wrote years before, Joy feels she has stumbled on all her mothers secrets, including the grandfather Joy feels she has never had the opportunity to get to know and blames her mother for the distance between them. Joy now 13, and self-conscious and rebellious all rolled into one, makes her mother’s life more interesting by her sneaking off to see her biological father, skipping school, and reconnecting with her grandfather.

For both Cannie and Joy, this is a season of growing up and learning truths.

I am still a little confused about why this book was called Certain Girls. I must have missed something. Entirely possible. :D Jennifer Weiner is often a hit or a miss for me, yet I enjoy reading her characters and her wit so I keep coming back.

In Certain Girls I was able to revisit Cannie Shapiro and see where her life has gone since the ending of Good In Bed left her with a premature baby. If you read my review of Good In Bed you will realize that I did not love the book, but I did like it. Obviously enough to see where Cannie’s life has gone, a rare treat that we as readers do not always get, to see where the characters we have come to know are in their fiction lives years later. Kind of a “where are they now?” look into their life, fictitious as it is.

I liked Cannie better in this book. She seemed more sure of herself. I think the real win for this one was the voice of Joy… typical teenager, self-conscious about her hearing aids (due to her premature birth), feeling that her mom still treats her like a baby, and wanting to know more about the missing people connected to her through family blood.

Over all, this one was just ok. The ending was…. anger enducing. I can’t explain it. It just felt… disappointing. Frustrating. Like I had traveled far and then was thrown over a cliff. I expected something more, and that again, could be just me. (less)

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Nov 22, 2012 Cláudia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, cosy-chick-lit

This book follows the life of Cannie Shapiro, 13 years later than the last time we heard from her. It hasn’t been so long since I read the 1st book, but I have to admit that I didn’t remember most of the things. I did a little browsing in the 1st book but then just decided to read this one and find out what happens ;)
Cannie has married the "diet doctor", Peter, and is now living happily with him and watching her daughter grow up and prepare her bat mitzvah. Obviously, Joy, being 13, is going thr...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Charlynn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Set thirteen years after Good in Bed, Certain Girls finds Cannie Shapiro-Krushelevansky settled and content – happily married, secretly penning a popular sci-fi book series under a pseudonym, and mothering her perfect girl, her Joy. Having left the flash and notoriety of her un-filmed screenplay and her sensational bestseller behind, to the outside observer, Cannie's life would seem staid and pedestrian, but Cannie has never been more at peace with herself or her body. But that's before her daug...more Set thirteen years after Good in Bed, Certain Girls finds Cannie Shapiro-Krushelevansky settled and content – happily married, secretly penning a popular sci-fi book series under a pseudonym, and mothering her perfect girl, her Joy. Having left the flash and notoriety of her un-filmed screenplay and her sensational bestseller behind, to the outside observer, Cannie's life would seem staid and pedestrian, but Cannie has never been more at peace with herself or her body. But that's before her daughter turns thirteen and sullen on the cusp of womanhood and her looming bat mitzvah and before her husband announces that he wants to have another child – via surrogacy, of course. It's nearly impossible for Cannie to wrap her mind around the idea of another child when she still sees Joy as her baby girl.

Conversely, Joy believes herself to be anything but a child, let alone a baby. Not only does she resent her mother's hovering, but then she reads Cannie's novel... Cannie's novel full of illicit sexual escapades and the harsh, cold – what Joy perceives to be the truthful – tale of how she was an unwanted mistake. This spurs Joy into an investigation to discover what really happened in her mother's past, and, along the way, she discovers herself, too.

Unconventionally, Certain Girls is told from two perspectives: both Cannie's and her daughter's. At first, this was disconcerting. It took nearly the entire prequel to this novel for Cannie to grow up, and then Weiner devotes half of this follow-up work to a thirteen year old's thoughts and narration. Through Joy, the focus on the physical, the shallowness returned. Even though this is to be expected from someone so young and impressionable, most readers would head to the Young Adult section if they wanted to read a coming of age story. And Cannie's portion of the novel wasn't faultless either. She kept making the same mistakes with her daughter, mistakes that were obvious to the audience but then apparently oblivious to Cannie, a frustrating pattern of parental ineptness. But then this all shifted in the closing chapters of the book. Joy grew up, and Cannie grew a little wiser – less perfect but wiser nonetheless. The result? As Peter beseeched his wife to do, Weiner wrote something this time with Certain Girls that is real. Oh, Cannie's still a plus-sized heroine, but, just as she now has more depth as a character in this novel, so, too, does Weiner's writing and plotting. Despite the improvements, however, this book is still only for a limited audience: women... and women who enjoy male bashing, male ignorance, and female empowerment, because Certain Girls is an apt title for this work, for it's certainly about girls, and a few boys are sprinkled in for angst and the furtherance of the plot. All in all, though, Certain Girls is a much stronger outing for Weiner. (less)

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Jun 22, 2012 Kristyn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner was definitely a roller-coaster. I disliked the first half of the book because I just couldn't fathom ever being 13 and hating my mom, and disrespecting her like Joy did, but I mean that was 8 years ago.. and I've heard I was the queen of attitudes, so I'm sure I was exactly like her.. maybe that's why I didn't enjoy reading about Joy. I have to admit though, the last half of the book definitely made me laugh, cry, and eventually smile.

"As the days piled up into...more Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner was definitely a roller-coaster. I disliked the first half of the book because I just couldn't fathom ever being 13 and hating my mom, and disrespecting her like Joy did, but I mean that was 8 years ago.. and I've heard I was the queen of attitudes, so I'm sure I was exactly like her.. maybe that's why I didn't enjoy reading about Joy. I have to admit though, the last half of the book definitely made me laugh, cry, and eventually smile.

"As the days piled up into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, and fall slid into winter, I realized one of the great truths about tragedy: You can dream of disappearing. You can wish for oblivion, for endless sleep or the escape of fiction, of walking into a river with your pockets full of stones, of letting the dark water close over your head. But if you've got kids, the web of the world holds you close and wraps you tight and keeps you from falling, no matter how badly you think you want to fall."

11 years later, following Good In Bed, Joy is now 13 years old and getting ready for her Bat Mitzvah with her parents, Cannie and Peter. She knows that Bruce is really her father, whoever, she wishes she had a 'normal' family, like her friend Amber's. I feel like she compares herself a lot to her friends, and is always trying to appear normal, whether it's with her family, or her appearance, without hearing aids. I think at that age many young teens just want a normal family and to be seen as normal. Yet you learn, without a doubt, that being original is what makes your family unique. She learns it a rather hard way, but I won't ruin it for you. As for Cannie, she is as overprotective as she can be, and also discovers herself along the chapters. Should she write another book? Should she have another baby, this time with Peter? Should she tell her daughter everything, including that risque book she wrote years ago? Although all these questions prove to be difficult to answer, they are eventually answered... with time, and with signs.. everything happens for a reason, even if we are blinded by tragedy and cannot see this reason. (less)

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Mar 01, 2012 Florinda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jennifer Weiner's fifth novel revisits her first. Good in Bed put Weiner on the map as a "chick-lit" superstar, but her books are something more than that, which is one of the reasons I really like her. Certain Girls picks up the story of Candace "Cannie" Shapiro and her daughter Joy, whose unexpected conception and premature birth were pivotal events in Good in Bed, twelve years later.

Twelve years later, Joy is on the cusp of her teens, preparing for her bat mitzvah, and deep in the throes of "...more Jennifer Weiner's fifth novel revisits her first. Good in Bed put Weiner on the map as a "chick-lit" superstar, but her books are something more than that, which is one of the reasons I really like her. Certain Girls picks up the story of Candace "Cannie" Shapiro and her daughter Joy, whose unexpected conception and premature birth were pivotal events in Good in Bed, twelve years later.

Twelve years later, Joy is on the cusp of her teens, preparing for her bat mitzvah, and deep in the throes of "I hate my mother." Cannie has been a devoted and attentive mother - and remains so, at just the time when her daughter wants her to start backing off. The popular crowd at school has suddenly started being attentive to Joy, and that makes her mother even more embarrassing...until (or because) Joy realizes that her mother is the reason for the attention. Cannie writes science fiction under a pseudonym now, but when Joy was a toddler, she published one book under her own name, a salacious semi-autobiographical novel called Big Girls Don't Cry. Joy didn't even know about the novel, but when she sneaks a copy and reads it, she recognizes enough about it that she feels that she's been deceived by her mother all her life, and that's just one more reason to be angry.

Cannie would prefer if Joy never read that novel, and it takes some time for her to realize that it's happened. She's always been very involved in Joy's life and protective of her, and now she's frustrated by her daughter's acting out and rebelliousness. At the same time, she's preoccupied by another unexpected family development. Her husband Peter, who isn't Joy's biological father but has always accepted her as his daughter, has decided that he wants to have a child with Cannie before they get too old (Cannie's already a few years over forty, and Peter is in his early fifties) - and that's one more thing Cannie is "protecting" Joy from knowing, at least for a while.

Weiner has chosen to use dual first-person narration, with alternating chapters told by Cannie and Joy, and I think it works really well. Each of the characters has a distinctive voice, and getting both of their perspectives on significant events in the story is enlightening; I thought that letting the reader see both sides was a particularly effective way of illustrating some of Cannie and Joy's frustrations and difficulties in communicating with each other. Having been a parent of teens (and not done yet), I could relate to both Cannie's blind spots about her daughter and Joy's self-centeredness - but by the end of the book, they've both made some progress.

I enjoyed Certain Girls, and Jennifer Weiner remains on my "author's I've got to read" list. She's a sharp and observant writer who creates characters that are smart, funny, flawed and human. Some parts of the story seemed a little far-fetched to me, but Weiner makes it all work, including the emotional connection. I enjoyed spending time with Cannie Shapiro again and getting to know Joy, and I think this book could generate some good discussion among, and between, mothers and teens.(less)

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Oct 03, 2011 Kim Smiley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Personally I liked "Good in Bed" better than the sequel, Certain Girls, but it was still a good book. I like when series books like this flash forward so you know what happened to the character. And here is Cannie, with Joy already 13 yrs. old and she is married to Peter as well.

Things start getting crazy when trying to plan Joy's bat mitzvah. Joy is being a typical 13 yr. old girl. She is just hating her parents, as her mom is just embarrassing to her and she wants to be able to do what she wan...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Patti from Charlotte added it · review of another edition

Though Jennifer Weiner in undoubtedly a fine writer, certainly in touch with the feelings of girls from preteen-age through older adult, I did not enjoy this tale as much as I had hoped. The problem for me was the manner in which she bounced back and forth from the main protagonist Cannie's voice to that of her young daughter, Joy. When chapters alternate from speaker to speaker, I find them to be quite interesting as a rule, but in this instance the 'voices' of the mother/daughter pair were so...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chicklit

A long coming sequel to another Weiner book, whose name is escaping me at this moment, which I read years ago and I liked, even if parts of it were a little far-fetched. Anyway, this book is about the Girl and her Daughter and told from their points of view, alternating chapters. The Daughter is in her bat mitzvah year and some of the ways she was written, just seemed a little old. Now if the Daughter was like 16, this book would have made more sense, but as a 12/13 year old? The dialogue was wr...more

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About Jennifer Weiner

Jennifer Weiner was born in 1970 on an army base in Louisiana. She grew up in Connecticut and graduated from Princeton University. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Central Pennsylvania, Lexington, Kentucky, and Philadelphia, before the publication of her first novel, GOOD IN BED, in 2001. She is the author of the novels IN HER SHOES (2002), which was turned into a major motion picture; LITTLE...more

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Quotes from Certain Girls

“The truth is, what I learned this year is that life is hard...Good people die for no reason. Little kids get sick. The people that are supposed to love you end up leaving.” — 27 people liked it

“Maybe it was inertia -or worse, fear- that was keeping me in the same place.” — 15 people liked it

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avg rating	preview: Certain Girls Goodreads rating: 3.60 (24359 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6298570-certain-girls?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327909843l/6298570.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6298570-certain-girls?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner[/url]

Certain Girls (Cannie Shapiro #2)

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