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Posts Tagged ‘chick lit’

Fiction Review – Someday, Someday, Maybe

Tuesday, August 21st, 2018

 

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

Review by Mirah Welday (mwelday)

So, I suppose I should start this review with a disclaimer.  I love Lauren Graham.  I loved her in The Gilmore Girls and Parenthood.  When I found out Lauren had written a novel (yes, we’re on a first name basis), I had to add it to my list of books to read.  Granted, it took me a few years to get to it (I mean, in my defense, I’ve moved twice and had four surgeries since it was released so I’ve had some things going on).  But, this summer, it was the perfect go-to for pool reading.

Here’s the breakdown of Someday, Someday, Maybe: Franny Banks has placed herself on a timeline to become a successful actress.  She has given herself three years to really be able to make a living as an actress, no more waitressing and odd jobs to make ends meet.  Someday, Someday, Maybe picks up with only six months to go on Franny’s timeline.  We follow Franny on her ups and downs during these final months of auditions, call backs, agent interviews, acting class, waitressing gigs, boyfriend drama, and a family wedding.

I won’t give away the ending, you’ll have to read the novel yourself to determine if Franny finds her success as an actress.  With excerpts from a handwritten daily planner dispersed amongst the chapters, Graham has a funny, fast-paced novel that was quirky but enjoyable.  The sections of daily planner really took me back to my college days when my life was chronicled by the notes in my daily planner.  I’m not sure that was even an intention of Lauren’s, but I rather loved it!

I also really enjoyed the reader’s guide at the end of the paperback edition I read that included a conversation with Lauren and her Parenthood co-star Mae Whitman, whom I also love. But the thing I loved most about this novel was the character of Dan.  Dan is one of Franny’s roommates and the scenes with him are some of the best in the novel.  His personality is endearing and his changing relationship with Franny was, for me, what pushed the novel along. The questions about their relationship kept me interested almost as much as wanting to know if Franny would get that big break for her acting career!

If you want a novel that is both lighthearted and heartwarming this summer, give Someday, Someday, Maybe a chance.

 

 

 

 

Audiobook Review – Then Came You

Tuesday, June 7th, 2016

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

 

Review by Mirah Welday (mwelday)

Jennifer Weiner’s Then Came You is a novel told through various voices.  I listened to the audiobook and was quickly drawn into the lives of each character and became very curious about how all of the characters’ stories would come together.

At its essence, Then Came You is a love story that is multi-layered and multi-faceted.  Characters who probably would not have ever been in the same story come together through a variety of both positive and negative decisions.

Julie is ‘discovered’ in the mall but not by a modeling agency, by an agency that provides eggs to people who are trying to have children.  Her decision to donate her eggs is rooted in her love of family but will this be as simple a choice as she thinks?

Annie is married and she and her husband are struggling to make ends meet.  As a mother of her own children, she knows that being pregnant is something she knows how to do.  She sees the prospect of being a surrogate as a way she can make much-needed money for her family while helping another family at the same time.

But how will Julie and Annie’s decisions impact other characters in the story?  Weiner gives a unique voice to each character and deftly links the lives of all of the characters together.  I think listening to the audiobook was the right choice for me. The characters were funny, witty, sarcastic, condescending, and caring and their personalities were so clearly portrayed by the narrators.  If you’re in the mood for some good chick lit with some scheming, backstabbing, and forgiveness, you may want to give Then Came You a listen.