Rating: 
Summary: Pretentious
Review: Ms. Bank writes the novel as if it is a reflection of real life. She lives in an apartment in the Village with a terrace, owns a standard poodle, and has a Temp job. Am I the only one here that smells Trust Fund? Funny how that wasn't mentioned in the book. Another scheme to make us feel sorry for the character. I did not, and really did not like the way the book was written. What was with that non-Jane chapter too? No explanation or connection. This books should have been called "Sarcasm ~ How To Be Witty and Be Loved For It" I felt like I was reading a really long New Yorker cartoon. Ironic that the favorite kind of joke of the protag Jane are those with animals sitting around talking (perfect example of a NY'er cartoon.) And the guy she loves at the end is a cartoonist. The moral of the book? How to overcome life's hardships with a couple sarcastic jokes and a man on your arm. There was no depth in Ms. Banks' lead character, Jane. The only depth I read was in the men she dated. She needed a man to be complete, and that is what she got in the end.
Rating: 
Summary: Huh?
Review: While this book is a quick, light read, it leaves the reader pretty disappointed. The first chapter is wonderful, light-hearted and quite funny but after that, the book drops off terribly. The next chapter jumps ahead several years and it takes 2-3 pages to figure out who the voice is telling the story and what has changed since the end of the first chapter. The main character gets into a long-term, exhausting relationship with a much older man and I still don't know what was so appealing about him. Then, smack dab in the middle of the book, a whole chapter is written about a completely separate family who happens to live in the same building as the main character. You will wonder for the rest of the book why they are there, how are they related to the other characters in the book, only to find they're not and you have no clue why that chapter is there. Then, about 3/4 of the way through the book, the main character is diagnosed with breast cancer. This is handled so poorly. It's written about for approximately 2 PAGES and none of the consequences of the diagnosis or treatment are ever even acknowledged by the author. The main character doesn't have feelings about this diagnosis, is only tired from her treatment, and never has mixed feelings about new relationships, as most women with breast cancer treatment and/or surgery tend to experience. It's quite unrealistic and not the least bit honest. After all this, the ending is so fairy tale-ish that it's hard to believe and isn't pulled off very well. Overall, I wish I hadn't bothered.
Rating: 
Summary: Feel Good Happy Ending
Review: Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing is the story of Jane Rosenal's lessons learned and quest for true love.The book is broken down into short stories all tied together. In the first, we meet 14 year old Janie who learns lessons in love from watching her older brother Henry and the girlfriend he brings home for the family to meet. The stories that follow are Jane's search for happiness, the perfect job and the perfect man. In the last story Jane follows the "Rules" she learns from the guide and almost runs off the man of her dreams. After throwing the "Rules" out of the window she finally achieves her goal and lands Mr. Perfect. Girls' Guide is a feel good story with many funny lines and a happy ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Let the Title Throw You Off!
Review: This is a great read with quality characters that you can really care about, because they're not so unlike yourself. While at times this book is screamingly funny, it is also heart renderingly sad. Melissa Bank crawls into her characters and inhabits them, turning them so real you achingly feel every emotion they experience. I hope to see more books of this caliber from Bank in the future. She's a fine new voice and a delight to read. Keep 'em coming Melissa, I think you've found your voice!
Rating:
Summary: book group selection
Review: This book was a read for our "club". It is very similar to Briget Jones's diary in its reading format. Hard to follow at times. I probably would have never read it if it had not been for our "club's" selection. I'm glad I did read it!
Rating: 
Summary: perfect book for anyone who is struggling w/ relationships
Review: this is my favorite book. i've read it many times, and always recommend it to friends... especially when they are all depressed and need something to pick them up.
Rating:
Summary: Bridget Jones meets "literature"
Review: I fully agree with the tittle. This book is great because it comes across as a "chick" book but it really is ver wel written and definitely not just another "beach" book. And I also do not think it is just for chicks. Melissa Banks is a great author. The end gets a bit confusing but I think that is her style to leave the part of decision to the reader. As a late 20's female, I could definitely relate to the character. I would highly recommen this book.
Rating:
Summary: watching to seeking love
Review: I absolutely loved how the book went through different periods in her life showing new things about love it was a increadible literary peice. Showing her different relationships...not only with men but with her brother, friends, boss & co-workers, father, aunt, mother, etc. She had a great charecter and had many really neat experiences throughout the story. I found it to be a truely awesome peice of work and I was intreuged throughout the whole thing. I would reccomend it to anyone looking for a good read or anyone on a desperate search for romance. It was a great story!
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, But Different Than I Expected
Review: Here's a tip for those of you thinking to publish and market a book: When you design the front and back covers, try to give prospective readers an accurate view of the format of your book. The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing did not do this. The back describes it as a humorous, slice-of-life novel about the observations of yet another young woman trying to navigate the worlds of dating, work, friends, and family. What it turns out to be is a collection of short stories, not all of which are about the female protagonist described on the back of the book. When I came upon the first story that was not about said protagonist, I swear I checked ten times to make sure the back cover never mentioned that this was a collection of short stories. Although I never came upon such a mention, I accepted for myself that I had been the victim of bait and switch, then tried to move on and enjoy the book. However, throughout the course of my reading I was distracted with thoughts as to why the book was not properly marketed. That being said, the short stories were entertaining. The characters and their backgrounds were appropriately developed for short stories. However, if this was supposed to be a coherent novel in which characters reoccur, the characters were not developed well enough. This book's problem was that it wasn't sure what it was supposed to be. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it said, "A Collection of Short Stories" on the cover. Then I would have accepted that the characters were only partially developed and that the point of view shifted. It would have been a great read if the author and editors could have picked a genre. After all, identity crises are best left for the characters, not the book itself.
Rating:
Summary: So Funny...So True!
Review: This book made me laugh out loud! I thoroughly identified with the main character and all of her "love plights." This story brings a bit of levity to the crazy world of love and dating, and brings to light the fact that "The Rules" sort of do work (in their own weird way.)
| 
