Rating: 
Summary: How disappointing!
Review: At first glance I thought this book was going to be a funny account of one woman's wedding preparations. After reading the first couple of pages I thought I was right. However, very quickly this book seems to veer off course, instead turning into one woman's struggle with her inner demons. I found the main character to be annoying. Her constant whining was almost too much for me. Another problems I had with this book was the authors careless attitude toward prescription drug abuse. It seems like every other page there was a reference to Valium. Eve even gave a bottle of Valium to her bridesmaid as a thank you gift. Am I the only one who sees a problem with this? I never felt any kinship toward any of the characters in this book. Finnamore's writing style left something to be desired. I felt like an outsider looking in, instead of feeling like I was part of the story. This novel was not at all engaging. The only character whom I had any feeling for was Dusty. He was definitely someone I would have been friends with and his death toward the end of the novel left me feeling sad. Apart from Dusty, I did not have any feel for any of the characters and I was not rooting for Eve's happy marriage. Bottom line: I kept reading hoping this book would improve, but I should have followed my first instinct and put it down.
Rating: 
Summary: A Lifesaver Gift For Any Bride-to-be or Wanna-be Bride!
Review: Imagine my relief to discover that I am not alone in the pre-wedding jitter category. This slim novel made me laugh, cry, and remember why I wanted to get married in the first place! Yet it is so much more than a "wedding" book - it addresses all sorts of issues between the sexes and is instructive as well as uproariously and wickedly funny. Many serious moments peppered among the laughs....a fine author and a fine first novel.
Rating: 
Summary: So-so
Review: This book did have some good parts, but it really doesn't target a broad audience. I was expecting there to be more plot that revolved around the main character's (Eve's) engagement. In the beginning it seems as if the book is on the right track - storytelling of the engagement - but then it veers off course very quickly. The book focuses on the mental state and the emotional goings-on of the main character. I suppose, in that respect, the title describes the book very well - the main character is "Otherwise Engaged" in her own problems and too busy to be bothered by enjoying her engagement and wedding planning. The wedding being planned is secondary to the story. So if you're looking for a good "get inside someone's head" book, this might be one for you. But if you're interested in reading about an engagement or wedding planning as being the focal point of the storyline, this book is not for you.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but somewhat lacking
Review: I read this book over the course of spring break, which included a 2 23-hour drives, so I had a lot of down time. This book was great entertainment for that kind of situation; however, I couldn't help but want more from the book. The author is obviously witty and she has a wonderful plot with which to work. Yet, I didn't feel like the book ultimately delivered. The internal explanations for the characters' behavior didn't always jive to me, and there were times when I thought the book lost all common sense. Bottom line: a great beach read but it could be much better.
Rating:
Summary: Painfully truthful and entertaining! Great beach book-
Review: If you like Sex and the City, chances are good that you would like this book. It kept me laughing from beginning to end. Not for those wearing the rose-colored glasses about soulmates and "true love". This book tells you what REAL love is all about - - the ups and downs, and everything in between. I wish I had written it myself.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific Book
Review: When I first started reading this book I thought I wouldn't like it. The main character comes off as shallow in the beginning. But then I really got into it and I've now read it three times. It's a great curl up in bed kind of book after a stressful day. There is at least one line in every chapter that is both funny and touching. I hope the author writes a lot more, she could end up being one of my favorites.
Rating: 
Summary: nice book
Review: I was able to relate to some of the main character's issues since I'm engaged myself. I also work in San Francisco where the story line takes place. Overall it was a good book.
Rating:
Summary: Most enthralling book I have read in ages!!!!!!
Review: At age 31 I became engaged and married at 32 and am now having my 2nd child. My aunt sent me Otherwise Engaged and I laughed, cried and just loved every word. I feel almost like Suzanne Finnamore and I have lead parallel lives, except that I could never have found that warm, witty, sarcastic and ENGAGING way to recount my experience! This book is a treasure and my aunt also sent me Zygote Chronicles which I am about to jump into and cannot wait.
Thank you Suzanne Finnamore!!
Rating:
Summary: Eve is the woman we're afraid to admit we are!
Review: Finnamore offers a hilariously honest look at what it is to take a husband. Marrying is one of life's most major moments, and this book rightly takes the focus off of the flowers, the cake, the invitations, etc., and explores what goes on in a bride's heart. Drawn deeper than the frills and fouf of planning a wedding, Eve's drama exposes every bride's darkest fears as she confronts the question, "Can I do this FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE?" The answers she finds are both hopeful and honest. At the core, Finnamore offers a character to whom most all of us can relate. Eve is a human being who recognizes her serious imperfection, who is truthful (sometimes manipulatively) about questioning life, and who recognizes that it doesn't always end with happily ever after.
Rating:
Summary: I was disappointed
Review: I rarely write a review that is worth 2 stars. The only reason why I rate it two stars is because the writing is good. But this book left me cold. As a recent bride, this book just left me depressed. I didn't have the same experiences ~~ nagging my husband into marrying me, bragging about the fact that my ring is more expensive than his ... and all that jazz. Eve is a selfish bride desperate to get married before the age of 38. And Michael is just a dreamboat of a man who is a typical man. This book just depresses me. Maybe it's because my wedding was absolutely beautiful and wonderful ... and romantic. My Michael isn't like Eve's Michael ~~ always griping about the cost or anything like that. My Michael wanted to have a beautiful wedding to celebrate our union together as man and wife ... but we didn't focus so much on the wedding as we focused more on the marriage. And Eve's whining and complaining grated on my nerves. I would not recommend this book to any bride to be. It would only depress her. Yes, the socks on the floor may be forever, but hey, there are more things to focus on in marriages than those little things. Too bad Eve and Michael weren't soulmates as I had hoped. They just seem like they were thrown together and figured, hey, let's get married and have this wonderful wedding. Michael even said in the book to allay Eve's fears, "First sweetie, we have to get married before we can get a divorce." If this is glib and funny, I shudder to see how the other parts in the book can be construed as funny!! 2-15-02
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