Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

Valerie's comments: 

Heather Wells was once a teen pop sensation.  That was until she lost her music career, her money, her boyfriend, and her perfect size 2 pant size.  Now she’s the assistant director of a residence Hall at New York College, living in an apartment owned by her ex-boyfriend’s brother, and insisting that her size 12 is not fat.  (It’s the size of the average American woman!)

Life gets even more interesting for Heather when freshman girls start dying at her residence hall.  The police say the deaths were accidents - the result of naïve freshmen elevator surfing.  But girls don’t elevator surf, right?  Especially, shy quiet ones!  Heather begins some investigating on her own to get to the bottom of what really happened.  As she starts uncovering some clues, she finds that her own life may be at risk.

This is a fun read.  It has a touch of romance and lots of laughs, along with enough mystery and suspense to keep you turning the pages quickly wanting to know how everything ends.  I’m eager to start reading Cabot’s sequel, Size 14 Is Not Fat Either, to see what other adventures Heather Wells may encounter.  I would recommend this book not only to fans of chick lit and Cabot’s other books, but also to fans of light-hearted mysteries. 

Adult Romance Fiction, CAB

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

Taryn's comments: 

Rachel, a 30-year-old attorney in New York City, has always been “the good girl.” She’s been a loyal companion to beautiful and outgoing Darcy, her childhood best friend, even though Darcy is fiercely competitive and always seems to be trying to overshadow Rachel. On Rachel’s thirtieth birthday, Darcy throws her a party. Rachel has a bit too much to drink and ends up in bed with her friend from law school, Dex, who also happens to be Darcy’s fiancé.  If it were just a one-time drunken mistake, maybe Rachel could forgive herself. But soon she and Dex secretly start to see each other more often, and Rachel must decide whether to be loyal to Darcy or to follow her heart to be with Dex. Giffin created flawed but empathetic characters and added some shades of gray to a situation that would normally seem black-and-white.  Darcy was a somewhat one-dimensional and unlikeable character in this novel, but the sequel, Something Blue, focuses on her story and further develops her character. 

Adult Fiction, GIF

Also available as a downloadable audiobook

The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes

Valerie's comments:

This book begins with a mysterious spirit-like narrator who seems to be searching for a person to help among the tenants of an apartment building at 66 Star Street in Dublin, Ireland.   The spirit describes, Katie a strong, single woman who just turned 40; Lydia a twenty-something, vivacious cab driver who is currently living with two Polish men who fear and hate her; Jemima the kindly older woman who currently lives alone with her dog Grudge, but is hoping to see her adopted son soon; and Matt and Maeve a newlywed couple who seem to have some sort of dark secret.  As the book progresses, the tenants at 66 Star Street find their lives intersecting with one another as secrets are revealed, loves come and go, and lives are changed.

This is a slow read at first, but well worth the patience.  Keyes creates a vast array of characters that can at first be difficult to keep track off, but each is well-developed and relatable.   Keyes brings the reader in and it’s hard to not want to learn more about these characters, as relationships develop and secrets are revealed.  While Keyes does present some serious subjects in this book, she does so gently.  Overall though, this story is a light-hearted one with many laughs.  I highly recommend this title to fans of Sarah Addison Allen, Meg Cabot, or Sophie Kinsella.

Babyville: A Novel by Jane Green

Sheila's comments:

This novel depicts the lives of three single women in London with fast-paced jobs who are experiencing the baby dilemma and their relationships with one another. Julia, feeling lonely in a stagnant relationship, tries desperately to have a baby with her boyfriend, Mark, only to experience possible infertility and take a job in New York. Meanwhile, Julia's friend Sam has a newborn baby and is experiencing postpartum depression and life with a new born. Maeve, a hard-nosed career woman who is not afraid to sleep around to move up the career ladder, finds herself pregnant by Mark (Julia's Mark) and finds that she loves her newfound domestic life with Mark and her new baby. Maeve and Sam become close friends while experiencing the trials and tribulations as well as the happiness and joy of raising newborns. But how will Julia feel when she finds out Mark has had a baby? Will Sam and Julia's close friendship survive her new friendship with Maeve?

Check status at GPL.