Jennifer Gilby RobertsCritiques

I read this super short story because The Dr Pepper Prophecies got lots of reviews for being hilarious and this is the prequel.

I'm sure I'll read the actual book sometime and if I had been able to download an e book of it I think I would have picked right back up with the story.

It was ok. I kept hearing how funny it was so I went in with high expectations about it being laugh out loud funny.
I didn't think it was all that funny. I alternated between liking, feeling bad for and feeling irritated by the main character.
Some bad things happened to her (her boyfriend dumping her right before he starts his new job as her boss), some she caused. I thought she'd drive her roommate crazy.

My review

Oh Lucy, Lucy how I love thee! Being an Anglophile, I love romance, especially if it comes with a British accent! Loved it!

That was one hell of a day. I wasn't crazy about the Dr. Pepper Chronicles and I wasn't crazy over this. It was cute, short, and fun but other than that not very rememerable.

Ummmmm. There was so much that could have been funny but so much that was not! I was bored throughout most of the book and the amount of conflict in this book bordered on insanity. There were a few parts that were LOL funny but they were few and far between. All in all I seem to be in the minority but that does not mean you have to dislike it too!

I loved this book. Mel was a great character that was very easy to relate to. I laughed the whole way through the book. I have enjoyed reading it and have since re-read this book. If you are look for a light, easy and funny read, I highly recommend this book.

Also featured on TRB's Kindle App Random Robin.

Note: This is closer to a 4.5 than a 4, but I wasn't swayed to round this to a 5.

Wedding Hells covers what happens when Melanie Parker attends and is part of her sister’s wedding ceremony. I read this as a standalone story but it also serves as a prequel to an upcoming review I’m doing on The Dr. Pepper Prophecies (which takes place four years after the wedding).

I found this to be a very delightful read. I could relate to Mel’s plight in regards to the cut and fit of the wedding dresses and not really fitting in with the other bridesmaids. I also identified with the question in regards to “getting a man” and “getting married”, since I didn’t get married until years later than what was “expected” from certain members of my family. Like Mel, I wanted to focus on education and my career, while Mel’s family-her father in particular-believe it’s more important for a woman to find a good man and just settle down, abandoning her own aspirations.

For me, one of the funniest parts of the book involves the serving of the meal. One would expect food that is a bit filling and satisfying to the palate during a wedding. However, that proved to not be the case, which would have made a trying day more bearable for Mel and the other attendants. (That’s all I will say without giving too much away)

I recommend this short burst of comedic, yet slightly predictable chick lit humor. One will have to check my upcoming review on The Dr. Pepper Prophecies to see if my perception and sympathy for Mel’s plight changes.

Extended review can be found HERE. I actually rated this closer to 3.5 than a 3, but I wasn't quite swayed enough to give it a 4.

Confession: I am a fan of Dr. Pepper. In fact, it is one of my favorite sodas. I love it as much as the main character in this book (Mel) loves chocolate.

So I am looking at this cover and thrown off to see a Coca-Cola can next to the oxford. Then, I see the bow and arrow (very Cupid-esque feel), so I’m thinking the person on the cover is a love doctor of sorts, and that the love doctor’s name is Dr. Pepper.

Then, I delve into the work and find out there’s no Dr. Pepper (drink or doctor) in the narrative at all, but a play off one of Dr. Pepper’s old commercials.

It’s a cute cover, but left me confused.

Imagine there’s this person you’ve grown up with practically your entire life. The two of you are friends and are always there for each other-through triumphs and through heartache. Along the way, you begin viewing each other as something more. This is the comedic journey to get to the finish line.

Strengths:

1. Hook: The hook was very engaging and made me want to continue reading.

2. Conflict: There was quite a bit of conflict in this work. It bordered on being a little too much (see in Opportunities).

3. Comedic situations: Some of Melanie’s situations really made me laugh out loud.

Opportunities:

1. Cover Concept: One opportunity I already commented on was the cover concept. Although I love the colors in the cover, the title as well as some of the visuals could leave one confused in terms of the blurb and the content. Since there was such a love for chocolate, I would have preferred the title had something to do with chocolate. Plus, depending on who is reading the Dr. Pepper footnote, he/she may not have any clue what the author is talking about.

2. Movie and Book References (Comedic Dialogue): I feel like in some parts, the author relied on too many Movie and Book References to bring out the comedy (in terms of dialogue). It assumes that the audience is familiar with titles like The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, When Harry Met Sally, and the like. Luckily, I was familiar with these titles and was able to get the gist of the humor in these circumstances.

However, just because the audience may be familiar with the titles, doesn’t mean they are familiar with the content. You may have people who aren’t familiar with these titles at all, so for them, the humor may fall flat, or they may not even pick up that it was funny.

3. Main Character Dynamic: I really enjoyed Mel in the prequel, Wedding Hells. I really felt her pain–being the daughter who didn’t marry first, and her father wanting to mold her into a set formula: finding a good man, settling down, and being a mother, throwing away aspirations of furthering her education or a career. The prequel takes place four years before The Dr. Pepper Prophecies.

I hoped the same enjoyment of Mel would continue in The Dr. Pepper Prophecies. Unfortunately, as the story progressed, my empathy and sympathy of Mel began to deteriorate into annoyance and outrage.

There were situations where Mel should have butted out and other situations where Mel should have been more active. I felt like Mel had no business interfering in others’ love lives when it took an eternity (and insight from other people) to get her love life in order. It was very hard for me to cheer her on in her adventures, including her pursuit of Will.

Will was my favorite character. He had all of the characteristics of understanding, patience, and longevity. I found him absolutely lovable.

4. Borderline over saturation of Conflict: Although the conflict (along with the comedy) kept The Dr. Pepper Prophecies going, it was very close to being a bit much, due to the fact there were so many different story lines taking place:

A. Mel’s run-in’s with her boss/former lover
B. Beth’s love life
C. Mel’s jealousy of her sister’s life
D. Mel’s turmoil with her father
E. Her co-worker’s path to finding herself after her mom died (Mel’s involvement)
F. Mel’s search for a new job (interview episodes)

and much more...

I have no qualms with the presence of side stories, but the side stories can’t threaten to take over the main focus, which is the chemistry between Mel and Will.

5. Pacing of Mel’s indecision: I felt like this component was drawn out a bit too long, especially towards the end.

The biggest debate: Did the comedic moments outweigh my aggravation with the main character?

After much deliberation, I concluded it did not because my dismay with her took the starch out of my overall enjoyment of the book.

This book was submitted by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Pros

Cover fits the mainstream look of chic literature: I really like the vibrant colors--whites, blues, and purples. The imagery definitely fits the overall feel of chic literature and relates to the tennis theme within the book.

Pacing was on point: The book was well paced. There weren't any parts that seemed overly sluggish or particularly rushed.

Connectivity with certain characters:Shockingly, my favorite characters in After Wimbledon didn't include the main character. Although she's not mentioned much, I loved the determination of Jane the younger tennis player that looked up to Lucy. I also appreciated Adrienne's candor, especially when she explains what it's like to adjust from being an active player to being a wife and staying at home. However, Sam stood out in likability. The author did a great job in providing depth to him, and even when moments where he almost slipped out of favor, he still maintained his standing and only fully acted when the time was right in reference to Lucy.

Here are some of the chances for improvement:

The presentation of the tennis segments: The way the tennis matches were called seemed a bit dry. I think it would have helped if they were conveyed in dialogue, rather than Lucy telling it from her perspective. Being shown the action as opposed to being told it really brings in the reader, and this was definitely a lost opportunity. It seemed detached and I didn't feel like I was made a part of the competitiveness and overall excitement that makes up Wimbledon.

Huge disdain for the main character: I really did not like Lucy the main character. I know the author aimed to garner sympathy for her situation but I just didn't. She seemed extremely superficial—more invested in the looks and sexual skills of an individual than really caring about the depth of an individual. For me, there wasn't enough growth in her character throughout the work for her to be deserving of such a genuine guy like Sam.

Two guys and a girl angle played out way too long: After Wimbledon could have easily been cut in half. Almost fifty percent of the book were chapters emphasizing Lucy's inability to make a decision between Joe and Sam. It would be different if there was really a relationship with Joe; then I would have understood the difficulty of the decision. Yet the conveyance of the whole angle played out like Lucy was putting up a farce due to feeling some type of shame as to how the whole connection with she and Joe first began. There was a continuum of "yes, I'm going to make the right decision", followed by hesitation, then "no, I'm not going to do it." The first two happenstances I decided to let go, but the ping pong went back and forth throughout the story to the point of exhaustion.

Had more drama than comedy: I'm used to my chic lit having a bit of comedy but the drama in this was extremely potent. I'm not saying there weren't comedic moments here and there but not enough to where they leave an overall lasting impression. For those readers who like a lot of laughter, they may get somewhat let down.

Due to the mixture of significant opportunities among the pros, I feel After Wimbledon garners 3 out of 5 Stars.

This book was submitted by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Pros

Cover fits the mainstream look of chic literature: I really like the vibrant colors--whites, blues, and purples. The imagery definitely fits the overall feel of chic literature and relates to the tennis theme within the book.

Pacing was on point: The book was well paced. There weren't any parts that seemed overly sluggish or particularly rushed.

Connectivity with certain characters: Shockingly, my favorite characters in After Wimbledon didn't include the main character. Although she's not mentioned much, I loved the determination of Jane the younger tennis player that looked up to Lucy. I also appreciated Adrienne's candor, especially when she explains what it's like to adjust from being an active player to being a wife and staying at home. However, Sam stood out in likability. The author did a great job in providing depth to him, and even when moments where he almost slipped out of favor, he still maintained his standing and only fully acted when the time was right in reference to Lucy.

Here are some of the chances for improvement:

The presentation of the tennis segments: The way the tennis matches were called seemed a bit dry. I think it would have helped if they were conveyed in dialogue, rather than Lucy telling it from her perspective. Being shown the action as opposed to being told it really brings in the reader, and this was definitely a lost opportunity. It seemed detached and I didn't feel like I was made a part of the competitiveness and overall excitement that makes up Wimbledon.

Huge disdain for the main character: I really did not like Lucy the main character. I know the author aimed to garner sympathy for her situation but I just didn't. She seemed extremely superficial—more invested in the looks and sexual skills of an individual than really caring about the depth of an individual. For me, there wasn't enough growth in her character throughout the work for her to be deserving of such a genuine guy like Sam.

Two guys and a girl angle played out way too long: After Wimbledon could have easily been cut in half. Almost fifty percent of the book were chapters emphasizing Lucy's inability to make a decision between Joe and Sam. It would be different if there was really a relationship with Joe; then I would have understood the difficulty of the decision. Yet the conveyance of the whole angle played out like Lucy was putting up a farce due to feeling some type of shame as to how the whole connection with she and Joe first began. There was a continuum of "yes, I'm going to make the right decision", followed by hesitation, then "no, I'm not going to do it." The first two happenstances I decided to let go, but the ping pong went back and forth throughout the story to the point of exhaustion.

Had more drama than comedy: I'm used to my chic lit having a bit of comedy but the drama in this was extremely potent. I'm not saying there weren't comedic moments here and there but not enough to where they leave an overall lasting impression. For those readers who like a lot of laughter, they may get somewhat let down.

Due to the mixture of significant opportunities among the pros, I feel After Wimbledon garners 3 out of 5 Stars.

I have read some books by this author in the past, such as After Wimbledon, Wedding Hells, and The Dr. Pepper Prophecies. I dived into Early Daze, not quite knowing what to expect.

The rhythm of development between Samantha the baby and Jess the mom was very touching and tugged at my heart. Jessstruggled with how to feel, not just because of being a mom but dealing with the challenges of not having “the perfect baby.” Outside pressures from family to friends are eye openers to the type of prejudices one can experience if baby or lifestyle doesn’t follow a certain standard.

Yet, with such tough issues being brought to the forefront, there was a type of dry humor in each chapter that made Jess and the other mothers in the unit easy to identify with. I enjoyed watching Jess grow into her own person and for her to appreciate who and what was in front of her, instead of always reaching for more or what she perceived as greener pastures.

For a contemporary mix of humor while dealing with emotional, true-to-life topics, Early Daze is a work I would definitely recommend.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars

This book is a fun read! If you are looking for a light, funny read this is the one! From the very start you can just tell that Mel is going to keep you laughing til the end! Poor Mel seems to find trouble where ever she goes! But then she also seems to create a lot of her misery as well. From dating worthless guys, to trying to fix up everyone she meets or even just sternly steer her friends in the direction that she feels they should be. She means well, but often times each of these “fixes” end in total disaster. Especially so the ad dates she sets her roommate up with!

Poor Mel seems to be doomed to be stuck in a bad job dealing with her ex that seems to have it out for her in a bad way. She has a rocky sad relationship with her family, and to boot her best friend is dating a woman that hates her. She really does have it pretty bad!

This was seriously one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. I giggled through the whole thing and I really did not think she would ever turn anything around. I too am a chocolate lover so I loved that Mel used chocolate as a way to deal with her problems, albeit she was a little excessive with her chocolate, but hey who doesn’t overdo it sometimes?

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars

This book is a fun read! If you are looking for a light, funny read this is the one! From the very start you can just tell that Mel is going to keep you laughing til the end! Poor Mel seems to find trouble where ever she goes! But then she also seems to create a lot of her misery as well. From dating worthless guys, to trying to fix up everyone she meets or even just sternly steer her friends in the direction that she feels they should be. She means well, but often times each of these “fixes” end in total disaster. Especially so the ad dates she sets her roommate up with!

Poor Mel seems to be doomed to be stuck in a bad job dealing with her ex that seems to have it out for her in a bad way. She has a rocky sad relationship with her family, and to boot her best friend is dating a woman that hates her. She really does have it pretty bad!

This was seriously one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. I giggled through the whole thing and I really did not think she would ever turn anything around. I too am a chocolate lover so I loved that Mel used chocolate as a way to deal with her problems, albeit she was a little excessive with her chocolate, but hey who doesn’t overdo it sometimes?

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

The book starts on the Eve of the biggest tennis event of the year. Wimbledon. Main character Lucy for the Brits and her boyfriend Joe for the US, are both contenders for the champion spot. As well as hot Sam from New Zealand, a 5 time winner, who for the very first time will be playing for the Brits and he has changed his residency. Lucy has become to question whether she wants to do tennis professional anymore and that perhaps she wants more out of life, raising babies, a hubby to share her life with. A home and not spending half her year traveling all over. This is where things start to get messy. Her boyfriend Joe is happy with their easy going relationship, has no intentions of settling down, let alone babies and retirement. This is when she truly opens her eyes.....and then along came Sam and the rest as the say is history. There's far more to the story then that, but I hate to give anything away. I will add the author has helped me to understand so much more about how tennis is played and how intense it can be.

Brittany has the "perfect" marriage, an attractive husband, a big house, a little son and a lot of money. But her life is not as perfect as it seems; her husband is never at home, she feels lonely in the big house, her son Jame is too little to talk and the money doesn't help with the solitude. So she decides to search for a job... and this will be the start or the end of her "perfect life".
I choose to read this book because it was appealing to read how a couple progress in their life after the "big wedding".
I know the moral thing that if you are married, no matter what, you have to stay married. For me it's an inconcebible thing, if you don't love anymore your husband or if you don't trust him anymore you don't have to continue being married. It's always your choice.
But I could understand that Brittany comes from a world where the divorce is not allowed, so you have to stay strong on you divorce decision, knowing that maybe your friends and family will not accept it. So this is the Brittany's problem, she had to decide if she wants to follow her head or her heart. Sometimes a difficult decision, don't you think?
This is a funny story where you will learn to cook and accept that sometimes you will need a lot of patience with your friends, maybe they make their decisions wrong, but they try to make the best for you. You know that when one door closes, another opens...
Ready to try the wedding cake?

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book ended up being pretty much what I expected it to be. Light, fluffy romance with a bit of drama thrown in. Brittany is married and things aren't going as great as she expected them to. Her husband doesn't spend any time with her or their child and she's getting bored staying at home doing everything her husband expects of her. So she goes and becomes a *gasp* WORKING MOTHER (the horror) and ends up working with a big slab of handsome man-meat and (to no-one's surprise) there is some serious chemistry going on here, folks. Then *dramatic drumroll* she finds out her husband may be up to some dodgy business and she has some tough decisions to make. Dun dun DUN. Pretty standard set-up for a grand old time in the world of chick-lit.

I have to say though, I didn't really see the twist coming. I was expecting her husband's secretive behaviour to just have the most obvious explanation, and it didn't. So props on that.

However, I did have a few problems throughout the book. One of my big huge glaringly obvious problems was the lengths the author went to in order to keep reminding us that Brittany was dumb. It got to the point where it actually became slightly unbelievable because it was being stressed so much that this girl we were reading about was seriously just really, really stupid. Like this:

"I go cold. I don't want to be in charge of the money. Not when I can barely remember what comes after three.

C'mon girl, you serious? You're twenty-two years old and you don't know how to count to four? I'm sure your son is almost able to do that and he's nine months old.

Another thing: there were a few times when an incorrect word or phrase would be used. Now, I don't know if these are things that just managed to slip past a proof-reader or editor or what. But like: "X-nay on the guided tours." You realise this is Pig Latin, right? I have no idea what word I'm supposed to be reading here because "nix" (which is what I'm assuming the book's going for) is spelt "ixnay" in Pig Latin. I don't know if this is a case of the author writing something out phonetically that they've heard people say before but never seen written? They were always pretty small things, but they did pull me out of the story every once in a while.

ALSO. Both Brittany's husband and father were completely infuriating (although with Brittany not being able to count to four, they probably really can't help making her decisions for her). I literally constantly felt the need to slap both of them any time they showed up on the page. Which was probably the point, honestly.

Aside from that, the story was pretty enjoyable and I flew through it in a day. It interested me to find out that there are other books involving some of the same characters and I may have to check those out at some point.

This review is also posted on GoodReads.½

I enjoyed this book! I loved the story and the writing and will definitely read more of Jennifer Gilby Roberts books! This story was a quick read and I liked how it ended. I hope there will be more so I can see how Brittany does and if her and Zack end up together...

I haven't read the first book of this series, but will soon. I received this epub book free and it was the first time reading a Jennifer Gilby Roberts book. I laughed out loud several times! Funny and serious...it was good to see Brittany hold firm in her decision and not let money and status cloud her wish for true love and happiness. She stood up to her husband and her dad and made her own path.

But I Said Forever has officially made it onto my "absolute favorites" list! I am in love with this book. As someone who was a single mother early in life and a stay-at-home-mother for the first four years of my daughter's life, I could definitely relate to Brittany. I could also empathize with her feelings about motherhood. There are some parts of this book that felt like they were written specifically for me. I also loved the other characters, Lauren and Abby were probably my favorites. They were just too funny. Phillip's alternative therapy also had me laughing out loud. This was a well-written book and I'm definitely going to have to check out the other books in this series! I cannot wait for the next installment!

This is the second story in the series but it can be read as a standalone. I haven't read the first book, about Brittany's sister, Mel, but I was able to follow along no problem. There were points I wondered about Mel and her relationship with Will but it didn't alter how I felt about this story. It just makes me consider going back to read the first book.

I liked Brittany. Married at 18, now 23 with a young son, she decides to take a job at a bakery against her husband's wishes. When she discovers her husband's secret, which he thinks she should just ignore, she has the strength to do what's right for her and her son.

Throughout the book numerous secondary characters help her along her path of self-discovery. My favorite was probably Lauren, the nanny that has no problem speaking her mind, even if what she has to say is inappropriate. Her and Brittany butt heads, but she was willing to go undercover to help Brittany find out what her husband was hiding.

My least favorite secondary character would have to be Abby. She came across as very immature for an 18 year old for most of the book.

I would have liked to see what happens between Brittany and Zach, but I also liked how the author doesn't have them rushing into anything. It was a nice change of pace from other books where people just hop from one relationship to the next.

**A free copy was provided by the author via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.**

Tennis is definitely one of those sports that I only watch when it’s really popular and everyone is talking about it. I like watching movies and reading books about it though. I’m not really sure why, it just works out that way.

After Wimbledon was a cute chick lit story about cutting out the absolute crap in your life and replacing it with what you really want and maybe even need. It was a sweet romance and predictable in that regard, but its predictability made it no less enjoyable.

The main character, Lucy, was a bit of a whiner. I was really waiting for the moment when she woke and took charge of her life. It took awhile, but then again that true for a lot of people in the real world. She was an entertaining character to read about and I thought pretty well-developed. She did irk me every once in a while though.

I thought the chemistry between Lucy and Sam was fantastic. I imagine they’d be an adorable couple, if they were real. I really didn’t understand her attraction/relationship with Joe. The author alluded to it starting out beneficially for both parties and things changing, but because we never saw (read) that part of Lucy’s story it just made it really easy to dislike him.

The plot was good. I liked how tennis focused everything was. It was interesting to think about the game from the players perspective and all of the media attention they have to deal with. It’s not something I normally ponder, but After Wimbledon had me doing just that.

Overall, I thought After Wimbledon was a fun read. There’s some sexual content, so readers should be 16+. For all of you chick lit lovers and those who are looking for a light, quick summer read, I would recommend After Wimbledon.

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I got this book from the author to do an honest review, for being what the topic is about it was a very light read. The tone of the book felt as if Jess was at a very long sleep over. Amelia her sister actually stood in the hospital room after Jess gave birth to Samantha and blamed Jess for "the baby falling out early". Jess was not asking questions about all the things her new baby was going through. Most parents would want to know everything. Speaking of parents Samantha's father Ryan just left Jess up at the hospital to deal with everything only showing up a few times. Basically the main topics were that she hated to breastfeed and she was lonely so she almost threw her future away with Ryan. The plot was not strong enough for me. I understand the book was to be about how Jess handled having a preemie baby. It just was not for me.

Nobody wants to imagine the horror that is a difficult pregnancy resulting in delivering the baby at five months. Unfortunately, that’s the reality for many women each day, and Jennifer Gilby Roberts does a stunning job sharing that reality with readers.
Jess is a young, unmarried mother who has just given birth to her daughter Samantha. Because Samantha is in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), Jess takes up residency in the hospital-owned flats designated for out-of-town parents whose babies are in the NICU. While there she develops friendships with two other mothers and a father, all of who come from a different world than Jess. Between breast pumping every two hours to dealing with hormones and infections, Jess is pushed outside her comfort zone. The characters Roberts created are likeable and realistic; I want to be friends with Gwen and tell off Amelia.
This book is about lose and gain, struggle and triumph, family values and opening your mind to something bigger.

excellent rewriting for modern chicklit of Austin's Emma.½

I got this book free in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. It offers light humor for pregnancy and childbirth.