The Whitney Chronicles: The Whitney Chronicles, Book 1 (Life, Faith & Getting It Right #1)

The Whitney Chronicles #1

by Judy Baer

Her mother, sister and friends (?) fear spinsterhood may be thirty-year-old Whitney Blake's fate. And while she doesn't believe she'll be weaving tablecloths, Whitney wonders if Mr. Right will ever arrive. Deciding to be more proactive, Whitney starts a journal, stating her "This month--Lose two pounds (sensibly). GET ORGANIZED. Start by cleaning closets. Have friends over for dinner. Pray more, obsess less." It must be working--suddenly there are several men in Whitney's life. But are any of them marriage material, or is "fabulous, single, Christian man" an oxymoron?

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Chick Lit, Christian, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

432 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

aka Judy Kaye

Judy Baer was born and grew up on a farm on the prairies of North Dakota, USA. An only child, she spent most of her days with imaginary people-either those she read about or those she made up in her head. Her most ambitious conjuring did not succeed, however. She kept a clean stall with hay and oats for the horse she imagined would come but unfortunately, it never did. As an adult, however, she managed to make that dream come true and raised foundation quarter horses and buffalo for some years. A voracious reader, Judy learned to read with comic books, anything from Little Lulu and Superman to the Rawhide Kid. She sold her first story for $10.00 to a farm magazine. She still has the $10.00.

She graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota with a major in English and education and a minor in religion. At the time, she was simply studying what interested her, but now realizes that she was educating herself for her future career as an inspirational christian romance writer.

Judy wanted to write for Harlequin even in high school but it wasn't until her youngest child learned to say "No" that she realized that she'd better consider a second career to fall back on when mothering was done. Her first book was written with her little girl on her lap. Judy would type a few words, say "Now, Jennifer," at which time her daughter would hit the space bar before Judy continued typing. It wasn't the fastest way to work, but it offered a lot of mother-daughter time together. An over-achiever, she's written 71 books for various publishers. The mother of two and step-mother of three, she now has lots of family to enjoy.

In 2001, she went back to school and became a certified professional life coach. Currently she is working on her Master's in Human Development in the areas of writing, coaching and spirituality and writing inspirational Chick Lit which, she says, is the most fun she's ever had writing.

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, so cute! I bought this because of the plotline and the cover! Lately I've needed some light reads, and while this one satisfied me on that account, it also had some really spiritual content that was encouraging. A few times I wanted to remind Whitney to be careful with her heart, but compared to some books, I felt she actually deal with the issue of her hearts wanderings, rather than just acting like the guy(s) were to blame ;) So yeah! Seeing the perspective of a thirty-year-old struggle with singleness made me wanna hug her, but it was fun to see how things ended. Definitely want to read more by this author soon :)

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls)]

"Million Dollar Dilemma" by this author is easily one of my all-time favorite books. I also enjoyed "Norah's Ark". So, I think that's why I've been slightly avoiding this book since I bought it over six years ago. I knew it wasn't going to be my cup of tea.

I've attempted to read it before, but I got the farthest in today (about 50 pages) and decided to officially DNF it. Whitney seemed like a nice person, but because this is set in a journal style point-of-view, it was a little too much in her head. Lots of her commenting on her weight, going on a diet, counting calories, wearing her "fat pants". When in reality, she's probably fine. I wish I could tell her to count the healthy foods she eats in a day instead of the calories. The faith content was fine, but it all seemed to be not as prevalent (at least in the part I read) compared to her weight comments and trying to find a man so she isn't a "spinster" for long.

Because I do own the second and third books in the series, I went ahead and skimmed the second book, but it still didn't grab my interest or attention like I hoped.

So, yes, this wasn't my new favorite book by this author, obviously, but that's okay. I'll reread "Million Dollar Dilemma" again and again anyway. ;)

Content: (up to what I read)
Ephesians 5:15-17 at the beginning; Scriptures are read, mentioned, & written in a journal; Bible studies; Talks about God; 'H's are capitalized when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of Bible reading; Mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, hymns, Sunday school, youth groups, plays, & Bible studies; Mentions of Christians; Mentions of those in the Bible.

two 'stupid's; Sarcasm; A couple mentions of celebrities (Oprah), A mention of GQ; A few mentions of designer brands.

Mentions of dating & wanting to date; Many mentions of women’s figures (Whitney comments on her own often), curved, weight gain, & “fat pants”; Mentions of pregnancy, giving birth, & loosing weight to not look pregnant; Mentions of menopause, hot flashes, & a woman shaving/waxing her legs; A mention of puberty.

[Celestria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought Whitney talked about her weight too much in the beginning, but this book is her diary, so it makes sense at the same time. Parts were funny and I overall enjoyed this!

[Blskelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun read...lots of humor. Sort of like Bridget Jones for the Christian reader. I met the author in college - her story is light and happy.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent read but a tad preachy with all of the biblical scripture and such. Not that I mind a religious book. Whitney was relatable though. I hope she finally found love at the end of the book.

It was a tad bizarre at the end how two entries were written by the cat. What? The whole book is from Whitney's point of view and then on p.314 and p. 317 it's suddenly the cat talking. It is weird a seems like the author had a word count quota and filled it this way. That's why I gave 3 stars.

[Library Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea how many times I've read this book, at least three.

This book looks like breezy chick-lit, but it's actually quite weighty. Her best friend struggles with depression and deals with how some Christians believe that depression is a sin, and not a medical issue. I thought it was handled very well, and I hope it's helped others.

Some of this book is more standard chick-lit, with funny situations and man issues. Totally clean and God centered though. Totally recommend.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite a fun book to blitz through! Basically starting out as a Christian version of Bridget Jones Diary, it had me giggling out loud several times but also got into more serious topics with her friend Kim and had actual arcs with her various suitors. It had the right balance between reality and silliness. It was just the kind of book I felt like reading.

[Sandy Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Whitney Chronicles was my second book by Judy Baer. What a delight!! I must confess she is quickly becoming my favorite author. In this book, we follow Whitney as she faces an all too familiar struggle with weight management, and relationships. It was refreshing to find a main character with not only emotional flaws, but physical ones as well. While the book was a tad cliche in it's plot, the references to scripture and faith more than made up for it. I think that's my favorite parts of the Judy Baer books that I've read...the inclusion of scripture and prioritizing faith. I have a new one of her books arriving today, and I'm very much looking forward to diving into it as well. I recommend this book for pretty much any age group...pre-teen up through adult. There's something in it for everyone, and there's not a dull moment in it anywhere!

[McKenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt connected to the main character (struggling with lots of the same issues), even though we don't share the same religious belief system. Lots of the same character and moral values and connections to friends/family. Recommending to all my Christian friends.

[Audry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christian fiction. Written pretty good. A little preachy for me. I love how she starts putting God into her everyday life.

[Shannon Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for a book that was a bit more cheerful and different from what i usually read. I’m so happy that I picked this series.

[Anke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leuk verhaal, niet heel bijzonder.

[Beverly Whitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love this book!

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute & sweet book!!!

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Whitney Chronicles is Sophie Kinsella Shopaholic funny with great Godly living. I laughed so much throughout this book. I do believe Whitney and I are soul sisters. She definitely uttered some prayers I've said before. I think all is single gals have uttered something similar to " Is there a fabulous, Christian man out there for me Lord? And when you send him, will You put a big label on him, please, so I don't miss him?"

I also adored Mitzi! She gave me a line I will be using in real life "I'm indifferent to boring emotions" Mitzi is the epitome of tough love and I'm not sure who suffers more, her or Whitney!

There aren't vague references to God or a plot line that makes you doubtful it's actually a Christian novel. This is a real story with a main character actively living for God. It could be any single woman's real journal/diary.

Whitney feels like one of your best girlfriends by the end. Can't wait for more Whitney Chronicles. If you like funny & love Jesus, this is your book!

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whitney, single Christian girl, really wants a relationship.
Written in diary format but most entries read more like scenes from a book, not a typical diary, which I liked.
SPOILERS
Best Friend Kim and hubby have baby boy Wesley. Kim is diagnosed with breast cancer, and falls into a deep depression. Feels like a failure because her parents tell her she wouldn't be depressed if she didn't have uncontested sin in her life.
Whitney sees Eric, plane obsessed guy but sets him free.
She sees business guy working with her company, thinks he wants to marry her, turns out he wants to poach her for his business.
Kim's cancer Dr - Chase and Kim's hubby Kurt reconnect as friends and Whitney has a crush on him but he's not ready to date.
Whitney's faith and trust in God grow as the book goes on.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's larger-than-life Christian chick lit :)
The Whitney Chronicles is one of the books I turn to when I'm in need of a good laugh - I find the wit and characters hilarious! I don't often actually laugh out loud but I do with this book, and other ones by Baer. Sure, there are necessarily serious elements to the book, but the overall tone is cheery and intelligent.
Whitney is not a character I thought I would relate to - many of her difficulties are things that I don't have any experience of - but Baer presents it all in such a way that it's easy to love and understand her and the other characters. I really enjoy Baer's writing style, with good amounts of Scripture throughout.
One of my all time favourite books!

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Whitney Chronicles is a wonderful book by Judy Baer, often funny, sometimes sad, always intelligent, this book deals with the life of a thirty year old women named Whitney, whose mother is going through Menopause and acting completely strange, her best friend is battling depression after finding out she has breast cancer, but they are able to find it in time for treatment to work, and her co-worker, really doesn't like to work but feels her mission is to set Whitney up on a date, her Mother feels the same way.

After falling in love with a guy only to find out he only gave her the gifts to win her over to his buissness she says she is going to swear off men for lent.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is basically excerpts (or maybe the whole thing) from a diary written by a single woman who just turned 30 about her life. Her main crisis seems to be that she has too many men interested in her (which is a very annoying problem to have, from personal experience!). But, she also has issues with her parents (her mom has just started menopause and is going crazy), and at work.

This book was probably my least favorite from these five, since Whitney seemed to be a bit too exaggerated of a character.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking for something light to read during a long doctors appointment, and this book fit that bill perfectly. It was a sweet, cute and fluffy read, and I enjoyed the journal format more than I thought I would. This was billed as Christian chick-lit, which I've never read before. (Christian, yes. Chick-lit, yes. But never together!) Turns out I enjoy this genre - so I will look for other books by this author for sure.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved reading a book where the character not only says they are Christian, but actually shows they have a relationship with God. I did find it a bit strange that the author focused more on the relationships that weren't right for Whitney than the one with the man she ended up with. It seemed as if the ending wasn't well written. But the basic story was a great read. Anxious to start the next in the series!

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second and third chances for relationships and self improvement.

There was an error in the book; there was a mention of a sister but at the same time the character was described as an only child.

Whitney Chronicles was a fun read, encouraging and thoughtful all at the same time.

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book but I saw the ending coming near the beginning of the book...but it was still good to see how she handled problems and just life in general.

I could also relate having had breast cancer myself to Kim, although I did not sink into the depression that she did in the book. It was good to see her accept it and help from people that had experienced depression before.

[Lonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, this book was just what I needed...it was touching and funny all at the same time. I connected with the character Whitney (probably because I find myself in the same boat-a single, 30 year old, working woman) with the typical ups and downs in work, relationships, and life in general. It helped remind me that God is in control and His timing if perfect...We just have to trust Him.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light Christian chick lit with lots of corny humor. The "I feel fat because I'm 15 pounds overweight, but I'm finally taking it seriously and after six weeks of diet & exercise I'm smaller than I was in high school!" element of the storyline really bugged me, and the ending was very predictable, but still a decent weekend read.

[Maurine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one, it had some good food for thought and it wasn't too mushy like some chick-lit tends to be. It also had me laughing hysterically, I wouldn't mind reading some of her other books.

[Kelsi Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories about her Christian ladies are always funny to me. Then the author adds these little insights from their pets minds through some of the events and they are pretty humorous. I really like reading this author for mindless reading with a little humor.

[Shatarra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had all the makings of a good novel but it just lost me towards the end. It skipped around too much because of her diary enteries. The author's writing reminds me so much of Kristen Billerbeck but lacked that pazazz Eh.. I will pass on reading the next book in the series.

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really sweet story of Whitney's journey over the course of about one year. She is facing the challenges of getting older, wanting a a husband and family, losing weight, and dealing with complicated relationships. Whitney is a woman that I would want to be friends with.

[Wilani Wahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. I loved the fact that it is written in journal form. It is refreshing to read something different. I also loved the way the characters looked to the Lord for direction and guidance in their lives.