Wonderfully funny debut with a fine sense of the absurd and a flair for comic characterization.
Faking it—hilariously.
Growing up in her perfect sister’s shadow left Jane Taylor with a chronic case of underachiever’s paranoia. She’s only an assistant editor, deluged with the unwanted and unsolicited manuscripts addressed to her superiors at a London publishing company. And she’s only living with a self-centered stockbroker, not engaged to him. When, oh when, will anyone ever pay attention to her? Getting her period a week late is the inspiration for a brilliant but bizarre way to get noticed: pretend she’s pregnant, which she does. All those who ignored her for so many years are suddenly falling all over themselves to open doors, bring her a cuppa, listen to her whining about minor aches and pains—oh, it’s heaven. Her gay confidant and upstairs neighbor David, a veteran of the Israeli Army, points out gently that there will be hell to pay in about nine months, but Jane doesn’t care. This is better than love, an emotion she has never actually experienced, even though she tells herself that that could happen any day now (“Birds do it. Bees do it. Even Israelis with hairy knees do it”). Didn’t Trevor, the putative father of her fictitious fetus, say he’d do the right thing? That must mean he’s going to pop the question, not just change the catbox (see entry under Toxoplasmosis in What To Expect When You’re Expecting, her new bible). Yes, he’ll marry her, Trevor says impatiently—after the baby is born, if it doesn’t have two heads. His hasty departure with a bulging suitcase forces Jane to turn to sympathetic friends and family, who have no idea they’re being duped. A pregnancy pad swiped from a Harrods’s dressing room helps her continue to fool them all. But Jane has to make the “little one” disappear when she finally meets the man of her dreams. He won’t want to raise an imaginary child—will he?
Wonderfully funny debut with a fine sense of the absurd and a flair for comic characterization.Pub Date: July 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-373-25030-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Red Dress Ink
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2003
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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