Helpful Score: 6
I am really glad that I have not read any other Jennifer Weiner books. I am afraid that I would have read this book expecting something amazing.
What I got was nowhere near amazing. Addie, a formerly overweight high school misfit, and her former neighbor Valerie, a bohemian-turned-newscaster reunite after a high school reunion (Addie does not attend). Valerie has committed a potentially criminal act and she calls on Addie to help.
I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but I will say that these two people did not seem like such great friends to me. They seemed as though they really did not appreciate one another and they helped each other only out of a sense of obligation. There were sort-of flashbacks to traumatic high school events, but even then, I did not see these two characters behaving as best friends would.
Speaking of the flashbacks....I think they only work when the reader is really interested in what happened in the past. The author has to build that suspense. There was NONE in this story.
I did not care about any of the characters in this story and it took me a long time to read. Since Weiner's books are immensely popular, I am sure that there is another book that she has written that is better than this one. Not sure if I want to go to the trouble to find it, though.
What I got was nowhere near amazing. Addie, a formerly overweight high school misfit, and her former neighbor Valerie, a bohemian-turned-newscaster reunite after a high school reunion (Addie does not attend). Valerie has committed a potentially criminal act and she calls on Addie to help.
I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but I will say that these two people did not seem like such great friends to me. They seemed as though they really did not appreciate one another and they helped each other only out of a sense of obligation. There were sort-of flashbacks to traumatic high school events, but even then, I did not see these two characters behaving as best friends would.
Speaking of the flashbacks....I think they only work when the reader is really interested in what happened in the past. The author has to build that suspense. There was NONE in this story.
I did not care about any of the characters in this story and it took me a long time to read. Since Weiner's books are immensely popular, I am sure that there is another book that she has written that is better than this one. Not sure if I want to go to the trouble to find it, though.
Helpful Score: 6
Jennifer Weiner's latest effort cannot hold a candle to her earlier efforts. Although the story tried to be somewhat of a mystery, it really wasn't thrilling at all. The characters were difficult to relate to, and did not have much depth. I actually almost set the book down 2/3 of the way through, but decided after a week's break to go ahead and finish it. The ending was predictable.
Helpful Score: 4
I really enjoyed reading about a time period that I lived through - anyone else remember french braids and rugby shirts in high school? I like Weiner's writing about the ocean, light, and 70's/80's phenomena (We never had Tab at my house, but I did try it at a friend's). It may not be "great" literature, but she does a wonderful job of sharing her characters' internal worlds. It was a sweet read and I liked Addie an awful lot.
Helpful Score: 3
Cute chick-lit book. Very witty and full of humor. I just thought the author obsessed with the character's past overwieght issued too much. The story was fun and entertaining - but I was disappointed with the ending. I was left feeling "that's it?"
Helpful Score: 2
This was the first Jennifer Weiner book I have read. Loved it!!! Read it in 4 days which is record time for me!!! It made me order Jennifer's other books and now I can't wait to read them too!!! Easy read, great characters, lots of fun!
