book data
762 ratings, 3.43 average rating, 71 reviews
(more data...)
edit
published
June 1st 2001
by Arrow
binding
Paperback, 464 pages
isbn
0099410192
(isbn13: 9780099410195)
description
From the bestselling author of Getting Over It.
Anna Maxted’s trademark mix of laugh-out-loud funny and poignancy works its magi...more
Anna Maxted’s trademark mix of laugh-out-loud funny and poignancy works its magi...more
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »
friend reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 926)
Read in November, 2007
A week ago I had my 4th ´Bookcrossing-Birthday, and this book has been on my shelf almost all those years (since Dec 2004). Although it did sound interesting, I somehow never came around to read it. Can't explain why, only that there are always soo many books to choose from...
Since I couldn't decide what to read next, I decided to read my "oldest" BC-Book (meaning being longest on my shelf), and I guess this is it.
Now, the story was indeed very interesting, funny, amusing, enter...more
Since I couldn't decide what to read next, I decided to read my "oldest" BC-Book (meaning being longest on my shelf), and I guess this is it.
Now, the story was indeed very interesting, funny, amusing, enter...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in November, 2007
I'm a fan of Anna Maxted and loved Behaving Like Adults and Getting Over It. I was looking forward to Running In Heels but unfortunately it just didn't do it for me like the others did. This was in large part because I had a hard time identifying with Natalie, the main character. Throughout the first half of the novel I was dying to tell her to grow a backbone. And through the second half I just wanted to say enough already. It's hard to empathize when you don't truly understand the problem...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2007
ok i finished it. (spoilers ahead, in case you need to know) almost threw it aside a few times, but i got sucked in at the end. tried to squeeze way to much in- family issues, relationship troubles (3 different boyfriends in one book), friendships. and then the main character all of the sudden has an eating disorder that was revealed half way through the book and hardly was foreshadowed at all. to top it off it was talked about by the characters pretty lightly in the book but the behaviors descr...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2005
recommended to Miss Michael by:
my roomaterecommends it for: girls. Pretty much, if you are a dude, you aren't going to like this.
This is my favorite book by this author. It's possible that it's because it's the first one I read. It's also possible that it's because the character is a bit of a dork, in that she references television like nobody's business. She also shares my passion for Nutella (hazelnut spread). It's the little things, no?
I digress . . . the bottom line is, this book makes me laugh hard enough to look like a crazy person when I read it in public. At the same time, it is laced with a serious side that ...more
I digress . . . the bottom line is, this book makes me laugh hard enough to look like a crazy person when I read it in public. At the same time, it is laced with a serious side that ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2008
I really liked this book. I could identify with the main character, Nat, and her compulsions. I felt it wasn't as light as some chick-lit can be, and this was a bonus for me.
The characters were quirky but well defined. - ie Babs was a firefighter who had struggled to become accepted in her job, her new husband one of the lads. I liked all the characters, even the 'user' Chris and the boring Saul. Maxted made them all interesting.
Although the story and ending was probably somewhat pre...more
The characters were quirky but well defined. - ie Babs was a firefighter who had struggled to become accepted in her job, her new husband one of the lads. I liked all the characters, even the 'user' Chris and the boring Saul. Maxted made them all interesting.
Although the story and ending was probably somewhat pre...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I thought this book was going to be a chiclette book and found it to address a very sensitive topic. I really respect the author.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Anna Maxted writes chick lit books with a bit more substance even though they might not appear that way on the surface. In this book the main character is upset that her best friend is getting married and she's worried about not being able to call her at all hours anymore and all that other stuff so she's having a hard time. Then as you keep reading you realize that she also has a pretty severe eating disorder which kind of comes at you as a surprise probably because it's really kind of downpl...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in September, 2007
A beach read, for sure. I'm normally a big fan of chick lit, but [spoiler alert...although it wouldn't totally ruin a reading:] the protagonist's anorexia is handled a little sloppily for my taste. Maxted has the symptoms of anorexia down to a tee, which is exactly my problem. I think the fewer "how to" manuals we give young women about disordered eating (someone with a problem could gloss over Natalie's protein-deficiency-induced hair loss and start imitating her workout regimen), the...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in November, 2008
recommends it for:
Candice
THis was a really good book. I wasn't expecting much but it pleasantly surprised me.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
this book picked up at the end, but several things about it annoyed me... one was the reference to the Toy-Boy (vs the boy toy) until i talked to some scottish girls and apparently thats the term used in the UK. anyways, at times it is quite trite and i got very annoyed with the main character. however, towards the end it got a bit better. def. not one i'd recommend commonly, tho. I read it b/c I was out of unread English language books in greece.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in December, 2007
this book was a fun read and kept my attention. it also made me angry. it basically supports anorexia as the main character has a terrible case. no one suggests she seek treatment. people kind of try to make her eat. mostly, though, EVERYONE falls in love with her in a state so bad her hair is falling out. i've heard other books by this author are better, and i will give them a chance. this one, though, is enough to give anyone a calorie complex.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in September, 2007
I found this book extremely frustrating. Natalie, who is so thin it is borderline gross, gets all the guys and is the most attractive one (and blond, even though her hair is falling out), while Babs, who is "normal", has marital difficulties. and her husband makes a move on Natalie! However, i am giving it two stars because even though i disliked it, i felt compelled to finish it. also, i felt it was creepily easy to identify with Natalie.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
Entertaining but shallow. Not that chick lit in general is really deep, but the characters in this one were particularly easy to get disgusted with. I would say that I enjoyed it for what it was, but probably wouldn't read anything further by this author. There are more funny and better-written chick lit books out there...for those who are interested in this author, Getting Over It is a better book overall.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I would not recommend this book to anyone that is overweight or has been. I would to anyone who has struggled with eating disorders. I think I did not like this story because I could not stand the "selfishness" of the character. I could never have stood her in real life, and I couldn't sympathize with her. she seemed to be jealous and petty and it was hard to excuse her for it even with her disorder.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in September, 2007
Anna Maxted’s second novel is even better than her first. Once again, you will laugh and cry with the main character, Natalie, who is struggling with a whole list of issues, and anorexia is just the tip of the iceberg. Join her on her journey to become healthy and beautiful – both outside and in. It’s a feel-good book with a real-time message. It’s a great story and a great read.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Again, Maxted slips some heavy issues into what should be a fun British-single-gal romp through life story (which is what chick-lit is, essentially).
But its good, its entertaining and sometimes even thought provoking.
I'd rather read Shopaholic though.
But its good, its entertaining and sometimes even thought provoking.
I'd rather read Shopaholic though.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in October, 2008
Got this at a book sale, intrigued by the title but never having read this author before. Reminds me of Bridget Jones' Diary in that the protagonist is a single female with self esteem issues, constantly questioning herself and her relationships...
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Chick lit is chick lit. just the main characters name changes.
I read it, i liked it. But id be at a loss to describe it, its been years since i opened it, and it just doesnt stick out in my mind...
A quick easy read that is easy to forget.
I read it, i liked it. But id be at a loss to describe it, its been years since i opened it, and it just doesnt stick out in my mind...
A quick easy read that is easy to forget.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2002
I remember reading this novel, my first Anna Maxted, and laughing out loud. There was just something about this novel that at the time in my life when I read it, it just fit. So, I naturally went looking for more Maxted's...
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
At first I did not like this book it was not what I expected. I thought it was a light fun chick-lit/romance. When I read it the for the 2nd time I found the book to be very insightful into the world of eating disorders.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
to-read
(on 111 people's shelves)
chick-lit (on 26 people's shelves)
chicklit (on 19 people's shelves)
currently-reading (on 17 people's shelves)
fiction (on 10 people's shelves)
books-i-own (on 3 people's shelves)
fluff (on 3 people's shelves)
british (on 3 people's shelves)
favorites (on 2 people's shelves)
adult-books (on 2 people's shelves)
More shelves...
chick-lit (on 26 people's shelves)
chicklit (on 19 people's shelves)
currently-reading (on 17 people's shelves)
fiction (on 10 people's shelves)
books-i-own (on 3 people's shelves)
fluff (on 3 people's shelves)
british (on 3 people's shelves)
favorites (on 2 people's shelves)
adult-books (on 2 people's shelves)
More shelves...
groups with this book
