Girls Night Out

by Carole Matthews, Sarah Mlynowski

21 Stories from the Hottest Female Writers on the Scene Too tired to doll up and head out for a night on the town? It happens to the best of us. Dip into this fabulous collection to remember and indulge in tales of reunions and weddings, sisters and friends, endings and beginnings… Girls’ Night Out features a stellar lineup of fantastic writers, including Candace Bushnell ( Sex and the City ), Meg Cabot ( The Boy Next Door ), Emily Giffin ( Something Borrowed ), Sophie Kinsella ( Shopaholic series), Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus ( The Nanny Diaries ), and Lolly Winston ( Good Grief ). Other fabulous writers Cecelia Ahern, Maggie Alderson, Elizabeth Buchan, Lynda Curnyn, Jill A. Davis, Kristin Gore, Wendy Holden, Chris Manby, Carole Matthews, Anna Maxted, Sarah Mlynowski, Adele Parks, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, and Canadian writers Wendy French and Robyn Harding.

Genres: Chick Lit, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Romance, Contemporary, Adult Fiction

Paperback

First published May 26, 2006

About the author

Carole Matthews is an international bestselling author of hugely successful romantic comedy novels. Her unique sense of humour has won her legions of fans and critical acclaim all over the world.

A Minor Indiscretion and A Compromising Position both reached the Top 5 in the Sunday Times bestseller chart in the UK. You Drive Me Crazy reached number 8 in the original fiction charts. The novel Welcome To The Real World was shortlisted for RNA romantic novel of the year 2007.

In 2006 Carole co-edited - with writer Sarah Mlynowski - two new editions of the hugely popular Girls' Night In charity series called Girls' Night Out - one for the USA and one for Canada. All proceeds go to War Child.

Carole has presented on television and is a regular radio guest. When she’s not writing novels, television or film scripts she manages to find time to trek in the Himalayas, rollerblade in Central Park, take tea in China and snooze in her garden shed in Milton Keynes which is near London, England.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some good, some bad, and some I didn't bother to finish they started off that bad. The first few stories were pretty good, funny, clever and unique, but as the book progressed the stories seemed more and more depressing. At least with a collection of short stories you don't lose anything by dropping one "chapter" and moving to another (like you would in a book).

Fans of Sophie Kinsella and Meg Cabot might enjoy, but it was "so-so ok" in my opinion.

[Angela C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of these stories were okay, and some were bad. None were great. The best thing about this book is that it exposed me to other authors that I will check out in the future- at least the ones that wrote the okay stories. It was also nice to not be committed to a particular set of characters. A good book to read as a "break" in between heavier books.

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a DNF for me. I just can't get into the stories nor can I really relate to anything. I have too many other things I want to read so I have to learn to let some books go!

[Susan Oesterreich · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven’t finished the book yet. I do like the short stories and how different each story is

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book in the summer of Chick-Lit/Romance!
I love short stories - there's just something about being able to convey meaning and entertain in such a short framework that I adore. Plus if you hate a story - it's over quickly (though just as with books, I'm not afraid to ditch even a short story if it's awful). The other aspect I enjoy is that the short stories expose me to writers that I might otherwise ignore. Additionally, there are a few others whom I've found tedious before, but love in the short story format.
I'm 2/3rds through and so far I have enjoyed all of the stories - some more than others.
Here's a few that I like:

Reunion, by Meg Cabot. This short story consisted of a series of emails between two women discussing their 10 year reunion. The format was jarring at first, but then I really enjoyed it. The author was able to convey the story concisely - which I love! And it was a fun zippy little romance of sorts - even though the men were barely there.

Are you ready boots? by Maggie Alderson Zippy - at first I did not like, because I tire of the focus on high end brands of clothing. More Manolo Blahniks? Please! The author turned it around - and refocused on the importance of being yourself (even if it means an obsession with the Manolas) over the safety and security of a hot rich boy.

Saving Amsterdam by Chris Manby What can I say - I'm a sucker for travel romances. It was a hair predictable - the couple meets because their suitcases are confused at baggage claim. The attraction is instant. All I want to know - is why has this never happened to me while I'm traveling?

[Carol Balawyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

What first attracted me to this collection of short stories was the long list of the bestselling authors in romantic fiction: Candace Bushnell, Meg Cabot, Emily Giffin, Sophie Kinsella as well as new discoveries such as Cecelia Ahern. I loved Ahern's voice but also the manner in which she structured the story, beginning at the end, going through the middle and ending with her beginning. It’s a brilliant piece of short fiction.
Aside from the quality of the stories and their writers, Girls’ Night Out also serves a humanitarian purpose. “None of the authors or editors received any money for their stories. ..They all contributed out of the goodness of their hearts,” the editors state in their letter to the reader. All proceeds from this book go to War Child Canada www.warchild.ca in providing shelter, health car and education to children living in war-affected communities.
A shout-out to Carole Matthews and Sarah Mlynowski, not only for putting this collection together but also for their own smart stories.

[Risa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only read the story that meg cabot wrote cause that is the only one that i wanted to read and she is my favorite author. It was a good story but i wish there was more to cause we never get to find out what happens at the party.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book looking to add some authors to my to-read list and I'm glad I did! I didn't like all 25 stories but I'd say I really liked about half of them and the other half were a mix of okay/could-have-done-without reads (but each story is only about 10 pages long!) this book is a little dated though- for instance one story takes place in a video rental store (lol) overall I enjoyed this book.

[Jessica Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really about the Candace Bushnell/Sex and the City era of reading - and as this book had a really great New York launch it reminds me of life in the big city, looking for Mr. Big (or anyone who would come close, actually!) Superbly edited by Chris Manby, Carole Matthews (both well-known to British readers) and NY local Sarah Mlynowski it has that great, global, 'Girl' perspective from Ireland, with Marian Keyes and from the US, with Meg Cabot. Cocktails optional.

[Chelsea Galusky · Rating 4 out of 5]

GIRLS' NIGHT OUT

*A Thing of Beauty by Emily Griffin*

"Flowers are at the heart of every human drama. Births, funerals, and every milestone in between. I want to hear stories, and I want to create arrangements worthy of the people who share them."

[Josefa Wann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories, some better than others.

[Zoë · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the stories were good. Some were utter rubbish

[Sherri · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book, same stories as Girl's Night In. I gave up half way through

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed it

[Tiffeny · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fun, quick read of short chick lit stories. Some thoroughly entertained me, some were ok, but overall, it was enjoyable.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked most of these stories, although there were a few awful ones. I’d definitely read this again & just skip the bad ones.

[Denise Figueroa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished reading this book on Thursday, May 2, 2024.

[Marika Gillis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Girls' Night Out is a collection of short stories by popular chick lit authors such as Meg Cabot (The Princess Diaries), Cecelia Ahern (PS, I Love You), and Emily Giffin (Something Borrowed). Each story recounts a mid-twenty to mid-thirty- something female going through some quarter life crisis concerning a man, a job, or a must-have wedding.

Whether it's Nina, who quits her steady job and breaks up with her boyfriend of 4 years on the nondescript advice of her manicurist/numerologist in A Thing of Beauty, or Jamie, who will go to extremes in an attempt to break up another couple in order to secure the St. Charles hotel for her own dream wedding in Troublemaker, these female characters have no depth, very little likability, and stagnant personalities. Like most of the chick-lit genre that I've read, these stories do not scream out with any intelligence whatsoever but, on the flip side, the book is a quick and easy read. It's the kind of forgettable collection that is perfect for laying by the pool because you won't care when the laughing, dripping neighborhood kids splash water on your copy, and if the warm sun beating on your uplifted face causes you drift off in the middle of a story, no worries, it certainly won't be hard to catch up!

My personal favorite in a book filled with remarkably unremarkable tales is Reunion by Meg Cabot. Written entirely through e-mail messages, this humorous account tracks the correspondence between a few individuals as they discuss the plans for a high school reunion. More importantly, Reunion was the only story I- a thirty-something female who has worried about men, jobs, and a wedding- could relate to. It was the single gem in this unmemorable book.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories were a lot of fun!! Some stories were a little boring. Altogether not a bad collection of stories if you are in the mood for some short stories.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Usually I like anthologies. They give me a chance to discover new authors and I almost always like several stories. But with this book, now that I've finished, all I can remember are the bad stories. There were some ok stories, but obviously, nothing good stuck with me at the end. Maybe that's because while it started off okay, it just got more and more depressing by the end. As a result there's not a single author I would track down.

At some point there was a story that the author basically told me not to read in the first few paragraphs. So I followed her advice and skipped it. Why waste time on something someone doesn't want you to read?

Most of the characters weren't very likable. There was a Cinderella story where the "Cindy" finally opens her eyes and realizes her best friend is the man of her dreams, but when he doesn't call her immediately she turns to another man and surprise! gets caught by the 1st guy. The evil sisters never bothered to pass on his phone messages. Bimbo gets dumped, and settles for the 2nd guy. Good, glad you're unhappy, you deserved it. Blech.

Basically, if this was a girls' night out, I'd have gone home early.

[Adriana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really 3.5 stars.
This book reads like a tasting menu for female authors (chick-lit) so you can get a sense of their writing styles and maybe discover a new author to follow.
Like pretty much every anthology I’ve ever read, it’s hard to comment on it as a whole. Some of the stories were wonderfully written and I would have liked to get more of them, while others were depressing or just so uninteresting that they made want to stop reading altogether. It continually seemed like the stories I was most interested in where the shortest ones and the ones that I struggle to finish had more pages.
In the end, I wouldn’t recommend reading it as a whole but rather keeping it as a palette cleanser between books or for those times when you just want to read a short story before starting in on a new book.
An interesting aside is that it helped me discover just how similar/predictable pretty much all stories in this genre are.

[Jaclyn Cannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of short stories, at least 20 stories, written by different authors. No one was paid, the proceeds of this book benefited War Child and No STrings, which are humanitarian organizations/charities, which initiate aid programs for children in need around the world. I didn't buy this book, it was actually given to me by a friend. I didn't read the stories in order, just picking a different story everytime I opened the book. Some stories where clean in content and language, heartwarming,charming, and funentertainment. Then there were some stories that had bad language, nasty content, and just plain trash. So although there were some good stories, I guess I am growing weary of filtering the trash to get some entertainment. I was sorry that the editors included the trashy stories, because the cause was a noble one.

[Kourtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a while I was going to rate this 4 stars. I am not one for short stories as I always feel like I'm left with a "what happens next" feeling, but I started reading this book at a time when I was having trouble committing to a longer story. These short stories really hit the spot. What made me take away the fourth star? Toward the end, the stories starting taking a negative turn! I would finish one and think "wait...WHAT?!?! Did I just read what I think I read?!?!" And yes...I did. The last story though redeemed everything.

You know what...come to think of it I will give that fourth star back! Kudos to the authors for not always churning out that happily ever after every time! Gives the reader a mixture of everything!

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm thinking that romance isn't really a great genre for a short story. What I like - the development of a relationship - just doesn't have room to grow in a short story. Those that do try to develop a whole relationship fall flat because so much gets skipped. There were a few stories in this book that I thought were okay. There were several that were dull. And there were quite a few that I just didn't like at all. I kept reading because since each is told by a different author, I wanted to give each one a separate chance, but I really should have given up as no story satisfied me and I just became frustrated during each one.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of the top chick lit authors are represented in this collection of twenty-five short stories, as well as some newer authors. Meg Cabot’s story about two friends dreading their ten year high school reunion is told in email format, while Irish author Cecelia Ahern tells her story backwards. Emily Giffin’s contribution features a woman who listens to her manicurist’s numerological advice and makes three drastic changes to improve her life. A well-rounded collection of chick lit, with something to please almost everyone.

[Bella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not something that I would normally pick up, I usually go for nonfiction books about the 1940's. But I could not resist the purple blue cover with the New York city illustrations. I was looking for a quick read something light and fluffy, and I found it. I loved most of the stories, to my suprise the authors that were more well known were big let downs. They seemed to give these short stories an afterthought. I definetly recomend this book to anyone that likes something fast, light, whitty, and above all a lot of fun.

[Kristie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories were good, but it seemed like quite a few of them had unhappy endings. Not that every story should have a happy ending, but this wasn't nearly as much "fun" as Girls' Night In was, and I guess I was expecting more of the same. Overall, though, I liked the writing of most of the stories and there were at least a couple where even though they didn't have happy endings, I rather enjoyed and appreciated the morals of the stories.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was somewhat disappointing. A lot of the stories were no fun at all, a key criteria for chick lit IMHO. Some seemed to be throwaways by their authors. My favorite was Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez's story (no spoilers), and of course, Marian Keyes who's the per-eminent British chick lit author these days. Clearly MIA was Sophie Kinsella. But I wouldn't totally pan it because there were some cute stories too.

[Katie Cacchioli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book looking to add some authors to my to-read list and I'm glad I did! I didn't like all 25 stories but I'd say I really liked about half of them and the other half were a mix of okay/could-have-done-without reads (but each story is only about 10 pages long!) this book is a little dated though- for instance one story takes place in a video rental store (lol) overall I enjoyed this book.

[Jos · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a collection of 21 short stories by American and British women writers. If you're interested in this genre and want to discover new authors, Girls' Night Out provides a starting point. However, many of these stories do not reflect what some of these authors are capable of writing. A few stories are worth reading - try Emily Giffin's (I can see this being made into a movie).