Rating: 
Summary: So Disappointing
Review: I bought this after laughing out loud a few times in the first chapter, usually a good sign. Unfortunately, while I wanted very much to like this book, the silliness of the plot kept subverting Weiner's otherwise enjoyable writing. The Hollywood twist was an unbelievable, Wayne's World-esque fantasy; the crisis resulting form her fling with Bruce was made-for-TV unoriginal and melodramatic; and the climax with Bruce, his new girlfriend, and Cannie's meltdown was just too much for the book handle. I wish Weiner had characterized a more normal day-to-day life for Cannie - I think she'd have done a great job of it and it would have been more illuminating. Most irritating thing: I wish Cannie had actually said more funny things as opposed to reporting constantly that other people say she's funny.
Rating: 
Summary: Movie Star Mistake
Review: This book is well-written, fast-paced and funny--as evidenced by the fact that I could get through it while listening to the audio-version while jogging. It would have been a total delight--except for one thing. Toward the middle of the novel, the smart, witty, plus-sized heroine meets a movie star and the narrative jumps off into the realm of soap operas and cute Julia Roberts movies. Everything that happens before and after the Movie Star Mistake is plausible, if at times improbable. And, more importantly, it fits with the character and the plot. I mean, I'm rooting as much as anyone for good things to happen to the very sympathetic heroine, but, come on...an invitation to LA and a new fully furnished apartment from a benevolent Minnie Driver-type?! This author should have more confidence in her ability to write and plot--a talent that shines through in the book tour diary she keeps at ... as well as in earlier chapters of the book. I mean, it's a rare open opening chapter I share with my math-oriented husband. Such a skilled author doesn't really need to resort to slapstick coincidence.
Rating: 
Summary: Love Story for normal women
Review: I read both Jemima J. and Good In Bed within a month of each other and find that Good In Bed is the infinitely superior novel. Both in terms of plot, believability and the quality of the writing. Candace Shapiro is a far more winning heroine and her circumstances are far more realistic and believable. At the same time she is unusual -- an unwed overweight young woman who still finds success and love by the end of the book. Yes, there is a fairy-tale aspect to her meeting the movie star Maxi Ryder and becoming her new best friend, but I liked the book enough to roll with it. Cannie describes her screenplay as "wish fulfillment" and Jennifer Weiner's adding Cannie's sudden friendship Maxi Ryder is also wish fulfillment. But then, Cannie and Maxi hook up at the level of their both having been publically humiliated by their former lovers. As fantastically different as they are as people, they DO find things they have in common. Unlikely things and chance meetings DO happen in real life -- making them believable in a novel is the hard part, and Jennifer Weiner ALMOST brings that off, in my opinion Also, Maxi is not Cannie's path to dieting her body down to nothing and finding love, but provides her with her big professional break, instead. I liked it that Cannie is STILL overweight at the end of the book and did not have to lose half her body mass to find the right man for her. The trouble I had with this novel is understanding why Cannie actually liked her ex-boyfriend, Bruce. He comes across as a drifter and a pothead with no ambition and with no NEED to pull himself together and become an adult. He is a spoiled rich kid and a lazy slob who makes minimal and unsuccessful efforts to find a good paying job, until he gets the job at Moxie where he keeps dredging up aspects of his life with Cannie for public inspection. His parents make his life possible by subsidizing him and he lets them do this. And his lack of response to Cannie's letter about her pregnancy is downright cruel. He is the near polar opposite of Cannie who is ambitious and has had to pull herself up by her own bootstraps, and has gained a measure of success and self-respect thereby. She may have loved Bruce, but it seems to me she had zero respect for him which to a woman like Cannie, would be just as important as love. My other problem with the book is the character of Cannie's father who comes across as so intensely cruel, unsympathetic and unredeemable that he hardly seems real. Why then, does Cannie spend so much of this book in anguish over having been abandoned by both these unworthy men? Especially when one of whom continues to write unflattering things about her in a glossy women's magazine on a monthly basis. Fortunately, she finds the right lover and a substitute father figure in the person of her diet doctor, Dr. K. To me it became so evident that Dr. K is the right man for Cannie, that I felt like reaching into the book and shaking her out of her doldrums over Bruce. I do like it though that, despite the bumpy childhood and the real pain in her life, Cannie is a survivor and has a sense of humor. In places, the book is laugh-out-loud funny. She goes through dark times, but she doesn't sit down and whine -- she knows what is wrong, and finally has the sense to ask for the help she needs from the right people and finishes on top.
Rating:
Summary: Everyone is an open punchline. . .
Review: Cannine is a wonderful herione and strong role model as the title character. I was only offened by Jennifer Weiner's alter ego considering anyone who had less than an Ivy league degree "dumber " than herself.
Rating: 
Summary: Wish I didn't finish it so fast...I wanted to keep reading
Review: This ranks right up there as one of the best books I've ever read! I expected a pretty light beach-book read, but it is so much more than that. I laughed, and cried, and was sad when I finished it. I can't wait for Jennifer Weiner's next one!
Rating:
Summary: Great Novel
Review: Good In Bed was an excellent read. The main character, Cannie, has temporarily ended her realtionship with Bruce. In spite, Bruce decides to write a newspaper column detailing their intimiate time together. Cannie is mortified and becomes obsessed with getting Bruce back. Through many trials and tribulations, the reader will observe Cannie struggle with her appearance and her relationships with herself and especially the men in her life. You will be cheering for Cannie when things go right, and experiencing her pain when they don't. Cannie is a dynamic and intelligent woman. With her is a cast of characters that are funny and true. From a doctor to her mother's life partner, we see many funny and supporting characters. Good In Bed was both tasteful and was able to speak to the many struggles that women face. Weiner has spun a great success with Good In Bed. I look forward to future novels!
Rating:
Summary: Good In Bed is Good To Read
Review: After reading similar stories like Jemima J. by Jane Green I was expecting a light, fluffy beach read. Instead I got a really good story with a lot of substance-much more than fluff. Good In Bed is the story of Cannie-a 28 year old single girl who deals with such issues as heartbreak, her weight, and making a career out of something she loves. In her journey you will watch her bounce between insecurity and sadness to confidence and self-realization. The best way to capture the essence of this book is from the text itself. At one point in this touching novel, Cannie explains why she loves reading so much. She explains that with each book one opens, she can't wait to meet these new people and make these new friends. Once you finish Good In Bed, you will find just that-you've met a new good friend.
Rating:
Summary: This is so much more than a piece of fluff.
Review: I have to explain that I think this is a wonderful book but I wish the title did it justice. It is the story of an intelligent, witty and savvy woman who finds herself dealing with old baggage, and future difficulties that would shake even the solidly sane to their knees. Cannie Shapiro has taken a break from her boyfriend Bruce of three years, when she finds he has written a column in a magazine depicting their time spent together, and to top it all off he has mentioned her slightly large form in the telling. The title of the column just happens to be “Good in Bed”. After being rightfully shamed and faced with Bruce’s lack of sensitivity we follow her through the trials and tribulations of the aftermath. Along with her misplaced love life, she has a mom who has realized at the age of 56 that she is a lesbian and has taken on a lover. The scenarios are endlessly amusing and routing for the underdog becomes second nature. Just when things start to get a little too sad, Cannie is there with a wise crack to set us back on track. Weiner has a winner here and she is an author worth following. The writing is as intelligent and witty as our protagonist. Her characters become as real as family as the book progresses. This book is more than the title leads us to believe. I’m so glad my book club picked it as our July read...
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: This was a great book! Cannie was a character that I could completely empathize with. I was completely involved in the book, and when I wasn't reading it, I found myself thinking about what was going on in the book.She is like most women, if of course most women made friends with movie stars! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever felt like they were the only ones who aren't a size 6, or anyone who just wants a great read!
Rating:
Summary: absolutely the best book of its class I've ever read!
Review: Awesome book. Extremely well-written with witty remarks and wonderful refreshing humor. It was so funny I was on the brink of tears throughout the whole thing. You have got to read this book! I can't believe it is a first for Jennifer Weiner and I crave more already!
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