REVIEWS: Kindle Ninja Reads Chick Lit - PART 1
Real Ninjas read Chick Lit.
Let me start with a warning:
Author Kathryn Biel pushes you into the abyss of mental illness and gives you
Ho-Hos and Fritos to break your fall.
It’s dark. It’s disturbing. It’s depressing. But it’s also hysterical and uproariously funny. If that doesn’t mess with your mind, I don’t know what will.
The Comely clan is so dysfunctional, they make the Bluths and the Tenenbaums look so boringly normal.
Esther Comely-Cox is quirky in a charming sort of way, but can also be totally unpredictable and can exhibit a combustible personality when provoked. But she is completely disarming. How can a hopelessly flawed character be so likeable?
This is a story that touches on the serious issue of mental illness. And when it is correlated with dysfunctionality and parental neglect, it can become downright unsettling. But the author has injected a healthy dose of wit and humor to make things bearable. The narrative is peppered with funny pop culture references that elicit chuckles even if they are repeated in subsequent chapters.
The story is not perfect. Sure, there are some situations that needed more explaining, but your mind would have already been too messed up to worry about that.
The ending is realistic. Had it gone the other way, it would have ruined the massive build-up.
Buckle up. This is one crazy ride.
It’s dark. It’s disturbing. It’s depressing. But it’s also hysterical and uproariously funny. If that doesn’t mess with your mind, I don’t know what will.
The Comely clan is so dysfunctional, they make the Bluths and the Tenenbaums look so boringly normal.
Esther Comely-Cox is quirky in a charming sort of way, but can also be totally unpredictable and can exhibit a combustible personality when provoked. But she is completely disarming. How can a hopelessly flawed character be so likeable?
This is a story that touches on the serious issue of mental illness. And when it is correlated with dysfunctionality and parental neglect, it can become downright unsettling. But the author has injected a healthy dose of wit and humor to make things bearable. The narrative is peppered with funny pop culture references that elicit chuckles even if they are repeated in subsequent chapters.
The story is not perfect. Sure, there are some situations that needed more explaining, but your mind would have already been too messed up to worry about that.
The ending is realistic. Had it gone the other way, it would have ruined the massive build-up.
Buckle up. This is one crazy ride.
***
CACHING IN by Tracy Krimmer ★★★★ 4/5
A geocaching love story
– it has that edgy, outdoorsy vibe to it, so I had imagined it to be a fast-paced scavenger hunt with enough
sappy moments to keep the romantic storyline going.
Not really accurate.
The story moves along
quite nicely, albeit it starts in a typical chick lit fashion where the character
complains about nearly everything going on and wrong about her life. But it’s forgivable
because Ally Couper is just wickedly funny with her self-deprecating ways.
It’s not without drama,
but it’s the kind of drama that’s quite unexpected because it’s central to the
story but it does not really involve Ally directly, which somehow shifts the
reader’s sympathy to the other main character, Seth.
I have trouble
believing Seth’s actions about intimacy or not wanting to have it while he
sorts things out. I’m just not completely convinced that it’s a rational
behavior, but it’s highly debatable.
This is a fun read with
a clever use of GPS and geocaching to search for the elusive true love. (One Direction CD sold separately).
***
FATE ACCOMPLI by MM Jaye ★★★★ 4/5
This is a novel in which
the setting contributes greatly to the reading experience. It gives another
layer to a love story that already has some underlying complications. Monica Mitchell
is a strong female character with vulnerabilities that often show while she’s
having that internal monologue.
Though I find the writing quite engaging, there’s
a lengthy exposition about herself early in the chapter, which takes away some
of the intrigue and mystery. As a result, the excitement diminishes because
there’s just a bit too much revelation so early in the story.
As the story progresses,
the hilarious bits emerge and it helps neutralize the overly sentimental moments.
The comedic timing is just wonderful.
Since this is the spicy
version, there’s enough flirtations and steamy scenes that would rate mildly in
the Scoville scale.
***
JUMP, JIVE, AND WAIL by Kathryn Biel ★★★★★ 5/5
After reading Kathryn
Biel’s third novel, “I’m Still Here”, I knew I had that one book I measure
every ChickLit book against (and this isn’t even my genre!). I was curious how her
fourth novel, Jump, Jive, and Wail, stacks up against a personal favorite.
The story is told in
two points of view (that of Kaitlin and Declan) and they go back and forth.
Initially, I didn’t see the point of having the same event told twice with only
subtle differences in the account of events. But the more I read, the more I
realize how clever it was because the reader becomes privy to what each
character feels. It creates anticipation on how things will finally come
together.
It’s easy to like
Kaitlin because she’s just a terrific character – feisty yet vulnerable. Her
sense of humor shines through, which makes even the sad moments, bearable.
For some odd reason, I
half-expected it to be a “The Cutting Edge” kind of story. I couldn’t be more
wrong. It doesn’t have the thrill and
excitement of competition, but it does have a victory far more profound than
winning medals in the Olympics.
