Review: Pinch Me by Adena Halpern

Pinch Me by Adena Halpern

Publisher: Touchstone 

Pages: 265 

Format: book 

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  LILY MARRIED THE MAN OF HER DREAMS. THEN SHE WOKE UP. 

“Never marry a man unless he’s short, bald, fat, stupid, and treats you badly.” That is the advice that twenty-nine-year-old Lily Burns has heard her entire life from her grandmother Dolly and her mother, Selma. Despite this, when she meets Gogo, the handsome, successful pediatrician who treats her like a queen, she has no choice but to let her heart take over. When she agrees to marry him, Dolly and Selma are inconsolable. They decide it’s time to tell her the truth: their family is cursed. If she marries for love, there will be unimaginable consequences. 

Nevertheless, Lily and Gogo elope. Unable to believe her good fortune, Lily asks Gogo to pinch her—to make sure all this isn’t just a dream. The moment he does, Lily finds herself transported back to the house she lived in when she was single. Gogo is gone. When Lily tracks him down, she finds that he’s married to someone else and has no memory of her. In this modern fairy tale, Lily must find a way to break the curse and turn her nightmare back into a dream come true.





Kritters Thoughts:  What a cute book!  Lily grew up with a mother and grandmother who thought that a family curse ruined each of their relationships with men.  After they went through their fair share of men, they decided that raising Lily to avoid relationships would be best for her.  I think that since they raised her that way, she wanted even more to find the man of her dreams.


Lily finds the man that she wants to marry in Gogo (I know why would you name a character Gogo?).  Even after all the warning from her family she runs off and elopes.  I thought it was endearing to still believe in love even though she didn't have an example to live up to.  The curse really does exist, which gives this very chick lit read a little twist.  


With an ease to its reading, this book was a quick read that would be perfect for a week at the beach.  I thought it was a great take on a chick lit classic storyline.  It made the story feel fresh and new.  I would recommend this book to all the fans of the chick lit genre.




Rating: perfect beach read


Off the Shelf Challenge 2012: 4 out of 50

Review: Diary of a Mad Bride by Laura Wolf

Diary of a Mad Bride by Laura Wolf

Publisher: 

Pages: 294 

Format: book 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  My wedding was starting in less than twenty minutes, and I was stuck in a 7-Eleven parking lot with popcorn kernels wedged in my gums and vanilla ice cream melting on my dress. It was a disaster too large to comprehend. After an agonizing year spent planning my wedding, could it really end like this? The voices chronicling a year of wedding hysteria swirled in my head....

— My grandmother upon viewing my engagement ring:

“What do you mean he gave you an emerald! Diamonds are eternal, emeralds say, maybe five years.”

— My future father-in-law on the night of my engagement party:

“To a happy marriage and, if necessary, a painless divorce!”

— My best friend, Anita:

“Oh, screw congratulations. Of course I’m happy for you. Stephen’s a major piece of ass and he’s got a sense of humor. Just as long as you’re certain this is what you want.” 

Would I survive this day after all....?





Kritters Thoughts:  What a perfect read for a bride to be and any of her friends who may experience the crazy!  Formatted in a diary fashion the book chronicles the months and plans leading up to a wedding.  I love that our main character from the beginning put out the front that she was trying to avoid any bridezilla moments, but they can sneak up on you when you least expect them.


With a groom that is very busy at work and a rough times with both families, I loved reading this story in the middle of my planning.  The characters felt real and I could picture them walking down the street and passing me by. The book had the perfect mix of humor and comedy mixed with character development and heart/soul.    


I would put this book in the hands of every bride and bridesmaid to see a fictionized version, but to know that there will be a moment in each planning process where crazy can hit a fan.    




Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel


Off the Shelf Challenge 2012: 3 out of 50

Review: Ready or Not? by Chris Manby

Ready or Not? by Chris Manby

Publisher: Berkley Trade

Pages: 336

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  Every bride is entitled to pre-wedding jitters, and what reasonable girl wouldn't think twice about marriage when her fiancé shaves off his eyebrows just in time for the photographs? But what if the bride-to-be is really freaked out by something else? Like, perhaps, the terrifying notion of happily-ever-after? With her ex-boyfriend back in the town, Heidi Savage is wondering whether she can really forsake all others-especially for the man waiting at the end of the aisle with no eyebrows.




Kritters Thoughts:  Heidi has been engaged for a year and is in the last six months of planning her big day when work, friends and her relationship all hit a few speed bumps.  A friend who is now a single mom, an ex reentering her life and a fiance who is sneaking around all make Heidi wonder whether this impending wedding is a good idea.  If I had been in her shoes, I probably would have had the same crazy stress filled reaction.


An entertaining look at wedding planning and how it can affect a relationship.  I also appreciated the real life aspect of talking about what happens after the big day because that is just as important as planning the big day.  It was great to read about the same spats that each couple has while planning a major event.


Although, I felt justified in the spats that we have had, apart of the time I am not sure that this is quite the book to be reading while getting ready for a wedding.  Full of secrets and exs reappearing, I didn't feel warm and gooey after reading it, but if I had read it at any other time I would have loved the story.  I maybe would recommend it to those who are on their honeymoon and enjoying the after bliss of the day being in the past!
Rating:  enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more


Off the Shelf Challenge 2012: 5 out of 50

Review: Quiet by Susan Cain

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking 
by Susan Cain

Publisher:  Crown

Pages:  352

Format: ARC 

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who invent and create but prefer not to pitch their own ideas; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled “quiet,” it is to introverts we owe many of the great contributions to society—from Van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer. 

Passionately argued, impressively researched, and filled with the indelible stories of real people, Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. Susan Cain charts the rise of “the extrovert ideal” over the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects—how it helps to determine everything from how parishioners worship to who excels at Harvard Business School. And she draws on cutting-edge research on the biology and psychology of temperament to reveal how introverts can modulate their personalities according to circumstance, how to empower an introverted child, and how companies can harness the natural talents of introverts. This extraordinary book has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.





Kritters Thoughts:  After reading this book, I feel I must say, Yes, I admit I am an extrovert and I like it.  I have moments where I need to take a break from it all and hibernate, but in my heart, I love to be out and around people.  I am surrounded by introverts on a daily basis and maybe I don't quite understand what makes them tick and what they need on a daily basis.  


This book not only shows what introverts need in relationships, but also at the workplace.  The final chapter is a complete source for parents and teachers on how to interact with introverted children.  I think the author does a great job of making valid points and using interesting research to back up and explain each point.  Although this is non-fiction and has a little bit of an academic approach, it reads much easier than a textbook and is a worthy read.


I would recommend this book to both introverts and extroverts.  I think the extroverts need to learn how to adapt around introverts, while the introverts need to find the confidence in their own personality traits.  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row


GR Cover Challenge 2012: It Matches!


Off the Shelf Challenge 2012: 2 out of 50


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: In One Year and Out the Other by Assortment of Authors

In One Year and Out the Other by Assortment of Authors

Publisher: Pocket 

Pages: 384

Format: book 

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads: Out with the old, in with the new, and on with the party!

Maybe it's just another midnight...or maybe there really is magic in the air when December 31st becomes January 1st, and confetti kisses and champagne toasts kick off a new year, a new romance, a new look, a new attitude.

Celebrate the start of something new with In One Year and Out the Other...a sparkling collection of all new stories by today's rising fiction stars.

Kritters Thoughts:  A wonderful collection of great chick lit stories that was perfect to read over the New Years holiday weekend.  With many different characters at the center of varying stories from women who are married to women who have been single for quite some time and are ready to celebrate a New Years with someone special.  


I fell in love with each story and wanted more when I was finished with each one.  It was also perfect to make a list of authors to follow and check out.  


I would absolutely recommend this collection of stories to all fans of chick lit.  Whether you are a fan of short stories or not, this book is great if you need to read one or two stories and put it down and pick it back up later.  




Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel


Off the Shelf 2012: 1 out of 50


GR Cover Challenge 2012: Holidays