Forgotten by Catherine McKenzie

In Forgotten, Emma Tupper, a young lawyer, becomes stranded in Africa after a terrible earthquake. Instead of the planned one month trip, she spends six months in a remote village, unable to contact those back home. When she finally returns home, she discovers that everyone she knows thought she was dead. They've moved on with their lives. Her apartment has been rented to someone else; her boyfriend is seeing someone new; her office is occupied by someone else. Getting her old life back is going to be harder than she thought.

I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it. I know McKenzie writes chick-lit (not a genre I normally read), but the premise was so interesting, I wanted to give it a shot. As it turns out, it was a little too fluffy and a little too farfetched for me.

Several things in the story struck me as unbelievable. For instance, she returns home to find that her apartment has been rented to someone else. Instead of going to live in her mother's house which sits vacant, she chooses to live in the apartment with the stranger.   Besides that, doesn't someone need to check on the house after her six month absence? This isn't even mentioned. I really wanted to hear more about the grief she suffered over her mother's recent death as well as her struggles in Africa.

Having said that, there were parts of the book I liked. With McKenzie being a lawyer herself, she's definitely writing what she knows and it shows. Parts of the story dealing with the law practice appeared realistic, as least to me. I also really liked the parts where Emma and her colleagues were trying to figure out how the piece of art was stolen from the museum. Those parts read like a cozy mystery and peaked my interest. Unfortunately, they weren't a large part of the book.

I've also read McKenzie's Arranged (my review.)

Even though I had a few problems with the story, I'm sure McKenzie fans and fans of chick-lit will enjoy this one. It might make a good beach read.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the HarperCollins website.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Catherine McKenzie's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at HarperCollins for this review copy.

Forgotten by Catherine McKenzie, HarperCollins, ©2012. ISBN 9780062115416(Trade paperback), 420p.

Arranged by Catherine McKenzie

In Arranged, Anne Blythe has just broken up with yet another boyfriend. She has lots going for her, but her love life leaves much to be desired. She then comes across a card for what she thinks is a dating service. As it turns out, the company specializes in arranged marriages. With much trepidation, she decides to give them a try. On a weekend vacation provided by the company, she meets her match, Jack and marries him. It's only then that she finds out something that leaves her head and heart spinning out of control.

I enjoyed this book. It definitely was a nice light read. The characters were likeable and the overall storyline was fun and unique. For me, it didn't quite live up to the hype that was going around the blogosphere, but then again I don't read a lot of chick-lit. Having said that, I have read a several other books in this genre and I thought this one was middle of the road; better than some, but not as good as others. While the overall story was mostly surprising, a few times it felt a little predictable. Call me jaded. The book was still quite enjoyable, though.

I liked the characters, especially Anne. Failed relationship after failed relationship left her wanting. I give her credit for being brave enough to try something new. Dr. Szwick, the therapist that both Anne and Jack had to see as part of their union, was interesting. There was just something about him that said 'red flag' to me. Margaret, the woman Anne meets on the vacation/marriage weekend, was a hoot. I really liked her and would have loved to read more about her.

Recommended for fans of chick-lit. Those looking for a light beach read would most likely enjoy this one, too.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the HarperCollins Canada website.

For more information about the author and her other book, please visit Catherine McKenzie's website.

I'd like to thank the author for this book, which came to me via her Facebook group, I Bet We Can Make These Books Bestsellers.

Arranged by Catherine McKenzie, HarperCollins, ©2011. ISBN 9781554687602(Trade paperback), 390p.

Promises to Keep by Jane Green

In Promises to Keep, Callie, a successful photographer, wife and mother, is not at all like her sister, Steffi, who can't seem to keep a job or a boyfriend for more than six months. Their parents, Walter and Honor have been feuding since their divorce many years ago. They would love it if Steffi learned some responsibility, but no one is counting on that. When tragedy strikes, this family along with friends and acquaintances band together to care for the children, make the arrangements and keep the promises that they made to each other.

It's not often that I find a chick-lit book that I love, but I loved this one. The story was good, although it did get a little sappy a few times. Thankfully those times are few and far between. It was the characters that got me. Sometimes with books that many characters I find that I love a few and hate a few. Not so with this one. I loved them all. I wanted to know more and more about each of the characters as they appeared in the book. It was so easy to like them and to really care about them. Besides those mentioned above, there was also Lila (Callie's best friend) and Ed, who I thought were charming together as well as Mason and Olivia, who were anything but. There was also Callie's family: Reece, her husband and her children Eliza and Jack.

The author included some recipes that fit nicely with the story. She had the characters either making or eating the dish during the course of the chapter. Most of the time, it was just casually mentioned and didn't take the focus away from the main story. I certainly loved the recipes because I love finding new ones in unexpected places like novels. I've even read a few cozy mystery series because they contained recipes. Nevertheless, in this case I'm not sure they added much to the story. So that brings me to the question: Why include the recipes at all? Steffi was doing a lot of cooking in her job as a chef, so the recipes are a natural fit with that aspect of the story. However, there are certainly plenty of books out there in which the characters eat or talk about food and recipes are not included. I'm not complaining mind you, but I am wondering.

I admit that I had to put the book aside for a bit about 20 before the end. I knew sort of what was going to happen and I wasn't prepared to read it just then. I needed to put some distance between myself and the characters. Also, I didn't want to end that quickly. I picked it up again a few days later and was totally satisfied with the ending.

Highly recommended. I'd gladly read another book by this author.

For more information about this book, please visit Penguin's website.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Jane Green's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Penguin for this review copy.

Promises to Keep by Jane Green, Viking (Penguin), ©2010. ISBN 9780670069149(Uncorrected Proof), 337p.

Take a Chance on Me by Jill Mansell

Take a Chance on Me focuses on the lives and loves of the residents of Channings Hill. Cleo has a new boyfriend, Will, until she learns some disturbing news about him. If that wasn't bad enough, she keeps running into an old classmate, Johnny, who used to tease her relentlessly. He keeps popping up in unexpected places, which really isn't too surprising considering they live in a small town. As the encounters add up, she begins to come around and realizes that he's not all that bad. Meanwhile, her sister, Abbey, finds a letter from a woman in her husband's drawer and assumes he's having an affair. The truth, though, is way more than she bargained for and brings huge changes into their lives. There's a host of other characters in the book all connected to each other through their various relationships with Cleo and Abbey.

I enjoyed reading this book. I don't read a whole lot of chick-lit, so I don't have a lot to compare it to. As it turns out, it was pretty good with lots of great characters. It seemed meatier than other I've read in the genre and a lot less flighty. The story was a little larger than life at times, but remained mostly believable. The thing that I liked the most was that it wasn't predictable. The author did a great job of mixing it up and keeping the story moving. The book made me realize that drama isn't limited to the big cities; even small towns have their fair share.

The book was filled with fun to read about characters. I didn't have a favourite, but I liked Cleo, Abbey, Ash and eventually Johnny. Georgia and Fia weren't my favourites, but I still liked reading about them. The back of the book synopsis (on this ARC) made it seem that the story was going to be all about Cleo. I was surprised when it turned out to have a large cast of fun-to-read-about characters and it wasn't all about her.

New words:
badinage (page 71): banter
satsumas (page 79): kind of tangerine
scuppered (page 149): spoiled
acerbic (page 393): sharp

Recommended. Up until now, I'd only heard of Jill Mansell. I'm really glad I finally had the chance to read one of her books. I'd definitely read another.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the Source Books website.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Jill Mansell's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Sourcebooks for this review copy.

Take a Chance on Me by Jill Mansell, Sourcebooks, ©2010. ISBN 9781402237515(Uncorrected Advance Copy), 412p.

The Girl Next Door by Elizabeth Noble

The Girl Next Door, highlights four intersecting stories about the people who live in one particular apartment building in New York. There's Eve and Ed who've recently moved to New York from London; Jason and Kimberley, their young daughter Avery and the Schulmans next door; Violet, the elderly neighbour who's friendly enough, yet remains somewhat distant; Jackson Grayling III, the lazy but incredibly rich bachelor; Charlotte Murphy who lives in a dream world; and a host of other minor, but still memorable, characters.

This book is fantastic. I loved every word and enjoyed reading it immensely. I adored watching the story unfold as the bits and pieces from of the characters lives were interwoven into one cohesive novel. Even though the stories jumps around from story to story and character to character, I found it very easy to follow. I admit that I found the list of characters at the beginning daunting. I couldn't imagine how I was going to keep everyone straight and remember them all. However, Noble is an expert storyteller. She leads the reader through the stories and often provides gentle reminders as to who the characters are.

While the stories remain mostly separate, the characters have interactions with each other and are brought together by the desire for a rooftop garden. Each story provides a little glimpse into their lives: getting the pretty girl's attention, being lonely in the new city, having a baby, falling for the doorman, fantasizing about the next door neighbour, dealing with the infidelity of a partner. It's sort of everyday stuff, which makes this book and its characters so easy to relate to. I think the title reflects that, too. Every one of the characters could be the "girl next door" (or "boy next door"). While their actions were not always admirable, they were genuine and believable.

With so many characters, you'd think there would be at least one I didn't like. Surprisingly, there wasn't. That is, I really liked them all. I especially loved Violet. I was totally memorized by her fascinating and heartbreaking life story as she was telling it to Eve. I also really liked Todd and Gregory because they made me laugh.

Highly recommended. This is probably one of the best books I've read so far this year. I'll definitely be looking for more works by Elizabeth Noble.

For more information about this book, please visit the Penguin Canada website.