I was in the middle of writing a delightfully snarky review of this book when something happened and the whole thing got erased. I am so mad right now, but I'll try to remember what I had written...

I really need to stop reading chick lit. Every time I do, I am disappointed and angry.

I Remember You by Harriet Evans is no exception to this rule. And it is about twice as long as most chick lit books I've read. This book clocks in at nearly 450 pages. I am not afraid of long books, by any means, but this book was unnecessarily long. Most chick lit books, I think are fine being no more than 300 pages. When I got to page 300 in this book, I thought I should be done, but I still had 150 pages to go!

The premise of the novel is simple enough. Tess is moving back to her hometown to teach at the local college after living in London for 13 years. Adam, her best friend from childhood, still lives in the town and has squandered his talent by tending bar and working in the Jane Austen museum. (It's English chick lit, of course Jane Austen's got to be there somewhere.) Of course, everyone in the town has always believe that Tess and Adam belong together. Except for Tess and Adam.

Now, that right there is a pretty solid premise for a mediocre chick-lit novel. You could have that thing whipped out in 250 pages or less. But Evans has decided to prolong the agony, er, story, by adding in all kinds of weird plot twists and back stories. I guess maybe she was trying to stand out from the norm? She throws in stuff like a trip to Rome, a hot American boyfriend, a mysterious relative. All of these pieces keep getting swirled around and around until the reader is not sure where this is going or if it will ever end. I mean, of course we know that this has to end with a happily ever after, but will we EVER get there? Argh.

Anyway, I pounded through the last 100 pages tonight. I just couldn't take it anymore. No more chick lit for me. Ugh.