Jennifer CrusieCritiques

Okay so a lot of the fat phobia - internalized and external - didn't age well BUT this really had some great writing and some really smart observations. Crusie amazes me. Also, in case you can't tell THIS IS A SEX BET BOOK. So fair warning because I Hate Bet Books. They hurt my heart and make me cry but I was already committed to this book prior to figuring that out (I know it's called Bet Me but I am not smart). So, for me, the bet-trope worked so fucking well in this book than in any other bet book I've read.

There was SO MUCH DIALOGUE and that was really difficult to get into at first. Like, so many people are talking to one another constantly - which was kind of genius - but was a big shift for my brain. There is a large cast of characters that I did have some problems remembering well. BUT I actually think this would have made an amazing movie (or audioplay). Like is Jennifer Crusie a secret-screenwriter? Because it felt like I was reading a film - in a good way! I loved the epilogue - a tie for favorite epilogues with Kristen Callihan's The Hot Shot.

ps. is that chair scene an homage to Judith Ivory's Untie My Heart? Because I know Crusie loves Ivory! Also, am I going to make Judith Ivory connections appear whenever convenient? Yes. I am.

I don't know how to say this without saying it in this way . . . there are no books like Jennifer Crusie books. There's a rhythm, a beat, a tempo and it's easy to find yourself out of sync with her if you're not paying attention. I mean this as a compliment: like, there is a precision to the timing of her dialogue and it feels like a well-crafted screenplay. A bit of a, "stay in your seats so you don't miss out on the action."


some cw's: death of spouse (MMC's wife dies, historical), death of parent (MMC's father dies, mother of MMC's daughter dies both historical), cheating (FMC is in a relationship with someone when she begins a sexual relationship with the MMC, so technically cheating however it was clear the FMC was trying to break up with this person for a while - and even on page tried to break up with them over the phone but they were trying to manipulate her - long story long, cheating in books isn't an issue for me and the cheating in this book didn't bother me since imo it was a gray area), drugging (FMC's brother drugged someone in high school), on-page sex, difficult family dynamics

Funny, but a bit more erotic that first one I read.

Light, funny romance book.

For my book club. Not impressed so far. Update: After the first third of the book things made more sense and I became more invested in the characters. Ultimately, it was an enjoyable beach novel. Library book -- don't pay money for this one.

A re-read from a time when I wasn't tracking on Goodreads. I forgot how well written this book is, and I still don't know why it hasn't been made into a movie yet.

This degenerated from silly but cute to just plain old stupid. The plot is an unnecessarily convoluted and nonsensical plot that somehow injects terrorists and mobsters and FBI and CIA and money laundering and stolen ancient artifacts into a Romance. Maybe it’s being purposefully meta, since that’s apparently what’s happened to the hot mess of a movie that our heroine has been hired to finish.

This heroine and her hero, ugh. She knows the guy for all of three days, and hasn’t even slept with him, thinks he doesn’t even have any romantic or sexual interest in her at all, but she’s considering moving herself and her family from NY & LA, respectively, to a swamp in Florida so he can be a part of her life. Then she just literally walks into a swamp in the dark in hopes of finding him so she can have sex with him. And she does! And they do! And it’s awesome! No bugs or anything.

I think it was at this point that I got so frustrated with this story, and cared so little about the characters or what happened to them, that it took real willpower to power on to the end rather than DNFing. I got through it by cheering on the alligator.

Hardcover version. I read this for the 2017 Booklikes-opoly square Cars Land 18: Read a book that was published in 2006, 2011, 2013, or 2014, the years of Cars and its sequels, or that has a car on the cover. This book was published in 2006.

My thoughts about this book are on Booklikes at http://sheric.booklikes.com/post/782650/wild-ride-

Great story - it was fun, funny, romantic, and entertaining. As usual, the dialog between Crusie's characters was fantastic. She always manages to make me laugh (out loud) while reading her books. Definitely one of my favourite authors these days!

This isn't my favourite book by Jennifer Crusie, but I did enjoy it. The crazy stalking ex-boyfriend was a little more intense than I usually like in my chick-lit, but the characters and fantastic dialog more than made up for it.

This book is too long. The characters are total norms with quirk makeup and really not very interesting in bed or out of it, whatever the claims of great sex are made, they aren't substantiated. Plus, the murderer wasn't all that obscures.

Hilarious! I enjoyed listening to the book on cd. The main character, Agnes is warm and just a little bit crazy. Combines good cooking, the mob, and a big time wedding. There are lots of twists and turns, but the characters are all so enjoyable.

I have long been a fan of Jennie Crusie. In the Cinderella Deal, Daisy is deceptively flaky. What she really is, is smart, but she's lost trying to reinvent herself, trying to be true to herself and doing it in unorthodox fashion. So when her free spirit clashes with buttoned-up Linc, will she surrender her true self to match what he wants? (hint, you can't pin down a butterfly - or drown it).

totally adorable book. recommended for light romance read.

cuuuuuuuuute!

STRANGE BEDPERSONS

This was an engaging contemporary romance about a couple that appears to be polar opposites. Tess was raised in a commune and is a liberal, helping sort who can't pass up a person in trouble. Nick is an uptight Republican lawyer whose main goal is making partner in his law firm.

However, Nick needs a fake fiancée in order to get a new client, encourage the head of the firm to retire, and become a partner. The firm is courting conservative author Norbert Welch and Tess has read and despised his work. Welch does a reading and Tess recognizes a story that was told to her often when she was eight and in the commune. Is Welce a plagiarist? That would really make it hard for Nick to represent him.

The story also has a secondary romance going between Nick's partner in the law firm and Tess's best friend.

Both romances concerned how much a person should change for the one they love. It was also a humorous romance. I liked Tess's observations but disliked her seeming inability to see anyone else's point of view as valid. This romance from 1994 is showing its age a bit but was still enjoyable.

This is a companion book to Welcome to Temptation, which I’d never read, so I read both books one after the other. Faking It is Davy’s story (brother to Sophie) from the first novel. While the plot may be as perfectly told and wild, it didn’t quite match my love of the first book, although it came close. One of the best things about Crusie’s books, are her wonderfully off the wall characters and there is a wealth of them here, even down to Steve, the dog. Yes, everyone here is deceitful in their way, but worth loving for the hysterical ending where everyone seems to have a thing for hiding out in the closet. A cute, fun story. I’m glad to have spent time with this.

It’s marvellous to love a book as much on a re-read years later as much as when first read. This is one of those. I still rank this as Crusie’s best book. A steamy small town romance and mystery perfectly blended. This is a rare book where not one sentence seems out of place. With a perfect balance of characters (especially Sophie and Phin), and an ending that still made me laugh and smile, this book brings a bright meaning to carrying on family traditions. Top marks.

Bet Me
5 Stars

After her boyfriend criticizes her weight and dumps her for not sleeping with him, Minerva Dodd swears off men. Likewise, Cal Morrisey is taking a hiatus from women after his former girlfriend gives him an ultimatum - marriage or nothing. Unfortunately for Min and Cal, fate has other plans and before they know it, all bets are off and they find themselves falling for one another despite their best-laid plans . . .

This book had me smiling from beginning to end.

Min and Cal's opposites attract romance is simply delightful. Their sizzling chemistry and witty banter light up the pages. Crusie also manages to avoid the irritating keeping secrets trope as Min is aware of the infamous bet from the start and it even becomes a running gag in the story.

The secondary characters are just as wonderful from Min's posse, Bonnie and Liza, to Cal's best buds, Roger and Tony. Each and everyone is fleshed out well and contributes to the overall charm of the story. Even the annoying Cynthy and obnoxious David have a role to play in this engaging tale.

Deanna Hurst's narration of the audiobook is first-rate although deeper voices for the male characters would not have been amiss.

All in all, this one is a definite re-read in the making.

Welcome to Temptation
4.5 Stars

Invited to Temptation, Ohio to shoot a short film, Sophie Dempsey wants nothing more than to finish the job and get out of town as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, events and sexy mayor, Phin Tucker, conspire against her. Before she knows it, Sophie is embroiled in a multitude of mayhem including blackmail. adultery and murder.

While this is a delightful small town romp with well-developed characters and an engaging storyline, it is also a product of its time (the early 2000s) in terms of the portrayal of and expectations from women in a small town.

Sophie and Phin's opposites attract romance is very appealing and they have fantastic chemistry. The only issue here is that he sometimes comes across as a preppie jerk who needs a good kick in the pants, but he does grovel quite well when necessary.

The murder and mayhem plot is reminiscent of a good British who-dun-it ala Midsomer Murders. There are numerous suspects as almost everyone in town wanted the victim dead, and the entire scenario is laigh-out-loud ridiculous.

All in all, a fun way to spend an afternoon and the book is recommended for fans of Rachel Gibson, Victoria Dahl, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Not the usual book I’m used to from this author. It’s less a romance than a ghost story, with a romance incorporated. The romance doesn’t even really kickoff until halfway, and I found myself more interested in the ghosts. Still, this was an entertaining, pleasant read. I enjoyed it, liked the characters, and I’m happy to have spent time with it, although it wasn’t as much fun as some of her earlier books.

Nell, Suze y Margie se casaron con los hermanos Dysart, con desigual fortuna.Deprimida tras su divorcio, Nell deambula por la vida hasta que Suze le consigue empleo en una pequena y modesta agencia de detectives, con un jefe a primeravista facil de manejar.Gabe tampoco esta satisfecho con su vida. Su agencia esta perdiendo dinero con un caso de extorsion y su mujer lo ha dejado... otra vez. Lo unico bueno es sunueva secretaria, que parece eficiente y docil. Pero una cosa lleva a la otra, y pronto Nell y Gabe estan felices. Hasta que de pronto alguien empieza a matargente. Y poco despues, comienza el amor...

Quinn busca un poco de emoción en su monótona vida. Todo es correcto y normal en el día a día de esta joven profesora de arte. Su novio Bill, el tipo más simpático del pueblo, está loco por ella, pero Quinn necesita un cambio en su existencia. Entonces entra en escena Nick, el sexy mecánico local, famoso por sus aptitudes amatorias y por su falta de compromiso. ¿Podrá un romance con él perdurar en el tiempo? Y ¿será tan fácil olvidarse de Bill?

If you’ve read Jennifer Crusie, or a Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer collaboration before, this book is unlike anything they’ve written. There’s a theme park, demons, demon minions, and magic. Plenty to have you engrossed, but if you’re expecting the usual romance, although the book has some romantic elements, this really isn’t romance. It’s a lighthearted but well plotted book that’s a little of fantasy, a little horror, and a little of romance. I’m still not sure if the book is lacking something, but if I asked to imagine what it is, I would say there are so many characters, you don’t get to know all of them deeply. However, that does not spoil the fun of the ride. As for the romances, you won’t learn much about why these people fall in love. In one particular instance, I found this a little disappointing. Still, I’m glad I read this.

Fun quick light hearted easy read.