Rating: 
Summary: Good escapist fun!
Review: I love light, fluffy "chick lit" as it's been described. I'm a big fan of the British girl genre, too, Bridget Jones, Shopaholic, etc. This book is horrible, horrible, horrible. The author doesn't even seem to be British, I'd bet she couldn't tell you the difference between a fry, chip or crisp. The inconsistencies really just got to me and I couldn't even get half way through it. Want a good, funny, light read? Try Mr. Commitment by Mike Gayle. It's hilarious and written from a guy's point of view, but a very girly book.
Rating:
Summary: A frolicking fun read
Review: I loved this book from the start. The plot was a little on the far-fetched side, but the cover art itself tells the reader that they are not in for a somber, important-work-inwomen's-fiction type read. What you get is just what the title and the cover suggest and that is a fun, entertaining, frothy reading experience. There was a time in Emily Miller's life that she thought she had it all: a job, a house, and most importantly a boyfriend that she loved. A boyfriend that she thought loved her in return, that is until the devilish Declan sold thier beautiful house, ran up thier shared debts and posted a rather intimate picture of Emily on the Internet. So, Emily is a woman scorned and smack dab in the middle of a scandal. She has no choice to move in with her best friend, Cara. Cara thinks she can turn Emily's bad karma around through the use of various crystals, potions, cleansing of chakras etc.... And who knows it may work because when one has nothing to loose, there is everything to gain. I Loved all the characters in this book. Cara was sooo original. and I found myself rooting for Emily from the very beginning. What this author may be lacking in witty turn of phrase, which I love in Brit Chick Lit books, she makes up for in character development. The lives of all the characters intersect in all sorts of interesting ways that keeps the reader wanting to turn the pages.
Rating:
Summary: A frolicking fun read
Review: I loved this book from the start. The plot was a little on the far-fetched side, but the cover art itself tells the reader that they are not in for a somber, important-work-inwomen's-fiction type read. What you get is just what the title and the cover suggest and that is a fun, entertaining, frothy reading experience. There was a time in Emily Miller's life that she thought she had it all: a job, a house, and most importantly a boyfriend that she loved. A boyfriend that she thought loved her in return, that is until the devilish Declan sold thier beautiful house, ran up thier shared debts and posted a rather intimate picture of Emily on the Internet. So, Emily is a woman scorned and smack dab in the middle of a scandal. She has no choice to move in with her best friend, Cara. Cara thinks she can turn Emily's bad karma around through the use of various crystals, potions, cleansing of chakras etc.... And who knows it may work because when one has nothing to loose, there is everything to gain. I Loved all the characters in this book. Cara was sooo original. and I found myself rooting for Emily from the very beginning. What this author may be lacking in witty turn of phrase, which I love in Brit Chick Lit books, she makes up for in character development. The lives of all the characters intersect in all sorts of interesting ways that keeps the reader wanting to turn the pages.
Rating: 
Summary: Bit of a disappointment
Review: I'm a huge fan of chick lit, however this book seemed to fall short of others that I have enjoyed so much. I thought that initially the book was very good and then it seemed as if it dragged through the middle to again pick up in the end. I was also disappointed with the ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Without A Doubt - A NECESSITY
Review: I'm a longtime fan of Carole Matthews and her work. I absolutely loved her new US publication of "Bare Necessity." This hilarious romp into the world of Emily Miller makes us all feel like our lives aren't THAT bad. I mean - come on, this girl has the worst luck ever. Not only is her boyfriend a dirt bag but she's lost everything else. Her home, her job and her dignity. How can a girl regroup? What else?????? Her friends! (and yoga, of course). While this is certainly in the "chick lit" genre --- it's better than the usual fair and Ms. Matthews' work is really well crafted and clever. She knows how to write a great page tuner with interesting characters, great romance and funny dialog. It's a real winner and I think perfect for those summer days when you can spend a bit of time with a sweet and fun book. Cheers!!!
Rating:
Summary: LOVED IT!
Review: If anyone ever thought they had a bad boyfriend they might reconsider that after reading Bare Necessity by Carole Matthews. The main character in this book is Emily Weaver. Her horrible boyfriend Declan has posted a very naughty picture of her on the internet. After that she basically loses everything. She ends up having to live with her best friend Cara. Well, Cara works for a newspaper and when word gets out that she is on a porn site everything breaks loose! She ends up loosing her job and basically everything else along the way. But, she does happen to meet a guy along the way of rebuilding her life. The problem is while she ever find him? A really great chick lit book to read over the summer.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful summer read - a 4 1/2 star book
Review: The catchy title and cover of this book is what caught my attention. Since I was looking for a Bridget Jones type book, I found this to be just right. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is that the basic pretext of the story, which was that Cara's picture posted on the internet caused so many problems, was a little improbable in this day and age of Paris Hilton videos. But I'm now convinced that Carole Matthews is fun, and I'm now off to read "Better or Worse".
Rating:
Summary: Watch those photos you take:)
Review: This book was fun from the beginning. Emily is left broke and disgraced after her boyfriend Declan gets them in debt and posts private photos of Emily dressed as a naughty Santa on his newest website. Running to her best friend Cara for support only makes things worse as Cara discovers the men in her office have been viewing her best friend on the internet.
Cara reveals to a fellow reporter that the very woman they are ogling is a friend of hers and Emily wouldn't appreciate how she was being portrayed. However, this is just what the reporter needs to hear to give him an idea for a new story.
This is just the beginning of a mad dash Emily ends up having to run in order to get her life back in order. I adore this book it is fresh and funny with that little bit of betrayal thrown in to allow the characters to find redemption and ultimately love. It's a wild mix of misunderstandings and turns into a fun read. I look forward to checking out other books by Carole Matthews after Bare Necessity.
Rating: 
Summary: Barely Readable
Review: This is a story about a woman whose life is destroyed by her insensitive boyfriend. She is homeless, pennyless, jobless, and stripped of her dignity. She goes to live with her ecofriendly, save the world, dippy best friend. The reader follows their world, along with the world of a co-worker thorughout the next month or so of their lives. THe book alternates point of view from one chapter to the next. Normally I like this device in a book. It doesn't work in this novel. You would need three interesting characters for this method to be effective, and unfortunetly, Matthews doesn't have any. THe characters are shallow and sterotypical, and worst of all just not fun to read about. Cara, the best friend is a vegetarian, which every book about 20/30 something women must have- her spin is that she's into loves spells, and relaxation candles. Adam, the requisite love interest is a divorced Dad, with a bad ex-wife, and no interest in his career. Declan, the ex-boyfriend drives a BMW, and heads up a dot.com. The main character, Cara, is beautiful with a killer body. Are you interested yet? Despite the obvious character flaws, the book has some humorous writing, but not enough to offset it's flaws. Though it appears to be a quick read, it is often dull, and I found muself skipping over many sections because they added no intrinsic value to the plot. Would be OK to read if you're stuck on a plane, or if you have insomnia.
Rating:
Summary: Great escapist tale!
Review: This truly is an "escapist" tale - I use that word and so did another reviewer on the book flap. I just think that is the perfect way to describe this book. I read and enjoyed For Better, For Worse by Carole Matthews and this book I enjoyed as well. It was such a quick & easy read. Short & enjoyable chapters...great touches of humor as well as drama. Sometimes it tended to be a bit unrealistic & over the top ... but Carole Matthews has a way of endearing herself to you that it doesn't even matter. Enjoy!
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