Jennifer Crusie - Anyone But You

For Nina Askew, turning forty means freedom--from the ex-husband, freedom from their stuffy suburban home, freedom to focus on what she wants for a change. And what she wants is something her ex always vetoed--a puppy. A bouncy, adorable puppy. Instead she gets...Fred.
Overweight, middle-aged, a bit smelly and obviously depressed, Fred is light-years from perky. But he does manage to put Nina in the path of Alex Moore, her gorgeous, younger-by-a-decade neighbor.
Alex seems perfect--he's a sexy, seemingly sane, surprisingly single E.R. doctor--but the age gap convinces Nina that anyone but Alex would be better relationship material. But with every silver-haired stiff she dates, the more she suspects it's the young, dog-loving doc she wants to sit and stay!

Comment: This book has been in the list for quite some time now and for some reason I never picked it up but this month it was finally part of my reading list.

In this book we meet Nina, a 40 year old woman who has recently moved to a new apartment after her divorce and selling of the house where she used to live with her ex husband. Nina's life is now all about living hr life as she wants after years of following what others wanted. What Nina wasn't ready for was her downstairs younger neighbor, a new friend after all but...will he be something more than that?

This isn't a big book so I chose it to end my month of October purely because it fit my need to read a book in one day. I didn't pay much attention to it when I bought it, to be honest. But it was well critiqued and I enjoyed other things by the author as well so I didn't mind just getting it. Maybe I should have, though, because I wasn't overly glad while reading.

The writing in this book is appealing, engaging, easy to follow. I think the way the story is presented is interesting and touches interesting subjects in a non invasive manner, meaning the elements are there but the author isn't using this to force the reader to have an opinion, it's simply part for the plot and the readers can get their own conclusions and/or opinions. In this regard, I think the author was brilliant and provided a charming story.

My issue and why I couldn't enjoy this more was the age difference. Yes, I know it's pure prejudice and it's unfair but the age difference bothered me, especially because it was such a huge part of the plot. The point is for the reader, obviously, to figure out the age difference is not a matter of contention at all if people love each other.

My opinion about this in real life is also totally opposite and I would cheer up older woman to defend their relationships of being with a younger person was what they wanted. But in novels...I can't explain but I can't seem to abstract myself from that and when the gap is as significant as here, ten years, there just doesn't seem to exist a balance and that bothers me a bit. Yes, I'm fully aware it's silly but there you go.

There is also a secondary plot that, again, quickly mentions some of today's situations when it comes to publishing houses and public's demands...I think it must be a proof of talent to briefly mention an issue or a situation to the point where that alone is enough to give the reader a means to almost start an opinion on it. As expected, the final solution for this "conflict" is simple and ends happily.

The romance also has a predictable resolution although there some moments before the HEA that felt too obviously silly and pointless, considering the way the plot started and how it moved along. Alex isn't a bad hero but he didn't look his best in some moments. Nina was a great heroine and I liked how she evolved but I just can't visualize their relationship that easily. Plus, it sort of felt too easy and not truly believable (not the age difference acceptance) that they would be attracted and would act on it so quickly...but what do I know...

All in all, this is a good, short and easy story.It had some issues I was not a fan of but the dog is certainly a positive bonus!

Grade: 6/10

Jennifer Crusie - Crazy for You

On Wednesday, Quinn McKenzie adopted a dog and changed her life. On Thursday, she tried to get somebody to notice. On Thursday night, somebody did.
When Quinn McKenzie decides to change her "beige" life by adopting a stray dog, everything begins to spiral out of control. Now she's coping with dog-napping, breaking and entering, seduction, sabotage, stalking, more secrets than she really wants to know, and two men who are suddenly crazy... for her.

Comment: This is the last book I had to read by author Jennifer Cruisie. There's still one from her backlist I wish to read too but I haven't gotten it yet. I was very eager to read it and see if I would again share the opinion of the majority of those who liked it.

 

In this book we follow Quinn McKenzie in her letting go of a pre established, boring life when she decides to adopt  dog her boyfriend doesn't want. This is the reason she needed to change her life, to start looking for other goals and she is ready to defend her dog no matter what. She decides to leave her boring boyfriend, their shared apartment and buys a house, gets the dog, changes her haircut and decides to pursue her ex brother in law for romantic reasons.

But with so much change, are the ones around her ready for a new Quinn? And her ex can accept his new status? Will the man she wants finally come to terms he wants her too?

 

I've read around five books by the author (some years ago)and this is definitely the one I liked the least. I mean, I struggled to not be annoyed at the author for having written such a weak book in my opinion. After all things considered, to me, this book didn't have anything appealing for me to think about or to want to remember fondly.

 

The story is centered on Quinn and how a dog makes her reevaluate her life and how people around her are living too. I get it that the point in the whole book is to tell us it's never too late to change your mind, to look after the things you need to be happy and to be brave to let go of the things that we might feel are stopping us from being happy, we should not just settle. Ok, but then the tactic of doing this in a obvious comedy style - which is valid and the author's trademark - isn't something I feel worked that well with the importance or the level of importance the author also intended to give to the story.

 

Quinn didn't win me over. I was actually feeling very annoyed at her, where was her practicality? I applaud she felt the will to change her life, to look for a happiness in her reach, but the way things happened seemed silly and unrealistic, no matter how funny this is supposed to be. Quinn came across selfish and reckless and I fail to see how can this be endearing to anyone.

Then the author decided to make Bill, the now ex-boyfriend, a crazy person. Of course this enhances Quinn's validity to have broken things up with him, to need to get away, but it sure looked like an easy way out and very unlikely and ill used. Of all the ways this could have developed, I never thought craziness would be a solid tactic. I think the author could have maintained her funny, comedy side while giving a better emotional quality to certain aspects and a more serious impact to things too. Like she did in other books, which seemed much better balanced.

 

The romance didn't convince me either, no matter how many years they have ben feeling the attraction. Nick seemed very immature and despite enjoying his quiet nature and solid presence, his overall attitude of letting things happen seemed very annoying at times.

The secondary characters were funny some times but others seem a very obvious caricature of a stereotype needed as supporting roles in romances and sincerely I got to a point where most little things started to annoy me.

 

Sadly, this book wasn't good for me. Sometimes it's just the way it is. I appreciate some things, some passages seemed interesting and well thought, otherwise my grade would be lower.

But I feel sad that interesting elements here were so ill used for the sake of a laugh. And then things weren't that funny for me...

I know most readers didn't see things this way, but the whole story really started to annoy me and I'm sure I'll have it forgotten in no time...

Grade: 4/10

TBR Challenge: Jennifer Crusie - Bet Me

Minerva Dobbs knows how to work the odds.
Calvin Morrisey always plays to win.
But when they face off, neither one is prepared.
Because when real life meets true love, all bets are off. . . .
Minerva Dobbs knows that happily-ever-after is a fairy tale, especially with a man who asked her to dinner to win a bet, even if he is gorgeous and successful Calvin Morrisey. Cal knows commitment is impossible, especially with a woman as cranky as Min Dobbs, even if she does wear great shoes and keep him on his toes. When they say good-bye at the end of their evening, they cut their losses and agree never to see each other again.
But fate has other plans, and it's not long before Min and Cal meet again. Soon they're dealing with a jealous ex-boyfriend, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, a determined psychologist, chaos theory, a freakishly intelligent cat, Chicken Marsala, and more risky propositions than either of them ever dreamed of. Including the biggest gamble of all---true love.

Comment: Following this month's theme for the challenge I've picked a book that was recommended to me. It was a recommendation by a couple of friends last year, actually. I mean, I have read books by the author but like so many others whose books I've enjoyed, this one got a little bit "forgotten"...*shamed face*. So, last year those friends were talking about her books and I said I've read 4 of them, not this one. They said I should though, so I bought the book and decided to read it. I got in June.

So, this is February and I finally decided to get into it and it would serve this month's theme as well.

Bet Me is the story of Min Dobbs and Cal Morrisey. 

Min is an actuary and a bit overweight, a fact her mother doesn't let her forget. The book starts with Min being dumped by her boyfriend and later she's the target of a weird bet, which she hears about and decides to get revenge on the poor guy who accepted to get her to bed for ten dollars.

Cal didn't really accept the bet but he went with it just to end the conversation with David, a client. He goes with Min and they have a witty conversation but don't think there's any point in keeping up the pretense so they say their goodbyes in the end.

However, fate seems to hammer them with clues on how they're meant for each other and in the following weeks, Min and Cal get themselves together very often until it becomes clear they should get each other a try.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I think it's bigger strength is the dialogue. I loved the way everyone talked and all the comebacks. It was quite the fresh story on dialogue because it didn't seem forced or rehearsed, it was almost like it just popped to the character's mouth although I know the author has certainly spend time on it. But it did feel real and funny.

I liked the overall story too. I'm not a huge fan of contemporaries but lately I've been reading some interesting ones. This was fun and cute and with great scenes, loved the one with Min having diner at Cal's house. I always fear contemporaries might degenerate into chick lit, which usually annoys me a lot, I'm not into the whole idea of whining about a boyfriend or the drama of fighting with one's mother, its just not something I enjoy and when starting a light contemporary I get the idea I might see it and automatically prepare myself. This means I was overjoyed to read as fast as I could because the story and the characters weren't anything of what I expected. Sure, I've read before books by the author, but one never knows, a book is a whole new world we must set ourselves to find out about.

Like I said, the characters were a great surprise. I liked knowing them and understanding their motivations. I liked Min and the fact she knew she was overweight and still let her mother make her feel guilty. I understand why she did it because it's not so easy to put aside things family tell us, in everyone there's the need to feel acceptance and Min was surely trying to get hrs even at the cost of her self esteem. Although, she was smart enough to understand things and she managed to feel happy and glad at times, especially when around her friends. Nothing like a support system to help us. 

Cal was intriguing, he was described as a ladies man, never to commit but he seemed taken by Min pretty soon even when they agreed not to extend their relationship further than their first date. But during the book we saw him and more of his personality come forward and I liked him and even more because he didn't see Min's problems, to him, she was overweight but lush, she was angry but witty, she was perfect for him.

So, the romance was great, and with so many steps to the big finale it didn't seem rushed either.

The secondary characters were fun too and I liked most of them too. I think the author really knew how to "built" a cast to this story and it's almost like everything just goes with the flow, it seems easy.

I think the book is a winner for sure. It has some hidden lessons for us to think about and interesting tidbits about several subjects, from how to cook, how to feel worthy, how to deal with dyslexia and how to stand up for yourself, and even how to defend your loved ones from bad influences in his/her family :)

I was very glad to have read the book, I couldn't out it down and to be honest I was up until 3pm just to finish it. It's a very easy read, but cute and addictive. I think anyone would enjoy it and despite having being released back in 2004, look at me, I just read it and it was great, and it won lots of prizes in its year.

Anyone else should try it too, it's never too late to read a good book.