chick lit – Aussie Reviews

Strictly Confidential, by Roxy Jacenko

Perhaps if my life as a publicist had begun in Milan, I’d be lounging in my La Perla finest, all frastaglio embroidery and mixing it with Italy’s beautiful people. Hell , I’d probably have found myself at one of Berlusconi’s bunga-bunga parties in the name of product placement where I’d thank God that, in my twenties, I was far too old to be his type.
Instead it all began with a red Vixenary g-string in the back-streets of Sydney’s Darlinghurst.

Jasmine Lewis – Jazzy Lou to her friends – is working her backside off trying to make her way up in the world of PR. No matter what time of the day – or night – her boss Diane summons her, Jazzy is there, doing Diane’s bidding. She’s done coffee runs, she’s handled laundry, she’s even got out of bed at 3am to rescue a client from the paparazzi. But no matter what she does, it seems Diane is never happy – so when Jazzy Lou is summonsed to Diane’s office she knows it isn’t for a pat on the back. But some clouds really do have silver linings, and soon Jasmine is founding her own PR company – Queen Bee – and doing things her way. It should be all positive from here. Right?

Strictly Confidential introduces the chaotic, but fun, character of Jazzy Lou and provides an insider’s look at the world of PR. Author Roxy Jacenko is herself a PR powerhouse, having started her own PR firm when she was just 24. the novel is populated by a colourful cast of characters, including (of course) Jazzy, as well as her best friend Luke, a gossip columnist, cricket players, actresses, pop starlets and more. Whilst at times it is a little difficult to remember who is who in this cast, that serves to accentuate the craziness of the world Jazzy Loud occupies.

An absorbing, fast paced novel.

Strictly Confidential: A Jazzy Lou Novel, by Roxy Jacenko
Allen & Unwin, 2012
ISBN 978174237757

This book can be purchased in good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Liar Bird, by Lisa Walker

I curled up under my shawl, listened to the alien sounds of the bush and wondered how I’d ended up here, miles from my natural habitat. Headphones in my ears to block out the noise, I finally fell asleep to someone singing about a bus to Bondi.
Some hours later I woke up with a start – sweating. It was the dream, the one I’d had every night since it happened – a large and menacing long-footed potoroo lurked outside my window. It opened its mouth in a sinister smile, showing long, sharp teeth. Where to now, Cassandra? it said.

Cassandra Daley is a PR expert who will do whatever it takes to help her clients – even if she has to resort to a few dirty tricks. But when her fibs are found out, she is left disgraced, and has to look for a new job. A job in the country could be just the thing. But Beechville is pretty hard to get used to – there are frogs in Cassandra’s toilet, people who love her one day and avoid her the next, and a disappearing boss. Then there’s the pretty hunky ranger who seems to have it in for her – in spite of which she finds herself increasingly attracted to him.
Cassandra finds herself connecting with the town and almost enjoying her jb – until the night she finds out the town’s secret. Suddenlys he’s back in the limelight with the press – this time in a good way – and she has to figure out just what is important to her. Is it possible she’ll always be a liar bird?

Liar Bird is a funny look at PR, conservation and city v country, with polished city-girl Cassandra gradually finding her more down to earth alter-ego Cassie as she struggles to adapt to life in a small town. Her voice is refreshing and readers will enjoy the way she talks to her resident tree frog as she recounts the story, as well as the range of characters with whom she interacts. But, while the story is chiefly funny, it also explores issues of honesty, self-identity and conservation, engaging the reader in considering these.

This is a debut novel, with Walker’s dexterity evidence her name will be seen again.

Liar Bird, by Lisa Walker
Harper Collins, 2012
ISBN 9780732294120

This book is avaialble from good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Paris Dreaming, by Anita Heiss

I’m telling you now: I’m never having another boyfriend – EVER!’

Libby is over men. Every time she’s been serious with one, they’ve cheated and hurt her. Now she’s on a man-fast, and happy to keep it that way. After all, she has plenty of good stuff in her life – a great job that she loves, three wonderful tiddas, and two cats for company at home. She doesn’t need a man. But when she gets the travel bug, Libby finds herself in Paris, surrounded by men and by lovers. Will her resolve falter?

Paris Dreaming is the second in Anita Heiss’ ‘Dreaming’ series featuring strong Koori characters each on a quest for personal fulfilment which includes, but is by no means limited to, romance. Set initially in Canberra, then in Paris, the story follows Libby’s adventures as she travels to Paris to represent the National Aboriginal Gallery at an exhibition in the Musee du Quai Branly. In Paris Libby hones her fashion skills, makes new friends and explores exciting career possibilities, whilst also protecting herself from again having her heart broken.

Libby is an endearing narrator, sharing her story as a first person narrator. The book is Heiss’s special blend of Koori chit-lick, with strong female Aboriginal characters, and the exploration of serious issues such as racial tolerance and cultural sensitivity alongside romance, fashion and fun.

Paris Dreaming is fun and intelligence in equal measure.

Paris Dreaming, by Anita Heiss
Random House, 2011
ISBN 9781741668933

This book can be purchased from good bookstores, or online from Fishpond.

Claudia's Big Break, by Lisa Heidke

So that was it. Marcus, the Porsche-driving gazillionaire and I were kaput. And to soften the blow he was offering me a holiday to Greece, all expenses paid. I deliberated over the ethics of the situation for all of five seconds before accepting Marcus’s deal. He knew I was totally cash-strapped. I couldn’t afford a holiday in Sans Souci, let alone Santorini.

As one door closes, another opens, right? That’s what Claudia Taylor is hoping anyway. Her affair with her boss is over, which means she should also be looking for a new job. But first she has the chance for two weeks in Greece, where she hopes she can make some decisions about her future. Her two best friends are coming along for the ride – each also hoping the break will help them with their own life decisions. Sophie is struggling with the change from high-flying career girl to stay-at-home mother of one tearaway toddler, and Tara wants to figure out a way to follow her writing dream.

Santorini is an idyllic holiday destination, and the break should be therapeutic . Should be. But someone seems to be following Claudia, Sophia’s toddler is causing mayhem and her marriage is on the rocks, and Tara can’t write a word.

Claudia’s Big Break is a funny, heart-warming story with soul-searching, mystery and romance all mixed in, for a satisfying combination. A wonderful read.

Claudia’s Big Break, by Lisa Heidke
Allen & Unwin, 2011
ISBN 9781742374918

This book can be purchased in good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Chanel Sweethearts, by Cate Kendall

It was the smell that really knocked her sideways. She was expecting the heat, the smoke and the noise, but not the sickening stench of burning oil and blistering paint mixed with sizzling eucalyptus from nearby trees.
Jess stood numb as the miasma of smoke and the acrid smell wove thick, back plumes around her. It was surreal, it couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t end like this; all her dreams and hopes burnt to nothing.

Jess Wainwright has been successful in business. Since starting her own cafe and gallery, her professional life has gone from strength to strength. But on a personal level, things are not so rosy. So, when the opportunity arises for her to move to the city and use her design skills to forge a new career, she feels she has to take the chance.

But saying goodbye to Stump Gully is hard, and life in the cut throat world of design is challenging. Jess rises to the new challenges, but still feels torn, until tragedy strikes and her hand is forced.

Chanel Sweethearts is a warm, witty tale of the contrasts between country simplicity and city ‘sophistication’, with a dash of mystery, family drama and romance. An engaging read.

Chanel Sweethearts, by Cate Kendall
Bantam, 2010
ISBN 9781863256940

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

What Kate Did Next, by Lisa Heidke

I never thought I’d be the sort of person to have a midlife crisis. I’m not even sure I ever believed in such a thing! And I never thought I’d be the sort of person to give up on the dream of what I wanted.

Kate is about to turn 36 and suddenly she’s not so sure she’s where she wants to be. She has the husband and two children she’d always dreamed of, but her daughter is hitting teenager hood with a bang, and her son is having scary dreams. Then there’s her husband Matt, who is hardly ever home, and seems to have lost interest in intimacy, and her photography career – once very promising, now just a pile of old portfolios. So, when her friend Fern offers her three weeks work as a photography assistant for a classy magazine, Kate jumps at the chance to do something for herself and get her life back on track. Problem is, it might make her life spiral further out of control.

What Kate Did Next is a roller coaster ride through three crazy weeks in Kate’s life as she tries to juggle her own needs with the chaos of her two children, her troubled marriage, her pregnant sister and her parents, who are reconciling after being long divorced. Kate is a likeable, funny narrator who has a lot to deal with, and doesn’t always do the right thing – which makes her all the more believable.

This is an endearing new chick-lit offering.

What Kate Did Next, by Lisa Heidke
Allen & Unwin, 2010

Manhattan Dreaming, by Anita Heiss

As I drove towards Adam’s house I felt nauseous at the thought of the conversation we had to have, but I was still looking forward to seeing him. I ‘d missed him. But, as I walked to his front door and put my keys in my bag I felt the newspaper and immediately became angry again. When he opened the door I said firmly, ‘We need to talk.’
’It’s never a good thing when a woman says that.’ Adam pulled me close and kissed me heard on the mouth, his tongue teasing mine before I had a chance to pull away and remember all the things I had to say. The heartburn jealousy was momentarily gone.

Lauren has been hurt by her sport star boyfriend Adam one time too many, so when she’s offered the chance for a year in New York, she knows she should take it to make a clean break. And what an opportunity she’s being offered. A curator at the National Aboriginal Gallery in Canberra, she has been selected for a fellowship at the Smithsonian. But Lauren isn’t so sure that she wants to leave her friends, her family, her lifestyle, or oven Adam, to take up the fellowship.

Soon, however, she finds herself in Manhattan, discovering that men in New York know how to date and how to look after women. But will any of these men be able to mend her broken heart and replace Adam?

Manhattan Dreaming is chick lit at its best – with a feisty main character who is a successful career woman with a need to love and be loved and a mix of potential suitors ranging from the loveable to the plain annoying. The mix of settings – including Canberra and Goulbourn, with the main action taking place in New York – is also absorbing, with the reader able to see the big apple through the eyes of an Australia visiting for the first time.

Great stuff.

Manhattan Dreaming, by Anita Heiss
Bantam, 2010

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Vintage Alice, by Jessica Adams

In my dreams I see us standing on a beach in our wedding clothes a year or two from now…By then, Vintage Alice will be a shop, not just an imaginary fashion label.

Alice is over England. Really over it. She and her boyfriend Nash have applied for visas to go and live in Australia – and she’s sure that it will be the answer to all their problems. In Australia there will be sunshine. In Australia they will be able to afford to eat. And, in Australia, they won’t fight all the time. Yes, Australia will be the answer to all of Alice’s problems – if only they can get there. Their relationship may not even last long enough to get to the plane.

Alice is an unemployed fashion designer who has dreams of launching her own label, and of having a new life with Nash in a country she has never even visited. But when her relationship with Nash falls apart, she has to decide just how to recover from yet another failure, and find the courage to go ahead with her plans without him. And, in Australia, she has to contend with snakes, spiders, and crazy dog-kennel owners.

Vintage Alice is a funny, feel good story of one woman’s quest to find love and fulfilment. Set in damp England and sunny Australia, and with a diverse cast of characters and plenty of twists and turns, this is a tale which will make readers smile. Alice is a character who is as likeable as she is self deprecating and amusing.

Vintage Alice, by Jessica Adams
Arena, 2009

This book is available from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

The Shoe Princess's Guide to the Galaxy, by Emma Bowd

Rachel’s suddenly animated.
‘If you’re into blogs, I’ve another that you must try: Shoe-Princess.com. Now, I know what you’re thinking: every upmarket prostitute worth her salt’s doing a blog these days – it’s all so dotcom passé. But I assure you, she’s divine. Oh, and she’s not a prostitute – well, who cares anyway? Just go see.’
Needless to say, I cannot wait to meet the Shoe Princess when Millie is asleep tomorrow.

Jane is a self-confessed shoe princess. Nothing in her life is more important than beautiful shoes. Well, nothing except her husband, Tim, and their new baby Millie. But Millie’s arrival has changed Jane’s world. Suddenly everything is different – her relationship with Tim, her sense of self, and even her need for good shoes.

As Jane struggles to connect with the outside world, she spends time online following the Shoe Princess blog, and trying not to worry that her work-obsessed husband is never home anymore. She also learns to make shoes herself, and wonders if perhaps a career making mummy-shoes is on the cards. But will her sanity – and her marriage –survive?

The Shoe Princess is a funny, insightful look at the transition from fashion-conscious career girl to first time mother, and the impact it can have on friendships, relationships and self-image. Whilst not every new mother is a shoe princess, all mothers will be able to relate to many of the challenges faced by Jane in the early months of first time motherhood.

The Shoe Princess’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Emma Bowd
Bloomsbury, 2009

Summer Psychic, by Jessica Adams

I am interviewing an English psychic named Luke Gabriel when he stops the tape recorder and tells me we will be married by winter.
He is peering into an old bucket full of sea water when he gives me the good news. Apparently this is how Nostradamus saw visions of the future too – though obviously not in a cleaner’s bucket.

When Jo Delaney meets psychic Luke Gabriel she has no intention of marrying him – or anyone else. And within six months? It can’t be possible. But when Luke’s other predictions start coming true, she has to wonder. But Jo doesn’t want to marry Luke – she’s still recovering from the death of her fiancé, Andrew, and has just met Gram Nixon, a rock musician she has always fancied from afar.

But, as Jessica discovers, you can’t always control the way your life is heading, and maybe Luke’s proposal is the least of her worries, anyway. She has to contend with a tenuous employment situation, a witch who has it in for her, and her memories of Andrew.

Summer Psychic is a n engrossing, funny read, with twists and turns, some poignant moments and lots of humour. Aimed squarely at the chick-lit market it will be adored by those who’ve enjoyed Adams’ previous work, and send those new to her writing scurrying for her back list.

Highly readable.

Summer Psychic, by Jessica Adams
Allen & Unwin, 2007

You can buy this title online at Fishpond.