Rating: 
Summary: Realistic heroine
Review: Heroine: tall and plump Spirited entertainment journalist Cannie Shapiro is completely floored when her "ex" boyfriend lands a plum job writing for Moxie magazine, and subsequently uses their former love life as fodder for his new column. How dare he publicly expound upon his trials and tribulations of "loving a larger woman"?! Heartbroken and confused, normally sassy Cannie, who was only looking to take a break from their relationship, finds herself wandering through the achingly familiar territory of abandonment once more. What will it take for Cannie's emotional inner compass to stop spinning in crazy circles and finally point to happiness and true love once again? What worked for me: I thought that this was a delightful peek into the sometimes painful life and mind of a curvy young American woman, who is struggling to remain sane while carrying around a ton of emotional baggage. Although she was a deeply-flawed character, I felt sympathetic towards her and was glad to see her finally begin to grow by the end of the novel. Some other characters worth noting were: Cannie's divorced-"turned"-lesbian mom, who made a pretty good foil for her angst-ridden daughter by providing an example of a larger woman who's gotten herself together, and the handsome, helpful doctor from the weight loss clinic who kindly offered Cannie his support when he discovered that she was "C." from the Moxie articles. ( I also loved the anecdote about the history of Cannie's odd little dog and how he got his name.) And how refreshing was it that it was the guy who was the inexperienced half of the couple for a change?! Size-wise, well... it was hard for me to really picture Cannie. She described herself as feeling as though she was rather abundant, but then tacked on the fact that she was quite tall and a size 16. I know that in our society any woman bigger than a single digit size is considered "large", but I think that a tall, large-framed size 16 woman sounds healthy and lovely, like Valkyrie supermodel and fashion correspondent Emme. What didn't work for me:
Some folks might find a few plot points in the story to be predictable and perhaps even a little unbelievable. (The Hollywood scenes, for example.) But it was all right by me. I enjoy a big-girl-makes-good "comfort" read as much as the next gal. Perhaps not everyone will care for Cannie's constant reflections upon her weight, but her actions and attitudes are typical for a lot of women in Western society, especially when there's some other emotionally painful situation at hand for them to (not) deal with. And for those who feel her self-effacing is excessive and merely for the sake of drama, I can honestly say that it is not. This book just barely scratches the surface of that societal condition known informally as "girl disease". (This is not to say that men do not experience similar feelings. They certainly do. But this particular slang terminology stems from how publicly vocal women are with their feelings about fatness, and eavesdropping in any restaurant, department store fitting room, or public restroom will bear testimony to this fact.) Overall: "Good in Bed" is a witty, bittersweet Singleton faerie-tale that reads quickly but stays with you long after you finish it. Warning: there is some coarse language, a few steamy scenes, and some discussion of lesbianism in this book. If you liked "Good in Bed" you might also enjoy: "Last Chance Saloon", "Bridget Jones's Diary", "Jemima J." and "Having It and Eating It".
Rating: 
Summary: The character was kind of unlikable
Review: Good in Bed is a painful book to read because the main character, Cannie, is so unpleasant. She is full of bitterness for the father who abandoned her, and the ex-boyfriend who writes about their relationship in a woman's magazine. She also loathes her mother's lesbian lover and is generally unaccepting of their relationship. (Which is odd because she longs for her size to be accepted by society.) You hardly want to root for her. Cannie is a woman in need of good therapy and a hug. She's so full of self-loathing that she makes the most hideous decisions that you can see coming a mile away especially when it comes to her ex-boyfriend Bruce. Cannie hides her pain through jokes and sarcasm, but it wears thin. Cannie is also a very phsyical woman, which real-life studies say should help her have a higher self-esteem. She turns to exercise like some women turn to comfort food. This was the best aspect of the book, because most plus-sized women are portrayed as couch potatoes. The book does become soap opera-ish when she becomes best buds with a thin movie starlet and nearly loses her baby. I forgive this because it's fiction. But do yourself a favor, and borrow this audio book from the library.
Rating:
Summary: So this is chick lit?
Review: This was my first dabble into the new genre of chick lit, but I was already filled with expectations before I opened the cover for the first time. There seems to be a formulaic feature to these types of stories: girl begins downridden then finds the will inside to have confidence in herself right before leaving behind the negative influences in her life and walking away with a sense of girl power. The plot of "Good in Bed" replicates this plot line which makes it a somewhat predictive read but remained entertaining all the while. Cannie even describes herself as a fatter version of Allie McBeal and Bridgette Jones at the beginning of the book. Overall I rate "Good in Bed" as a good book to lose yourself in while at the beach or some such as it doesn't contain any heavy plot lines that requires more serious attention. However, I did detect several instances of inconsistences in the plot and there were also some glaring editing errors which can probably be attributable to this being Jennifer Weiner's first novel. I was a little put off by the inclusion of celebrities into the last half of the book as it seemed like more of an act of fantasy than reality. Geez, who wouldn't want a famous and beautiful actress as a close friend who always picks up the tab and even arranges to sell your screenplay in addition to spending the night with the one actor that catches your fancy?? If you do decide to pick up this book beware of where you read it as I got some really strange looks from others due to the title and cover while reading on the train earlier today!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book to Read in Bed
Review: I loved the main character of this novel. When she was happy I was right there with her, when tragedy struck I felt her pain. Jennifer Weiner writes a character down to the last detail, making you love or hate them as if they were real. I can not give high enough praises to this page turner of a novel. I am eagerly anticipating reading more work by Jennifer Weiner because of this book I stumbled across one day in a mall.
Rating:
Summary: Love for a first sight...
Review: From the first page I couldn't take this book away.
I laughed, I cried.
This book made me think about my life and my friends, my surroundings.
Grab the book, read first page and keep going.
It's just very good entertaiment.
Rating:
Summary: very good read
Review: I thought this book was a little slow-moving at first but once I got to the middle, I found that I couldn't put it down. I thought the author was very good at explaining the emotions that Cannie was going through. I felt like I could feel exactly how she was feeling and why she was going what she was doing. If I were in her situation, I could see myself doing the things she did. While the book had a decently happy ending, I still cried my eyes out when I finished.
Rating:
Summary: 1/2* HUGE DOSE OF HEART AND HUMOUR
Review: This isn't a smart novel considering the trite plot of a woman jetsetting into the Hollywood glamour after befriending an actress and the stereotypical cookie-cutter romance. Like the cynical and sardonic heroine Cannie, the imperfections are all forgiven when it departs from the mainstream chick literature with a huge dose of wits and heart. Jennifer Weiner in her auspicious debut exposes the insecurity of an obese woman struggling to come to terms with her awry love-life when Cannie's ex Bruce Guberman enlightens the public with a magazine column on Loving a larger woman. Good in Bed keeps the self-effacing humour rolling in with Cannie's self-evaluation and scurrilous insults towards diet programs yet it is at its best when personal moments such as Cannie's familial hell and apathetic father churn out poignancy and sympathy for our protagonist. The prose is snappy and fast; the plot is believable until her incredulous encounter with famed actress Maxi Ryder who offers her solace and a glamour trip to Hollywood for the Philadephia Examiner reporter. It is guilty of being shamelessly melodramatic as Cannie broaches motherhood and artfully contrived with a fairy-tale oddball romance. It is with flaws, no doubt - but aren't we guilty of criticizing a feel-good novel with positive message like the shallow discrimination of pinpointing a woman's weight and forgetting her merits? Furthermore it's Weiner's debut and her tactic of skirting a weighty issue with souffle-light humour poses an irresistible temptation. Dig in and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Great effort for first novel!
Review: This book appears to be a nice start for Jennifer Weiner with her first novel, "Good in Bed". I sort of felt the title was a little misleading and gave the wrong impression, but it went with the storyline, so I overlooked that part of the book and enjoyed the reading of each chapter. I like rare and different names for the main characters of any novels, but Cannie didn't turn me on very much either. I also like names that I find easy to pronounce instead of those way out of reach tongue-twisters. But to each their own. The plot was cute and the story moved along quickly. This is a different style book than I'm used to reading, and I must give Weiner credit for writing about larger-than-average women. After all, those women need TLC as much as anyone. And it's refreshing that the heroine isn't a sexy super model. Change is good. The story was warm and written with feeling. I didn't care for some of the dialogue, but here we go again, today's modern women may just talk that way. As for me, I suppose I'm old fashioned, and some words I find a little offbeat in Weiner's story, but not bad. I give the novel a four because of the above mentioned things that tend to turn me off. Otherwise, I think this new author is going to do well in the literary world. I'll be reading more of her work.
Rating:
Summary: Very well-written and entertaining
Review: I'd suggest this book for anyone between 15 and 35. It's a great snapshot of our generation and Ms. Weiner is a capable spokesperson. The characters have depth and the plot is compelling. It is also a very quick read if you are between other books.
Rating:
Summary: Well Done
Review: I know I'm late to the party on this one, but I have a few kind words to share on Jennifer Weiner's Book, Good In Bed. If I had been an overweight young woman thirty years ago, this book would have spoken to me more strongly, absolutely resounded. It is humorous, wickedly self deprecating, and yet redemptive. Empathic and true. Witty and imaginative, with a bowl of tequila blend to drown sorrow and the number of fasteners on the back of one's bra to indicate heft, Weiner gives us Cannie. Yes she does, and illustrates her well. In addition to negative self image, Cannie is a product of a distant, emotionally abusive father and the "exposed-for-all-to-see" subject of her ex boyfriend's column in a magazine. To my way of thinking, Cannie is not an overblown character. She is simply what she is: A somewhat hysterical, clever woman with a fine sense of humor and eternal energy, who possesses good sense underneath the insecurities which rule her thoughts and actions.
The story only began to lag for me because I did not identify, not because it wasn't well written, so I lost a bit of interest. I was "ho-humming" in the middle, even when Weiner was delivering bon mots and delicious scenarios. I'm at a different stage in life and this novel hones in on young adulthood. IMO, it is far more relevant to younger adults or women who have endured the bias against "big" their entire lives. I think Good In Bed contains important social commentary in addition to a well done story-with a very satisfying ending. The final third of the book recaptured my complete attention. I can imagine why Cannie (or Weiner) admires Wally Lamb's She's Come Undone, but understand her angst when, at the end of the novel, Dolores is thin. At the conclusion of Good In Bed, Cannie is still very smart and funny, released from depression, needy, and thankfully gaining weight back. Most of all, she is a spokeswoman-character for larger young women everywhere who feel the pressing need to reconcile their individual body image within the accepted norm or model ordained/suggested by contemporary society. It just doesn't happen often. It takes resolve and confidence to build self esteem, and no one should have to exert brutally demoralizing self discipline to this end, when she is already a fine person, merely heavy. Weiner did a remarkable job of inviting the reader to know Cannie. This is a level up from a
Bridget Jones Diary kind of book, even though the reader smiles at Cannie's humor. The sincerity and pathos are apparent. Roe This novel ranks a four out of five, even though my personal interest was a three.
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