Review: Double Click

A couple of years ago I decided to read Click: An Online Love Story by Lisa Becker because of all the good reviews I had read through a CLP Blog Tour. I didn't love it as much as I had hoped (my full review is here) but when Lisa asked if I would read the sequel, Double Click, I was excited because I wanted to find out what happened to the characters. I kept putting it off but I finally read it in one sitting the other day. It was so much fun and I enjoyed it much more than the first book.

Here's the synopsis:

Fans of the romantic hit Click: An Online Love Story will enjoy another voyeuristic dive into the lives of Renee, Shelley, Ashley, Mark and Ethan, as Double Click picks up with their lives six months later. Are Renee and Ethan soul mates? Does Mark ever go on a date? Has Shelley run out of sexual conquests in Los Angeles? Will Ashley's judgmental nature sabotage her budding relationship? Through a marriage proposal, wedding, new baby and unexpected love twist, Double Click answers these questions and more. Readers will continue to cheer, laugh, cry and cringe following the email exploits of Renee and friends.

I think because I had already spent some time with all the characters in the first book, I had a better idea of what they were like and felt more invested in their lives. I admit that I couldn't really remember what had happened at the end of Click, since I had read it in August 2011. I went back and read the last chapter of the book so I could be reminded of who was with who and where they were at in their lives. Once I got back into the story I remembered that the characters had a lot of fun together and were all really great friends.

Speaking of the friends, I'm glad there wasn't a lot of drama between them (even if Ashley and Shelley don't really get along...think Samantha and Charlotte from SATC). In fact...now that I think about, not a whole lot happened in the novel...maybe that's why it was such a fast read. There were some typical relationship issues, some pregnancy emotional issues, and some secrets but nothing major. The friends were all there for each other, which I loved. Other than the whole no one really liked Mark's new girlfriend thing. Cassidy, said girlfriend, really just seemed to be involved to give Mark someone to be with and provide some humour.

One of the things that had annoyed me about the first book was Shelley's crazy promiscuity. She was always talking about her conquests and it got sort of tiring after awhile. In the sequel, Shelley seemed to calm down a bit. I started to wonder if something was up with her and my hunch ended up being correct! I loved where her story went in the sequel, even if it was a little sad for the girls. (Nothing serious, I promise!)

I really hope Lisa Becker decides to write a third book in the series because I really want to know what happens with the characters after Double Click ended! Every character seems to have their life in order but I'd like to see how things play out for them. I can't say much because I don't want to give things away so I'll just simply say I want another book :) This novel was a fast read but a really enjoyable one. I loved spending time with Renee and her friends and I think other readers would, too.

Happy reading :)

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

Guest Post: Rachael O'Bryan

I'm taking part in the CLP organized blog tour for Rachael O'Bryan's debut novel Unlocked. I reviewed the "novel in stories" last week (the review is here if you missed it) and I was interested to find out what made O'Bryan choose to write the novel as she did. She was kind enough to write a guest post that tells us all about it! Thank you to Rachael for stopping by Books Etc.!

My Decision to Write Short Stories 
By Rachael O’Bryan           


I decided to write Unlocked in a series of stories as opposed to a conventional novel because I felt that each relationship Rebecca cultivated deserved its own attention. I felt there would be too many main characters in a conventional novel.             
Also, I think the stories worked for me because for my personal relationships with each guy that the stories are based on there was a very different breaking point for each relationship. Those breaking points became the stories’ present time and then flashbacks were used throughout the story to bring in the past events. I wasn’t sure what the present time would have been had it been written like a conventional novel. I suppose that it could have worked in a setting as if it was Rebecca’s wedding day and she reflected on all her past dealings with guys in her life, but that route wasn’t really what I wanted to go for. The break points – the I’ve had enough, or maybe I need to reconsider, or maybe I missed my chance – those moments were too important to get lost.             


I really felt like each relationship needed to stand on its own, but at the same time I wanted to make them connected. Some people reappear in other stories and I wanted people to gather that there was some connecting theme there. In order to make the connections clear I wrote a poem tying the stories together and took the name of the poem as the title of my book. This idea was a suggestion thrown out in a short story writing class I took. As soon as I heard it I loved it and immediately went to work on my poem when I went home.              


And finally I love reading short stories, so I think they inspired me. Olive Kitteridge was definitely an inspiration. That book fell into my hands when I joined my first book club and I loved the idea of developing a character through showing different glimpses into that person’s life. I wanted to develop Rebecca’s heartbreak, her insecurities, and her overcoming them through different interactions. Whether it be the silence from Patrick on the phone or the painting of the wall to rid the feel of Rasheed in her apartment, each interaction helped shape a part of Rebecca.             


As for my other short story inspirations I can’t leave out one of my favorite authors – Jhumpa Lahiri. I still can visualize a scene from one of her short stories to this day. If my craft could ever be one fourth as a good as her’s I will be amazed with myself. I think people overlook the power of a short story and she really reinforces how amazing they can be. When I was writing I got caught up in times on the number of pages. Sometimes I would think the book isn’t going to be long enough, but when I finished I knew that concern was unnecessary. If I said all I said in those pages and made my point and conveyed what I wanted to do, the number of pages the words filled didn’t matter. The words are what mattered. To me my book of stories was more about an outpouring of emotion and the stories conveyed that and at the end of the day I’m happy with it. I hope that someone can read my stories and find the power in them.


Rachael O’Bryan keeps a personal blog at rachaelsnewyork.blogspot.com. Her book Unlocked is available on Amazon.com, Lulu.com, BN.com (for the nook), and in the iBook store. Her online magazine, Rachael, launches June 1st and you can subscribe at rachaelmagazine.com starting then.

Chick Lit Plus Blog Tour: Unlocked

Welcome to a stop on the Unlocked blog tour hosted by CLP Blog Tours! Through this tour I got the chance to read Rachael O'Bryan's novel. This review's going to be a tough one so I'm just going to dive into the synopsis and then we'll go from there.

In Unlocked the main character Rebecca takes the reader on a journey through a collection of short stories concerning nine guys she met while being a tutor in college for the football team. She recounts her struggles with love, friendship, self-confidence, trust, acceptance, and heartache. The stories indicate how people and relationships can really shape a person's life. 

I have to be totally and completely honest and tell you that I didn't really like this book. The biggest issue for me is that the writing really needed to be polished. There were awkward sentences and missing words and I think it could have benefited from more/better editing.

I did end up liking the way this book was laid out. It was interesting to get Rebecca's current situation, a flashback, and then her reflection on what happened and how she was going to move forward. It was a wee bit repetitive but I did enjoy that each story focused on a different guy and her relationship with them, past and present.

Speaking of her relationships with these guys - I've had crushes on multiple guys before (way back in high school which I graduated from seven years ago but it was also the last time I was single) but I didn't consider myself to be madly in love with any of them, let alone a few of them at the same time, like Rebecca did when she was in college. I couldn't quite grasp who it was that she really wanted to be with. Of course, that may not have been the goal and she really could have been "in love" with several of them at once. My point is that it didn't ring true to me and I had a bit of an issue with that.

Overall, I can't quite recommend this one. There are probably people out there who would like it but, unfortunately, I just wasn't one of them. Want to hear what others thought? Check out the tour's main page over at CLP Blog Tours.

Happy reading :)

Just Finished: Sex, Life, and Hannah

I had no idea what to expect when I was asked to review Sex, Life, and Hannah by Dorota Skrzypek. What I got was an amusing novella that chronicles a season (winter) in Hannah's life.

Here's what the first volume is about:

When Hannah’s boyfriend of five-and-a-half years breaks up with her on New Year’s Eve, Hannah is shocked, and stunned…before picking up a glass and throwing it at him. Forced to search for love in the battlegrounds of L.A. she finds herself agonizing over The Ex, trying to comfort herself in the neighbor’s bed, and falling in love…again? Surrounded by a colorful cast of characters, Hannah treads the infamous waters of heartbreak and heartache.

Hannah's love life is really not going the way she planned. She's had an on again, off again relationship with The Ex that she hadn't quite realized was massively unhealthy for both of them. Even after they broke up she wasn't able to recognize that they really should not have been together and instead seems to go into a tailspin. And that was quite humorous to read about.

The format of this book was really neat. It was laid out as if it was a magazine - which was fitting as it was a totally Cosmo-esque novella. All sorts of love, laughter, life, and, of course, sex. You could look at Hannah's life as a how-to or a how-not-to, which is sort of what Cosmo is like too. Some people may not like how the book was set up but I thought it was great.

The synopsis mentions a "colorful cast of characters" and, boy, is that right. Her neighbours - and close friends - are a hilariously gay couple, who aren't really a couple any more. And there's a possibly bisexual guy living with them. Talk about a recipe for hilarity. Oh, and did I mention that's the neighbour whose bed she ends up in? Too funny.

Hannah is definitely flawed and, even though that can be frustrating sometimes, it provides an entertaining story. Even though I wasn't totally in LOVE with this book I really want to find out what happens in Hannah's life. I'm looking forward to volumes two and three so stay tuned for more reviews!

Happy reading :)

August Chick Lit Review #2: Click: An Online Love Story

Welcome to my second review for the challenge hosted by Chick Lit Plus! I decided to tackle two debut novels this month. The first was Confessions of a Call Center Gal (read my review here) and the second is the focus of this review - Click: An Online Love Story by Lisa Becker.

I wanted to read this novel because Chick Lit Plus hosted a blog tour back in July and I thought it looked like fun. (If you're interested in what others had to say about this novel, read on here) Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

Fast approaching her 30th birthday and finding herself not married, not dating, and without even a prospect or a house full of cats, Renee Greene, the heroine of Click: An Online Love Story, reluctantly joins her best guy pal on a journey to find love online in Los Angeles. The story unfolds through a series of emails between Renee and her best friends (anal-compulsive Mark, the overly-judgmental Ashley and the over-sexed Shelley) as well as the gentlemen suitors she meets online. From the guy who starts every story with "My buddies and I were out drinking one night," to the egotistical "B" celebrity looking for someone to stroke his ego, Renee endures her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates. Fraught with BCC's, FWD's and inadvertent Reply to All's, readers will root for Renee to "click" with the right man.

Overall, I thought this book was fun and the story was entertaining. What was interesting about this novel was that it was written entirely in emails. I liked the idea but it didn't quite work for me. I didn't feel like I really got a great feeling for Renee, the main character, let alone any of the secondary characters. Lisa did a good job of putting explanations for what happened in the emails between Renee, Shelley, Ashley, Mark, and the various men Renee meets online. That being said, it seemed like this format worked really well for events and plot but the emotional part of the story, the part that really makes you connect with the characters, didn't quite work through emails.

The only other thing I didn't like about this book was how totally "over-sexed" Shelley is. Most people are aware of Samantha in Sex and the City and how promiscuous she is. Shelley was just the same way. I have no issue with her sleeping around and finding a new man every weekend, but what bothered me was that every single conquest was given a nickname - The Cuddler, the Tongue, Mocha Man, etc. It was funny to start but once I got really into the novel I just kind of got tired of it. Part of that may be because I felt it took away from the main point of the novel which was Renee trying to find a man through online dating.

All that being said...I really liked the whole premise of the novel. The novel begins right after New Year's and an email from Mark where he tells Renee that he wants to try online dating but wants some moral support. Renee is going to be turning thirty this year so she thinks, why not? I liked that she met all kinds of guys on the site and seemed to get emails from every single type of guy. I could really feel her frustration at some points and could understand when she wanted to just throw in the towel. The dates were amusing to read about. This is one time that the email format of the book worked. I felt like I was another one of Renee's friends and she was filling me in on another of her dates from hell.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. It was a really fast and fun read. I would recommend it to any chick lit fans but would make sure they knew it was not a conventional novel. The email format may not be for everyone. I think you'll laugh out loud at quite a few parts and cringe right along with Renee.