Rating: 
Summary: hard to put down, I'll give it that much
Review: If you're a female looking for a book to help you kill some time, this one will do the job. It's entertaining in a shallow kind of way. It's definitely not literature, but if you need some (almost) mindless fluff to help you idle away a few hours, I recommend this book. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: It's so bad, you can't look away
Review: It's so predictable. The humor is bad. I kept reading because I hate not finishing a book, no matter how bad. It seemed like the author was trying for a "lucy and ethel" type book, but all I wanted to do was slap Clover. I guess I just didn't get the whole thing.
Rating:
Summary: It's so bad, you can't look away
Review: It's so predictable. The humor is bad. I kept reading because I hate not finishing a book, no matter how bad. It seemed like the author was trying for a "lucy and ethel" type book, but all I wanted to do was slap Clover. I guess I just didn't get the whole thing.
Rating:
Summary: It's so bad, you can't look away
Review: It's so predictable. The humor is bad. I kept reading because I hate not finishing a book, no matter how bad. It seemed like the author was trying for a "lucy and ethel" type book, but all I wanted to do was slap Clover. I guess I just didn't get the whole thing.
Rating:
Summary: Lacking. . .
Review: Jane Heller has always been one of my favorite novelists. However, this book left something to be desired. The theme was rather ludicrous and perhaps that's why I wasn't as pleased with it as her other books. All her other books are 5 stars, this was lucky to get 2 stars!
Rating:
Summary: Lacking. . .
Review: Jane Heller has always been one of my favorite novelists. However, this book left something to be desired. The theme was rather ludicrous and perhaps that's why I wasn't as pleased with it as her other books. All her other books are 5 stars, this was lucky to get 2 stars!
Rating: 
Summary: Worth reading
Review: Let me preface this review with a couple of facts about me:
I am a mother of four children ages 8 and under. I am also in dire need of relaxation and something not authored by Dr. Seuss or created by Disney.
That said, you can figure I am one who doesn't have time to read boring or lackluster books.
I really enjoyed The Secret Ingredient. Granted, there have been wittier books wrote by Ms. Heller but this one is still wortwhile and hilarious. I won't get elaborate on the plot or storyline as others have already detailed that for you. I will say, if you are looking for a good book that makes you laugh and leaves you uplifted, this one is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious look into mid-marriage crisis
Review: Six years into her marriage, Elizabeth is desperate to have her husband, Roger, back as he was in the beginning of their marriage ~~ fun, handsome and attentive. Elizabeth misses that attentiveness. Now, all she does is vaccum up poppy-seeds from his breakfast bagels before she's out the door traveling to inspect posh hotels. It's not her idea of romance.
In desperation, Elizabeth turns to her sister, who is in the know about who is who in Hollywood and she points Elizabeth to a guru who claims he can "enhance" her life and solve her problems. Sure enough, the potion that he gives Elizabeth works ~~ much to her amazement then later on, to her horror! She got the attention that she wanted ~~ but then, it got to be too much and she wonders if she had created a monster.
In a lively chase that includes a stint in jail, Elizabeth and her friend, Clover, end up discovering lots of truths and realities about themselves and their marriages.
It is a fun book ~~ a hilarious look at how people seek happiness using other means instead of relying upon themselves and finding the ingredient to a happy life lies within themselves all along. It's a cute book to read on the beach or on the long flight home. It's not a serious book to read ~~ but it's fun enough to take your mind off whatever is bothering you. It's a sure bet that Heller's books are always that fun!
8-16-04
Rating:
Summary: reminiscent of the movie Love Potion Number Nine
Review: When she married her spouse Roger six years ago, Elizabeth Baskin thought he was an eleven in a male ranking system that tops out at ten. As an undercover field agent for luxurious properties, she seeks perfection in the hotels she clandestinely canvases. Elizabeth expects the same in her personal life. Thus, she decides she must renovate her heavier and lazier real estate attorney spouse so that instead of he sleeping away the night, they make love.
Elizabeth knows she needs professional help to accomplish her agenda. She visits Dr. Gordon Farkus, a Beverly Hills "life enhancement" guru. Gordon persuades Elizabeth to buy an herb that magically changes an aging over the hill dud into a lovemaking stud. However, Elizabeth puts too much of the elixir in Roger's orange juice. Instead of lovingly turning to her, he becomes a narcissistic babe magnet. Desperate to regain her husband the sloth, Elizabeth seeks a cure for the cure.
THE SECRET INGREDIENT is a humorous contemporary tale with messages on perfection and satisfaction that curiously the cat would understand, but ironically fails to have the bite of the author's more powerful satires. Instead the audience receives an amusing Southern California romp reminiscent of the movie Love Potion Number Nine filled with funny fluff but lacking the intelligent sting of FEMALE INTELLIGENCE. Still Jane Heller shows she continues as one of the top satirical humorists with this enjoyable frolic. Harriet Klausner
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