Rating: 
Summary: Little Lie, My Eye!
Review: First, I need to say that this book was quite funny! I laughed out loud more than a few times, but honestly, it was a bit verbose and slow-moving for the first 100 pages. Sophy Metcalfe did not just tell one little lie; she allowed this one elaborate lie to just escalate to unbelievable proportions! Although it was fun to see her get tangled in this mess, at times I felt like it was all a bit too much. It was a stretch that she was able to not only continue the initial lie for so long, but build on it until it was almost to slapstick/sitcom levels of humor. I enjoyed this book overall, but I think it could have been even better with a bit more character development of Josh. I wanted to feel giddy and excited about him too (like Sophy), but I didn't have an opportunity to get to know him well enough. I'd recommend this book as a good summer read, but with one piece of advice--don't give up too soon when reading it. The pace picks up midway and the storyline does improve greatly.
Rating: 
Summary: This plot is as overused as the title
Review: I read this book because it was recommended by a book cataloge that I highly respect, but now I wonder if they even bothered to read it themselves. The main character annoyed me from start to finish, the "love interest" seemed anything but interested, and the plot was just a drawn out version of a million sit-com and romantic comedy story-lines. I found myself skipping whole pages toward the end, just to get through Sophy's uptight, self loathing rants and boring repetition. The book was mildly funny, and I enjoyed the British Colour (although I must admit to not understanding half of it), thus the three stars. I would recommend it as a light beach read.
Rating:
Summary: Tell Me Lies ~ Tell Me Sweet Little Lies
Review: Oh boy! Where to begin?! As entertaining as this book was, it was full of overblown and downright crazy lies! If you don't mind spending several days wrapped up in lie after lie, then this is *the* book for you. The main character, Sophie, was one of the most hard to like characters out there. She had *just slap me* written all over her. Quite annoying, she was! From what I gather, she wasn't a happy person and was quite the frump. Josh, her lie and love interest, was a confusing character. I even had a tough time trying to make out what his real feelings were. I felt like I was guessing through most of the book. The end results just didn't match up to how his character acted throughout the book, in my opinion. Tricky, if you ask me. I also was kinda bothered by the fact that too much emphasis was put on Belinda (Sophy's sister) and her troubles. I felt that entire hoopla wasn't really important to the plot. It overpowered the situation, in my opinion. For about half of the book, I was wondering if Belinda was the main character. I know that she wasn't but my point is, I almost felt like I was reading 2 stories in 1 and they just didn't mesh all that well for me. As you see, Asking for Trouble wasn't a *hit* for me.
Rating: 
Summary: LOVE IT
Review: 1,000 words are not enough to describe how great this book is, but I'll give it a shot! While the blurb on the back sounded promising, I expected another post-Bridget Jones funny-yet-predictable novel. I bought it anyway, and was pleasantly surprised to find a well-written, fast-paced, and truly hilarious novel about a heroine I could really relate to. The book's tone is conversational, as if Sophy is your best girlfriend, and you're dishing over a couple of vodkas; as a result, I liked her and found myself waiting anxiously for the next plot twist to unfold. Even though Sophy's white lie(s) spin(s) wildly out of control, I didn't think the plot and its many twists were at all contrived or predictable. Sophy's character rang quite true to me, as did everyone else's. In the ever-expanding universe of contemporary women's fiction, I think this book is a breath of fresh air. While Sophy is no less charmingly neurotic than Bridget and her "sisters," I feel that Sophy's character is deeper, a bit more developed, less breezy, and, as a result, more human. She acknowledges, and agonizes, over her faults, and seems to grow as a person through her experiences. The characters' relationships strike me as more complex and authentic than other novels, perhaps because of Ms. Young's attention to detail in crafting their mannerisms, speech, etc. She also creates a sense of history, in describing events and people from Sophy's childhood, which are traced to the present.
Finally, the situations, dialogue and descriptions are often so unexpectedly funny that I laughed until I cried. I could not put this book down. You'll love it, too.
Rating:
Summary: This is a FUN story!
Review: I read this book in the summer of 2003, and enjoyed it so much I had to read it again! Say what you want about the genre getting old, if you like to laugh out loud and enjoy reading about screwy-but-smart characters who get their happy endings, this is book you will enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Bridget Jones? Tedious Moans more like...
Review: This looked promising, but I have to say I really had to start wading through it about 30 pages in. You just *know* what is going to happen and it takes about 3/4 of the way through before the book gets any sense of pace. I remember feeling frustrated waiting for the plot to catch up with my imagination! I found there was far too much clunky dialogue which broke up the flow of the book. At times it felt like you were reading a manuscript, not a novel. Reading this took a real effort - I couldn't escape into her world and I found it hard to identify with the character at times. I would read three pages and then realise not one word had sunk in - never a good sign if you have to re-read. I found her references to childhood and reminiscing stories tedious and irrelevant! These did not add any depth to her character not were they even mildly amusing. Instead they dragged the plot and pace even further, filling even more pages with copious clunky dialogue. The book did improve in the last 30 pages when things finally started happening, but Bridget Jones this definitely ain't.
Rating:
Summary: Superb chicklit
Review: I just can't believe that another reviewer considered this book to be a poor imitation of Bridget Jones's Diary. Asking for Trouble is incomparably better and funnier than anything Helen Fielding has ever churned out. Every page sparkles with humor and wit; there is wonderful chemistry between the hero and heroine; and all the secondary characters are marvelously drawn, esp. Sophy's housemates and her loving but intrusive mother. Elizabeth Young's novels are a real antidote to all the silly, fashion-obsessed, poorly-written dross out there in the world of chicklit.
Rating:
Summary: A Knockoff of Bridget Jones
Review: This is a poor knockoff of Bridget Jones.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful, fun read
Review: I love all Elizabeth Young's books and this was no exception. A previous review clearly doesn't agree with the majority and asks 'what is a part?'. A prat is a stupid person - which pretty much speaks for itself! It is a shame if you don't enjoy books written in English - in the UK we often have to put up with books written in 'American' with phrases we don't understand. It doesn't detract from the enjoyment of a fun and well-written book. I hope disappointing reviews and problems over language differences do not put anyone else off reading what is a really good read.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Read!!!
Review: What an absolutely fantastic fun read. This story reminds me of a cross between Bridget Jones and the Shopaholic series in its humor. I laughed out loud at the way things progressed through the story. It also shows how sometimes one little white lie can turn into a huge white elephant. What happens when you tell your mother you have a fabulous boyfriend that doesn't exist and you have to produce him? Well Sophy (with a Y not an IE) hires one but, ack she is actually really attracted to him and this has her confused. There are a couple of other story lines running through also. The thing I liked the most is the characters all seemed so real! Hats off to another new author for me that I am now scrambling around to find other works by...
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