Possession is nine-tenths of the law - or is it? This story revolves around Tina, the youngest of three sisters, who is a cleaning lady and whose current address is a trailer park. Tina's mum, Olivia, has just passed away from a heart attack, and while standing around her mother's new home in the ground, Tina learns about her inheritance. She's been left a 12-room apartment overlooking Central Park. But other family members dispute her claim. So now Tina is stuck squatting in the apartment, battling against stepbrothers, sisters, lawyers and apartment residents including Frank the doorman and Len the anthropological botanist. Tina, feeling like the black sheep, does what she thinks will help her keep the apartment - befriending the members of the co-op committee. There she develops feelings for the chairman's son Vince, though her heart is also tugging in the direction of Peter, the stepbrother she has just discovered. Can Tina make up her mind about what she really wants and stop being walked over? And who will win Tina's heart - Vince the spoilt trust-fund baby or Peter the NYPD cop? This is a solid read that has you seeing stories from different occupants and shows when it comes to the crunch - money and status can play a huge role, especially in a luxury apartment building worth millions. (PP)
6/10
Teenage sisters Daria, Polly and Amelia Heller are the beautiful grand-daughters of an American literary critic. When famous photographer Herb Lang photographs them for New Yorker magazine, the girls are catapulted into It girl status. Amelia, only 14, is no longer able to attend high school, while oldest sister Daria is desperate to take advantage of this opportunity for fame and fortune. Under the guidance of pushy agent Collette, the girls are soon doing modelling shoots, attending star-studded events and being targeted by the paparazzi. But it is Amelia who soon becomes the focus of everyone's attention when she bites a middle-aged movie star who tries to manhandle her and lands the leading part in an off-Broadway play. With their protective brother Philip sent packing to live with their dad and their mother too busy drinking in their fame - and her alcohol, the girls have to learn to look out for each other. Each sibling takes a turn at the narration but am not convinced each voice was distinct enough.
6/10
Everyone thinks Diana Christopher is losing it. Especially considering she's just driven her car into the front window of a cafe. Since the death of her father in a car crash two decades before, Diana has literally become a HUGE disappointment to her mother. She is overweight, works night shift in a cafe and has never had a boyfriend. But a friendship with her elderly neighbour helps her start to shed weight and find a reason to live.
4/10
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Four women from a mother's group decide to each strive towards a goal. Mother of twins Deirdre, who fantasises about former band member Nick, dreams of resurrecting her singing career. Juliette, whose son Trey has autism, wants another baby and plans to start fertility testing. Ms Organised Lisa decides to write a self-help book but must first face a health crisis. And Anne wants to open a restaurant.
7/10
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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.
8/10
Maeve Connelly believes she has rotten luck. It took her nearly eight years to graduate college and she still hasn't settled into a career. When she loses her job at the pub for running late yet again (her old banger of a car, Elsie, ran out of petrol), she decides to pack up and head across the country to Los Angeles to meet up with an old friend she reconnected with through Facebook. But her car breaks down in Unknown, Arizona, and the only mechanic for miles has just gone to try his luck in Vegas and no one knows when he'll be back. So Maeve moves into the local boarding house and gets a job in the bookstore. And so begins her fresh start at life, with a new cast of intriguing characters. A truly inspiring story that will entertain, captivate and bring on the tears. Watch out for the occasional appearance of her sister Vi, from Reichs' first novel The Best Day of Someone Else's Life.
8/10
When Kevin "Vi" Connelly was six years old, she was a flower girl at her aunt's third wedding - and ever since she's been addicted to "marry-tales". Now in her late 20s and working as a wine buyer in Washington, Vi is about to be bridesmaid three times over - and then attend more than a dozen other weddings. Still stuck on her ex Caleb, Vi is wondering if she'll ever experience her own Best Day of Your Life. She's already discovering that weddings are an expensive business even when you're just a guest - Vi even resorts to signing up as a medical guinea-pig to fund her attendances. Read it for the sassy heroine and her mixed-up movie titles, to experience a range of different weddings (please don't leave us on the cash bar side of the fence) and an appealing Irish leading man.
8/10
Move over Trinny and Susannah, run away Gok Wan as the Home Channel presents former personal shopper and retail worker at The Store Miss Annie Valentine. In this third book in the series, Annie has been offered the chance to work on TV as a wardrobe makeover expert to all the poor saps out there with their baggy clothes and shoddy hairstyles. Sounds glamorous? Well Annie thought so about this chance of a lifetime but it turns out that they have hired a big-wig star, the bossy Miss Marlise, to be the main talent. Annie also discovers that the pay is pitiful and that the show's budget is zip - it's style on a shoestring. Feeling pressure about the show, all Annie wants is to go home and relax in peace and quiet but things on the home front aren't looking too great. Her boyfriend Ed is left home with her two children, Owen who's gone on an eco-war and Lana, a sullen teen. And if that's not enough she gets lumbered with her friend/socialite/co-star's secret daughter, Elena, a 22-year-old Russian bombshell. Can Annie handle the pressures of the 3 Fs - fame, friends and family? (PP)
7/10
In this sequel to The Personal Shopper, mother of two Annie Valentine is still working as a personal shopper and image consultant at London's upmarket The Store. She also is building a thriving eBay company. But with a big tax bill looming, she still has higher ambitions - and when she discovers some fantastic shoes made by Timi Woo from Hong Kong, she decides to import them. Only problem is she hasn't told boyfriend Ed, a music teacher at her kids' school, about her plans - or that she's planning to refinance their house. Even a relaxing family getaway to Italy sees her occupied buying up handbags at factory stores. The story ends in a way that makes another follow-up book very likely.
7/10
Annie works as a personal shopper in a London department store. As a single mum to typical teen Lana and shy Owen, she leads a whirlwind life as her family's breadwinner, since her actor husband Roddy is no longer around. Much to the chagrin of her boss, she also earns money by doing private image consulting and operating an eBay store, selling bargain designer finds and hand-me-downs from clients. It's little wonder that she hardly has time for men. The first in the Annie Valentine series, her story continues in another three books.
7/10
There are simply not enough hours in the day for Jo Randall - and this is no ordinary week. The newly divorced mother of two is a newspaper reporter whose love life is heating up thanks to a sexy younger chef, Marcus. And she's working on two big stories. She's chasing an interview with the Green Goddess, Savannah Tyler, who is expected to be the first Green MP and has been keeping her private life secret for a reason. Then's there her investigation into a potentially harmful vaccination as a whooping cough epidemic takes hold. Can she uncover the truth before it affects more families - including her own?
7/10
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Hope has just been let go from yet another job and decides to go on holiday to Boston. But her plane has trouble taking off and crashes, killing most of the people on board. She awakes in hospital with her two best friends Adam and Julie by her side. They take her to a cottage in her Irish hometown of Dunport to recover - a place Hope was happy never to see again. She goes into therapy to help her get over post-traumatic shock disorder but her therapist suggests that she first needs to face up to her unsettling past first.
7/10
A tale of warring spouses, embarrassing parents and the battle of the hairdressing salons. When hairdresser Jane discovers another salon is opening up down the road, she enters a hairdressing competition to help woo customers. On the home front, her husband, Jim, has moved out so her mother moves in. Then an accident makes Jane and Jim relive a past tragic event and forces them to confront what drove them apart in the first place.
5/10
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Ros Reines worked as a gossip columnist for a Sydney newspaper so news of her debut novel had many wondering how much of it would be fiction. Her heroine, Venous Ventura, is a gossip columnist for the Sunday Observer. She enrols in an exclusive self-help course at Byron Bay at the behest of her boyfriend - former rock star Larry. Tagged The Bitch, she joins fellow guests, including her nemesis, fashion designer Ruby Star (Abusive) and football star Todd Straw (Unfaithful), in facing their demons. And of course Venous is not only determined to keep breaking celebrity stories, such as J.Lo's arrival in town, while she's on the retreat but she's also desperate to dish the dirt on Ruby's secret.
4/10
The Zimmerman twins, Ginger and Cinnamon, work together in their hairdressing salon, Do It Up. After local-girl-turned-popular-actress Courtney Day gets them to work their magic for her much-photographed wedding, the salon is inundated with women seeking "The Courtney" for their own special day. One day the groomsman for another wedding strolls into the salon and Cinnamon looks like she's seen a ghost. Could he be the mystery father of her daughter Sage? And Cinnamon is not the only person in town keeping mum about something. Ginger for one is planning to change career and leave town. In a riotous, really enjoyable tale, all the town's secrets soon come tumbling out.
7/10
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This is one of those books that I am so happy I read. The day I was browsing the bookstore, I remember picking it up off the table and putting it back down two or three times. My hesitation was more about spending money on another book than it was on the story itself. But something about the description just stuck with me and I had to have it. This book has what I consider the perfect elements of a chick lit novel - a New York City setting, strong, intelligent women wrestling with their lives (and each other), and of course, a love interest or two. The fact that these women are English professors referencing centuries of women's fiction was the icing on the cake for me. Diana Monroe and Rachel Grey are both English professors at Manhattan University with completely different areas of study. Diana is a tenured expert on Sylvia Plath and Rachel has just moved to New York to teach contemporary women's fiction. They clash from the get-go and things between them become further strained when visiting Harvard professor Carson McEvoy vies for the affections of them both. When they agree to co-lead an undergraduate literary trip to London, they are forced to interact on a new level and end up learning about themselves, and each other, in the process. An engaging, smart story showing you can't always judge a book by its cover, especially when it comes to people. (LEK)
8/10
A garden nestled within Manhattan U provides a refuge for the faculty wives - so they are upset when they hear it's earmarked for a carpark. For award-winning writer Mary, who is married to the dean behind the carpark plans, she has finally had enough of his bullying ways and is planning on escaping to San Francisco once their daughter's wedding is over. Art student Hannah, married to computer science whiz Michael, uses the garden to paint - and escape her guilt over her affair with an art tutor. Sofia, a former Hollywood agent who's married to an expert in Edgar Allan Poe, spends time there with her young children; while Ashleigh is wondering how she's going to tell her Republican senator father that she's living with a woman. The women band together to save the garden and uncover what Mary's husband is up to - and why he is suddenly so interested in Poe. Even though it doesn't take a Rhodes scholar to figure it all out, you'll enjoy the genuine character studies.
6/10
Ever since Peter's sudden disappearance on Valentine's Day, Portia Fallon has been drowning in misery, filling her life with nothing other than reruns of Pride and Prejudice, and putting her dissertation on hold. For the Fallon women have a big problem when it comes to relationships - they can't keep men around for long. Portia's dad ran away from home when she was young, and even her grandmother and aunt had the same problem. When Portia is asked to go back home to Georgia for the summers to help out with the bookstore, little did she know that her family was trying to set her up with a fling, gorgeous British novelist Ian Beckett, to help her move on with her life and forget about Peter. But when she realises that she's falling hard for Ian, he tells her that all he wants is just to be friends. Things start to get messy when her dad comes back into the picture, her mum gets arrested and Peter unexpectedly returns. (XT)
6/10
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Chloe Parker had lead a wild childhood running with the young A-list crowd after being adopted by a music producer. She disappears for a week when she has a fight with a friend at a nightclub. On her return best friend Simone, who makes everyone's private phone numbers public when she leaves her mobile in a rest room, announces that she and Chloe are going to be spokespeople for Magdalena cosmetics and they will shoot a reality TV ad. It doesn't seem as if Richie has strayed too far from her own experiences to act as the story's narrator. She's the adopted daughter of singer Lionel Richie and she starred in reality TV show The Simple Life with her then best friend Paris Hilton (and Paris did once lose her phone).
6/10
Mira and her husband, Max, are approaching their 35th wedding anniversary. Ten days before the party Mira is shocked to find out she has breast cancer but resolves not to enter treatment even though the doctor has told her she has options. Now she must tell her three adult children about her disease and her decision. Her three kids arrive on the scene with issues of their own - her oldest, Katya, thinks her husband is having an affair and struggles with trying to keep everything perfect. Her son, Ivan, is pursuing a music career and keeps falling in love with the wrong women. The youngest, Irina, has grown up battling everyone, thinking she was a mistake for her parents. When Irina finds out she is pregnant, she struggles with what options she has with her new husband who she has only just met and married. A great tale of the behind-the-scenes dynamics of families and how they react in stressful situations. (CG)
7/10
Hollywood film producer Olivia Hunt was working on the fourth draft of her suicide note (she'd been fired, dumped by her boyfriend and had discovered evidence of a moustache) when she got a phone call that her younger sister Maddie has leukaemia. Through a series of letters, the book follows her time spent at her sister's bedside as she attempts to get Don Quixote made into a film.
4/10
Newspaper obituaries writer Holly Hastings - a compulsive therapy user - writes her own obituary and is less than impressed to find she's going to die alone at 85. Inspired by the Marilyn Monroe movie How to Marry a Millionaire, she decides to do just that and write a book on the topic. Honing her search to some of America's most wealthy regions, she and best friend George arrive in San Francisco (home of most millionaires under 50) and start dating two rich men. But they find that money doesn't necessarily buy love.
6/10
Evie's determined to lose weight for her wedding to long-time boyfriend Bruce, especially after she picks up a Vera Wang gown at a sample sale. She only needs to drop 40, maybe 50 pounds to fit into her dream dress. So the self-absorbed Evie hits the gym, starts dieting like mad and spends up big on making the most of her new look. But Bruce doesn't seem to like the slimmed-down Evie. Is she about to lose more than a few dress sizes?
6/10
Emily is marrying ambitious money manager Parker at a big summer wedding in New York. She is hoping her best friends Elizabeth and Karen will soon follow her down the aisle. But Elizabeth, who is still carrying the humiliation of being left at the altar, isn't so sure that boyfriend Nick is the one for her. As a painter who abandoned that world to become a money manager, she is instead drawn to one of the wedding guests, Ian, a Scottish artist. Playwrights Karen and Robert are planning on getting married but her divorced parents are proving to be a big problem. Meanwhile Emily finds that married life isn't the happily-ever-after she dreamt of.
5/10
For secretary Joan Benjamin, bad things not only come in threes, but also in the form of Jennifer. In just one week, she sees her ex-fiance Michael marry another woman, loses her cushy job and is forced out of her apartment. All because of women named Jennifer. For Joan, who at 30 still hasn't settled down with a man or career, it's enough to make her want to be someone else - someone called Jennifer. So she embarks on a new persona, striving to become a thinner, sexier, more composed, successful woman - just like all those perfect Jennifers with the world at their feet. But at what cost to her true self? An enjoyable debut about a grown woman still trying to find her way - before she earns herself a bad name.
6/10
Wendy and Daphne have been best friends for 15 years. During that time, Wendy has always been there for Daphne, offering a shoulder for Daphne to cry on and giving her much-needed advice when she gets in over her head. And the truth is that Wendy likes it this way. She prefers to be the strong one in the relationship, always coming to the rescue of her overly dramatic wreck of a best friend. However, when Daphne's life begins to turn around and she marries the perfect husband, renovates her dream brownstone in the best part of Brooklyn, and becomes pregnant with the child that Wendy can't seem to conceive, Wendy finds herself having a very hard time being happy for her best friend. In fact, she realises that she is downright jealous of Daphne and the way her life is moving forward, while Wendy seems to be stuck in a dead-end job with a slacker husband in a run-down apartment. The author does an excellent job of exploring the often tenuous relationships between best friends and the surprising feelings that come to light as their lives begin to travel down different paths. At times during the book, you will find yourself sympathetic to both Daphne and Wendy, always aware that there is sometimes a fine line between love and hate in female friendships. Anyone who has ever had a hard time being happy for a friend's good fortune when your life seems to be stuck will relate to this story. (LEK)
7/10
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Ansley Wallen has been publicly dumped by her fiance, who may have never loved her. Growing up in Dallas, where marriage and children seem more important than a woman's career, Ansley expected to have married and started a family after graduating college. Now, she's obviously not going to be doing either of those things, so what's a girl to do? The only option seems to be for Ansley to start over by leaving Dallas. Moving to New York seems like a good idea. But the only contact Ansley has in the city is her grandmother, Vivian, who she has never met. Deciding on a whim to send a letter asking if she can go and live with her grandmother is risky - it's very possible she won't even get a response. And her grandmother is apparently a horrible person who abandoned her daughter and husband 46 years earlier. But her newly widowed grandmother, Vivian, does reply, and when she arrives in New York she is surprised by how much they have in common - especially their love of baking. But Vivian dishes up some tough love, telling her she needs to get a job within eight weeks or she can't stay. This leads Ansley on a quest that sees her opening her own business and finally letting go of her past. This is a great story about family, secrets and especially baking. The end of each chapter has a delicious cupcake recipe with a name that reflects the sentiment of that chapter - it's a book not to be missed, especially if you are an avid baker. (AS)
7/10
Laura Ruby also writes books for kids and teens.
Lupe Klein may resemble the stepmom Julia Roberts portrayed in the movie of the same name but she's definitely not as lucky as her. When she married Ward, other than knowing that her life was more or less screwed up by his three less-than-endearing kids, she certainly hadn't expected that his plump ex-wife Beatrix would constantly send her threatening messages. As for Beatrix, her life isn't any better, with her stepdaughter Liv proving to be a strangely sarcastic teen. Liv's mother Roxie is also dating a divorced man - and the chain of blended families goes on. It's just like when Stepmom meets Desperate Housewives, but just not as interesting. (XT)
5/10
Charlie is at the airport leaving for a trip to Europe when she hears over the announcement system a name from her past - Jasper Ash. It's her former flatmate, a songwriter who has gone on to great things as Zamiel in supergroup Spawn. The last time she saw him was when they nearly slept together - until he backed away at the last moment proclaiming 'it's not you, it's me'. When Jas joins her on a bus tour to Oktoberfest in Munich (even though Charlie hates beer), they slip straight back into their easy banter. But That Night looms over them as an undiscussed topic. Both seem at a crossroad in their lives - why is Jas ignoring all his phone calls and why has Charlie still not finished uni or got stuck into creating her sculptures? Not just a light frothy read. You'll also get some great survival tips in case you ever find yourself at Oktoberfest with a group of Australians from a Beer-drinking Society.
7/10
Best friends Gemma and Sarah are at their ritual Friday night cocktails, when Sarah adds another name to their bastards list - a collection of 20 yellowing pages of men who have done them wrong. They add the list to Gemma's homepage and she creates a form so other internet users can add their own stories of bastards they have known. It becomes an overnight success so Gemma sets up a new website called allmenarebastards.com. This becomes Gemma's place to vent, especially now her ex-fiancé Brett has sent her an invitation to his wedding to another woman. But is Gemma's manhating getting out of control?
6/10
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Sharon is overweight, lonely and miserable. When her best friend cracks on to the guy she likes, her self-esteem hits rock bottom. Seduced into trying a miracle weight cure, she goes to see the mysterious Dr Marvel. She soon finds herself in a reversed world where fat is in and thin is unattractive. Sharon becomes a supermodel and dates a variety of celebrities, including a rock star, polo player and actor. This book is definitely food for thought. Especially as this world where the media mocks skinny people seems to be no better.
6/10
Twenty years ago, Logan Barnes betrayed his best friend, Nicolo Flores. Nicolo remained in London while Logan headed off to New York, won the girl, became a successful businessman and made a lot of money. Fast forward to the present when Logan returns to London with his perfect trophy wife, family and a successful hotel empire under his belt. Unfortunately for him, Nicolo still hasn't forgiven him and will do anything to make him suffer. However with gambling, addictions and scandal all knocking on the Barnes family door, will they end up destroying themselves before Nicolo can cause the damage himself? This has all the ingredients if you love glamorous blockbuster novels. (PP)
7/10
It's Samantha's wedding day and as her best friend and chief bridesmaid, Allie is ready to leap into action whenever and wherever trouble looms. And Samantha's madcap family is unlikely not to get into trouble. The bride is scared about settling down; her spoilt younger sister Chloe is bringing an uninvited guest; her grandfather doesn't know what day it is; and her young nephew Troy can't help misbehaving. And it seems Sam has also invited their treacherous ex-friend Julia to the wedding while her brother David seems to have his eye on Abbie. With the story set over the course of the big day, this is another delightful tale from Ryan, one of chick lit's most recent great finds.
7/10
Katie is engaged to Matt and about to set off on her hen weekend to Dublin. She's not happy about her fiance taking off to Prague with the boys for 10 days but it seems what he's up to is the least of her worries. With alcohol loosening lips, her mum, sister and close friends start revealing some big secrets. As a treasure hunt introduces the bride-to-be to Harry - as in find a gorgeous man - it seems Katie's keeping the biggest secret of them all. Fasten your veil, raise your glass and expect the unexpected - this page-turner is a real gift.
8/10
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London-based magazine journalist Katy Regan used her experience of having a baby with her male best friend as the basis for her debut novel One Thing Led to Another.
Jill Amy Rosenblatt is the author of Project Jennifer and For Better or Worse. She lives on Long Island and confesses to being a hopeless romantic.
Allison Rushby is the author of eight novels, including some young adult titles. She studied journalism and Russian at university before writing for wedding magazines. Her debut novel, allmenarebastards.com, came out in 2000. Her latest book The Inner Gentleman is written under the name Alli Kincaid. The Brisbane-based author is married with two children.
Lyndsay Russell's debut novel, Fat Chance, is about a plus-size woman who finds herself in a world where fat is in. The English author has worked as a newspaper journalist and radio broadcaster and published a children's picture book with her daughter.
Olivia Ryan's debut book, Tales from a Hen Weekend, is out now. From Essex in England, Olivia herself married young, admitting her hen party wasn't a big affair. She has three daughters.
