Certain Girls

Cannie Shapiro #2

by Jennifer Weiner

Readers fell in love with Cannie Shapiro, the smart, sharp-tongued, bighearted heroine of Good in Bed who found her happy ending after her mother came out of the closet, her father fell out of her life, and her ex-boyfriend started chronicling their ex-sex life in the pages of a national magazine.

Now Cannie's back. After her debut novel -- a fictionalized (and highly sexualized) version of her life -- became an overnight bestseller, she dropped out of the public eye and turned to writing science fiction under a pseudonym. She's happily married to the tall, charming diet doctor Peter Krushelevansky and has settled into a life that she finds wonderfully predictable -- knitting in the front row of her daughter Joy's drama rehearsals, volunteering at the library, and taking over-forty yoga classes with her best friend Samantha.

As preparations for Joy's bat mitzvah begin, everything seems right in Cannie's world. Then Joy discovers the novel Cannie wrote years before and suddenly finds herself faced with what she thinks is the truth about her own conception -- the story her mother hid from her all her life. When Peter surprises his wife by saying he wants to have a baby, the family is forced to reconsider its history, its future, and what it means to be truly happy.

Radiantly funny and disarmingly tender, with Weiner's whip-smart dialogue and sharp observations of modern life, Certain Girls is an unforgettable story about love, loss, and the enduring bonds of family.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Adult, Audiobook

416 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2008

About the author

Jennifer Weiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eighteen books, including Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, and, most recently, That Summer. A graduate of Princeton University, she lives with her family in Philadelphia. Visit her online at JenniferWeiner.com.

Reviews

[Alisha Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, let me start off by saying I'm a big Jennifer Weiner fan. Her books are the perfect in-between books. You know, those books that are light and fluffy reads and that are perfect to read in-between serious books? That's what describes Jennifer Weiner's books.

Now, "Certain Girls" is a sequel to Weiner's hit novel "Good in Bed". In my opinion, there are three types of sequels. The first type are those certain sequels that are great. They are even better than the original novel and it tends to make them look better. The second type are those that don't really make much of a difference to the original novel. These are loose sequels. They have some of the original novel's backstory, but not so much where it's absolutely necessary to read the first novel. They can be read as stand-alone novels. Lastly, there are those sequels that are better in theory. The ones that make the original novel worse. "Certain Girls", unfortunately, falls under the third category.

I loved "Good In Bed". I thought it was a gem. "Certain Girls"...not so much. First off, Cannie Shapiro (the heroine of the first novel) did a complete 180. It seemed like she went from three steps forward (in the first novel) and two steps back (in the second). She became this smothering, obsessive, character. What happened to the witty, sharp-tounged heroine from the first novel? And Joy, her daughter, was obnoxious and bratty. I know she's only twelve, but she was overly bratty. It went to the point where I wanted to skip the chapters she narrated (I didn't, but boy, did I ever want to!). And don't even get me started on the ending. I'm not going to say it, so that I don't spoil the book. But the ending was majorly depressing and completely unnecessary.

So, if you loved "Good In Bed", do not read "Certain Girls". It will change you perceptions of the first novel and not in a good way. "Good In Bed" should not have been messed with in this way. Which is why I rate this two stars.

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 Stars for Certain Girls (audiobook) by Jennifer Weiner read by Julie Dretzin and Rachel Botchan.

I liked the first book better. The story was good but just not what I was looking for now.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited to finally read the sequel to Jennifer Weiner's best-selling novel Good in Bed. Weiner writes fantastic stories that are both funny and heart-wrenching. (Not sure you've heard of her? In Her Shoes is another highly popular Weiner novel.) Good in Bed is the story of feisty Cannie Shapiro and her journey through weight issues, boyfriend problems, father/daughter issues, dealing with her lesbian mother and single parenting.

Certain Girls is the story of Cannie Shapiro, more than a dozen years later, told in alternating chapters from her POV as well as her daughter's POV. Cannie is now happily married to a doctor, she is a successful author and very proud mother to her (almost) teenage daughter, Joy. Her problems start about the same time she begins planning Joy's bat mitzvah party and her husband, Dr. Peter K., decides he wants to have a baby. Cannie struggles with the idea of using a surrogate. Joy discovers the popular book her mother wrote ten years prior, a sensationalized version of her mother's life, and is traumatized after she reads it on the sly. Enter the teen rebellion years and all of the horrors that come with it. Things quickly slide downhill as the author throws a mish-mash of new and old conflicts into the plot.

The first half of this book was delightful. I laughed. I cried. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was able to relate to the characters. I liked learning about the various traditions and planning that goes into bat and bar mitzvahs. My heart ached for Joy when she made the decision to connect with her estranged maternal grandfather. Like I said, Weiner is a terrific storyteller. But the last 50 pages stunk on ice! What is this author's aversion to giving Cannie a happy ending? Count me in as another reader who is pissed off about the contrived ending of this book! I have a bone to pick with Publisher's Weekly review of this one as a "hilarious sequel".

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I procured an advanced reader copy of this title in a couple of days, being so excited for the sequel to one of my favorite books ever. Cannie is a great heroine and I couldn't wait to revisit her 13 years after the birth of her daughter, Joy.

While initially I was a bit disappointed, "Certain Girls" is a fast read, and anyone looking for a continuing story of Cannie, Joy, Peter and the rest won't be sorry. While I don't want to give up any spoilers, I sobbed like crazy through my last half hour of reading, proving there's a lot of emotional connection to Jennifer Weiner's characters.

I highly recommend "Certain Girls" to anyone who enjoys an excellent story, and encourage you to get to know Cannie first in "Good In Bed".

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually did not finish this book. I have been reading it for 5 days now and should be finished with it by now but am only on page 71. It is so slow, that I cant even get excited about reading it.
I will read the last couple of chapters to see how it ends. Even if it is a book that I like, I can read the end and then go back and finish it.

I have read other Jennifer Weiner books and really liked them, but I cant recommend this one.


Okay I tried to read the last few chapters. Then I came to the tragedy that others have mentioned in their reviews and that was it. I put the book down and didnt even want to look at it again. You see, I went through that same event two years ago and didnt want to read aobut someone else going through it.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are certain characters you never forget about... For me some of those are Holden Caufield, Bridget Jones and Cannie Shapiro. I read Good in Bed in college when it first came out (along with my Good in Bed t-shirt that eventually got so faded it looked like it said "ood in Be" but I digress). I'd loved the strong female message in the book and loved the idea of revenge on an evil ex. However as I got older, the book started to mean more and more to me. I read Good in Bed last week in preperation for Certain Girls and now being pregnant and married, the book had even more of an impact.
Certain Girls was wonderful. I flew through it in record time up until a twist three quarters of the way through that left me sobbing (hey, I'm pregnant and emotional) and SPOILER ALERT! begging my husband to please not die until after our baby is born. He's perfectly healthy by the way...
The relationship between Cannie and Joy really resonated with me, I've had a best friend relationship with my mom my entire life, but my mom and sister remind me of Joy and Cannie. There were certain parts that I read that left me with a physical ache in my chest, because they were so familiar- they were fights I had heard a thousand times. Jennifer Weiner writes with such truth and love, it's impossible not to get swept up in one of her stories and find yourself comparing it to your own life.

[Wendi WDM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well...what's to say about this book; it's no different than any other book Jennifer Weiner has written. Fat chick whining about being fat.

The first Jennifer book I read was "In Her Shoes". I read it because I saw the movie adaption because I love the actress who plays the older sister. Being an only child I was totally enthralled by the relationship between the sisters in the book and the grandmother they didn't know. I loved watching how both sisters transformed and became different women. And I loved that the main character was a normal sized juicey woman like myself. Smart, sassy, bold - just like me.

So then I picked up Little Earthquakes. Yeah, not bad. Again, I don't have kids so it was really interesting to read the stories of four completely different women and how they handled becoming mothers.

By then I was totally sucked into Jennifer's world. I picked up Good Night, Nobody next. I was digging the whole city woman moving to the boring suburbs having to deal with all the prissy SAHMs who are the extreme opposite of our heroine - women who feed their children only organic food and keep themselves dressed in the latest trends from Talbots and Anne Taylor. I could totally commiserate with the heroine mom - laid back in jeans and a t-shirt, let's her kids drink juice boxes and have snacks with sugar in them. And it was a fun book - a mystery of sorts too.

But then I read Good in Bed and by this time I was really tired of reading the whining that all of Jennifer's fat chick character do about their fatness. I'm overweight myself, but I hope to God I don't complain like these women do. Five books of reading about women complaining about their weight. It gets annoying and old. Really, really old.

I completely skipped The Guy Not Taken. I surely didn't want to read another book about a fat woman and her woes of being fat, and oh by the way here is the real plot of the book thrown in for spice.

This brings me right up to Certain Girls. I needed some light summer reading after reading "The Emperor's Children" and "Escape" and parts of Stephen Kings "Lisey's Story". I figured what could be more fluffy and light than a Jennifer Weiner book. Plus I hadn't read one of her books in over two years, so why not give it a chance.

Right off the bat the complaining begins. I know that book is a continuation of "Good in Bed" so I shouldn't have been shocked, but I wish Jennifer would get another schtick.

I like that her female characters are realistic women. They're not super heroes, they're not skin and bones working for some ad agency or working for a TV program or working for some magazine literary giant who's a bit bitch. Just normal women. Yeah, we're all self-concious about our weight. But every chapter included Cannie's self-conciousness about her weight and her daughter's self-conciousness about having a mother who is over-weight. Great. Who wants to read about that yet again?

By the end of the book even I was more paranoid about my weight. Am I that ugly? Is the salesperson ignoring me because I'm fatter than the clothes they sell? Am I not as intelligent as that skinny girl over there?

The book was supposed to be entertaining. But it wasn't. So why did I finish it? I enjoyed reading about Joy, the daughter - when she wasn't complaining about her mom's weight. Her complaining about her mom in general was fine - what girl didn't complain or feel embarrassed about her mom when we were Joy's age - 12 going on 22?

Something that makes me chuckle: I love the Jewish community in the book. How all the kids go to a Jewish school, how they all attend each other's bar and bat mitzvah's. How Jennifer throws in some yiddish here and there. I like reading about that because it's not the life I have. It's fun.

Overall it's okay. Don't buy the book, get it from your library.

[Eva Mitnick · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Good in Bed" was such a toothsome piece of chick lit that I was very much looking forward to reading more about Cannie. However, Certain Girls is quite pallid by comparison. Much of the earthy energy of the first book is missing, and instead this is an almost mediocre mom-and-teenage-daughter story. I say "almost" because Weiner is an entertaining writer who often throws a surprising insight or a fabulous one-liner into the mix just as things are getting tiresome.

Actually, the fabulous one-liners themselves got a little tiresome after a while. Folks were spouting them who had no right - yes, we know this is one of Cannie's charms, but most folks aren't so clever with a bon mot, and so this novel often had a movie feel to it. You know, the kind in which 13-year-old musical-loving boys make quips about fashion accessories (yes, that happens, and it just feels so false).

Despite the fact that Joy, Cannie's almost 13-year-old daughter, is a fairly interesting character (she tells her own story in alternating chapters with Cannie's), the elements of this novel (the looming bat mitzvah, the troubles with fathers, infertility and surrogate pregnancy, mother/daughter estrangement) feel tired. Fans of Good in Bed should read this, but they should set their expectations at a modest level.

[Aoibhínn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The novel Certain Girls continues the story of Cannie Shapiro, who we first met a decade ago in Good In Bed. Cannie is now married to Peter and is the over-protective mother of thirteen-year-old Joy.

The novel is alternatively narrated by Cannie and Joy. I found this confusing because it isn't clear who is narrating the chapter until you get a few paragraphs into it. The plot was predictable but the story was still enjoyable. Although, this book isn't as good as Good In Bed.

I hated the ending. It was extremely gloomy and depressing. It seemed cruel and horrible to bring Cannie back and take away her happy ending like that.


2.5 stars!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Good in Bed” is one of my Top Ten Favorite Books of All Time. It’s funny, it’s all about various relationships and there are even lesbians in it. Over the years, I’ve wondered whatever happened to Cannie Shapiro and Joy?

Well, Cannie turned into a scaredy cat housewife/closet writer and Joy turned into a typical teenager.

“Certain Girls” takes place 13 years after the end of “Good in Bed.” Cannie is married to Dr. K and Joy is in middle school, preparing for her bat mitzvah. We find out in flashbacks how they came to be here: how Cannie wrote her book, how she married, etc.

Cannie wrote a book right when Joy was about a year old and it became a best seller. Instantly, almost, she was famous. She had various problems related to that and never wrote another book under her own name. She did, however, write a series of sci-fi books for teens under a pen name. Now, it’s the 10th anniversary of her book and the publishers want to do some promotion. Add to that stress, Cannie’s relationship with Joy isn’t that great and then Joy reads Cannie’s book. Of course, Joy doesn’t tell Cannie or ask her about it – she tries to gather facts from Cannie’s friends and family and long-ago acquaintances.

The book’s ending ticked me off but over all it was good. Not as good as “Good in Bed” but still good. It was funny and once or twice made me cry.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Our book club featured this book and when it was selected, I didn't care one way or the other, so went along with it. After reading it though, I HATED it. If you DO read it, don't read the ending. It's lazy and a terrible shame that the author did what she did, the conclusion adds nothing to the story and drags the events out for "dramatic effect." If it were a movie, the audience would say a collective, "oh come on." What I felt was a C- book used an F ending.

To be sure: skip the ending. BUT - I would recommend not reading the book at all. The story flip-flops point of view between two protagonists: the mother and the teenage daughter. The daughter's point of view is so rude and disrespectful that I wonder what the author thinks of teenagers in general. It comes across as contrived and forced. There's a passage where the daughter describes her mother, who is sitting cross-legged, as having her "boobs in her lap" and it's comments like these throughout the book that would make the most normal of women self-conscious about weight, with her constant retorts about her fat mother. It's also very heavy with Jewish coming-of-age procedures - which was a little weird for me as a non-Jewish person, because a lot of the language was foreign and not explained and I didn't understand the relevance of the events. Probably cool for a Jewish reader, but for those not familiar with terminology, it's one more thing that makes the book difficult to become engaged in. All in all, I found the hype to be undeserved, and I wish I had spent my time reading something else.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dear Ms. Weiner,
Actually can I call you Jennifer? How about Jen? See Jen here's the thing... I was really enjoying this book. My daughter just turned 12 and every day I see the increase of the eye roll huff "nothing's wrong. I'm fine." So I was really quite delighted with the first part of the book. Dee-lighted! And well I could identify with so much of it. Which was great.
Then you hit a *bit* of a mid book slump. I don't want to lie- I was a little worried. But sure enough you picked it back up and moved it right along. By the way, thanks for the heads up I will NEVER leave a credit card unattended (or with an available balance!!) in case my daughter decides it's time to take up traveling! It was all going so well. So wonderfully well... and then..
You just had to do it didn't you Jen. You couldn't help yourself. That horrible, awful thing that you did. I was sure that if I just read a few more pages there would be some punchline, a joke .... SOMEthing. But it never came. I wondered if this was it for us. Could I go on with what you'd done? (Let's be honest I'm a tad compulsive about finishing books so it was going to happen) of course I did. And you, you wrapped this story in a beautiful bow and ended it in the most lovely, hopeful way imaginable.
I guess this means we're good.

[Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited about this book since it was a return to Cannie Shapiro's world. We met Cannie in Good In Bed, where Cannie (like author Weiner) lives in Philadelphia. This book picked up twelve years after where GiB left off.

Joy is preparing for her bat mitzvah, and Cannie is figuring out how to navigate being a wife, a mother of an adolescent, and a good Jewish mother all at once. The last she needs is for Joy to read the semi-autobiographical book Cannie wrote right after Joy's birth detailing the circumstances of Joy's conception and the relationship between her birth parents.

Weiner's narration alternates between Cannie's voice and Joy's voice. I'm not sure if seeing things from Joy's perspective was supposed to make her more sympathetic, but it didn't. I found Joy to be whiny and ungrateful. I generally raced through her chapters and then luxuriated in Cannie's chapters.

And I was not at all prepared for the punch at the end. Once again, one of Weiner's books reduced me to tears. Oy.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh.

The changes in point of view sometimes caught me off guard and I had to back track a few sentences to figure out if I was reading from Cannie or Joy's point of view. The back story got confusing - Aunt Elle changed her name and at certain points she was Elle and in others she was Lucy, her given name.

I felt that the book wrapped up Cannie and Joy's relationship too well, complete with the 'parent knows best' ending. Joy's encounter with her grandfather was frightening, but I doubt she would have just let all of her questions and angst about where she came from go just because she realized her mom was right about something.

Why did Peter have to die? What purpose did that serve? It flopped the mother/daughter relationship, with Joy now taking care of her mother. And sure, it brought the story full circle, Cannie is going to raise another baby without its father, but why can't that baby just have its daddy?

I guess it ended just so so there could be a third installment.

[ScrappyMags · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart, funny, witty - I've read all of Jennifer Weiner's books. I loved this book, not as much as Good in Bed or In Her Shoes, but a close #3. I thought there was a little too much attention on the teen angst, but I'm a high school English teacher who just finished a school year of teen angst.. LOL.. take it with a grain of salt! The story was brilliant and funny, engaging and I read it all in 3 days. Loved the ending, unexpected and touching. Loved the inside jokes and innuendo I've come to expect and adore in Weiner's books.

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I, of course, loved this book because I think I would love anything Jennifer Weiner writes. I am a little surprised that people disliked the book because of the overwhelmingly sad occurance at the end of the book. Did you all think Good in Bed was light hearted and breezy? Because, compared to this, I would say it was much less fantasy. The reason her books touch so many of us profoundly is because she writes about things that many of us endure, but aren't necessarily socially acceptable to discuss. The only thing that bothered me was that Cannie turned into such a soccer mom-type. I thought that was a little out of character, but considering where she came from, it makes sense. And this book is so interesting to read because of the self-reflexive element. You can't help but suspect that J.W. is using this as some sort of confessional or catharsis. Either way, loved the book- couldn't put it down. I hope she writes one a year for the rest of my life!

[Ellenjsmellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this from the library and really enjoyed it. It's where Cannie Shapiro from Good in Bed left off plus another 12 years later. Mother/daughter story told from each point of view in alternating chapters. Break out your tissues towards the end.

[Carol Brill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be my favorite Jennifer Weiner book so far. So many likable, well-rounded characters. Jennifer Weiner has a gift for using wit in a way that deepens and reveals a character's sensitive side. The bittersweet ending caught me by surprise. Keep the tissues handy.

[Ｋａｔｅ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️’s

[Lilybeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I wish I could have given this book a higher rating but I found myself extremely frustrated with both Cannie and Joy.
Joy should have been slapped and grounded somewhere around page 25.
Cannie needed someone (Samantha!) to grab her by the shoulders and shake her into reality.
What happened to my strong heroine of "Good in Bed"?
Where did the neurotic, coddling-her-child-too-much, insecure woman of "Certain Girls" come from? We get some answers toward the middle of the book but it still didn't feel like enough reason to explain the "Cannie-180".
The only time she found her strength and more of herself was when Peter was around to ground her.
How I love Peter...
The final plot twist annoyed me, for lack of a better word. While the twist is completely believable in the sense that it DOES happens every day, I felt it was a little contrived. Like, what else does Cannie have to go through?! I literally closed my book and said "No! Come on!?"
Once I got over that, I was able to continue to the tear-inducing ending. It was sweet and real. All the things that I love about Jennifer Weiner's writing.
"Certain Girls" doesn't compare to "Good In Bed" but I enjoyed revisiting Cannie.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up for bumma to read while taking her radiation therapy, but even light reading became too much for her. While sorting through her books for her, I found this again and decided to give it a go. It continues the story of full woman sized Cannie, whom I met in Good in Bed. Interesting examination of women on the cusp of milestones: motherhood, bat mitzpha, job changes etc. It had some moments that were very hard to me to read in my current situation with my own mom (who is dying from cancer). Any reference to death (even the death of a gold fish) or to mother/daughter relationships, usually leaves me in a puddle in the corner. Oh well.

But the book was good. And I want to read the StarGirl series Cannie penned anonymously.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have this feeling that I like Jennifer Weiner. Not necessarily her books, but her. And so I keep reading her books, and sort of enjoy them, and am always sort of disappointed. She has promise on which she doesn't completely deliver. Her plots are fairly conventional. I nearly gave up reading this, as I began to find the format (switching chapter between and mother and a really annoying daughter) to be tedious. For some reason I persevered and found that it improved. And yet... still, I apparently want to be her friend.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved "Good in Bed" which was the first book. In "Certain Girls" we catch up with Cannie many years after publishing her anger-fueled book about the "sperm donor" father of her daughter, Joy. "Certain Girls" is full of things about being a mom of a teen, being a frustrated and confused teen, bat and bar mitzvahs (I don't know how to spell that), step dads, family secrets and drama. The story moves along as Joy struggles to shed her mom's smothering and find herself in her own world. The backlash of Cannie's book and the negative notoriety the book brought Cannie has her writing anonymously for a sci-fi series...and now Joy understands why.

Cannie is still rough around the edges. She's a good mom, though. Even though, near the end, the author killed someone off and really made me angry, I enjoyed this story. This book doesn't get the credit I think it deserves -- all the negative reviews, people! It was a good story. I didn't like what happened either, but I disagree with the negative reviews. I really enjoyed this story.

[Ilaiza Aviles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was so much better than the first one! This one portrays a much better version of Cannie. Her relationship with her daughter and her family is beautifully told. There were so many parts that made me laugh out loud, that made me angry and made me sad.

[Heather Fineisen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as strong as Good in Bed. Weiner' s strength is creating characters the reader relates to and this book is no different. Told in alternating chapters, the voices are strong and the characters likable.

[Melanie Fields · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Good in Bed and Certain Girls back to back. I loved them both! Cannie’s story made me laugh....ripped my heart out....and then made me laugh again. 💗 I loved everything about it!

[Kayla Bowdre · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated it!!! I only got to page 82 and i find out Peter dies and that just totally ruins it. I mean Dr. K was my dream guy smart, sexy, and determined which is what it takes to win a girl's heart. I mean where can you go wrong. Oh, I know make him unhealthy so he can die early!!!! Ugh totally just killed my apetite for men in general! Also it's sooo slow and i have the hardest time reading it because now i'm paranoid that every family member is self conscience about my weight and my boobs. I mean having a size 36G bra is not that big I wear 38F and everyone thinks i look fine. God could Cannie please stop whining about her weight! The whole book just made me angry. I was sooo excited there was a sequel that I immediately got it from the library, because I loved Good in Bed, I was hooked like an addict. But Certain Girls was a total disappointment. Cannie's totally changed from being a witty, lovable, and strong main charecter into being an overbearing, worrisome, annoying mother who needed to have more sex with her husband while he was alive to get the stick out of her ass. And don't even get me started on Joy, the little spoiled brat who's just angry because she's a mistake. UM newsflash: If you think about most of people around us are accidents, kids aren't usually planned. And just because you weren't planned doesn't mean your parents don't love. SO JUST GET OVER YOURSELF. Some kids have it far worse off than you! And maybe someday, you're realize how lucky you have it! I know these are fictional charecters that were created by an author who's books I personally love, this book was a miss. But I will still continue reading.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book at all. Most of it depicts a whiny, upper class, privileged 13 year old, who not only lies, but steals from her parents. I was glad I did not have a teenager when I read this book. I suppose some readers would say that said whiny teenager grows up and learns something, but it was too many pages to read of her pettiness (most of the book revolves around what bat mizvah dress she should buy--when she doesn't get her way, she steals a credit card and buys it herself). The book describes self-absorbed people who seem out of touch with any real suffering in the world. Cannie Shapiro is the mother of the story: her boyfriend dumps her, so she writes a tell-all book (from what I can tell, it's mostly about raunchy sex) and it becomes a bestseller. Cannie is embarrassed by the book 13 years later and seems stunned that her self-absorbed teenager would read it. There is a lot of mother-daughter struggle where the daughter (Joy) really needs some discipline, but is given material possessions instead. For example, she steals her mother's credit card and flies from Philadelphia to California, lying to her mother about the whole trip. When Joy repents and calls "Mom," Cannie buys here the bat mizvah dress she has wanted all along (nice message there). And then there is the awful ending (which I cannot describe due to a spoiler alert) where the one good person in the book faces an awful demise. Just an awful book all around.

[liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so Jennifer Weiner's oeuvre is not one that I'm a huge huge fan of, although I do appreciate how she gave lots of women a voice (while also regretting how some people assume her characters speak for all women). So I figured this would be pretty run-of-the-mill chick-lit, and turned out to be oddly disappointed, at least at first, by its emphasis on mother-daughter relationships. But I found myself extremely interested in the characters, especially the mother, so the book turned out to be decently rewarding, for what it was.

The two of them are always super-polite to each other. They say please andthank you and oh, of course, that will be fine. I suppose it could be worse. Last year Tara Carnahan's mother called her father a rat bastard during parent/teacher conferences, then threw her cell phone at his head, which was a double offense because at the Philadelphia Academy we're supposed to use respectful language at all times, and cell phones aren't allowed.

(and yes, Philadelphia, a pleasant surprise - I recognized some of the street names and landmarks.)

[Keris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't decide whether to re-read Jennifer Weiner's debut novel, Good in Bed, before reading the long-awaited follow-up, Certain Girls, but in the end I chose not to. I thought I could remember enough about Good in Bed that it wouldn't be necessary and, at the same time, I wanted to see if Certain Girls could stand on its own.

Well, it turns out that I didn't remember Good In Bed as well as I thought, but Certain Girls certainly stands on its own. I think (but, you know, I can't be sure) that it's pretty different to Good In Bed (in tone rather than content, I mean - I expected it to

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