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STACEY BALLIS
Room for Improvement (2006)
Interior decorator Lily Allen gets a job on Swap/Meet, a TV DIY show that does up two singles' homes then lets them meet at a party of friends. What Lily didn't count on when she took the dream job was fussy contestants, a ditzy host, warring fashion consultants, and a competitive fellow designer. Nor that her schedule would leave her without time to see her friends, more or less date.6/10
Sleeping Over (2005)
Spending the night together does not always mean romance is on the cards for these five friends. Fresh from a stint in the Peace Corps, Jess is staying with a family friend, Harrison, a sexy doctor, until she can find a place of her own. Chef Robin has a crush on restaurant owner Michael, while Lilith is carrying a torch for an actor. Anne meets her dream guy, while her sister Beth reconnects with a former classmate.5/10
Also by author:
Inappropriate Men; The Spinster Sisters
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MELISSA BANK
The Wonder Spot (2005)
This book is a series of interconnected stories that follow middle child Sophie Applebaum from her school days when she used to wag Jewish school, through college to her first job and her terrible typing skills, to her disappointing dating life.4/10
The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing (1999)
This book is a series of stories mostly taken from different times in narrator Jane Rosenal's life. It opens with her brother, Henry, bringing home an older girlfriend, who Jane watches for clues on how to fall in love. It follows Jane through several failed love affairs, including with a much older man Archie Knox; career crises in publishing and advertising; and the death of a loved one. The book has been critically acclaimed but it makes my Top 10 list of Most Disappointing books.5/10
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LAUREN BARATZ-LOGSTED
The Thin Pink Line (2003)
Jane Taylor, a 29-year-old assistant editor at a publishing firm, thinks she is pregnant. But when she gets her period, she is disappointed, especially when she realises how much attention pregnant women get. So expecting to fall pregnant any day to boyfriend Trevor, she fakes a pregnancy test by drawing on a pink line. Soon she's invented a tilted uterus, appointed a tarot-card-reading midwife and even tried to buy ultrasound pictures off expectant mothers. Then a publisher hears of her story, and convinces her to continue the charade so she can write about her experiences of what to expect when you're not really expecting.6/10
Crossing the Line (2004)
In the sequel to The Thin Pink Line, just as Jane reaches the end of her fake pregnancy, she finds a baby abandoned outside a church on Christmas Eve. She throws a New Year's Eve party for her family and friends to reveal all about her pregnancy and the new baby, who she christens Emma. As Jane makes plans to become Emma's foster parent, she befriends a black woman to help her learn about the baby's heritage. But then her book, the Cloth Baby, comes out and looks like spelling the end to her foster chances. The story then heads towards a too-predictable conclusion.5/10
Also by author:
A Little Change of Face, How Nancy Drew Saved My Life
To come:
Baby Needs a New Pair of Choos
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ZOE BARNES
Special Delivery (2007)
Ally Bennett is happily married to social worker Luke, with two young children. But for years she's been living in the shadow of her older sister, Miranda, a former model who is now a successful interior designer and married to wealthy property developer Gavin. But what Ally didn't realise is Miranda is missing something from her perfect life - and all the IVF attempts in the world have failed to give her a much-wanted baby. When Miranda turns to Ally to be a surrogate and carry her husband's baby, Ally isn't sure how to respond. Could she ever hand over a baby to someone else, especially Miranda? With an increasingly absent husband and an overly attentive brother-in-law, the implications of Ally's decision will be felt for much longer than nine months.7/10
Wedding Belles (2006)
Green Goddess shop assistant Belle Craine is planning her wedding to local journalist Kieran when Australian model Mona - her father's unknown daughter - turns up on the doorstep. In disgrace, her father and mother have to move out of the vicarage and into a new parish in a very undesirable area. Then Kieran starts spending too much time with Mona and Belle starts thinking the worst.6/10
Love Bug (2002)
Laurel Page has swapped cyberspace for managing an old-fashioned dating agency. And she's got an uphill battle ahead of her; because the agency owner refuses to change anything, Laurel can't introduce computers or even an orange filing cabinet. With a bad relationship behind her (boyfriend Jason slept with best friend Steph), Lauren has sworn off dating herself. But she soon finds herself attracted to client Gabriel. But then Steph turns up on the agency's books and gets set up with Gabriel.6/10
Hitched (1998)
Gemma and Rory want a small wedding but when his mother hears of their engagement she begins hijacking the preparations. The couple decide that the only way to control their big day is to pay for it themselves. So Gemma swaps to a higher paying job and Rory puts in more hours as PA to the very attractive Lisa. But as the wedding approaches, they find themselves drifting apart.6/10
Also by author:
Be My Baby; Split Ends; Just Married; Ex Appeal; Bouncing Back; Hot Property; Bumps
To come:
Return to Sender
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EMILY BARR
Plan B (2005)
Emma reluctantly sells up her Brighton home after her partner Matt persuades her to buy a farmhouse in the south of France. She arrives to discover it's raining day and night, the roof is leaking and the heat's been shut off. As Matt continues to commute to London, she looks after their daughter Alice and oversees building work on the house. After all, it's all going to be worth it - Matt has promised to move permanently to France and marry her soon. But he is leading a double life and has another family back in England.7/10
Also by author:
Out of My Depth; Solo; Atlantic Shift; Cuban Heels; Baggage; Backpack
To come:
The Sisterhood
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JO BARRETT
The Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom (2007)
When Claire St John realises the women's bathroom is the place where she always gets the best advice, she decides to write a guide about them - like why women go in pairs and what really goes on behind closed doors. The newly divorced Claire has quit her New York law firm and moved back to Austin to dabble in writing. This seems to be the perfect project, as she begins dating the seemingly perfect guy, Jake. But then an ill-timed confession in a bathroom threatens to bring her good fortune to an end.7/10
Also by author:
This is How It Happened
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TRACEY BATEMAN
You Had Me at Good-bye (2008)
Book two in the Drama Queens series focuses on Dancy Ames, who lives with Laini and Tabby and works as a book editor at Lane Publishing. Her brother's best friend Jack Quinn not only took her dream job at the firm, but ends up having to fire her because of a change of company direction. Meanwhile, Dancy helps out her friend Nick at his coffee shop and works on her own novel, called Fifth Avenue Princess, whose main character is torn between two men - one sounding remarkably like Jack. Dancy also is dealing with a teenage half-brother who has just arrived on the scene and jealousy that her engaged brother is getting the family condo. Not sure if I read a different book to what the blurb and advance reviews promised - what happened to the storyline about Dancy being dared to send Jack a book, under an assumed name, about a romance between a mean editor and a coffee barista?5/10
Catch a Rising Star (2007)
Former daytime soapie star Tabby Brockman is sacked from her job in a bookstore after an incident with a rabbit costume. But it seems God does have a plan for her - she's getting the chance to return to her TV role on Legacy of Life: her character Felicia Fontaine isn't in fact dead but is emerging from a coma. But back on the set she finds her nemesis Rachel Savage is also joining the cast, the TV writer who killed her off still hates her and she's got to find a way to bond with her character's children. On the personal front, her mum has set her up with an unwanted boyfriend, who just won't leave her alone, and she's got a big crush on stage dad David - but Rachel already has her claws in him. It's book one in the Drama Queen series - more books centred on Tabby's flatmates Dancy (You Had Me at Good-bye) and Laini (That's Not Exactly Amore) follow.6/10
Also by author:
I Love Claire; Claire Knows Best; Leave it to Claire
To come:
That's Not Exactly Amore
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MARIA BEAUMONT
She is married to author Matt Beaumont and also writes under the name Jessie Jones.
Motherland (2007)
Also known as 37
Desperate housewife Fran Clark is approaching crisis point. Once a talented voiceover artist, she hasn't had the confidence to go back to work after having her now school-age children, Thomas and Molly. On the night of her 37th birthday party, things come crashing down around her, and she soon hits rock bottom after she hits the wine bottle too often (Watch what happens with the chapter numbers.) It's hard looking after the kids, keeping up with the other bitchy school mums and dealing with the fact that her husband Richard doesn't want her any more. But with the help of her two best friends, Fran drags herself back up from the mother of all breakdowns.8/10
Also by author:
MissFit; Marsha Mellow and Me
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SARAH BILSTON
Bed Rest (2006)
Quinn “Q” Boothroyd, a British lawyer living in New York, is used to life in the fast lane. After all how else would she have achieved so much off her “Modern Woman's List of Things to do Before Hitting Thirty.” So when she is diagnosed with low amniotic fluid levels in her sixth month of pregnancy, how will she survive the strict bed rest? She has to lie on her left side and not get up, even for food. When husband Tom forgets to leave her a meal, she just has to starve. Maybe helping a neighbour fight a landlord who's trying to evict his tenants will keep her occupied - trouble is her husband's firm represents the landlord.6/10
To come:Sleepless Nights
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DIANNE BLACKLOCK
Almost Perfect (2004)
Georgie runs The Reading Rooms bookshop with her sister-in-law Louise. One day a guy walks into the bookshop and Georgie, a loveable bohemian type, tells herself that this is the man she's going to spend the rest of her life with. Can she trust her inner voice, especially as Liam has such a busy schedule as a taxation lawyer? For Mac and Anna, their perfect marriage is struggling under the strain of infertility. As another cycle of IVF fails, Mac reveals that he wants Anna to take a break from the program. With Mac staying out late at the office and Anna turning to the bottle to drown her sorrows, is it too late to save their marriage? Great characters and loved the way their worlds collided.8/10
Also by author:
False Advertising, Wife for Hire, Call Waiting
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FAITH BLEASDALE
The Love Resort (2005)
Romance author and owner of the Love Resort Anne-Marie Langdale is struggling with writer's block. So she runs a competition to get three good-looking couples to the Caribbean island to help inspire her creative juices. Who are the lucky couples? Thea and Tim - she's a wannabe actress, he's a struggling actor - are actually best friends in a platonic relationship; Jimmy is intending to propose to Emily but she's not so keen on him; and Carla is trying to get Lee to commit. With newlywed celebrities Todd and Katie added to the mix, Anne-Marie finds that the path to true love and romantic novels just doesn't run smoothly.7/10
Agent Provocateur (2004)
Magazine journalist Betty has to shadow Grace for a week, watching the honey-trapper test men to see if they are faithful. But Betty is finding the assignment tough - she takes an immediate dislike to Grace and her job. Then the women are manipulated into a bet that Grace can seduce Betty's husband, Johnny. But will anyone emerge as the winner? This is a good concept but it is poorly written, especially when jumping between viewpoints.4/10
Deranged Marriage (2003)
Imagine signing a pact at 20, saying you'll marry your friend 10 years later if you are both still single. That's just what Holly and her best friend, George, did in a drunken haze. But now as Holly turns 30, George, a lawyer, is back to take her to court to enforce the marriage pact - ignoring the fact that she already has a gorgeous boyfriend.6/10
Rubber Gloves or Jimmy Choos? (2000)
University graduate Ruth is facing a tough year after her boyfriend dumped her on graduation day and then left for Australia. Now she doesn't know what to do with herself - she's never wanted a career, she's only ever wanted a husband. Moving in with some uni friends, Ruth starts to forge herself a new life.4/10
Also by author:
Pinstripes, Peep Show
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SHANE BOLKS
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (2005)
When Rory Egglehoff's high school crush, Hunter Chase, turns up as a client at her firm, the Star Wars fan puts the Ultimate Jedi Plan into action to get him to notice her and take her to their school reunion. Trouble is she also has a boyfriend, Tedious Tom, who she just can't seem to break up with.6/10
Did you know? Rory's best friend, Allison Holloway, is the heroine of another Shane Bolks' novel Reality TV Bites.
Reality TV Bites (2006)
Allison Holloway is one of the few people who will openly admit to being a reality TV junkie. So she's very excited when her interior design firm is signed up for TV show Kamikaze Makeover, where they compete against a Japanese team to decorate a room, using one unorthodox item. Once the show premieres though, Allison's world comes crashing back to reality, as the episodes are edited to make her and her team look anything but professional - even when she makes a room work using vibrator art. And more trouble is afoot when she gets involved with show producer and Italian prince Nicola Parma.5/10
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ALISON BOND
The Truth About Ruby Valentine (2006)
On the day that Hollywood star Ruby Valentine dies, Kelly Coltrane's father reveals that she is Ruby's daughter. So Kelly heads to Hollywood to attend the funeral and uncover the truth about her mother's mysterious suicide. As Kelly finds that it is never too late for a comeback, Ruby's path to fame is revealed in a series of flashbacks. I guessed the ending far too early but still an enjoying read.7/10
How to be Famous (2005)
Author Alison Bond's work in the movie industry no doubt inspired this book about the cut-throat world of film and fame. Lynsey Dixon works at a top talent agency in London. After she prevents the sacking of British actress Melanie Chapman from a movie set, she is transferred to LA to help Melanie settle into a new TV show. On a bus trip across America, Lynsey meets Serena Simon, a beautiful 14-year-old runaway who has dreams of becoming a starlet.6/10
Did you know? Lynsey's boss, Max Parker, is also Ruby's manager.Back to top
STEPHANIE BOND
Body Movers (2006)
When Carlotta Wren's parents disappeared when she was 19, after being accused of company fraud, she took over caring for her younger brother Wesley. She had to forgo college to work in women's wear at Neiman Marcus and watch out for Wesley, who is forever in trouble over gambling debts. When he gets a job as a mover of dead bodies, Carlotta drives him to one call-out, where she discovers one of her clients, Angela, is the body and the husband - Carolotta's ex-fiance - may be chief suspect. The sequel is Two Bodies for the Price of One.4/10
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ANN BRASHARES
Author of the bestselling Traveling Pants series.
The Last Summer (of You and Me) (2007)
Sisters Riley and Alice have grown up spending their summers on Fire Island. Now in their 20s, tomboy Riley still works there as a lifeguard and Alice is having one last summer before heading off to law school. Their neighbour Paul has returned to the island for the first time in a few years. He's Riley's best friend but a real intimacy is growing between himself and Alice. Then something happens to Riley that could end their romance and carefree summers forever. Like life on the island, it's all paced a bit too slow for me.5/10
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CANDACE BUSHNELL
Lipstick Jungle (2005)
It's a jungle out there but for three New York businesswomen - magazine editor-in-chief Nico O'Neilly, movie executive Wendy Healy and fashion designer Victory Ford - they have risen to the top of their fields. Nico has a stellar career but the passion has gone out of her marriage. Will her attraction to a younger man (underwear model Kirby) derail her ambition to become the first female CEO of Splatch-Verner? Wendy, the president of Parador Pictures and mother of three, heads to Romania to sort out set problems on a potential Oscar-winning movie, as her marriage to Shane dissolves. And Victory's Fashion Week collection doesn't go down too well so she is forced into looking at partnership deals to keep her company afloat. As she starts dating cosmetic entrepreneur Lyne Bennett, she also learns lessons about what she wants from love.6/10
Also by author:
Trading Up; Four Blondes; Sex and the City
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JULIE BUXBAUM
The Opposite of Love (2008)
Manhattan lawyer Emily Haxby is confused about her life. Just as her boyfriend Andrew is on the verge of proposing, she breaks up with him with that famous line: “It's not you. It's me.” Working on a multi-million-dollar lawsuit that she morally disagrees with and trying to avoid a lecherous boss, Emily also wonders if her professional life needs a shake-up. But it's not long before she is wondering if she's made the mistake of her life. With her mother dead and her father emotionally distant, her closest ties are with her fast fading Grandpa Jack and Ruth, a former judge who lives in the same retirement home. This book has received high praise from many readers and is finely written with believable characters and emotional depth. However I'd lost interest by the second half. But maybe it's a case of “It's not The Opposite of Love. It's me.” So the best advice would be to try it out for yourself - you may just love it.6/10