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Love: A User's Guide: A Novel
Working for Vogue, Amy spends her days dressing waif models in London’s latest apparel while fending off insults from the Gucci-garbed staff. Hardly the glamorous job she hoped it would be. But that won’t stop her from fantasizing about the sensational life she knows she’s destined for—or the prince who’s bound to redeem her from a less-than-glowing record in romance.
However, beneath her dreamy exterior, Amy has a sure streak of common sense. So when the impossible happens—and her path crosses that of London’s hottest film star—she swoons with longing, expecting nothing in return. But Orlando Rock has other ideas. For Amy is just the kind of girl he’s after: smart and witty, different from the daft supermodels and vain leading ladies he’s dated before. Or is she? For with fame, fortune, and true love just around the corner, Amy’s head is spinning, her jet-fueled imagination poised for takeoff. Is her love for Orlando stronger than her lust for the limelight—or is she merely fated to be the paparazzi’s latest prey?
However, beneath her dreamy exterior, Amy has a sure streak of common sense. So when the impossible happens—and her path crosses that of London’s hottest film star—she swoons with longing, expecting nothing in return. But Orlando Rock has other ideas. For Amy is just the kind of girl he’s after: smart and witty, different from the daft supermodels and vain leading ladies he’s dated before. Or is she? For with fame, fortune, and true love just around the corner, Amy’s head is spinning, her jet-fueled imagination poised for takeoff. Is her love for Orlando stronger than her lust for the limelight—or is she merely fated to be the paparazzi’s latest prey?
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 1997
10 people are currently reading
863 people want to read
About the author
Clare Naylor
10 books80 followersClare Naylor is the author of The Goddess Rules, Catching Alice, and Dog Handling, and the co-author of The Second Assistant with Mimi Hare. She lives in England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 20, 2020
Made it almost 100 pages in, and to me, that’s quite a feat. The writing was flowery and hard to read, and there wasn’t enough dialogue. Just an endless cycle of Amy’s stupid thoughts that made not a bit of sense.
dnf
June 22, 2018אז... עמוד 1.5 ואני פורשת... הכי מהיר שלי.
July 15, 2019
girl meets famous boy. girl and boy have a whirlwind romance. girl and boy think it will lead to something more. boy finds girl and boy on the frontpage of a newspaper. boy accuses girl. girl gets angry. girl leaves. fame goes to girl's head. boy tricks girl into coming back to him. boy and girl (presumably) live happily ever after...
really predictable, but a fun read...
really predictable, but a fun read...
December 15, 2018
Everybody in this frigging stupid story is unreal!!!!!
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November 11, 2025This book jumped around way too much from character to character making it hard to follow and it seemed to try way too hard to be overly descriptive.
July 31, 2011
Fuck, I really need to pick books I am interested in as lately it's been crap city. I am so bad, I am barely reading these books too. I just need to get through this stack that has been sitting around for months and get it back to the library and then I can take it slower next time and read quality over quantity. Anyway, this title sucked and does not represent the book at all. Takes place in the UK and some girl is like obsessed with like becoming a celebrity of some sort, as it seems most people in the UK tend to be, being famous for no reason. She works for some fashion mag and meets like the biggest celeb in the world and he likes her because she is "normal" and on the surface, not interested in him because he is famous. What little he knows! Anyway, part of it takes place in Australia (yay!) and then he is on the movie set and rumours come out that he is sleeping with his costar, which is so not true and the girl freaks out. Something else happens and everyone finds out that this "nobody" is dating the movie star and she loves the attention and they break up because of it (of course). She does all this tabloid stuff and of course, the movie star hates it. Somehow they get back together in the end, but I am sure it was lame, because I can't remember how it happens. Lame. Lame. Lame.
February 2, 2011
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book this bad. And when I say bad I mean stinky bad- filled with clunky writing, unrealistic characters, stupid plot. So I’m lying a bit when I count it as a book I’ve actually read- mostly I skimmed.
Amy works for Vogue in London. She’s beautiful and smart and funny and quirky and perfect and fashionable and and and. Orlando Rock is a movie star. He’s gorgeous and perfect and kind and hot and not even remotely stuck on himself.
Amy and Orlando meet on a beach (shortly after Amy has her first sexual encounter of the lesbian kind with someone who happens to be a dear friend of Orlando’s). He’s smitten. So is she.
What followes is a completely ridiculous courtship followed by even more ridiculous plot machinations aka tabloids which drive a temporary wedge between our lovers. Every once and a while the author speaks about the characters as if she’s some sort of benevolent angel watching over their love affair.
“…we have to make allowances for love and hope that the lesson they learn won’t be too painful.” (170)
Yeah okay- what about the pain you’re causing your readers, Ms. Naylor?
Amy works for Vogue in London. She’s beautiful and smart and funny and quirky and perfect and fashionable and and and. Orlando Rock is a movie star. He’s gorgeous and perfect and kind and hot and not even remotely stuck on himself.
Amy and Orlando meet on a beach (shortly after Amy has her first sexual encounter of the lesbian kind with someone who happens to be a dear friend of Orlando’s). He’s smitten. So is she.
What followes is a completely ridiculous courtship followed by even more ridiculous plot machinations aka tabloids which drive a temporary wedge between our lovers. Every once and a while the author speaks about the characters as if she’s some sort of benevolent angel watching over their love affair.
“…we have to make allowances for love and hope that the lesson they learn won’t be too painful.” (170)
Yeah okay- what about the pain you’re causing your readers, Ms. Naylor?
February 18, 2012
I'm only giving it 2 stars b/c i finished it. I had to b/c I'm reading an a-z list and this my 3rd N author book. I couldn't finish the other two books. This one gets two stars by default.
The characters were shallow, the plot was shallow, and I got lost in the writers point of view. Sometimes it seemed like it was written in 2nd point of view and sometimes 3rd point of view. I often had to re-read something b/c I got lost or actually lost interest and couldn't follow along.
I thought this would be a quick British chic-lit read and it took way too long.
I hope the author reads the reviews and learns from them.
The characters were shallow, the plot was shallow, and I got lost in the writers point of view. Sometimes it seemed like it was written in 2nd point of view and sometimes 3rd point of view. I often had to re-read something b/c I got lost or actually lost interest and couldn't follow along.
I thought this would be a quick British chic-lit read and it took way too long.
I hope the author reads the reviews and learns from them.
April 10, 2013
UGH!! This novel makes me want to stay away from chick lit books from now on. The title should have been Lust: A User's Guide.
Basically, simple Amy meets and falls in love (or lust, since all they do is have sex) with this hot, divorced actor Orlando Rock. The conflict in this story is the green-eyed monster that takes over Amy when she sees a picture of her actor prince charming with his foxy co-star.
The way I see it, Amy just wants to become famous herself; she's practically begging for everyone to notice her. This is the first time I've read a story wherein I really hate the main character.
Basically, simple Amy meets and falls in love (or lust, since all they do is have sex) with this hot, divorced actor Orlando Rock. The conflict in this story is the green-eyed monster that takes over Amy when she sees a picture of her actor prince charming with his foxy co-star.
The way I see it, Amy just wants to become famous herself; she's practically begging for everyone to notice her. This is the first time I've read a story wherein I really hate the main character.
June 11, 2009
I really didn't like this book very much. The story is written with a lot of British references that were hard to follow. The characters were okay but nothing great. The story was written in the third person which is usually very enlightening, but not in this case. It seemed as if there was someone trying to narrate the story that wanted to be funny, but failed. I skipped so many long written sections that did nothing to add to the story that I probably only read half the book, and still missed nothing.
March 26, 2008
It was hard to me to find into this story. I didn't like the book at the beginning and had to force myself to keep reading. But it got (a bit) better.
I didn't really like the Amy-character and her obsession for good press-coverage. Orlando on the other hand seemed likable, I always pictured Orlando Bloom in his role (I couldn't help it, since this name is not so common).
In the end I asked myself why Clare Naylor chose this title?? It's not a guide at all!!
I didn't really like the Amy-character and her obsession for good press-coverage. Orlando on the other hand seemed likable, I always pictured Orlando Bloom in his role (I couldn't help it, since this name is not so common).
In the end I asked myself why Clare Naylor chose this title?? It's not a guide at all!!
January 25, 2016
girl meets famous boy. girl and boy have a whirlwind romance. girl and boy think it will lead to something more. boy finds girl and boy on the frontpage of a newspaper. boy accuses girl. girl gets angry. girl leaves. fame goes to girl's head. boy tricks girl into coming back to him. boy and girl (presumably) live happily ever after...
really predictable, but a fun read...
really predictable, but a fun read...
March 1, 2016
This is a cute little book that takes only a few hours to read. There is drama, jealousy and sex; but not in a very, graphic manner. There is also glamor, and love. The end was unexpected but, not the final result. A few loose ends were never explained. I believe this book to be aimed more toward teenagers then my age group; which I won't give away.
April 15, 2009
This was a really cute book. It was pretty far fetched but I was entertained. Who doesn't want to work for THE fashion magazine and date the latest movie heartthrob?? It's great for those lazy sunday afternoons.
October 7, 2009
I didn't really like this one. I was disappointed, since I liked The Second Assistant so much. I found the characters thin, naive, egotistical, unbelievable (and yes, I know it's fiction), and the plot irritating.
June 28, 2010
I like Clare Naylor, but I want to shake her and ask why she created as unsympathetic and unlikeable a character as Amy. She doesn't deserve Orlando, sorry. A fun, witty book that fails to satisfy.
January 22, 2014
i liked the story but the way the author has of addressing the reader in the middle of a paragraph about whatever is happening to amy and orlando was really disconcerting and pulled me out of the fantasy that it was a real story and i was involved in it and not something i was just watching unfold.
July 20, 2007
I know I read this book and I liked it, but I am unable to come up with why I liked it!
August 26, 2007
Pure chick lit, frothy fun.
February 8, 2009
Cick-lit. A great beach read.
April 20, 2009
The heroine is completely TSTL. I couldn't recommend this book if my life depended on it. I actually threw it away, it was that bad.
July 18, 2009
Almost done - cute, light and fluffy.
I just can't give it more than 2 stars as it was so incredibly light - almost non-existant...fit what I wanted in a book at the time though!
I just can't give it more than 2 stars as it was so incredibly light - almost non-existant...fit what I wanted in a book at the time though!
December 27, 2010
Wow, this was awful. Even now, years later, I'm resentful of the time I spent on this book that I'll never get back.
September 29, 2013
lots of twist and turns and it definitely shows how you never can think any experience in life is the last
October 18, 2011
0 stars
October 1, 2012
didn't like the the first part of the book. The main character is a self-absorbed fame whore. k, nuff said.
January 27, 2014
awful. waste of my time.
August 29, 2016
Granted, this book had problems. But Amy was a unique character, and I had no idea what to expect next. It was fun, and wacky and very original. Wondering what else this author has out there.
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September 26, 2008DIDN'T LIKE WHOM THE MAIN CHARACTER TURNED INTO. COMPLETELY OUT OF CHARACTER.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews