Review: Bridal Girl

Finally! A new Blogger Girl book from Meredith Schorr! I absolutely adore her series (and, honestly, everything else she writes) and was thrilled when I found out she was publishing another story about Kim Long. Last we left the pint-size chick lit blogger turned author she was engaged to Nicholas and I was excited to see how the wedding planning and actual ceremony would go. That's what happens in Bridal Girl, and oh my word, everything that could go wrong does in a sweet and hilarious chick lit story from one of my favourite authors.

Here's the synopsis:

Sassy book blogger-turned-author, Kim Long, thought her life couldn’t get any pinker when she received a two-book publishing deal and a marriage proposal in the same night. The wedding plans are coming together seamlessly, from the catering to the flowers to her much-coveted appointment at the exclusive and world famous Kleinfeld Bridal. Her debut novel is flying off the shelves to celebrated reviews, and her second book is practically writing itself.

If only the above wasn’t a big fat lie.

If only Kim could drown out the conflicting opinions of her overzealous bridal party, most notably, her sister and future sister-in-law, who haven’t stopped bickering since day one.

If only everyone would adore her first book—or she’d take Nicholas’s advice and stop reading reviews—she might not second guess every new word she writes.

If only Nicholas’s past would remain there rather than threaten their future.
The pressure is on, the clock is ticking, and in walks Hannah Marshak.

Will the former “mean girl” lend a helping hand or make things worse? Will Kim ever write “The End” on her sophomore novel? And, will she and Nicholas make it down the aisle to say those two precious words: I do?

We’ll never tell. So, put on your reading glasses, fill your champagne flute/cup of tea and prepare to laugh with (and sometimes at) Kim as she rewrites her happy ending until it’s worthy of five pink champagne flutes.

If you've ever attended or planned a wedding, you know there are about a bazillion things to look after. Which means there are about a bazillion things that could go wrong when planning the wedding. Poor Kim and Nicholas. All those things did go wrong for them. It almost got to be too much but, like any good romantic comedy writer, Schorr found the right balance and kept the story from being too over the top. I always say that weddings lend themselves well to rom-coms because of all the elements to it. Romantic relationships are front and centre, obviously, but there are potential issues with family and friends as well as details with the dress, the food, and the parties. The possibilities are endless for amusing, cringe-worthy, and really sweet moments and I'm so glad Schorr used them all to her advantage.

One of the reasons I love the Blogger Girl series is because Kim is a book blogger like me. She wanted to write a book - and did - so the last two books have been less about the blogging and more about trying to become an author and producing a second novel. While blogging took a backseat, I still loved how much Kim's love for chick lit came through. She started to doubt herself and the genre (the plot of her second novel took a turn that I was really anxious about) and had to find ways to pull herself out of the spiral of defeat she was caught in. It was hard to read just as it would have been hard for Nicholas and Kim's friends to hear and see. There were many times I caught myself thinking that Kim was being so silly and why was she doing such idiotic things? But then I remembered how easy it is to get blinded by your own problems and not realize there's a way out. Even though Kim was going bananas, that meant Schorr had set the scene for some really sweet moments between Kim, Nicholas, and the rest of her friends. It was a reminder that Schorr can write some amazing characters and relationships.

I always find it so incredibly hard to review Schorr's books because I love them all so much. I want to just write READ THE BOOK AND BE HAPPY BECAUSE IT'S SO GOOD but that's not exactly how it works on book blogs! It's also hard with this one because I really don't want to give away any of the surprises Schorr has in store for readers in this book.

Like all of Meredith Schorr's previous novels (and there are several so start reading her backlist if you've never read her before), Bridal Girl is charming and witty with a cast of characters you can't help but fall in love with. I was so glad to spend more time with Kim and am really hoping we'll get even more books in the Blogger Girl series.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the author via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Kim vs The Mean Girl

I don't read a ton of YA these days. There are so many adult titles out there that I only make time for important stories (think The Hate U Give) or my favourites (I will always read Sarah Dessen). But when Meredith Schorr, one of my favourite authors, writes a YA prequel to one of my all time favourite romcoms? Yeah, I'm gonna read it. Kim vs. the Mean Girl gives the origin story, if you will, of Kim Long from Blogger Girl (which I adored and reviewed here). I actually beta read this one for Meredith but I read the book again after it was officially published and I loved it each time.

Here's the synopsis:

High school sophomore, Kim Long, is no stranger to the “mean girl” antics of Queen Bee Hannah Marshak. When Hannah steals Kim’s diary and in front of the entire class reads personal (not to mention humiliating) entries Kim wrote about her crush, Jonathan, Kim vows to enact revenge.
Kim and her loyal best friend, Bridget, come up with the perfect plan to put the evil Hannah in her place once and for all. But will their scheming have the desired effect of getting even, or will Hannah emerge more celebrated by her peers than ever?
Kim vs. The Mean Girl can be read as a young adult standalone novel, but it is also a prequel to the popular Blogger Girl adult romantic comedy series and is set in 2000. Told in the duo perspectives of teenage Kim and Hannah, fans of the series will get an inside look into Kim’s early passion for reading, writing (and Jonathan) and find out why Hannah is so darn mean.

Like many authors, Meredith has dedicated beta readers she uses for every book. While I'm a huge fan of hers, she normally doesn't ask me to read the work in progress so I can have the full, finished, polished book to read and review. Kim vs. the Mean Girl was different. Why? Because it's about a teenager in 2000. I was just becoming a teenager myself at that time so I helped Meredith get into the mindset of a teen from that era. So much fun! I actually dug out my own diaries from that time *shudder* But, it helped remind me what my life was like. I also did a lot of online research and I'm so glad the fashion trends from those years haven't made any comebacks. If you read this one (and you totally should), a teeny part of the storyline was inspired by yours truly (hint: it involves Dawson's Creek). One final pat on the back: I was, well, kind of blown away by being mentioned three times in the acknowledgements. Thanks, Meredith! :) xo

I really thought Meredith did a great job of writing a YA story. Not only that, but it can stand alone while also giving Blogger Girl fans a really great story about Kim (and Hannah's) past. Her adult novels (the aforementioned Blogger Girl and Novelista Girl - which I read and reviewed here) allude to the girls' history but it was so cool to actually read about it. You get to see what Kim and Bridget's friendship was like back in high school, you meet Jonathan, and, yes, find out why Hannah is so mean.

I was pretty lucky in high school and didn't have any mean girls that really picked on me for no reason. But, I was still a teenage girl once and I know how they operate. Even if you're safe from the mean girls, they're still out there. Reading Hannah's portion of the stories was hard sometimes. Seriously, she didn't have to be so horrible and it hurt my heart every time she said something hurtful or snarky to anyone, especially her so-called friends. Meredith wrote those scenes so exceptionally well. (OK, she wrote every scene well, let's be real.) But, reading from Hannah's perspective gives so much insight into her world and why she was the way she was. There are no excuses for being cruel but it's a reminder that you don't really know what's going on it other people's lives.

Finally, I loved the little Easter Egg Meredith dropped in near the end of the story! Nope, I'm not giving you any more details. Read the books.

I don't think you have to have read Meredith Schorr's Blogger Girl series before reading Kim vs. the Mean Girl but I definitely encourage you to read all of them (well, all of Schorr's novels period as they're all fantastic). You also don't have to be a YA fan though they'll love this story that has a really contemporary feel (even though it's technically not contemporary since it's set in the past...). This is a great series to pick up this summer!

*A copy of the novel was provided by the author in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Rerelease: Blogger Girl Series

Yesterday was a very exciting day for Meredith Schorr. Her five (amazing) romcom novels have been republished with her new publisher Henery Press. Meredith is one of my favourite people so I'm thrilled to be promoting the hell out of these new covers (and even some new insides too!). Meredith's Blogger Girl series is amazing. I mean, how could I not love books about a chick lit blogger?

Above is the cover of Blogger Girl, the first story about Kimberly Long. And, I absolutely must draw your attention to the short and sweet quote on that most adorable cover. How cool is that? None of her other new covers have blurbs and the one that does have one, it's by yours truly! I'm not sure if it's cool to be this excited but I am.

I reviewed Blogger Girl back in 2013 (jeez...how has it been that long?). If you missed it that time around, check out my thoughts here.

Novelista Girl is the continuation to Kim's story. I was thrilled to get back to her life and see how things were going for her. Here's what I thought of the second Blogger Girl novel when I reviewed it last year.

You're going to want to buy these books (yes, you really will want to) so I've made it easy for you. Here are all the buy links for the two Blogger Girl books.

Blogger Girl 

Amazon

B&N

iBooks

Kobo

Novelista Girl

Amazon

B&N

iBooks

Kobo

Add Blogger Girl to your Goodreads shelf here and add Novelista Girl here.

A born-and-bred New Yorker, Meredith Schorr discovered her passion for writing when she began to enjoy drafting work-related emails way more than she was probably supposed to. After trying her hand penning children’s stories and blogging her personal experiences, Meredith found her calling writing romantic comedy and humorous women’s fiction. She secures much inspiration from her day job as a hardworking trademark paralegal and her still-single (but looking) status. Meredith is a loyal New York Yankees fan, an avid runner, and an unashamed television addict. To learn more, visit her at www.meredithschorr.com. 

Follow Meredith on Facebook and Twitter.

Review: Novelista Girl

I've been waiting for the follow up to Meredith Schorr's Blogger Girl basically since the moment I finished the book (review is here). Needless to say, I was thrilled (THRILLED) when Meredith told me she was finally writing the sequel. Even though I love love love everything Meredith writes, there was still that niggling doubt in my mind...what if I don't like it as much as the first book about Kim? (And I'm sure she's worried about the same thing!) That feeling was completely unwarranted. I adored Novelista Girl. I read it last year (on vacation...best idea ever) so it's one of my favourites of 2015 even though it's just being published today. Congrats (and thank you) to Meredith for writing and publishing another of my favourite chick lit books!

Here's the synopsis:

Readers first met sassy Kimberly Long in Blogger Girl, and now the feisty New Yorker is back in a sequel packed with quick wit, friendship, heartache, and, of course, romance.
Kim runs the most popular chick lit book blog on the web, loves playing house with her sexy lawyer boyfriend, Nicholas, and is finally pursuing her lifelong dream to become a published author. At first glance, her life is five-pink-champagne-flutes worthy.
After hearing the phrase “chick lit is dead” more times than she’s read Bridget Jones's Diary, Kim is driven to desperate measures, seeking advice from up-and-coming chick lit author, Hannah Marshak, her high school nemesis and resident “mean girl.” As if Kim doesn't have enough on her plate balancing her secretarial duties with her blog Pastel Is the New Black, shrugging off the growing pile of agent rejections, and keeping her best friend from turning green over Kim’s budding friendship with Hannah, Nicholas is so blinded by his career ambitions, he doesn't see that their home sweet home could use more than a dash of sugar.
This is the year when all of Kim's dreams—professional and romantic—are supposed to come true, but will the story have a happily ever after, or will Kim end up unpublished and all alone? 

Novelista Girl basically picks up right where Blogger Girl left off. Note: if you haven't read Blogger Girl yet, beware of teeny spoilers. And get your ass in gear and read it because it's one of my all time favourite books. That being said, you don't have to read Blogger Girl first...the new book stands on its own. I just think readers will have a better reading experience if they read both books.

In Novelista Girl, Nicholas and Kim have righted their relationship and, more importantly, Kim has finally decided to take the plunge and has submitted her novel to agents. Meredith does a really great job of balancing the romantic and career storylines in this novel. I love reading about love interests and swoony (and stressful) moments but the fact that Kim was also pursuing her dream of becoming a published author was SO important (and not just because the title of this book is Novelista Girl).

Kim continues to be a character that I want to be best friends with. She has her "what on earth is she thinking?" moments but, hey, we all have those moments. (We do. Do not try to deny it.) She's smart, passionate, driven, funny, and, most importantly to me, is a book person. :) I love books so much more when I want to be BFFs with the heroine and her group of friends. Can't I just hop into the book to hang with Kim, Bridget, and Caroline?

Blogger Girl focused more on, you guessed it, Kim's chick lit book blog. Part of why I loved the book so much is because it felt like it was a book about me. No one had ever written about my passion before so it was super cool. I think my main worry about going into Novelista Girl was that I might not identify as much with Kim because I'm not a blogger who wants to be an author (sometimes I think I'm an anomaly!). I shouldn't have been worried though because reading about Kim's publishing  journey was equally interesting. I have many author friends and a lot of what they go through, Kim was going through too.

As I mentioned, I read my eARC while on vacation. I'm sharing this picture not only because it shows where I was when I was reading it but also because it's crazy cold right now and I want to be back on the beach in St. Thomas.

Novelista Girl is another winning novel from Meredith Schorr. Hanging out with Kim, reading as she went through the ups and downs of a twentysomething life, was just as amazing as when I read Blogger Girl. Kim's romantic, friend, hobby, and work relationships all come together in a well written and thoroughly enjoyable novel. You all know I love everything Meredith writes but, guys, her books about Kim are really that amazing. You'll love them as much as I do if you give them a chance. So what are you waiting for? Pink champagne flutes for everyone!

*An advanced eARC was provided by the author in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

New Cover Alert: Blogger Girl

Most of you know that Blogger Girl by Meredith Schorr is one of my all time favourite novels (and probably top on the chick lit list). I got an email from Meredith a few weeks ago letting me know that she has a brand spankin' new cover for Blogger Girl! I love a good cover so I was more than happy to share the new look with all of you. For those of you who can't remember what the old cover looked like, check out my review here (this is also helpful if you don't know what the book is about!).

Without further ado, here's the new cover:

What do we all think? I like it more than the previous cover. I also really like that you can see the covers of Meredith's other novels (Just Friends with Benefits and A State of Jane) too! Very sneaky :) I think the vibe is better. This cover focuses on Kim and her life in the city, with a book in her bag, of course, instead of her computer screen and love interest.

Congrats on the new cover, Meredith. Now, can I have that Blogger Girl sequel yet? ;)

Real Chick Lit for Real Chicks: The Meredith Schorr Collection

It's no secret that Meredith Schorr is one of my favourite chick lit authors. I will push her books on everyone because I love them that much. It also helps that Meredith herself is an awesome person, as I learned when I had the chance to meet her last November. So, since I'm always happy to talk about Meredith's books, I'm here today to let you know that her publisher has released all three of her novels in one ebook collection, Real Chick Lit for Real Chicks. Whee!

Here are the details:

This boxed set brings together three favorites from bestselling chick lit author Meredith Schorr. Blogger Girl follows Kimberly Long, a book blogger asked to review the debut novel of her high school nemesis. In A State of Jane, “good girl” Jane Frank is looking for love, but when all of her dates flake out on her, she decides to turn the tables. In Just Friends With Benefits, Stephanie Cohen is determined to turn the one who got away into “the one” despite advice from a friend not to put all her eggs in one bastard. Meredith Schorr’s characters are believable, relatable, and authentic—women who are easy to root for, despite their flaws. The stories are humorous, heartfelt, and definitely real.

I've read all three books and have loved them all. Sure, I have my favourite but you really can't go wrong with this collection. The name of the collection is bang on, too. One of my favourite things about Meredith's novels is that her heroines are always so real and relatable. I hope you'll find that as well when you buy the set!

The collection is available on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Barnes and Noble, and will be on iTunes soon.

About Meredith

A born and bred New Yorker, Meredith Schorr discovered her passion for writing when she began to enjoy drafting work-related emails way more than she was probably supposed to, and was famous among her friends for writing witty birthday cards. After trying her hand writing children’s stories and blogging her personal experiences, Meredith found her calling writing “real” chick lit for real women.  When she is not hard at work on her next novel, Meredith spends her days as a trademark paralegal.  She is a loyal New York Yankees fan and an avid runner. Meredith is the author of three published novels, Just Friends with Benefits, A State of Jane and Blogger Girl and the full boxed set, Real Chick Lit for Real Chicks: The Meredith Schorr Collection.

Connect with Meredith

Website
Twitter
Facebook

Top Ten Tuesday: Favourites of 2013

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.

It's the time of year to go through all of the books we read this year (thank goodness for Goodreads) and decide which ones we loved the most. It's hard to determine which ones were better than others. Sometimes they really were better all around - great writing, amazing story, excellent characters - but sometimes it was just the perfect read for that moment in time. You'll get to hear more about my favourites later once I get my End of Year Survey done (damn lack of internet) but for now here are ten...ahem, eleven...of the best books I read this year. Links lead to my review. What were some of your favourites from 2013?

Blogger Girl - Meredith Schorr
I love Meredith and I freaking adored her latest book. It was chick lit at its finest and it even included a blogger heroine to boot!

Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
If twisty and weird historical novels are your thing, this book is for you. So good.

Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan
As I said in my review, I was addicted to this novel. It had everything you could want in a story but it all worked well together.

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
Just all around amazing.

Divergent/Insurgent/Allegiant - Veronica Roth
I read the entire series this year and really liked it. Even the ending.

Just One Day/Just One Year - Gayle Forman
Read these books. Clear your weekend, stock up on tea and snacks, and snuggle under a warm blanket. You can thank me later.

Sweet Thing - Renee Carlino
This was one of the first New Adult books I read and I really loved it.

Anna and the French Kiss/Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins
A lot of people had told me that I'd probably like this series since I'm a huge Sarah Dessen fan. Those people were correct. I loved the characters Perkins created! I cannot wait for Isla and the Happily Ever After.

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
This was another book that took me awhile to read but, boy, am I glad I did. Such an imaginative world.

The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)
This book deserves all the sales it got once it was revealed Rowling was the author. It's a solid mystery filled with the descriptive language that Rowling is so good at.

The Bone Cage - Angie Abdou
This was, hands down, my favourite CanLit book of the year. I'm so glad I had to read it for my Project Bookmark Canada internship. It's a great story about two athletes working towards the Sydney Olympics.

Review: Blogger Girl

I was so excited when author Meredith Schorr asked me to be a part of her launch for her new novel Blogger Girl. I wrote a guest post on her blog back in July, shared the cover reveal earlier this month, and today I'm finally sharing my review! I was really looking forward to reading this novel and it happily exceeded expectations. I loved it!

Here's the synopsis:

What happens when your high school nemesis becomes the shining star in a universe you pretty much saved? Book blogger Kimberly Long is about to find out.
A chick lit enthusiast since the first time she read Bridget Jones’s Diary, Kim, with her blog, "Pastel is the New Black," has worked tirelessly by night to keep the genre alive, and help squash the claim that "chick lit is dead" once and for all. Not bad for a woman who by day ekes out a meager living as a pretty, and pretty-much-nameless, legal secretary in a Manhattan law firm.
While Kim's day job holds no passion for her, the handsome (and shaving challenged) associate down the hall is another story. Yet another story is that Hannah Marshak, one of her most hated high school classmates, has now popped onto the chick lit scene with a hot new book that's turning heads--and pages--across the land. It's also popped into Kim's inbox--for review. With their ten-year high school reunion drawing near, Kim's coming close to combustion over the hype about Hannah’s book. And as everyone around her seems to be moving on and up, she begins to question whether being a “blogger girl” makes the grade in her off-line life.

I couldn't wait to read this one and not just because I've enjoyed Schorr's previous work. I was excited about this novel because I couldn't wait to learn about the main character, Kim. A heroine who's a chick lit book blogger like me? Sounds amazing! I think I definitely could have been friends with Kim. We have a love for the same genre, both write blogs while working in a job that's not so exciting (ok, well, I'm not currently working but when I was my blog work was usually more enjoyable than my day job), we're very close in age, and she just seems like an awesome person. The only thing we may not be able to get over is the fact that she's 4'11" and I'm 6'. That and the fact that she's fictional. :) Kim was a fabulous heroine. She was just flawed enough to make her likeable and her flaws were completely normal and believable. She has qualities that I think every reader can identify with, especially if they're trying to figure out what it is they love to do. I really liked that Kim struggled with her jealousy of Hannah because it (and Nicholas) forced her to face her hidden desire and goal. Kim felt incredibly real and that made her a great heroine. She also had some fabulous friends and they all made for solid, and entertaining, secondary characters.

The romance in this novel was great. I knew Kim would probably end up with Nicholas but I wasn't sure how or when it was going to happen and what sort of obstacles they might face. The issues that did come up were relatable and nothing was over the top. I was rooting for Kim and Nicholas and I hoped they would have a happily ever after.

I liked that Schorr included tweets and bits of reviews in the text. It wasn't too much so it was nice to see these parts of Kim's online life and it helped show what kind of reviewer Kim was. I found it amusing that two very popular chick lit authors were mentioned...sort of. Schorr cleverly changed the names but it was still pretty obvious who she was referring to. I also liked that Kim was a defender of chick lit - the genre and the label. A lot of people hate the term "chick lit" and refuse to use it. I don't see a problem with it and I think we should embrace it. I also wish that people would stop judging others based on their reading tastes. Everyone likes what they like and no one should be made to feel lesser because of what the cover of their book looks like. 

I adored Blogger Girl by Meredith Schorr. I think it's a fabulous novel that celebrates all things chick lit. Of course, I probably loved it a little bit more because Kim is a blogger like me but I think this novel is one that all chick lit lovers will enjoy. I loved it so much that I was still thinking of it days after I finished it. Hey, Meredith...how about a sequel? I think there's lots you could do for a second (or third) novel about Kim! :) Blogger Girl is funny, sweet, a little sexy, and so so good. Read it! You won't be disappointed.

*I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Cover Reveal: Blogger Girl

The release date still might be a ways away but I'm still really excited about reading Blogger Girl by Meredith Schorr. I'm also excited to have taken part in her Celebration of Bloggers back on July 30th (you can check out my post here) and, finally, I'm excited to share the cover of this upcoming novel with you!

First up, check out what the book will be about:

What happens when your high school nemesis becomes the shining star in a universe you pretty much saved? Book blogger Kimberly Long is about to find out.
A chick lit enthusiast since the first time she read Bridget Jones’s Diary, Kim, with her blog, "Pastel is the New Black," has worked tirelessly by night to keep the genre alive, and help squash the claim that "chick lit is dead" once and for all. Not bad for a woman who by day ekes out a meager living as a pretty, and pretty-much-nameless, legal secretary in a Manhattan law firm.
While Kim's day job holds no passion for her, the handsome (and shaving challenged) associate down the hall is another story. Yet another story is that Hannah Marshak, one of her most hated high school classmates, has now popped onto the chick-lit scene with a hot new book that's turning heads--and pages--across the land. It's also popped into Kim's inbox--for review. With their ten-year high school reunion drawing near, Kim's coming close to combustion over the hype about Hannah’s book. And as everyone around her seems to be moving on and up, she begins to question whether being a “blogger girl” makes the grade in her off-line life.

Now, without further ado, I present to you the cover of Blogger Girl!

Doesn't it look like fun? I can't wait to read it!