Magazine editor Georgia Abbott arrives in Sydney from London to work on Glow magazine, leaving behind a philandering ex-fiance. She is introduced around town in a whirlwind of A-list parties. But her dreams of being whisked away by a Akubra-hatted man are dashed when all the blokes she meets are either gay, married, unfaithful or just plain unworthy. Or are they?
6/10
Celebrity journalist Amelia Stone is gaining a reputation on the LA party scene. A regular at star-studded events, and fuelled by cocaine and alcohol, she is fond of regaling others with her wild exploits. Like the time she ends up in bed with two groomsmen at a family wedding. Or the night a pop star invites her back to his place after an interview. But when her cocaine habit takes over, she loses her job - and possibly the one guy she's interested in, Adam. Packed off to rehab, Amelia finally sees the advantages in embracing sobriety. But once on the outside again she is offered a column writing about her wild night-time adventures. Can she stay clean as she becomes known as the media's quintessential party girl? An absorbing and poignant read about addiction from an author who's been there.
8/10
Years after her parents make her annul her marriage to poor student Will, Melissa has retreated into life as an academic. Both her parents are now dead - her father recently died in an accident in Italy - while Will is now a banking billionaire and ready to marry a gorgeous doctor. But when four people are murdered, Will, a former MI6 spy, puts together the pieces and links all the deaths to Melissa's father, an Oxford professor. Believing her to be the next hit, he whisks her away just in the nick of time and they go on the run. For those who like their chick lit served with assassins, deadly chases and international conspiracy plots - and just a touch of passion.
6/10
The thing about secrets is they have a tendency to come out when you least expect them. Faye, a single mother to teenager Amber, dresses conservatively, holds down a respectable job in a recruitment office but she's hiding a secret about Amber's father. Amber is studying for her final exams and everyone is expecting her to go to art college. But she has other plans in mind. Maggie discovers her boyfriend has been cheating so she moves in to look after her injured mother and learns how to make a stand. Even Christie, the friend they turn to for advice, is hiding a secret - an affair with an artist.
6/10
Written by a former contestant on Britain's Next Top Model, this is a story about Brit Katrina, who is finding life tough in Paris as she tries to make it as a model. But when she is picked up in a nightclub by Hollywood heart-throb Dominic Cayley, suddenly everyone wants to book her. She is soon joining Dominic's jet-set crowd, chartering a helicopter to Monaco, cruising on luxury yachts and attending red-carpet events in LA. But it doesn't take long for her to realise that behind the perfect exterior lies a world of fakes. And while Dominic is described as "diabolically handsome", diabolical is the better description. Full of bitchy, self-absorbed people but not as good as an episode of NTM.
5/10
Karen and Joe's young son Ben has a life-threatening illness, which requires him to have daily injections and blood transfusions. With no matches on the bone marrow donor list - and neither being compatible - their only hope is to have a designer baby through IVF and hope he or she will be Ben's perfect match. But tests reveal that Joe is not the father and ambitious Health Secretary Nick Bright, whose wife Stella has been trying for a baby for years, enters the picture. Perhaps not as moving a story as expected but still a worthy read about a marriage under strain amid political spin doctoring.
6/10
Poppy Dunbar is out celebrating her hen's night when she meets Tom. Their instant connection makes her call off her wedding - even though she doesn't know if she'll ever see Tom again. Heading to London for a fresh start, Poppy moves in with artist Caspar and begins hunting for her real father and Tom.
7/10
Julia Einstein may have to answer to a demanding, insatiably needy person, but her three-year-old son is still the best boss she's ever had. But when her husband Peter is laid off, she has to return to the world of celebrity PR - and this time she only manages to get work at a B-grade agency, which specialises in has-been comebacks. With Peter fitting into her role at home so much better than she did, Julia knows that she has to make the perfume launch of former screen diva Mary Ford a success, even though the perfume - and the client - stink.
6/10
London jeweller Petra Flint bumps into her schoolgirl crush while hunting for Easter eggs in North Yorkshire. She last saw Arlo Savidge when he was on stage in a teenage rock band. Now he's a music teacher at a boys' boarding school. As Petra spends time with Arlo, they discover they share unusual night habits - she's a sleepwalker and he's an insomniac. Read this for its well-developed characters with intriguing passions and revealing pasts.
7/10
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
When happily married Connie meets John Harding at a work conference, she can't help flirting. He's just so confident, alluring and unscrupulous - so unlike her gentle husband Luke. This tells the tale of what happens when you've found Mr Right but can't help throwing caution to the wind with another man. The 2007 novel Young Wives' Tales is its sequel.
7/10
Budding reporter Holly Colshannon is determined to make her mark when she's assigned to the crime round at the Bristol Gazette. Set to write a daily column about life on the beat, she is partnered with Detective James Sabine, who is certainly not keen to be shadowed by a reporter - especially one who is no stranger to the casualty department. But at least he only has to put up with her for six weeks until he marries his society bride. As the pair investigates a series of antique thefts, the bickering soon develops into a close bond. Will the loveable reporter get her man? The scenarios may not exactly mirror real life (what regional newspaper has the resources to send one reporter off like that for a month?) but the laugh-out-loud moments are certainly real enough.
6/10
Aspiring jewellery designer Jean is just settling into life in Sydney when she spills a drink on rugby player Josh Fox. Not being a football fan herself, she has no idea who Josh is until her sister Colette starts seeing his brother Frank. Unfortunately Josh is not a free agent - he and the chairman's daughter, Tess, are the game's dream couple. But after Josh's nasty split with Tess, Jean is straight off the benches to join the WAG ranks. As her hair becomes blonder and her clothes get tighter, Jean has to deal with all that being a WAG entails - such as Mad Monday shenanigans and jealous fans. Plus she's trying to outrun a hard-hitting rival who wants her man and WAG status back. Written by an ex WAG, this will appeal to those wanting a glimpse into that glossy inner circle. Watch out for the cameo from Hannah, the heroine of Air Kisses.
6/10
Alexis is a talent agent in LA trying to take Mexican music into the mainstream. She's always looking out for new talent, so when she bumps into Latina soap star Marcella she thinks she's found the next big movie star. Then she meets Olivia, a shy stay-at-home mum who's written a dynamite script about how her mother survived after her husband was gunned down in El Salvador. The three band together to try to get the movie made.
5/10
Leonie has just arrived in San Francisco, leaving behind her fiance Adam in Dublin. Apart from her best friend, Leonie doesn't want anyone to know where she is, especially Adam. In her new apartment she discovers a bundle of unopened letters, written to a Helena from Nathan begging her to forgive him. With forgiveness obviously on Leonie's mind, she sets out to uncover who the couple are so she can return the letters. She is aided on her quest by her neighbour Alex, a TV producer who seems to be hiding a secret from her past as well. Melissa Hill is chick lit's master of plot twists and I have to admit one of my life goals is to work out where her story is going before she reveals it to her readers. This was my seventh, unsuccessful attempt! With three story threads to resolve - Leonie's, Alex's and Helena/Nathan's - this is a real pageturner that will leave you guessing then reassessing the clues all the way through.
9/10
Things get pretty tangled when English Lit teacher Polly Fenton heads off on an exchange to Vermont in the US. Despite boyfriend Max proposing at the airport, Polly gets a crush on phys ed teacher Chip. His girlfriend, Jen, is Polly's replacement in England - and maybe in Max's life.
4/10
Jackie O'Reilly was born into a Hollywood family, yet her parents always discouraged her from going into a Hollywood career. They'd seen it all too often - the pitfalls of fame taking down one weak celebrity at a time. But Jackie still wants to be in with the "it" crowd, go to all the hottest parties and know all the hottest people. After dropping out of college, Jackie gets a job at a make-up store in LA, while waiting for her big break. When her boss gets into a scandal and can't make one of their scheduled events, Jackie is told to go alone to represent the company. Doing the make-up of up-and-coming star Brooke Parker and a few twists of fate brings Jackie into a whole new world. Brooke wants Jackie to be her one and only make-up artist and accompany her on tour, to concerts and even to the hottest events in town. As Jackie and Brooke develop a friendship, they hop from party to party and get in more trouble for their wild antics than one could imagine. Unable to resist all the temptations of drugs, alcohol binges and all-night parties, the world of Hollywood's glitz and glamour starts to take its toll on one of the world's fastest rising pop stars and Brooke starts to unravel, with Jackie pretty close to unravelling herself. Brooke misses being able to go out without paparazzi following her every move and starts to rebel - in very dangerous ways. With no one to really look out for her - Brooke's manager sees her as a money pot more than a person - Jackie is the only one she can turn to. When Jackie loses her job for looking out for Brooke's wellbeing, she is forced to really think about where her true loyalties lie: with Brooke, whose world she has been consumed by, or with herself who she has been neglecting. This novel is about finding out who you truly are in a world where everyone is fake. It is a fun and wild ride through the rise and ultimate fall of one of the world's most famous pop stars. Kaye has been a make-up artist to the stars, while Coplin works in the LA media. (AS)
7/10
Beth Prendergast has never had much luck in love, despite her good looks and high-flying job at Burlington Stockbrokers - that is, until Tom Maloney appears. Her boss is exactly the man Beth has wanted in her life - charming, successful, knowledgeable and proud of who she is, rather than being too concerned with their own ego like other men. However, when she discovers she's pregnant, Tom begins to avoid her, leaving her to take up the responsibility alone. For Grace Miller, ever since she agreed to marry Ethan, she decided to let go of her Irish past and embrace the American way of life. But when Ethan is asked to oversee the firm in Ireland, Grace starts to worry about being back in her hometown. Interior designer Erin Delaney is leading a happy married life with her supportive and loving husband John. All that's missing is a baby. But her desperate attempts to start a family take a toll on her work, and even her marriage. This book details the struggles each women faces in her life, especially in regards to how they deal with motherhood and the changes that accompany it. An enjoyable and light read, this serves as a great book to delight and inspire the many new mothers who are embracing pregnancy. (XT)
7/10
Ryden Malby has just graduated college and has her life planned out - from the perfect job that she is certainly going to get to the perfect apartment that she will be moving into. But things don't go as planned for Ryden and she doesn't understand why. After getting beaten by her nemesis, Jessica, for the perfect job, Ryden goes on a string of interviews and is turned down for each one. On top of being obviously unemployable, Ryden has been forced to move back home and deal with her crazy family: her wacky, try-anything father who is always thinking up plans to start a new at-home business that never really takes him in the direction he wants; her very strange but comical little brother Hunter, who enjoys licking the heads of kids at school; her grandmother Maureen, who is obsessed with her own death; and her very patient, even-tempered mother who rounds out the nutty clan. With her hands full at home, Ryden hates the fact that her life has not turned out as planned. The only person she can turn to is childhood friend Adam, who always makes everything better. When Ryden's luck suddenly changes one morning after spending the night waiting to bail her father from jail, she realises that everything she thought she wanted may not be what she needs. Post Grad tells a great story of life after college and has many laugh-out-loud moments. This is a movie tie-in novel for the film starring Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls) as Ryden. (AS)
7/10
J.D. Jameson is a conservative Harvard-educated law associate who grew up in a privileged wealthy family. Payton Kendall is a liberal feminist raised by a hippy single mum. J.D. and Payton have been in constant competition since they started working at their law firm eight years ago. As two smart hard-working attorneys, they were under the impression that they would both be made partner. But due to a change in their firm's policy, only one of them will get the promotion. The competition increases when Payton and J.D. are asked to join forces on a major case. As they spend more time together, they realise that they have a strong mutual attraction to each other. The dialogue between the characters is witty and sharp and the author does a great job allowing the reader to feel the sexual tension between the main characters. You will not be able to put this book down. (AO)
9/10
In Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, or, the Wonder Years Before the Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smart-Ass Phase, Jen Lancaster whisks us back (in a time-travelling DeLorean, perhaps?) to the defining moments in her life that made her the snarky, ambitious fashionista we have all grown to love. Whether she is scamming her way to a badge-filled Girl Scout sash, purchasing her very first designer handbag (Liz Claiborne, thank you very much), or modelling her first interview suit for Fletch ("Does Captain Stuebing know you're not on the Lido deck right now?"), we are again treated to the self-deprecating humour that is Jen's trademark. With fashion references that anyone who lived through the 80s will cringe at (can you say big hair, Gloria Vanderbilt and jelly shoes?) you will no doubtedly relate to all that Jen went through to become, well, Jen. (LEK)
6/10
This novel is an adult version of the popular Choose Your Own Adventure books. The author writes one or two-page stories and then the reader chooses which path they want the character to follow next. The character is always referred to as "you" and it is inevitable that even if the reader chooses a good and reasonable path the result is depressing. Everything seems to result in rape, meth addiction, killing your husband with a beef tenderloin, tripping on your high heels and fracturing your skull, or being blown up by a bomb. This do-over novel may amuse some but to me it is just morbid, violent and very disappointing. (AO)
2/10
There's never a dull moment at exclusive country club St Benedict's. Its members include light-fingered Keeley who dates an Italian footballer despite not being able to speak a word of Italian; predatory widow Marianne who's always on the lookout for a man; Laura who's married to playboy pro golfer Sam; and American Cindy, who has just moved in and is looking for friends and homes to decorate. Then there's its staff such as demanding French chef Xavier who is married to Sam's caddie Ali, pro shop staffers Jeff, Ace and Dylan who deal in more than just designer shirts, and masseuse Astrid who likes to instil discipline in her clients. When reclusive injured racing car driver Jackson who once dated Laura moves into the neighbourhood, things heat up even more. For those who like raunchy reads.
6/10
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
Brooklyn's Park Slope neighbourhood is the place to live if you are a neurotic SAHM (stay-at-home mom) continually obsessing about your child's wellbeing. From the best public education money can buy to organic baby food from the Prospect Park Food Coop, and of course, playmates with well-connected parents, Park Slope has it all ... including four dissatisfied mothers. Melora Leigh is growing increasingly frustrated with her acting career, her distant actor-writer husband, and her adopted son to the point that she does whatever she can to feel the thrill of life again. Lizzie O'Donnell, dealing with loneliness while her musician husband is on the road, finds herself continually drawn to women even though she considers herself a "hasbian" since getting married and having her son. Rebecca Rose longs for the sex life she had with her husband before having her daughter. When a flirtation with a neighbourhood dad at the Coop is taken to the next level, she must decide what she really wants out of life. Karen Bryan Shapiro is a social climber of the highest order. In an effort to obtain the perfect address so her son can attend the best school in Brooklyn, she resorts to some very unsavoury behaviour. The lives of Melora, Lizzie, Rebecca, and Karen become dizzyingly intertwined in this dishy, frank, but completely over-the-top and stereotypical look at life in Brooklyn. The book suffers from the author including too many characters who aren't developed to their potential. (LEK)
4/10
Holly's husband, Gerry, dies from a brain tumour, just as she is about to turn 30. Her parents pass on a parcel from him, which has 10 envelopes in it - each one listing a monthly mission for her to get her life back on track. With some help from her friends and family, Holly finds she can still laugh, sing and be brave - as the love of her life helps her learn that life goes on.
6/10
Pugs to Hope McNeil signify peacefulness, love, happiness - everything she desires the most in life. Due to many reasons, she can only enjoy the company of these dogs on Pug Hill. Her increased infatuation with co-worker Elliot, an erratic relationship with her squash-loving boyfriend, and a terrible fear of public speaking are the main problems in her life. When she gets a surprise call from her dad asking her to give a speech at their 40th wedding anniversary party, Hope is taken aback. Can she handle all the pressure? Will Pug Hill provide her with all the courage she needs to solve all her problems? (XT)
6/10
As Ellie approaches 30, she breaks up with yet another boyfriend, despises her job as a litigation attorney, and is the last of her high school friends to still be on the shelf. Then Ellie meets Ted Langston, a cable news anchorman nearly twice her age, and sparks fly, even though he commits the ultimate sin - thinking she looks older than she is. Is this the new start Ellie has been dreaming of? And why does no one want them to get together?
6/10
