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Evie certainly has a comfortable life with her Oxford university don husband Ant and 14-year-old daughter Anna. While her brother Tim and his gung-ho wife Caro have taken over the struggling family farm, she isn't really doing much with her life. Then a letter arrives, with information that will shake up her small family. It's all an enjoyable read as Evie careens from one mishap to another - from car prangs and wedding punch-ups to underwear flashing and gropes in the stables - but the story also has heart and soul. And the best bit, it wasn't predictable at all.
The Romance Writers of America has announced its finalists for the 2009 RITA and Golden Heart Awards for romance fiction published last year. Finalists include Elise Chidley for Your Roots are Showing (Best First Book/Contemporary Single Title); Jean Marie Pierson for No Good Girls (Best First Book/Contemporary Single Title); Tamara Leigh for Faking Grace (Inspirational Romance); Rachel Hauck for Love Starts with Elle (Inspirational Romance); and Rachel Gibson for Not Another Bad Date (Single Contemporary Title). Winners will be announced in Washington on July 18.
Did you know? Carole Matthews' next release, That Loving Feeling, is about a married woman, Juliet, who is rocked by the return of the man who jilted her on their wedding day decades ago. It's out in September.
Jane Green's latest book, due for release in June, has a double identity. It will be called Girl Friday in the UK and Dune Road in the US. It's about divorced mother-of-two Kit from a Connecticut beach town who works for reclusive novelist Robert McClore. Her close friend and yoga instructor Tracy introduces her to Steve, seemingly the perfect gentleman, while Tracy begins dating Robert. But there are secrets that threaten to ruin their relationships.
Jessica has trouble deciding what path to take - so she relies on regular visits to her psychic, Madame Hortensia. Should she continue dating unreliable but passionate artist Guillermo, a fellow Mexican, or should she go out with successful professional Jonathan, a friend of her sister's husband? Should she stay in the boring insurance field, return to her artistic roots or start a business of her own? And will her parents' arguing lead to divorce and will she and sister Sabrina ever see eye to eye again? As Jessica deals with her main problem - trusting herself to make worthwhile decisions - the book also deals with racial identity and prejudice. And just when you think she's settling down at the end, there's a what-happened-there twist.
After its controversial start to life (after a legal stoush between Tatiana Boncompagni and her sister over who wrote the book), Hedge Fund Wives is due for release in May. Written to coincide with the current tough times, it is about how the economic downturn affects the marriages of four women - Marcy, Gigi, Jill and Ainsley. Its synopsis reads: "Who could have guessed that Wall Street would go south just as Marcy Emerson and her husband moved east? Down-to-earth Marcy relocated from Chicago to New York when her husband was offered a big time job as a hedge fund manager. She gives up her own job - after all, hedge fund wives don't work! And while at first it's fun to shop all day and party all night, Marcy quickly learns that life among the rich can be anything but easy and that behind every smile can be a stab in the back. Still, it's not until her husband leaves her for his thinner, blonder mistress - a woman who is higher up the social ladder than the original Mrs. Emerson will ever be - that Marcy decides to stand on her own two feet once again, and fight for the things that are far more important than money." Meanwhile Boncompagni, whose previous novel was Gilding Lily, has denied accusing The Ex-Mrs Hedgefund author Jill Kargman of copying her idea for a book about hedge fund wives. Boncompagni wrote on her blog: "I never once represented to the (New York Post) reporter that I believed Jill Kargman copied my idea for Hedge Fund Wives. In fact, I told her the exact opposite, that Jill and I had spent the summer together in a mommy and me class with our children not knowing that the other was working on such a similarly themed book. . . As I told the reporter, I wish Jill the best of luck with her book and am looking forward to reading it when it comes out."
One of the Chicklit Club's top books of 2008 - The Household Guide to Dying by Australian author Debra Adelaide - has made it on to the longlist for the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction, the UK's only annual book award for fiction written by a woman. Other authors vying for the prize include V. V. Ganeshananthan for Love Marriage and Curtis Sittenfeld for American Wife. The Orange Prize shortlist is revealed in April, with the winner announced at a ceremony in London on June 3.
Did you know? Emily Giffin has announced the name of her next book, due out in 2010. It's Heart of the Matter. Head to her publisher site to receive the first chapter by email.
The One That Got Away is the first novel in Jessica Fox's The Hen Night Prophecies series which follows the fortunes of five women - bride-to-be Zoe and her best friends Fern, Priya, Libby and Charlotte - each given their own puzzling prophecy by a tarot card reader at the hen night. In the first novel, Fern is told that she has already met The One, but let him go. Book No. 2, Eastern Promise, focuses on Priya and is due out in November. Forthcoming titles include A Danger to Men, Fate, Hope and Charity and Always the Bride. Jessica Fox is the pen-name of Ruth Saberton, whose Katy Carter Wants a Hero (about a teacher who pens a steamy historical romance) is due for release in 2010.
Tiana Tomlinson, first introduced as Marta's friend in Odd Mom Out, is an anchor on the America Tonight program. But Tina is realising that as she approaches her 40s, certain measures must be taken if she wants to remain in the high-definition TV spotlight. It doesn't help that at every turn she has to deal with her adversary - plastic surgeon to the stars, Michael Sullivan. But a trip away from the Hollywood madness has consequences that could affect the rest of her life.
Anna David, author of Party Girl, has a new release out in May. Bought is about journalist Emma Swanson who is aiming for a high-flying job and boyfriend who'll transport her into the Hollywood social scene she's always gazing in on from the outside. Then she meets Jessica, a manipulative beauty who trades sex for the gifts it can bring. Convinced that writing a story on Jessica and her crowd will give her the career she wants, Emma gets sucked into Jessica's world. But she soon realises that her problem isn't the lack of a boyfriend or impressive job. It's who and what she's become. David is also working on an anthology called Back to Reality about reality TV shows, which will be released in 2010.
The Starter Wife author Gigi Levangie Grazer is back, looking again at what happens when a high-powered couple split. This time in Queen Takes King, the couple is business titan Jacks and wife No. 2, former ballerina Christy. When the New York Post prints a photo of Jacks with his latest girlfriend, news anchor Julie Sizemore, he becomes desperate to save his broken marriage. But Christy is determined not to look back.
To celebrate the Romantic Novelists' Association 50th anniversary next year, some of its members have created a book of more than 40 short stories called Loves Me, Loves Me Not. Published later this year, it has a foreword by Katie Fforde. Authors include Carole Matthews, Adele Parks, Christina Jones and Trisha Ashley.
British journalist Shelina Zahra Janmohamed's memoir Love in a Headscarf is about her journey as a Muslim woman to find The One. Torn between her Buxom Aunties' rules, romantic comedies and mosque Imams, the hijab-wearing, Oxford-educated Shelina decides to follow the arranged-marriage route to finding Mr Right, Muslim-style. On the author's Spirit21 blog she says about the book: "I chose to write a humorous and light-hearted tale. I wanted to tell a story that touches each of us as human beings, looking at questions of love, life and meaning that we all share, but through the eyes of a Muslim woman. Most of all, I wanted to explore the contradictions and contrasts that we all face, and humour was the best medium for that."
In Dublin author Patricia Scanlan's Forgive and Forget, Connie is trying to make peace in the lead-up to her daughter's wedding. Debbie is adamant that she does not want her father, Barry, his stuck-up second wife, Aimee, or her sulky stepsister, Melissa, to attend. Barry is equally adamant that they will. But as Connie and Barry join forces to get things sorted, sparks begin to fly between them. Meanwhile Debbie suspects that her fiance is getting cold feet. Scanlan's latest release, Happy Ever After, continues their story. Debbie is worried about mounting debts and her new husband's behaviour. Aimee is horrified to discover she's pregnant while Connie has a new man on the horizon.
The Mumpreneur Diaries is the account of mother-of-two Mosey Jones' struggle to set up a home-based business. Determined not to return to the office and knowing she needs something more than days filled with nappies and Alphabet Spaghetti, Mosey frantically juggles the daily tensions of working from home while dealing with her family dramas. She joins a ladies networking circle and creates a breakaway faction The Mumpreneur Club. The novel is written by Morag Cuddeford-Jones, and is based on her experiences running her rentamummy business from home.
In this sequel to The Importance of Being Married, Jessica and Max are finally tying the knot, and the bride-to-be is determined to have the biggest, best wedding ever. But one day Jessica follows Max and sees him in an apparent tryst with an attractive woman. She responds by getting drunk and revealing work secrets to the top rival of Max's firm. The next morning Jessica regrets her actions. A series of events lead her to discover an important truth about her past, and she realises she shouldn't have doubted the only man she's ever loved. But when her own indiscretion surfaces, will it jeopardise her Big Day?
The film rights to Ann Pearlman's novel The Christmas Cookie Club, due out in November, have been snapped up already by CBS Films. The novel centres around an annual celebration in which 12 women trade their home-made cookies at a party. As the evening unfolds, the friends share what has happened in their lives over the past year. Wendy Finerman (P.S. I Love You, The Devil Wears Prada) will produce the film adaptation. The Christmas Cookie Club is the debut novel from Pearlman, who has written two non-fiction works, including memoir Infidelity.
Melbourne-based author and self-confessed shoe worshipper Emma Bowd's debut novel, The Shoe Princess's Guide to the Galaxy, is about Jane, who trades in her Manolos for nappies as she goes from career girl to new mum. Desperate to reconnect with the outside world, Jane finds salvation in her local mothers group, an elderly neighbour and a duo of bloggers dedicated to shoes and celebrity gossip. Meanwhile, her best friend, Fi, thinks she's found The One in Marco. But he's an Italian shoe designer with a passion for teaching his craft to bored housewives. Bowd has previously published non-fiction books about shoes and handbags. The Shoe Princess's Guide to the Galaxy is out in May.
Australian author Liane Moriarty's next book, What Alice Forgot, is about a 29-year-old woman who is madly in love with her husband and pregnant with their first child. But then Alice wakes up to discover she's actually 39 years old, has three children and is about to get divorced. It seems a fall has erased a decade of her memories. Moriarty is the author of Three Wishes and The Last Anniversary, which both scored a spot in the Chicklit Club's High Raters.
Sophie King's new novel, The Wedding Party, covers the nine months leading up to a wedding. Monique and Geoff have decided to tie the knot, with help from his ex-wife Helen, his love-battered daughter Becky; distracted vicar Mel and learner wedding planner Janie. This wedding seems fated to be a disaster. But fate has some other ideas. Sophie King is the penname of journalist Jane Bidder. The Wedding Party is out in April.
Working it out: What are the top occupations for chick lit heroines? Find out in our Character Occupations Top 10.
Best-selling Irish author Cathy Kelly is set for a tour of Australia this month. Kelly is travelling Down Under to promote her latest release, Once in a Lifetime. It is her 11th novel and tells the story of a group of women linked by the fortunes of a department store. Kelly starts her tour in Sydney on March 18. She is also stopping in Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart and finishing up in Perth on March 26.
A. I am only aware of her two Mad novels, Diary of a Mad Bride and Diary of a Mad Mother-to-Be. The only other published work I could find was her Amore short story in the American Girls About Town anthology. It's about Linda who starts dating an Italian man named Raffael and lives through a disastrous dinner with him and her family. The book also has stories from Jennifer Weiner, Sarah Mlynowski, Chris Manby, Lauren Weisberger and Melissa Senate.
Ellie is stifled by her marriage to actor Jack and the demands of her two young children. And despite being kept busy running a cafe with her friend Tilda, she can't stop herself fantasising about highly inappropriate men, ex-boyfriends and life without Jack. So Ellie embarks on a quest to inject more excitement into her life and marriage. Is there really something - or someone - better out there for Ellie, or is she just facing a classic seven year itch?
Little Black Dress is publishing three first-release novels in April.
Susan Conley's The Fidelity Project is another book for the current economic times. Jax and Max fear they are about to lose their jobs at a Dublin advertising agency. Could they instead make it in the television industry with a documentary on fidelity? Max believes monogamy doesn't exist while Jax is a hopeless romantic. They put a variety of couples into the hot seat but it's when they focus on each other's love lives, the trouble really begins. Susan Conley is an American writer currently living in Dublin. Her debut, Drama Queen, was released last year.
"Corporate escapee" Niamh Shaw is making her debut with a romantic comedy about a career girl who wrecks revenge after being framed for sabotage.
In Smart Casual, Olivia finds mixing business with pleasure can be a dangerous game. She works nine-to-five in a dreary company, and her only hope is to quickly scale the corporate ladder. But things take a turn - for the better or the worse? - when Luke turns up as her new boss. Shaw currently lives in New Zealand.
It's time to head off on safari, in Tarras Wilding's debut novel Leopard Rock. Roo Beckett is bound for a South African game reserve after winning a prestigious wildlife film-making competition. She's going to spend a month in Leopard Rock with renowned film-maker Wyk Kruger. But her freeloading, fashion mag colleagues come along for the ride. Wilding divides her time between New Zealand and Africa.
Finley Anderson Tanner is back in Rhonda Pollero's latest novel Fat Chance - the follow-up to Knock Off and Knock 'Em Dead. Paralegal Finley has just landed a quaint new cottage on posh Palm Beach. But when she finds the place in shambles, she realises she should have known better than to accept her overbearing mother's offer to sell her a house sight unseen. Then Finley discovers a skeleton in her new closet. Finley's next adventure will be unveiled in Slightly Irregular.
Belle in the Big Apple, based on the blog by Brooke Parkhurst, is about a food-loving Southern belle who moves to New York to make a name for herself as a journalist. Belle learns all about the big city the hard way, from awful dating experiences to having her purse snatched by a cute guy on the subway. She finally catches her big break: a job as a production assistant at a conservative 24-hour news network. She's taken under the wing of Paige Beaumont, the channel's star news anchor, but she soon discovers there's political corruption afoot. Includes 30 recipes. Parkhurst once worked for the Fox News Channel before moving out of the newsroom and into the kitchen.
Quinn Holladay's self-published Dropping the Other Shoe is about Kate, who believes she has her life just right - a looming promotion, great friends and a closet full of designer shoes. And more than once she has patted herself on the back for successfully avoiding unnecessary distractions from men. But with things going beyond friendship with ex-boyfriend Josh and a secret flirtation with Ben, a partner at her firm, Kate is tiptoeing the line between the old and new.
Thanks to all those who have sent in their recommendations so far. Let's take a look at some of the books you want to see on the list . . .
Uli, from Brazil, loves reading anything by authors Jane Green and Adele Parks. In particular she loves Jane Green's Jemima J, about an overweight reporter who finds an internet romance with an LA gym owner and pretends she's a thin and sexy woman. When he decides he wants to meet her in person, Jemima has to start exercising and dieting so she can look like the woman he expects. Uli also highly rates Cecelia Ahern's Where Rainbows End.
Maddy, from Melbourne, wants to see her favourite chick lit title high up in the top 100. Getting Rid of Matthew, by Jane Fallon, is about Helen who's been having a secret affair with her former boss for the past four years. So when Matthew finally leaves his wife and moves in with Helen, you think she'd be delighted. But now she's decided she doesn't want him anymore. So Helen embarks on a campaign to get rid of Matthew, including befriending his wife. Maddy is also proudly flying the Australian flag by also recommending homegrown author Melanie La'Brooy's The Babymoon.
Maya has nominated six titles including Cecelia Ahern's If You Could See Me Now; Elegance by Kathleen Tessaro;
The Right Address by Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargman; Harriet Evans' A Hopeless Romantic; and The Importance of Being Married by Gemma Townley. And her nomination almost certain to make the cut is the ever-popular classic Good In Bed by Jennifer Weiner. It's about plus-sized culture reporter Cannie Shapiro who is horrified when her ex-boyfriend Bruce writes a magazine column on the topic of Loving a Larger Woman. Cannie of course returns in Weiner's sequel Certain Girls.
Lynne, of Montreal, has nominated two books about journal keeping - A Total Waste of Makeup by Kim Gruenenfelder and Robyn Harding's The Journal of Mortifying Moments. The latter is a very funny book about a woman who is encouraged by her therapist to write a journal about her past encounters with men to trace her problems with relationships. Starting with a school day kissing game turned sour, through a broken engagement and French-kissing the wrong man, Kerry relives her past romances and humiliating experiences.
MD loves Melissa Nathan's final book, The Learning Curve. "She left a great legacy with that story," MD says. Nathan, whose other books included The Waitress and The Nanny, died of cancer in 2006, aged 37. She is honoured via the annual Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance. The Learning Curve is about teacher Nicky Hobbs, who is vying for the post of deputy head with her former boyfriend.
Make your own Ultimate 100 Chicklit Collection suggestions by emailing us.
The Better Woman, by Ber Carroll, is about two women who have their sights set on the same job. And despite being from opposite ends of the globe, they have more in common that they think. Sarah Ryan grew up in a small Irish village where the boy-next-door broke her heart. Jodi Tyler was raised on Sydney's northern beaches amidst a loving family but a terrible secret shadows her teenage years. Both have triumphed over the tragedies of their pasts - but now who is the better woman? It's due for release in April.
Sadie Drew thinks she may actually be the world's worst wife. Her house is untidy, her fridge is a mess. And all her attention goes towards her three-year-old son. But at least her husband doesn't mind - until he gets a high-pressured job. She suspects that he's cheating - and their marriage starts to fall apart. Her mother-in-law smugly points out that Sadie risks losing everything unless she ups her game and becomes the perfect wife.
It seems the beautiful people have more problems than most. Model agent Sam finds the most wonderful face in Covent Garden. But teenager Orlando, the son of an MP and a social-climber, isn't looking to be discovered and disappears without a trace into the crowd. Down-to-earth Emma arrives in London to work as a nanny. But since she doesn't have the right breeding and cares for the kids too well, the jealous mother conspires to get rid of her. Meanwhile American starlet Belle is desperate for a role. With her film star beau Christian ditching her, she ends up in England treading the boards with serious actor Niall. His girlfriend, Shakespearean actress Darcy, has reluctantly accepted a trip to LA to audition for a part in Hollywood blockbuster Galaxia. With the characters constantly flitting into each other's lives throughout the 600-plus pages, they then all collide in a small Italian village. An enjoyable romp where the ugly personalities get their just deserts.
Denise Harrington's memoir Delicious Little That tells her story of falling in love at first sight with a dashing teaching colleague at her school. Despite him being already in a long-term relationship plus an illegal Canadian with a fake green card, she jumps heart first into an intense affair with "her cowboy". But she really wants a diamond ring. Harrington is now a stay-at-home mum in Los Angeles.
In Tracy Madison's A Taste of Magic, it's no surprise that Elizabeth has a bitter taste in her mouth. It's not only her birthday and the one-year anniversary of her husband Marc's departure -it's also the day that her bakery has to make a cake for Marc's next wedding. But Liz is about to receive a gift of some ancient gypsy magic. Now she can bake a special wish into each cake - giving her the perfect recipe for revenge. The follow-up book, A Stroke of Magic, is due out mid-year.
Romance Writers Ink is desperately seeking chick lit authors published in 2008 to enter its More Than Magic competition. There are several categories up for grabs but it is particularly keen for entrants in the Romantic Comedy category. The deadline is March 15. See its 2009 contest website for details. Last year Vicki Lewis Thompson won the Romantic Comedy section for Over Hexed.
Coming-of-age novel Five Finger Fiction, by New Hampshire teacher Brooks Sigler, is the result of her New Year's resolution to write a novel. Its synopsis says: "Thirty-year-old Lila O'Farrell has a large, extended Irish Catholic family. Her mother is a force of nature, something between a flash flood and a frightening televangelist, her father is a peeping Tom, and her sister is simply oblivious. Kleptomania is the only thing that gives Lila comfort. She takes jewellery, tongue depressors, a friend's brassiere. But breaking the law and casting aside social mores are nothing compared to overthrowing her mother's authority."
Book editor Lindsey Kelk's debut novel I Heart New York is about a woman who flees to the Big Apple. Angela catches her boyfriend with another woman at her best friend's wedding. And when a girl is in possession of a crumpled bridesmaid dress and a broken heart, heading to New York for the first time seems like an excellent idea. After a head-to-toe makeover, the new Angela begins forging a new life - and romance - in the city that never sleeps - and writing about it in her new blog. The follow-up books in Kelk's series are tentatively titled I Heart LA and I Heart London. Kelk also writes an online beauty blog.
Rebecca Miller (the daughter of playwright Arthur Miller and wife of actor Daniel Day-Lewis) has directed the movie version of her 2008 novel, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. It's about Pippa Lee (Robin Wright Penn), whose publisher husband Herb (Allan Arkin) - 30 years her senior - decides they should leave New York for a retirement community. She thinks she is adapting to the change until she begins sleepwalking and behaving uncharacteristically. Scheduled for a May release, it premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and also stars Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder and Julianne Moore.
Super in the City, the debut novel by New Yorker Daphne Uviller, introduces Zephyr Zuckerman, who takes over as superintendent of her parents' Greenwich Village apartment building. She discovers secrets lurk behind her tenants' doors - from art fraud to an international crime ring - while the mob thinks she's in the FBI, and the FBI thinks she's in the mob. And maybe the cute, surly exterminator will help her solve the mystery of what to do with the rest of her life.
With a personal ad admitting she's certainly no supermodel, Stephanie Snowe launches herself into the world of internet dating after her ex left her while pregnant with twins. Meeting Mr Wrong: The Romantic Misadventures of a Southern Belle is the real-life account of her search for Mr Right. And she's able to find humour even while living through a series of disastrous dates. Snowe writes several blogs, including one named after her husband.
Trisha Ashley follows up her novels Happy Endings and A Winter's Tale with her 2009 release, Wedding Tiers, which proves the path of true love never runs smoothly. When Josie inherits her grandmother's cottage, it seems she and her childhood sweetheart Ben will be able to live their dream life of rural self-sufficiency. Josie throws herself into her wedding cake business, while Ben supports himself as an artist. But the tranquil village turns into a hive of activity when Josie's friend Libby returns to plan a lavish wedding. As the friends form a wedding business, Josie's romance with Ben sours. Will it be a case of always the cake maker, never the bride?
Sci-fi fans rejoice - finally chick lit has a heroine for you! Julie Cohen's Girl from Mars is about a female comic artist who, along with her nerdy best male friends, takes a vow to avoid romantic relationships. Just like the alien heroine in the cult comic Girl From Mars, Fil's never needed a love interest - until one of her friends, Stevo, breaks the vow and falls in love. It's got Daleks, X-Files references, even Klingon phrases. Cohen says on her website that she chose the Girl From Mars title partly because of the Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus book. "Fil, with her masculine job, name, friends and clothes, feels she's from Mars, an alien in her own world," she says. Cohen is also the author of other Little Black Dress novels such as Honey Trap and One Night Stand. Girl From Mars is due out in May.
In Local Knowledge, by Liza Gyllenhaal, Maddie has gotten herself a lucrative new job in real estate. And her first sale brings her a charismatic new friend who is everything Maddie longs to be. Little does Maddie realize that the glamorous New York businesswoman, Anne, will shake up her quiet marriage - and will force Maddie to face the truth about the terrible secret she shares with her husband Paul and his best friend Luke.
In Gitty Daneshvari's The Makedown, Anna uses her move to Manhattan - and the inspiration of her new boss - to shed lots of weight along with her nerdy image and inferiority complex. Then she meets Ben, the man of her dreams. But he's a terrible flirt and she just can't escape the feeling that he is way out of her league. So she begins the Makedown - the reverse makeover - where he will go from prince to frog so other women won't be attracted to him. She uses Nair in his shampoo to induce premature balding, Sears catalogs to inspire bad dressing and cream in her cooking to induce weight gain. Daneshvari is a former Hollywood film executive whose upcoming young adult title School of Fear about a summer camp that deals with phobias is set for the big screen.
Watch out for the trade paperback edition of Jennifer Weiner's Certain Girls hitting shelves this April. It's got a slightly revamped cover, pictured left. Last year's hardback cover for the Good in Bed sequel, which catches us up with Cannie Shapiro and her daughter 13 years later, is pictured right. The next novel from Weiner - Best Friends Forever - is due out in September.
Toby, of Canada, recommends It Would Be Funny If It Wasn't My Life, by Lisa Dow. Toby says: "I just finished reading this book and quite enjoyed it ... I don't think it's sold outside of Canada though. It would be cool to see it on the Chicklit Club site." Released in 2008, it is about 30-something Kit who lives in Toronto with best friend Mel. In a sequence of events that Kit is sure is related to a Candid Camera-type TV show set up by Mel, Kit finds herself in possession of three engagement rings, all with marriage proposals attached, and a man's scratched-up high school ring. The story then travels back three years, to reveal the four men at the centre of Kit's toughest decision - Marc, the construction guy who adores Kit from the first time he sees her; Derek, the investment banker who breaks her heart then want her back; Rob, the bike courier, who sleeps around while supposedly dating Kit exclusively; and Kevin, the wannabe rock star, who'd like to get to know Kit better before she runs off and marries someone else.
If you would like to recommend a book to other Chicklit Club readers, send us an email.
In Ilsa Evans' The Family Tree, aspiring writer Kate Painter shocks her husband and teenage kids when she moves out of home and in with her cousin Ange so she can get some peace and quiet to write the novel she's always wanted to. But writer's block, dirty laundry and emergency babysitting duties all conspire against her. Amid the endless distractions, Kate is drawn into exploring the story of her family, including her father's recent death. Evans, author of Spin Cycle and Each Way Bet, is planning on trekking the arduous Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea (a pilgrimage for many Australians due to its war history) later this year.
All My Worst Qualities, by Megan Louis, is about Maise who finds herself weaving a web of lies. Like being a lapsed Catholic who is pretending to be Jewish for the sake of her boyfriend. But despite resenting her mother for all her conservative vices, Maisie still strives to be the ideal daughter as they both try to come to terms with a family tragedy. Will Maisie and her mother bury their differences and the past, or will it continue to haunt them and drive them apart?
This is based on the author's real life experiences and Marie Claire column. Magazine writer Tess, 28, discovers she's pregnant to her best male friend Jim. He is more than happy to be part of the baby's life but it doesn't mean they are going to finally become a couple. Then her sexy ex, Laurence, reappears in her life but how will he react to news of her pregnancy? A promising debut - full of believable emotions and genuine humour - about two friends and a complicated situation.
Interviews: Katy Regan talks about her debut novel and reveals which famous person she went to stage school with.
In Molly's Millions, by British author Victoria Connelly, florist Molly Bailey has just won 4.2 million pounds in the national lottery. With Ebenezer Scrooge for a brother, and a strong belief that sharing her good fortune is the only way forward, Molly becomes the most sought-after person in the country as, in true Robin Hood style, she distributes her wealth to the masses. Meanwhile reporter Tom Mackenzie is hot on her heels. Molly's Millions is Connelly's first book to be published in Britain. Flights of Angels, about a woman who started seeing tiny angels at her work desk after her husband died, was published in Germany as Unter deinem Stern and made into a TV movie. Connelly is now working on a book about a runaway actress as well as an adventure series for girls.
The Perils of Cyber-Dating is a memoir by Julie Spira, which follows her online journey to replace who she thought was the love of her life. It covers her dating disasters and romantic moments from more than 250 dates over 15 years. Spira says she was the first on her block to put up an online profile. The book includes her top 10 rules of cyber dating netiquette. Find out more details at http://cyberdatingexpert.com.
What happens when Mr Right is tall, dark and famous? Theatre administrator Kelly Monsoon never expected to meet a Hollywood mega-star like Rufus George - let alone have him fall in love with her. However, the small, intimate wedding Kelly always dreamed of is taking on Hollywood epic proportions. Rufus' manager is even trying to book Buckingham Palace for the reception. It's a clash of cultures: British versus American, celebrity versus civilian - with poor Kelly stuck in the middle.
Geek Charming, by former TV network executive Robin Palmer, tells the story of LA high school princess Dylan Shoenfield. When she accidentally drops the latest it bag into a fountain, she comes face-to-face with her own personal frog - geeky classmate Josh. In return for rescuing the bag, Josh convinces Dylan to let him film her for his college application documentary on high school popularity. Then her boyfriend dumps her and her social status plummets. The New York-based Palmer is also the author of Cindy Ella.
Did you know? Melissa Hill's next novel Please Forgive Me is about a woman who finds a box of letters in a rented house. All are signed off with the words 'Please Forgive Me' so she tries to find out the story behind them.
Kathleen Gilles Seidel takes a look at weddings from the point of view of the mother of the groom in her latest release, Keep Your Mouth Shut and Wear Beige. When ICU nurse Darcy's oldest son Jeremy gets engaged to a girl from a wealthy New York family, her world is turned upside down. But the main source of trouble isn't Cami Zander-Brown's accomplished parents Guy and Rose. Rather it's her ex-husband's new girlfriend Claudia, a fashion designer and self-described perfectionist. Claudia thinks she would make a much better mother of the groom than Darcy - and thinks this wedding will give her the opportunity to entrench herself in Mike's life. Gilles Seidel's 2006 release A Most Uncommon Degree of Popularity explored how fitting into the popular crowd extends beyond the schoolyard. She had intended to write a sequel based around the Alden School crowd, but it never eventuated.
British newspaper columnist and restaurant critic Marion McGilvray has turned her hand to novel writing. Her debut fiction book A Lost Wife's Tale is about a woman who escapes from her former life and lives under a false identity. Its synopsis reads: "Edith Lutz doesn't want to be found. She's vanished in a flurry of hastily packed bags and with a new look, name and job as live-in housekeeper to divorced publisher Adam, she's hoping to evade her past and build a new life. Again. But she soon becomes more than just the woman who does the dishes. Lingering over summer evenings with Adam, Edith experiences love for the first time, while her boss knows nothing of the real woman he's falling for. Haunted by an impossible choice she faced in her youth, Edith's been running ever since. With Adam she's found a reason to stop. But will her past let her?"
Tess Stimson's 2008 novel The Infidelity Chain is being released in the US market this year under the title, One Good Affair. With the tagline "Three couples are about to get the surprise of their lives," it's about the effects the death of Ella's husband has on her affair with William and his family.
Jill Kargman (Wolves in Chic Clothing, Momzillas) is turning her attention to the ultra-wealthy hedge fund set in her new novel, The Ex-Mrs Hedgefund. But it's set well and truly before the recent spectacular crashes. Holly's marriage to Tim Talbott, the founder of Comet Capital, has made her into a reluctant Mrs Hedgefund. She enjoys being a stay-at-home mum but the lunches are called luncheons because they take eons, even Botox can't stop her mother-in-law's withering stares, and Tim is always away. Then she and best friend Kiki discover he's been playing away and she's ready for divorce. The Ex-Mrs Hedgefund is out in April.
Another book about the hedge fund set - Hedge Fund Wives by Tatiana Boncompagni - is due out in May after a legal stoush with her sister over who wrote it. It's about four women whose lives change as their husbands' fortunes rise and fall in these economic hard times.
Can the qualities of the perfect man be put down on paper? This is the question that Virginian author Carmen Shirkey's self-published book, The List, poses as the heroine Candace makes a list of more than 50 qualities she wants in a man - she's not picky, just discerning. Then she meets two men - one who seems to match her list item for item and the other who is the antithesis of her list. Should Candace follow the list or follow her heart?
Daughter and mother writing pair Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant have released the latest title in their Gourmet Girl mystery series. Fed Up, the fourth book in the series after Steamed, Simmer Down and Turn Up the Heat, sees Chloe Carter's chef boyfriend Josh compete to star in a new TV series. The premise is a chef stops unsuspecting grocery shoppers and prepares them gourmet dinners. Everything's going great - until one shopper drops dead. As well as investigating suspects, Chloe deals with the chaos surrounding her best friend's wedding.
In her debut book One Real McCoy, Anne Harper sends her outspoken Irish heroine Kelly McCoy to forge a new life in the US after she catches her fiance in the arms of someone else. The MBA graduate accepts a position as a nanny in Chicago. After a year, as her visa is about to run out, Kelly finds she's not ready to head home - so takes up the offer of a visa sponsorship and a hotel job. While juggling her growing feelings for two different men, she seeks to follow her heart to remain true to herself - to remain the one real McCoy. With this book receiving rave reviews at every turn, Harper is working on a sequel.
Jen Lancaster (she of the long book titles) is releasing her fourth memoir in May. Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, or, the Wonder Years Before the Condescending, Egomanical, Self-Centered Smart Ass Phase is the prequel to her first book Bitter is the New Black and is about her experiences as a socially awkward tween.
Tilly Cole comes home to find her boyfriend has packed up his stuff and left. So she quits her London life for a fresh start in the small town of Roxborough where her friend Erin lives. Tilly fits right into her new role as a Girl Friday for divorced father Max and his teenage daughter Louisa. And, despite her best intentions, she finds herself drawn to Max's friend Jack who has a terrible reputation around town for bedding every woman in sight. An easy-reading story filled with engaging characters including Lou's US-based soapie actress mum Kaye, who is run out of Hollywood after an unfortunate incident with a pampered pooch, and town gossip Stella who is bitter about her husband Fergus moving on. Just a shame about the rushed ending.