NEW RELEASES
2010 is shaping up to be another big year on the chick lit front.
Many of the big-name authors will be back, including Jennifer Weiner with Fly Away Home - about a Senator's wife who finds out that her husband's been having an affair. Sophie Kinsella's sixth book in the Shopaholic series is to be called Mini-Shopaholic - and is presumedly focused on Becky's daughter. Lauren Weisberger's Last Night at Chateau Marmont is about women left behind by their new-celeb exes - and their fitting revenge. In Emily Giffin's Heart of the Matter, the lives of two very different women dramatically intersect through a surgeon husband and a son. Promises to Keep, by Jane Green, is about a group of characters whose lives change thanks to a shocking email and a summer in Maine. From Dorothy Koomson comes The Ice Cream Girls about two women who witnessed a tragic event 20 years ago. Adele Parks is writing about Men I've Loved Before; while Chrissie Manby's Getting Over Mr Right is about a woman trying to win back her ex. Jill Mansell's Take a Chance on Me centres on two sisters who discover that love can flourish in the unlikeliest of places while Carole Matthews' It's Now or Never is about twin sisters who wonder why their lives are so totally different from their glamorous sister's. Melissa Hill writes about the mystery behind an abandoned newborn baby in The Truth About You. Catherine Alliott's One Day in May is about a single mother who revisits memories of her first love. Meg Cabot is tapping the vampire vein with Insatiable while Candace Bushnell will take advantage of Sex and the City 2 movie hype with her prequel The Carrie Diaries.
There's lots more intriguing storylines on the way from some of your favourite authors. It's been a long time coming but Polly Williams' How to Be Married will finally be out in March. It's about a woman who thinks she's the world's worst wife and now fears losing her husband if she doesn't become a domestic goddess. Jane Fallon is delving into what happens to close friends when one couple splits in Foursome. The heroine of Lucy Dawson's What Every Woman Wants makes a terrible mistake under pressure from her husband to have a baby. Jenny Colgan's heroine is remembering her exes in The Good, the Bad and the Dumped; while Paige Toon's Pictures of Lily is about a girl who meets up again with the guy she never got over. A woman is reminded of her teen dreams for her life in Linda Green's Things I Wish I'd Known. Annie Sanders' Famous Last Words is about a woman who embarks on a reckless spree when a psychic predicts her demise - but is later proved wrong. Meanwhile Allison Winn Scotch's The One That I Want is about a woman who gets the unwelcome ability to see into the future; while Alexandra Potter You're the One That I Don't Want is about a guy - so not The One - who keeps coming back into the character's life. Bernadette Strachan asks Why Do We Have to Live With Men? and tells the story of four friends who make a pact that if they're not settled by 40 they will all live together. What's Yours is Mine, by Tess Stimson, is a tale of two sisters - one is showered with blessings, the other finds everything she touches turns to crap. My Single Friend, by Jane Costello, is about a woman who gives her geeky male friend a makeover. Milly Johnson's A Summer Fling is about five very different women who find themselves thrown together at work. And Belinda Jones is back to entice us with exotic locations when two girls kick up their heels through a reality TV show in Living la Vida Loca.
2010 is also shaping up to be a "perfect" year for many of the authors. Emily Barr's heroine from The Perfect Lie disappears to Venice when her past catches up with her. Niamh Greene has her Rules for a Perfect Life about a woman who wants the perfect life but keeps breaking the rules. The Perfect Proposal, by Katie Fforde, focuses on a girl who heads to America but soon finds herself with no work, nowhere to stay and very little money. Robyn Sisman's The Perfect Couple is about two married lawyers who go up against one another in court. Two tempting titles are Shari Low's Temptation Street, which looks at whether partners have been led into temptation, and Lucy Diamond's Sweet Temptation about three women who meet at a weight-loss group. The cougars are coming to town with Susan McBride's The Cougar Club and Jill Kargman's Arm Candy. Plus there are lots of weddings on the cards, with Julia Williams' The Bridesmaid Pact about four friends who vowed as kids to be each others' bridesmaids; Melanie la'Brooy's The Wedding Planner about a soapie actress' wedding; and Kate Lawson's Mother of the Bride about how one bride's mother and stepmother try to seize control of the show.
Lots of celebrity reads will be hitting shelves, including Sharon Osbourne's Revenge about two ambitious sisters chasing fame; and Coleen Nolan's Envy about an ambitious late-night TV presenter chasing a prime-time slot. Reality TV starlet Lauren Conrad continues her story about a reality TV starlet with Sweet Little Lies, while British It Girl Tara Palmer Tomkinson's debut Inheritance is set in the world of private jets, sparkling parties and international intrigue. And Katie Price is going to be Lost in LA. For stories about make-believe celebrities, look no further than Ilana Fox's Spotlight about a small-town girl who sweeps to victory on America's hottest talent show. Then there's Martel Maxwell's Scandalous about two half-sisters - one's a showbiz reporter, the other a fashion writer. Sarah Webb's The Loving Kind is about a romance writer who is ghostwriting a novel for a famous face. Ronni Cooper's Rock Chicks is centred around the women connected to a rock band - the groupie, the wife of the lead singer and the manager. Starstruck, by Veronica Henry, is about a celebrity birthday party. For those ripped from the headlines storylines, try Deborah Wright's The Celebrity Mother as her character follows in Angelina and Madonna's adoption footsteps.
From the bonkbuster/saga set comes Desire from Louise Bagshawe about a woman who wakes up on her honeymoon to find her new husband dead. Her sister Tilly Bagshawe is at work on her next novel Scandalous. From Tara Moore comes RSVP, which sees two wealthy families clash over an engagement. Forbidden Pleasures, by Jo Rees, is set amid the high-rolling gambling world; Katie Agnew's Saints v Sinners begins with the death of a family patriarch in the French Riviera; while The Wish by Sasha Blake (aka Anna Maxted) is set in Vegas. It's all about feuding families and star-crossed lovers in Sasha Wagstaff's Wicked Games. Temptation, by Olivia Darling (aka Chrissie Manby), focuses on three go-getting women - a soprano singer, a private banker and a music student - who will do whatever it takes to make their dreams come true. Danielle Steel's Big Girl is about a woman who battles with her weight. And it's been a few years but there's a new Jilly Cooper due out at the end of 2010.
On the sequel front, the most-anticipated release of the year will be Lisa Jewell's After the Party, her follow-up to her debut novel Ralph's Party. Carmen Reid is bringing Annie Valentine back for the fourth instalment in the Personal Shopper series, this time called Celebrity Shopper. Lucy Cavendish lets us catch us with Samantha Smythe in A Storm in a Teacup, when the family heads off on a beach holiday. Lindsey Kelk's I Heart series sees heroine Angela head off for new adventures in Hollywood, then Paris. Jo Carnegie continues her Churchminster series with Wild Things when a film crew hits the village. Maureen Lipinski's Not Ready for Mom Jeans details Clare's first year of being a working (and overworked) mum. And Jessica Fox continues her Hen Night Prophecies books with Hard to Get - this time focused on Charlotte and hope.
Little Black Dress will continue pumping out some new titles, including Niamh Shaw's About Time about a girl who has to work alongside the lost love of her life in Dubai; Allie Spencer's The Not-so-secret Diary of a City Girl about a banking analyst whose diary is accidentally uploaded on to the internet; and Rekha Waheed's Saris and the City about a city analyst who aims to turn around a failing lingerie company. Laurie Brown is writing about The Death of Bridezilla; Sarah Monk's Bittersweet is about two friends who set off to a Cornwall village; while Kate Lace's Moonlighting is about a police officer who works as an exotic dancer at night. From Julie Cohen comes Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom. As well as her early new-year release Crystal Clear, Nell Dixon writes about a frumpy girl who has transformed herself into a stylish magazine writer - and won the heart of her unrequited high school love - in Just Look at Me Now. Janet Gover's next release, Girl Racers, is set around the Snowy Mountains Car Rally. In My Sister's Voice, by Mary Carter, twins who have been raised apart meet up by accident.
Hot debut releases include The Pissed-Off Parents Club by Mink Elliott; Single in the City by Michele Gorman about a young American woman who lands alone in London only to find that she is ill-equipped to live there; and Muriel Zagha's Finding Monsieur Right about two girls - one from London, one from Paris - who swap cities. From authors who impressed with their debut novels comes their next release - including Ciara Geraghty's Becoming Scarlett which sees the heroine unsure who the father of her baby is; and Clodagh Murphy's Girl in a Spin about a party girl, a Conservative Party leader and a spin doctor. A 75-year-old woman gets her wish to be 29 again in Adena Halpern's 29. Nicky Schmidt's Marrying Out of Money is about a coffee heiress who is determined to escape an arranged marriage; and Miranda Dickinson is back with Welcome to My World. Sarra Manning's second adult novel You Don't Have to Say You Love Me is about a woman who loses lots of weight for when the love of her life returns from his LA sabbatical; and Abby McDonald is writing about the Liberation of Alice Love.