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On the Verge
Poised on the brink of either a new relationship, a trendy new life, or a nervous breakdown, twenty-three-year-old Jersey girl Eve Vitali, administrative assistant for a bicycle magazine, searches for something more then surfing the Net, partying, and casual dating—a hilarious quest that forces her to realize her full potential.
304 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
November 11, 2012
This is one of those books that found me at the perfect time - I saw so much of myself in this book, it felt nice to have a companion as I tackled the same moment in time of my life!
August 13, 2012
Hilarious!! This book grabs your attention from the first line to the last page. Highly amusing and worth the time to read it.
February 21, 2009
I liked this book. As with most Red Dress Ink books it is pure chick lit, which I love. Here was my only complaint- and I know it is going to make me sound like a huge prude. The amount the women in this book drink seems completely ludicrous to me. I am only a few years older than them, and, while I am undeniably in a different place in my life, I was still blown away by them getting drunk almost every single night. Like fall down black out drunk. Oddly enough that did not really play into the plot of the novel, and it was a good enough novel, that just sort of bugged me.
May 13, 2020
This book was a simple chick-Lit and I had a great time reading it! I really enjoyed being inside Eve’s head experiencing her life and inner most thoughts. She was sarcastic, humorous, and a bit selfish. She wasn’t a great character but wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Tabitha. Roseanne was my favorite, I wish the author would have engaged her more than Tabitha. I wish there was more revelation with Tabitha rather than the fact that she was just poor and started her own *ahem* website. Some down parts were I struggled with were when the author was changing scenes (it wasn’t always clear) and there were some slight typos. I did find some pieces of the story slightly predictable such as the title of the magazine, Lacey’s promotion, and her relationship with Rob/Todd. Over all, I would recommend this read to anyone looking for a light story to submerge themselves in- I found myself getting sad towards the end as I parted with Eve!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2021
This book is a whole time capsule! Back to a time of landlines and no uber. Being someone who works in an office i found myself obsessing over shit like printing of emails.. who prints out emails! . This book to me was like a better version of sex and the city - these girls where fabulous & fun but messy as hell too.
July 15, 2019
Chick-lit. Fun to read.
September 20, 2024
read this book in my 20s and really enjoyed it but now... not so much. Trying to clear out my bookshelf... this is a start.
January 16, 2015
‘On The Verge’ is about Eve Vitali, an administrative assistant who loves writing and dreams of having her own magazine. However, she feels as though she’s stuck in a rut.
The author does a good job of portraying the nature of Eve’s job as well as office politics. Eve’s job is basically somewhat of a combination of a receptionist and secretary. She books meeting rooms, informs people about meetings, deals with requests pertaining to office supplies etc. Basically she is assigned to mundane tasks which are repetitive while waiting for the opportunity to write. Her colleagues are also described well enough for me to have an idea of what they’re like, hence adding life into the story. The ‘reorganization’ was well-written with realistic reactions and consequences.
Friendship is another central theme in the book. Eve’s friends, Roseanne and Tabitha are distinctive and supportive. Roseanne works in finance, works out and is a great cook while Tabitha works at the same place as Eve, is outspoken and basically the cool one. I just didn’t quite like the fact that there were many times in the book where they were drinking and got drunk. I don’t find it fun to read about people getting drunk – there’s nothing funny and it comes across as repetitive. It would have been better to imply that they drank and focus more on Eve’s dream.
It was odd that although Eve supposedly really wanted to create her own magazine, she didn’t do much about it. I understand that she would feel overwhelmed, not knowing where to begin but instead of constantly drinking, she could have done more like research to find out how to start a magazine. Her applications for jobs involving writing were convincing but I felt like she was quick to give up. I also didn’t understand the need for the subplot involving her mother’s . It had no bearing on the story.
The romance was really disappointing for me. I personally felt that she and would have been great together compared to her and . I thought it was ridiculous for Eve to feel like . Having her end up with .
However, I enjoyed the book for the most part especially Eve’s phone call to Tabitha, pretending she was calling someone to settle Lacey’s computer issue. The book was funny and interesting. Plus, the ending was satisfying and realistic.
The author does a good job of portraying the nature of Eve’s job as well as office politics. Eve’s job is basically somewhat of a combination of a receptionist and secretary. She books meeting rooms, informs people about meetings, deals with requests pertaining to office supplies etc. Basically she is assigned to mundane tasks which are repetitive while waiting for the opportunity to write. Her colleagues are also described well enough for me to have an idea of what they’re like, hence adding life into the story. The ‘reorganization’ was well-written with realistic reactions and consequences.
Friendship is another central theme in the book. Eve’s friends, Roseanne and Tabitha are distinctive and supportive. Roseanne works in finance, works out and is a great cook while Tabitha works at the same place as Eve, is outspoken and basically the cool one. I just didn’t quite like the fact that there were many times in the book where they were drinking and got drunk. I don’t find it fun to read about people getting drunk – there’s nothing funny and it comes across as repetitive. It would have been better to imply that they drank and focus more on Eve’s dream.
It was odd that although Eve supposedly really wanted to create her own magazine, she didn’t do much about it. I understand that she would feel overwhelmed, not knowing where to begin but instead of constantly drinking, she could have done more like research to find out how to start a magazine. Her applications for jobs involving writing were convincing but I felt like she was quick to give up. I also didn’t understand the need for the subplot involving her mother’s . It had no bearing on the story.
The romance was really disappointing for me. I personally felt that she and would have been great together compared to her and . I thought it was ridiculous for Eve to feel like . Having her end up with .
However, I enjoyed the book for the most part especially Eve’s phone call to Tabitha, pretending she was calling someone to settle Lacey’s computer issue. The book was funny and interesting. Plus, the ending was satisfying and realistic.
January 21, 2016
This book was about a girl about my age living in New York and trying to figure out her life. She gets drunk a lot, hangs out with her two best friends, and works her dead end job. There are only like 9 chapters in this book and they are ridiculously long. In the end, she starts a new kind-of relationship and quits her job to start her own magazine. I don't think I would read this book again but for a one time read, it was entertaining.
April 23, 2015
This book was a great book to read because I was traveling and had to keep putting it down and picking it back up. There isn't a great plot, and to be honest, some of the "revelations" the character has about herself seemed baseless to me. I wouldn't say NOT to buy it if you want to have a fun read, but it certainly isn't something I would recommend.
August 20, 2007
I enjoyed Bundle of Joy by Papas, but this one was forgettable. I couldn't even tell you what it was about. There were spelling errors and run-on sentences. I could tell it was a rushed publication. BOO.
January 1, 2008
really funny, especially the part about david letterman. this book reminds me of the movie "mujeres al bordo de un ataque de nervios", a great movie, with antonio banderas in his twenties. 'nuff said.
March 20, 2008
This was a post-college read, before I was aware of the vast expansion of "chic-lit". I definitely related to the young ambitious tone of a recent graduate, but beyond a lot of the light reads I've done since, I still recall this one having particularly fun and witty writing.
February 8, 2009
Part of the Red Dress Ink series operating under Harlequin...need I say more??? In all seriousness, it was a fun read. Perfect book to have taken on my cruise. It's kind of like chocolate-a guilty pleasure. It's completely predictable and cheesy, but entertaining.
February 22, 2009
There were some witty parts, and even though the characters were not well fleshed out, I still wanted to know what happened to them. I spent too much time trying to figure out what year the story was set in - I'm guessing the late 90's.
November 1, 2009
This was Ariella's first book. I found the writing to be cluttered and the chapters (by month), too long. I found it difficult to separate the storyline. I will try another of hers, but this one I wouldn't read again.
December 9, 2009
Not a whole lot seemed to happen and what did happen was strange. The whole thing with the underwear seemed like it was just thrown in there. Not much build up or explanation for things. But, an easy read with a sweet main character.
July 31, 2010
This is one of the better chick lit books I have read in a long time. The characters were believable and the situations that they got into weren't far-fetched silly escapades that you see in many books of this genre.
June 21, 2011
Leggero ed intrigante come tutti i libri della Red Dress Ink che ho letto.
Sarà perché li ho letti tutti quanti d'estate, ma mi viene proprio da consigliarli come estivi. Questo libro è fresco, divertente, dinamico. Un modo carino per passare con spensieratezza qualche ora del proprio tempo.
Sarà perché li ho letti tutti quanti d'estate, ma mi viene proprio da consigliarli come estivi. Questo libro è fresco, divertente, dinamico. Un modo carino per passare con spensieratezza qualche ora del proprio tempo.
September 20, 2013
At first, I thought it is another 'Devil wears Prada' story, but later I realized it is completely different. Though both are based on publishing industries, the approach and characters are really different. Overall, an interesting book, not great but not a waste of time.
November 13, 2013
This is a chick-lit book about 3 twenty-something year old girls finding their way in NYC. Lots of drinks, sex, and griping about their jobs. I thought this read would be more fun than it turned out. I may have lost a few brain cells- much like these girls with all of their hangovers.
June 13, 2007
An okay read. Not very impressed with this author's style. Story was just ho-hum.
July 12, 2007
This was a great post-college read about a single woman living in the city. Definitely chick-lit, but better than most.
August 12, 2007
A fun, yet unsubstantial, girly book. A fast and entertaining read.
January 2, 2008
A cute, quick read. It's light material but nice to relate to if you're a recent college graduate.
January 17, 2008
Fantastic book. Remains one of my favorites.
December 6, 2008
A cute chick lit story with a likable heroine.
January 2, 2009
Fun chick lit, brainless read. About a girl who moves to NYC and works for a magazine, has crazy girlfriends, parties, and switches around with guys....like I said, typical chick lit.
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June 25, 2010Loved this book. My kind of read. Got me hooked on Red Dress Ink
August 22, 2011
Eh... It was ok. It felt dated and cliched in so many different ways. I've read the same story elsewhere, but done so much better.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews