Top Ten Tuesday: My Favourite Chick Lit

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

I'm a chick lit fan. I have been for years and I have no problem using the term. But, in the interest of being inclusive (who says dudes can't read chick lit?) I've considered using the term rom-com more often. After all, chick flicks are now marketed as romantic comedies. And the romance plus the comedy is exactly why I love these kinds of books. I've read a lot of them over the years so narrowing my favourites list down to ten was a HUGE challenge. Most of the books are on the funnier side but there are a few that might be considered more women's fiction. Either way, they're my favourites! Hopefully I've shared some new titles with you and that you'll give this genre a chance, if you haven't already! What's your favourite genre?

Blogger Girl - Meredith Schorr (review)

I will tell every single chick lit fan that they must read this book. I love love love it. Partially because it's about a chick lit book blogger but also because it's just an amazing book. I also love Meredith's first novel, Just Friends with Benefits. 

Go Small or Go Home - Heather Wardell (review)

Really, this could be every Heather Wardell book. I adore them all. And I doubly adore that she's Canadian and her books are set in Toronto. If you want to check them out, her first, Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo is free on all ebook outlets! (Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Kobo, Nook). Read it!

Arranged – Catherine McKenzie (review)

Once again, I love every single one of Catherine's books but Arranged is my favourite. It's so clever and all around awesome.

Second Time Around – Beth Kendrick (review)

This story starts out kind of heavy but it's a really great book. I loved it (and Nearlyweds) so much that I've bought every single one of Kendrick's books published since then (there are three, with a fourth coming out soon). 

Love the One You're With – Emily Giffin

It seems like Giffin fans are pretty split on their favourite book but I love this one. I also really liked her last one, Where We Belong (review), and have high hopes for her upcoming book, The One and Only. Can't wait to get to my ARC! 

Breaking the Rules - Cat Lavoie (review)

The thing I love about Cat's debut novel is that it takes a typical chick lit story (boy and girl friends realize they have romantic feelings for each other) and takes it in a completely unexpected direction. Her second novel, Zoey and the Moment of Zen is just as awesome.

Winter Wonderland – Belinda Jones (review)

The setting of this novel plays a huge part in why I love it so much. It's set during Quebec's Carnival. I've never been but it's on my list of things to do...eventually. It's also a really fun story featuring a travel writer (one of my favourite types of characters to read about). 

Sugar Spun Sister - Anna Garner (review)

I love all of Anna's books (which include the ones she writes under Libby Mercer) because she writes some of the best characters. I always want to be friends with them. I chose to feature this one because it takes the typical sweet shop story and switches it up. The friends in this series own an ice cream shop! What's not to love?

Finding Lucas - Samantha Stroh Bailey (review)

This book puts the comedy in romantic comedy. I couldn't believe some of the things the characters get up to and it was so much fun to read. I can't wait for Sam's next book!

The Runaway Princess – Hester Browne (review)

I call this book The Princess Diaries for grown-ups. The story is a little different but it has the same feel of the Princess books and movies. I was so incredibly and pleasantly surprised when I read this book and think all chick lit and princess lovers should read it. 

Guest Post: Anna Garner

Last month (last year!) I reviewed the adorably awesome Sugar Spun Sister by Anna Garner (review is here), the first in her new Sweet Dreams series. I really liked it and while I was reading it I wondered how she came up with the ice cream shop idea. Happily, Anna offered up this great guest post that explains why she chose ice cream as her heroine's food of choice (and try not to be shocked like I was when you read her confession!). I hope you enjoy this post and buy a copy of this sweet novel for yourself!

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM

My latest novel, Sugar Spun Sister, is about a girl with ice cream dreams. To clarify: my protagonist, Cricket, hopes to one day have her own ice cream shop, and in this story, she starts working towards her goal. Now, this may come as a shocker, but I have a confession to make: I’m really not a fan of ice cream.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t dislike ice cream. (Unless it’s coffee-flavored. Ick.) I find it to be a pleasant enough treat, but if I’m going to consume those kinds of calories, I’d rather have a cupcake or two. You might wonder then, why did I write a book that centers around ice cream? Well, it’s because I knew I wanted to write about a woman who opens her own food business. I did consider having Cricket want to open up a cupcake shop, but there have been so many chick lit books that involve cupcake shops/cupcake designers/cupcake connoisseurs that I wanted to do something different. Ice cream seemed like the logical choice.

All eighteen chapters of the book open with the name of an ice cream flavor that somehow relates to the action within the chapter, along with a brief note and a recipe. Here’s the first one, for example:

Chapter 1. Anaphylactic Surprise

(A.K.A. the ice cream that would kill my boss)

Ingredients: chopped strawberries, huckleberries, pecans, sugar, soymilk creamer, fresh ginger root (minced & cooked), soy yogurt, honey and carob bean gum powder

All of the recipes in the book are pretty much original. I spent many, many hours googling ice cream recipes, and some of these are similar to ones that are up there on the net, but I think I changed at least one or two things in each recipe to make it my own. Or Cricket’s own, rather. Some of them are completely original, like this first one here. I just wanted to include as many ingredients as possible that people are commonly allergic to, and still have it sound tasty.

It would be interesting to test all my recipes out, and I hope to do so one day. Talk about a fun idea for a book publicity event! Even though, as I said, I’m not that big on ice cream, I really would like to have a taste of “What a Girl Wants” (Cricket’s version of mint chocolate chip, made with Girl Scout cookies) and also “Delectable Dragons” (the sorbet made with exotic dragon fruit) and even “Love, Sweet Love” (the zingy strawberry and pink champagne flavor). Okay, perhaps I’m more into ice cream than I thought…

Review: Sugar Spun Sister

There are a few authors who are on my automatic review list. They're the ones who get a enthusiastic "hell yes!" when they email me to ask if I can review their latest book. Anna Garner is one of those authors. She had told me a bit about her new series awhile ago and when she eventually asked if I would review the first I said of course! Sugar Spun Sister is the first in the Sweet Dreams series and I. Loved. It. Anna, you have another winner!

Here's the synopsis:

Life isn’t exactly sweet for Cricket Whittier. Her boss hates her, her work is soul-destroying, and the sexy guy she’s hooking up with doesn’t want to date her. But this girl is far from hopeless. When Cricket’s in the kitchen with her ice cream maker and a few choice ingredients, her troubles slip away as she becomes a delectable dessert-designing powerhouse. She loves it so much, she dreams of opening her own ice cream shop one day.As it turns out, “one day” just might be closer than she thinks. Propelled by the help and encouragement of her best friends, Lindsay and Nora, Cricket starts making plans to set up shop. Which is easier said than done what with the internal squabbling, the sky-high costs, her parents forecasting failure and her increasingly complicated love life. Despite all these hurdles, will Cricket be able to make her sweet dreams come true?

Like with all of Garner's characters, I immediately fell in love with Cricket. She was so much fun and so easy to relate to. Also like most of Garner's characters, she's not afraid to drop the occasional f-bomb which, to me, makes her more real. I know some people could be put off by the swearing but that really doesn't bother me (because I've been known to swear like a sailor myself...). The dialogue between characters is totally believable and conversations always seem like ones I could have with my own girlfriends. But back to Cricket...I liked how invested she was in her little shop (once she finally realized her dream could be achieved) and that she allowed her friends to be a part of it. Sometimes I worried that she was letting them walk all over her but she learned how to balance business with friendship and how to keep the vision of her shop alive, even with the contrasting visions her friends had. I think she really learned a lot about herself by the end of the story.

I did find myself wondering about a few things...there was a lot of humour with how horrible Cricket's gargoyle boss was but sometimes I wondered if it was taking things too far. I also couldn't understand why she wouldn't try to make sure everyone knew that she wasn't living off of her uncle's money, even if he did help get her a job. I guess I just wanted to see her stand up for herself a bit more. There were also a lot of catering jobs that were described and sometimes I thought there were too many. The children's party was funny in a "can anything else go wrong?" kind of way but it didn't quite work with the flow of the story.

We've been seeing a lot of baking type stories in the chick lit/romance world the last little while (I've actually reviewed two just this week!) and I thought the ice cream shop was a great twist on this current fad. Garner did a great job of really showing both how hard it can be to open up your own shop and how fun and exhilarating it can be. Thanks to her writing I was both stressed and excited for the girls as they went on their entrepreneurial journey! And I really wish this ice cream shop existed in my neighbourhood! It sounds like it's just the cutest shop ever and it helps that they hired some hot guys to work for them too! ;) Still on the ice cream theme, I loved that Garner put recipes at the start of each chapter and that they had something to do with the chapter and Cricket actually made them within that chapter. Several of them made my mouth water...especially this one:


I'm a sucker for mint chocolate anything!

Finally, I liked that the romance in the novel took a bit of a backseat to the rest of the story. Sure, I always like having a nice romance in the books I read but I knew it wasn't the point of this story, not totally. But it wouldn't be a great chick lit without a little bit of relationship drama! I knew Cricket thought she was happy with Jimmy (and I thought it was hilarious that they called him Jiminy...you know, Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio?) and I was so hoping that she'd realize it was actually a toxic relationship. And also realize who she was supposed to be with! One of the reasons I'm looking forward to the next book is to see how they're getting along!

I think Sugar Spun Sister was amazing and I couldn't put it down! Anna Garner has created a great series and I can't wait to read the next book in the Sweet Dreams collection. I'd guess that Nora will be the next main character, only because her story was left totally up in the air at the end of this one. If you're looking for a fun, real, and sweet read make sure you check this one out!

United Authors of Chick Lit

How much fun is this idea: all this week (October 21-25) chick lit authors from the US, Canada, and the UK are virtually crossing the ocean to spread the word about their novels with a different audience. When author Anna Garner asked me to feature their promotion I immediately said yes. You all know I'm a chick lit supporter and the more people who discover this genre, and learn to love it like I do, the better. I hope you check out the posts that are coming up this week on the authors' blogs...I know I will be!

Fasten your seatbelts and put your tray tables in the upright and locked position. Over the next few days, some of your favourite Chick Lit characters will be jetting across the Atlantic to visit with fictional friends on the other side of the pond.

The event kicks off on Monday, Oct. 21.

On Tuesday, Oct. 22, read about Stella from Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes and Chloe from Lying to Meet You as they travel across the Atlantic to visit each other.

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, it’s time to discover what happens when Emma from The Pollyanna Plan and Kim from Blogger Girl meet.

On Thursday, Oct. 24, Izzy from Izzy’s Cold Feet and Jamie from Finding Lucas will be taking you on a trip alongside their characters.

And on Friday, Oct. 25, Kate from Sealed with a Kiss and Pilar from In Need of Therapy will be chatting about their overseas experiences.

Here’s a little sneak peek at the fun, frothy books and sassy gals featured in our international promo, all of which are priced at $3.99 or less:

Finding Lucas by Samantha Stroh Bailey – Daytime talk show producer Jamie Ross is beyond fed up with her toxic bad boy turned metrosexual boyfriend. Spurred on by her gang of quirky friends, she goes on a hilarious, at-times disastrous, and totally life-changing hunt to track down the ”one who got away.” But are some loves best left behind? Available on Amazon.com, Amazon UK and Kobo.

In Need of Therapy by Tracie Banister – Handling the problems of hysterical hypochondriacs, lovelorn neurotics, and compulsive man whores is all in a day’s work for super-shrink Pilar Alvarez. But can she deal with her crazy Cuban family, a trio of unsuitable suitors, and a threat to her practice without ending up on the couch herself? Available on Amazon.com, Amazon UK, and B&N. 

Lying to Meet You by Anna Garner – Overworked New York fashion girl Chloe Lane has no time for a real relationship, but when her childhood pal asks her to play the part of his girlfriend in order to test a theory, she decides to go for it. The lies start piling up and things start getting crazy. Will Chloe be able to keep it together? Available on Amazon.com, Amazon UK and B&N.

Sealed with a Kiss by Rachael Lucas – Kate breathes a sigh of relief when she's dumped at her best friend's wedding. When she takes a job on the island of Auchenmor, she's determined to have a year off men, but that's before she rescues Flora the seal pup with the help of Roddy, her mysterious new boss... Available on Amazon.com and Amazon UK.

The Pollyanna Plan by Talli Roland – Emma Beckett has always looked down on 'the glass is half full' optimists. But when she loses her high-powered job and fiancé, Emma makes a radical decision: from here on in, she'll attempt to see the upside, no matter how dire the situation. Can adopting a positive attitude give Emma the courage to build a new life, or is finding the good in everything a very bad idea? Available on Amazon.com and Amazon UK.

Blogger Girl by Meredith Schorr – Kimberly Long has two passions: her successful chick lit blog and Nicholas, her handsome colleague down the hall. But when her high school nemesis pops onto the chick lit scene with a hot new book and eyes for Nicholas, Kim has to make some quick revisions to her own life story. Available on Amazon.com, Amazon UK, B&N, and Apple iTunes. (Blogger note: this is probably one of my favourite books of 2013!)

Izzy’s Cold Feet by Sarah Louise Smith – Izzy is engaged to Greg, who is everything a girl could want. The trouble is – all she can think about is the men she loved before she met him. In the week leading up to her wedding day, Izzy is forced to ask herself who she loves the most. And, given the choice, who would she want to spend her life with? Available on Amazon.com, Amazon UK, B&N, and UK Nook.

Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes by Sue Watson – TV Producer Stella is over worked, over weight and under fire battling to balance family, career and those weighing scales. In the past she’s always found comfort at the bottom of her mixing bowl but now the most delicious lemon sponge with zesty frosting has no effect. However, life is about to get even tougher... and Stella has to face some truths about herself, her life and her future. Available on Amazon.com and Amazon UK.  

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

Tuesday, Oct. 22

Stella will be on Anna Garner’s blog and Chloe will be on Sue Watson’s blog.

Wednesday, Oct. 23

Emma will be on Meredith Schorr’s blog and Kim will be on Talli Roland’s blog.

Thursday, Oct. 24

Izzy will be on Samantha Stroh Bailey’s blog and Jamie will be on Sarah Louise Smith’s blog.

Friday, Oct. 25

Kate will be on Tracie Banister’s blog and Pilar will be on Rachael Lucas’s blog. 

Review: Lying to Meet You

I was really looking forward to reading Lying to Meet You by Anna Garner. Why? Because I've loved the two books I've read by Libby Mercer. Confused? Anna and Libby are actually the same person! Anna is one of the nicest authors I've come across through blogging and when she asked if I would like to read her new chick lit novel I jumped at the chance. There were a few little things that made the novel almost too cookie cutter chick lit but the story was cute and funny and I adored the main character. It was a win for me!

Here's the synopsis:

Does being in a relationship make you a hot commodity in the eyes of would-be suitors?
Chloe Lane is about to find out. When her childhood pal, Ethan Webster, asks her to play the part of his girlfriend in order to test this theory, she reluctantly agrees. As a work-crazed fashion designer, boutique owner and soon-to-be reality show judge, Chloe has no time for a real boyfriend, but being part of a faux pair will do just fine. Not that she has any intention of trying to attract someone else.
However…
Opportunity unexpectedly knocks when Chloe meets fellow reality judge, William Shannon. Super successful and super sexy, this high-powered entrepreneur inspires Chloe to test Ethan’s theory herself. Now, on top of keeping her fashion business productive, carving out a new role as a television personality, maintaining a fake relationship and attempting to lay the groundwork for a future relationship, she’s lying to William, lying to her friends, lying to her family and quite possibly lying to herself. Will Chloe be able to keep it all together, or are things about to explode?

The only real issue I had with this novel was that I needed more at the end. I found that the story ended sort of abruptly so there were too many loose ends and I had a lot of lingering questions. I can't really share any though because I don't want to give anything away! It was really just a matter of wanting to know why certain people did the things they did and how others reacted to some situations.

I adored Chloe and thought she was an awesome heroine. She wasn't flighty or immature, like you sometimes find with chick lit characters. Sure, she's got issues but we all do (don't try to lie) and her little quirks and flaws made her likeable. I think the other thing that helped make her seem down to earth (and explain why she was so successful) was that she was a little bit older (she turns thirty over the course of the novel). She just seemed more grounded than a character in her early twenties might be. I liked that the story sort of began and ended with her being really kick ass. At the start of the book Chloe chases down shoplifters and the final part of the story has her figuring out who's trying to ruin her, both personally and professionally. I loved how she stood up for herself and that part of her personality helped make her an even better character to read about.

I really liked the relationship part of this novel. I knew what would happen (it's very chick lit-esque after all) but I wasn't sure how things would progress with Chloe and William. I wasn't sure what the issue(s) would be that would force them apart or even if Chloe would realize that she had feelings for Ethan (or vice versa). Reading about the developing flirtation between Chloe and William was a lot of fun and I loved the solid friendship between Chloe and Ethan. I love stories where male and female friends realize they have feelings for each other and I found myself rooting for Chloe and Ethan. I really wanted Chloe to get her happily ever after, since the business side of her life was doing so well!

Lying to Meet You by Anna Garner was a solid chick lit novel. I enjoyed reading it and being immersed in Chloe's life. There was fun, fashion, and flirting and characters that you want to be friends with. I can't wait to read the next book Anna writes!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.*

Cover Reveal: Lying to Meet You

I'm so excited to share the cover of Anna Garner's new novel, Lying to Meet You. I've read a few of her novels under the name Libby Mercer and I've loved them. This new novel sounds fabulous and I can't wait to read it!

First, here's the synopsis of this upcoming novel:

Does being in a relationship make you a hot commodity in the eyes of would-be suitors?
Chloe Lane is about to find out. When her childhood pal, Ethan Webster, asks her to play the part of his girlfriend in order to test this theory, she reluctantly agrees. As a work-crazed fashion designer, boutique owner and soon-to-be reality show judge, Chloe has no time for a real boyfriend, but being part of a faux pair will do just fine. Not that she has any intention of trying to attract someone else.
However…
Opportunity unexpectedly knocks when Chloe meets fellow reality judge, William Shannon. Super successful and super sexy, this high-powered entrepreneur inspires Chloe to test Ethan’s theory herself. Now, on top of keeping her fashion business productive, carving out a new role as a television personality, maintaining a fake relationship and attempting to lay the groundwork for a future relationship, she’s lying to William, lying to her friends, lying to her family and quite possibly lying to herself. Will Chloe be able to keep it all together, or are things about to explode?

Now...the cover!

Fun, isn't it? I think it really captures how torn Chloe is feeling. The novel will be released next month and I'll have a review for you too.

About Anna:

Born and raised in the Midwest, Anna Garner's adventurous spirit kicked in after graduating from high school, and she's since lived in Boston, NYC and London. For several years, Anna worked in fashion--first as a journalist and then as a shopkeeper, and for a while she dabbled in design. Although chick lit was her first love, Anna started writing quirky romances, and her first one, Fashioning a Romance, was published in May 2012 under the name of Libby Mercer. This was followed by two more quirky romances: Unmasking Maya and The Karmic Connection. Since Lying to Meet You is written in old school chick lit style and isn't a clear cut love story, Anna decided to publish it under her real name. She currently lives in San Francisco and spends most of her time cranking out more stories.

Finally, thanks to A Tale of Many Reviews for organizing this cover reveal tour!