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Finishing Touches
From the author of How to Meet Cute Boys comes a tragic comedy: the story of a woman who just might learn that life, like any good interior, can always use a little rearranging.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2006
8 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
About the author
Deanna Kizis
10 books14 followersDeanna Kizis is an author and journalist who could not put books down as a kid. She read them in the car, on vacation -- she even read them in the bath!
Now Deanna writes her own children's books, including PUGGLETON PARK, books 1 and 2 (ages 6 to 10), and a very silly picture book called PLEASE DON'T READ THIS BOOK!
She's a mom to a little girl who is also book obsessed, along with a cat, a dog, and a fish known as "Famous Fish" because he once slid down the drain while Deanna was cleaning his tank and she got him out and gave him mouth to gill resuscitation! (True story! It was gross!) Her favorite things include having a dance party, taking long naps, giving presents and eating chocolate. And reading, of course. Oh, and saving fish. Kind of.
Now Deanna writes her own children's books, including PUGGLETON PARK, books 1 and 2 (ages 6 to 10), and a very silly picture book called PLEASE DON'T READ THIS BOOK!
She's a mom to a little girl who is also book obsessed, along with a cat, a dog, and a fish known as "Famous Fish" because he once slid down the drain while Deanna was cleaning his tank and she got him out and gave him mouth to gill resuscitation! (True story! It was gross!) Her favorite things include having a dance party, taking long naps, giving presents and eating chocolate. And reading, of course. Oh, and saving fish. Kind of.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 8, 2018
Najbolja riječ koja opisuje ovu knjigu je: besmislena. Priča o curi koja se ne zna zauzeti za sebe, nema svoje mišljenje i nikada nikome ne kaže ne nego se samo sa svime složi i poslije se uvjerava da je i ona to baš tako htjela. Da ju sretnem, ošamarila bih ju. I u kojem je to svemiru okej spetljati se s mužem svoje mrtve najbolje prijateljice? Nikojem, eto kojem! A moram priznati da me prilično živcira taj uobičajeni tip 'najboljih prijateljica' iz chick lit romana, koji se sastoji od neugledne jadnice i kučkaste ljepotice koje zapravo jedna drugu baš i ne vole. Newsflash: onda baš i niste BFFs, zar ne? Dosadna, besmislena i doslovce glupa knjiga (dobro, možda ne baš knjiga, ali njeni likovi svakako). Čitajte na vlastitu odgovornost.
February 12, 2012
Finally, my first good chick-lit for the year.
I have a weakness for chick-lit with character development. Light, fluffy stories about a single gal trying to make something of herself and in the process finding love and true friendship.
While any old writer can write about wacky rom-com hi-jinks with a sassy single heroine, not everyone can write good chick-lit. By this I mean that - while wacky hi-jinks may ensue and the end does contain love - the character earned her happy ending by actually learning something from her misadventures and growing into a better person. She didn't trip over her fabulous shoes and just land on the lap of a rich dude who adores her.
By the end of Finishing Touches, as we follow Jesse trying to come to terms with the death of her best friend - including the realization that their friendship wasn't as perfect as she thought and was in someways holding her back, we really feel like we've seen a character grow and blossom into someone who deserves the good things she ends the book with.
Watching her deal with her grief in a realistic manner and break-out of patterns that were holding her back is at times bittersweet and poignant and just plainly makes her a character you can both root for and relate too.
One thing I will also remember this book and Jesse for is the fact that she's an interior designer. Sometimes chick-lit tends to give there characters "fabulous" jobs and career ambitions that are just. . . on paper, for Jesse, its really a part of her character.
Jesse describes her passion for design as wanting to make people feel that they can control and feel at home in at least one place, despite how messy the world may be.
Many times her thoughts on design are relayed to us in the course of the story, the descriptions of the rooms she envisions told to us in lavish detail. Its an interesting detail to Jesse's character and I must admit a new way of thinking of things for me.
Never really thought much about interior design or how important the spaces we occupy can be but. . . this book managed to make me think about it. And anytime a book can make you think. . . well it raises my estimation of it.
All in all, a nice light read with just enough depth to make it unforgettable. I would recommend it.
I have a weakness for chick-lit with character development. Light, fluffy stories about a single gal trying to make something of herself and in the process finding love and true friendship.
While any old writer can write about wacky rom-com hi-jinks with a sassy single heroine, not everyone can write good chick-lit. By this I mean that - while wacky hi-jinks may ensue and the end does contain love - the character earned her happy ending by actually learning something from her misadventures and growing into a better person. She didn't trip over her fabulous shoes and just land on the lap of a rich dude who adores her.
By the end of Finishing Touches, as we follow Jesse trying to come to terms with the death of her best friend - including the realization that their friendship wasn't as perfect as she thought and was in someways holding her back, we really feel like we've seen a character grow and blossom into someone who deserves the good things she ends the book with.
Watching her deal with her grief in a realistic manner and break-out of patterns that were holding her back is at times bittersweet and poignant and just plainly makes her a character you can both root for and relate too.
One thing I will also remember this book and Jesse for is the fact that she's an interior designer. Sometimes chick-lit tends to give there characters "fabulous" jobs and career ambitions that are just. . . on paper, for Jesse, its really a part of her character.
Jesse describes her passion for design as wanting to make people feel that they can control and feel at home in at least one place, despite how messy the world may be.
Many times her thoughts on design are relayed to us in the course of the story, the descriptions of the rooms she envisions told to us in lavish detail. Its an interesting detail to Jesse's character and I must admit a new way of thinking of things for me.
Never really thought much about interior design or how important the spaces we occupy can be but. . . this book managed to make me think about it. And anytime a book can make you think. . . well it raises my estimation of it.
All in all, a nice light read with just enough depth to make it unforgettable. I would recommend it.
November 14, 2010
Definitely a deeper kind of "love" story. Emotional roller-coaster. What happens when your best friend dies randomly in a car accident and you suddenly find yourself "enjoying" way too much time with her widower (who SHOULD have been yours in the beginning way back when)?? Not to mention that your surviving best friend (and third point to the pre-death tri-ad) calls you on it and refuses to approve long before you decide to head down an emotionally disturbing path that everyone but you can see . . .
January 8, 2009
Well, this book definitely makes you question things. How much would I crumble if my best friend died? Would I ever have the guts to live my dream? Would I ever be able to recognize a terrible situation over a convenient situation. It was a good book and well written, but honestly the thinking it made me do was kind of a bummer. In the end, the book has a great ending...but again makes me question if my life would have a great ending after tragedy.
September 1, 2016
Best chick lit book I have read in ages - I was wavering between giving this 4 and 5 stars so I would probably give it 4.5 stars if I could. Much more substantial and emotionally heart felt than your typical chick lit. It's about the aftermath after a woman's best friend is in a horrible car accident - don't want to say much more as I don't want to spoil the book.
October 15, 2008
Was good, just didn't end the way i wanted it to.
July 23, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. I would probably give it a 3.5. At times the characters got on my nerves a little--why isn’t Zach more understanding when Jesse is complaining about Bryn after her birthday party? But, I think sometimes guys just don’t get it!! I think that was the point in the novel when I decided I didn’t want Zach and Jesse to be together anymore; naturally, I was glad that the book ended like it did (although, it was kind of predictable; when Wyatt was introduced, I knew what would happen).
I liked at the end when Zach told Jesse, “we’re all a mess somehow” (page 276). I think it showed me that, in the end, Zach was a good friend. It was good that Zach realized Cecile wasn’t perfect, and he did a good thing by showing Jesse that at the end. I think it was messed up what she did in college.
The moral of the story to me is, don’t go out with anyone your friend has hooked up with or could possibly have a crush on. Ever. That was Cecile’s mistake. I think she shouldn’t have gone after Zach because she knew Jesse liked him and that’s just not being a good friend. But, Jesse should have been honest when Cecile asked about it.
I think Zach and Jesse tried too soon. If they would have waited until Zach was finished grieving (more than eight months people!) then I think it could have worked. Obviously they have feelings for each other, and have for ten years.
I felt so bad for Jesse when Zach tells her he wants the year back that he lost; he basically wants her to be Cecile and that’s not fair to Jesse (and also, kind of creepy—instead of putting work into a relationship, he has a relationship with someone he thinks will just instantly marry him and give him kids). I was so proud of Jesse when she realized she needed to end the relationship, and then actually went through with it. I can’t imagine how hard that was, and clearly she’s grown as a person throughout the book or else she would have never been able to do it.
I couldn’t believe that Bryn was pregnant and never told Jesse. Even if I was having issues with one of my best friends from college, I’d still tell them when I got pregnant! But, I think that testing a friendship is important. If you never have a fight, you never know if you’re really friends or not (it’s the same as being in a relationship, you have to fight sometimes!) I think with female friendships, breathing room can be important every now and again (This reminded me of a quote from Megan Crane’s Frenemies that basically says it takes not having women who understand us to realize there are so few women out there who will, and we need to hold on to those who do). I think Jesse and Bryn will probably be better friends now then they were before, because they’ve had time apart.
I liked at the end when Zach told Jesse, “we’re all a mess somehow” (page 276). I think it showed me that, in the end, Zach was a good friend. It was good that Zach realized Cecile wasn’t perfect, and he did a good thing by showing Jesse that at the end. I think it was messed up what she did in college.
The moral of the story to me is, don’t go out with anyone your friend has hooked up with or could possibly have a crush on. Ever. That was Cecile’s mistake. I think she shouldn’t have gone after Zach because she knew Jesse liked him and that’s just not being a good friend. But, Jesse should have been honest when Cecile asked about it.
I think Zach and Jesse tried too soon. If they would have waited until Zach was finished grieving (more than eight months people!) then I think it could have worked. Obviously they have feelings for each other, and have for ten years.
I felt so bad for Jesse when Zach tells her he wants the year back that he lost; he basically wants her to be Cecile and that’s not fair to Jesse (and also, kind of creepy—instead of putting work into a relationship, he has a relationship with someone he thinks will just instantly marry him and give him kids). I was so proud of Jesse when she realized she needed to end the relationship, and then actually went through with it. I can’t imagine how hard that was, and clearly she’s grown as a person throughout the book or else she would have never been able to do it.
I couldn’t believe that Bryn was pregnant and never told Jesse. Even if I was having issues with one of my best friends from college, I’d still tell them when I got pregnant! But, I think that testing a friendship is important. If you never have a fight, you never know if you’re really friends or not (it’s the same as being in a relationship, you have to fight sometimes!) I think with female friendships, breathing room can be important every now and again (This reminded me of a quote from Megan Crane’s Frenemies that basically says it takes not having women who understand us to realize there are so few women out there who will, and we need to hold on to those who do). I think Jesse and Bryn will probably be better friends now then they were before, because they’ve had time apart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2015
“Ketika seseorang yang dekat dengan kita meninggal, kita sering kali bertanya-tanya mengapa bukan kita saja yang meninggal. Kita mungkin merasa bahwa pasangan kita tak tergantikan, atau mungkin mendapati diri kita bersemangat untuk berkencan.” —Finishing Touch ‘Sentuhan Akhir’, hlm. 359
Jesse Holtz baru saja menyadari segalanya di umur 29, ketika seluruh kerabat dan para sahabat mempertanyakan alur hidupnya. Ia pikir, dirinya masih bisa bermain-main seperti SMA dulu. Punya dua sahabat keren, tanpa memedulikan kehadiran pria pendamping yang tepat. Semuanya sempurna. Jesse sudah terbiasa dengan label “pemain pendukung”. Menyemangati Cecile yang cantik dan glamor, pun Bryn yang pintar.
Cecile dan Zach; Bryn memilih berkencan dengan rekan sekamar Zach, David. Sedangkan Jesse adalah orang kelima dalam grup kencan ganda mereka. Hingga di suatu malam, Zach mengabarinya tentang kecelakaan lalu lintas yang menimpa Cecile.
Semua orang sempat menggantungkan harap tinggi-tinggi seperti yang dilakukan Jesse. Tapi, kecelakaan fatal itu malah merenggut nyawa sahabat terbaiknya. Jesse seketika itu menjadi linglung. Ia perlu seseorang untuk mengerti. Dan di saat yang sama, Zach pun membutuhkan seseorang untuk menghibur dirinya.
Zach dan Jesse. Gadis itu mulai mempertanyakan pertemuan mereka yang bermula di sebuah asrama kampus sepuluh tahun silam. Tentang pria menarik bermanik biru yang menggodanya di sisi api unggun. Jesse tidak seharusnya terlibat. Zach baru saja kehilangan Cecile, pun dirinya. Bukankah seyogianya mereka berkompromi? Tapi, bagaimana jika ia malah terperosok dalam perasaan-perasaan bodohnya di masa perkuliahan dulu? Dan jangan katakan kalau Zach juga ikut menaruh perasaan padanya.
Lucu, sedih, dan menyentuh. Tiga kata yang tepat untuk “Finishing Touches” karya Deanna Kizis. Dengan ide yang sederhana tapi berbeda. Saya sungguh menikmati kisah seorang Jesse yang tidak hanya berada di saat-saat lucu; kala ia berkelakar atau menghabiskan waktu dengan para sahabat. Tapi, ketika ia berada di bawah di-judge oleh banyak mata di sekelilingnya. “Finishing Touches” tidak bercerita seperti chicklit pada umumnya, bagaimana seorang perempuan kosmopolit hidup di tengah glamor kota. Dan bagaimana masalah cintanya yang konyol dan picis itu mulai diungkap dengan banyak ungkapan metonimia. Alih-alih, mengungkapan perjalanan hidup Jesse yang sarat realitas. Dengan konflik-konflik yang agaknya dikutip dari peristiwa yang banyak terjadi di tengah kehidupan bersahabat dan berumah tangga.
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September 23, 2011
Women want the fairytale. Not all women, of course, but most women grow up dreaming about the kind of man who would risk everything for them, even knowing they might get hurt (Nicholas Sparks)
Gak bisa dipungkiri, hampir semua wanita (termasuk gw) menginginkan hidup seperti Putri dalam kisah dongeng. Hidup susah di awal2 cerita, tapi lalu bertemu ksatria dengan kuda putihnya dan cerita berakhir dengan bahagia.
But life isn't a fairy tale, rite?
Tagihan bulanan, pekerjaan yang menggila, gaji yang (selalu) kurang, 30 and (still) single and so on, but that's life.
Deanna Kizis mungkin tidak setenar penulis chicklit lain, tapi setidaknya Deanna mampu menyusun cerita yang sangat down-to-earth, membaca buku ini gw ngrasa seperti membaca diary gw sndiri. Deanna dengan ringan menyadarkan gw (dan mungkin juga cewek2 lain di luar sana) bahwa hidup tidak selamanya indah. Kita harus mengalami berbagai hal buruk, kematian, rasa sakit, kecewa, marah, minder dan sebagainya agar kita dapat menghargai setiap hal baik yang kita dapatkan, termasuk menghargai bahwa alih-alih sang pangeran berwujud seorang kesatria dengan kuda putihnya, tapi malah muncul dalam wujud anak band selengekan dengan perut buncit.
Gak bisa dipungkiri, hampir semua wanita (termasuk gw) menginginkan hidup seperti Putri dalam kisah dongeng. Hidup susah di awal2 cerita, tapi lalu bertemu ksatria dengan kuda putihnya dan cerita berakhir dengan bahagia.
But life isn't a fairy tale, rite?
Tagihan bulanan, pekerjaan yang menggila, gaji yang (selalu) kurang, 30 and (still) single and so on, but that's life.
Deanna Kizis mungkin tidak setenar penulis chicklit lain, tapi setidaknya Deanna mampu menyusun cerita yang sangat down-to-earth, membaca buku ini gw ngrasa seperti membaca diary gw sndiri. Deanna dengan ringan menyadarkan gw (dan mungkin juga cewek2 lain di luar sana) bahwa hidup tidak selamanya indah. Kita harus mengalami berbagai hal buruk, kematian, rasa sakit, kecewa, marah, minder dan sebagainya agar kita dapat menghargai setiap hal baik yang kita dapatkan, termasuk menghargai bahwa alih-alih sang pangeran berwujud seorang kesatria dengan kuda putihnya, tapi malah muncul dalam wujud anak band selengekan dengan perut buncit.
July 26, 2007
I enjoyed this book for it's touch on reality. She writes in a way that makes you understand fully the emotions of the main character. I was conflicted on whether or not I like the reader's actions, but was compelled to see where her heart and the relationship would take her.
I read the book in about 5 days, reading whenever I could squeeze in the time. It isn't a typical take on romance, more of a sad, recovering and heartbroken romance turned positive, then negative, then recovering and finally turned to hope.
I read the book in about 5 days, reading whenever I could squeeze in the time. It isn't a typical take on romance, more of a sad, recovering and heartbroken romance turned positive, then negative, then recovering and finally turned to hope.
April 27, 2014
I hung in there and read up to 50 pages. If you have any medical knowledge whatsoever DO NOT READ THIS BOOK! I realize that having medical knowledge sometimes you have to push past what authors write and just look at the story but the story was poorly written... at best. Storylines are introduced that add nothing to the story. Spoiler alert, for a book about a girl grieving her best friend, the friend takes an awfully long time to die! My interest in the book died with Cecil.
September 7, 2008
I started reading this book on Thursday and finished it Friday night. For whatever reason, I couldn't quite reading it. I loved the characters and that while it was a Hollywood perfect ending, it was still a perfect ending. I think I liked it because there are friendships that are fleeting and others that are forever, but both help us define who we are.
September 29, 2008
This was an ok chick lit bus/train read. The main character, Jesse, is penned as your average twenty-something girl probably to get the reader to relate to her more which in some ways was accomplished and in other ways annoying. It became somewhat predictable, as most chick lit is but was entertaining also. Everything all works out in the end with a big red bow on it! As do our lives.
April 19, 2010
I loved this book! It was similar to "Something Borrowed" by Emily Giffin, with the same sort of story line and theme on friendships. I liked many things about this book and could really identify with the main character, a "wallflower" who figures out how to stop living in her best friend's shadow and really live her own life.
March 10, 2008
A genuinely good story about a woman recovering from the death of her closest friend. She turns to the best help she knows, her best friend's widower, but soon wonders if the two might be seeking the sparks to a new relationship. This one didn't end as I expected, and I appreciated that.
April 15, 2010
I really enjoyed this book! There were several characters constantly interacting so it felt like there was always something going on. I'm not sure what I would do in Jesse's situation, but it really gets you thinking about what happens when someone dies.
May 18, 2015
This turned out to be a really good book. I seen this book at a salvation army and I seen it again at a different one and I picked it up. I really enjoyed the humor and craziness that was written. I would recommend it.
November 6, 2007
I got this book in a gift bag for some event and just picked it up after a friend read it. I love it and cannot put it down. Story about friendship and relationships and loss.
March 13, 2008
Loved this! Very similar to Emily Giffin.
June 28, 2008
Kind of a strange story about a best friend's death, but it was alright.
August 12, 2008
a very good story, and the fact that it's about a topic that most people don't explore makes it even better. the ending was the best that there could be for it. totally recommend this one.
September 5, 2008
A decent quick read.
September 29, 2008
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick read.
January 30, 2009
Very light reading, cute but somewhat predictable
January 28, 2010
Loved it! I just picked this book with no idea what it was about. Its sad and makes you really think of the people around you and how would it feel to loose them.
May 13, 2011
Kemarahan akan menelanmu hidup-hidup. Percayalah. Satu-satunya cara untuk mengatasinya adalah dengan memaafkan.
January 13, 2012
This novel reflects how love really started with friendship, but sometimes friendships will end up evil because of too much love.
May 11, 2015
Interesting topic of conversation - how would you handle dating the widow of one of your best friends? I thought this was handled well and made a good story.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews