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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
I was soooo disappointed by this book....which is ironic, because it is chick lit and I don't expect a lot from chick lit ( I am not insulting chick lit as a whole per se, but I find that often chick lit is formulaic.) I had hopes that this would be fun--- and reference some fun "dirty books"....but argh! Doesn't anyone do research anymore!!??
This is the story of MJ (why do names have to be explained and 'cute' in chick lit!!??) and how her life is falling apart. She does not get the promotion she expects, so she runs off to CA to live with her amazing boyfriend...while she hides under the covers and refuses to acknowledge her world and try to fix it (basically, a strong, motivated woman ALL of a sudden needs her boyfriend to get through the day). While there she befriends her neighbor who leaves her a key to a club--- and then disappears to Paris. This club is "Dirty Book Club" and she is signed up with 3 other women she barely knows.... It's all a shaky premises for a book that is supposed to have the read in love...etc. And dirty? Please. 50 Shades...and a bunch of other books I'd heard of...it was all referenced, never scandalous.
This book was 1/2 assed.
1) The premise...the idea of these women that gathered together in the 60s(?) to talk about their home situations and also find friendship is much more interesting and not contrived--- the actual book is about 4 women who are forced into a group to mingle and read. They don't like each other--- and they don't share a love for reading.
2) Dirty Book Club? Hmm...only the titles of the books are risque. There is no "dirty". AND to top it off, they don't even read the books.
3) MJ's boyfriend, plans a trip to Indonesia to go surfing. Ironically, I was in Indonesia reading this book...and was completely floored about the author's decision to send him there of all places. She sends him to Java (Jawa) an island no really known for surfing....to go surfing....and then at one point when MJ is considering going with him mentions while he is surfing, she can explore Jakarta and its temples....Jakarta is not a city to really explore (traffic!), nor is it known for its temples. How hard is it to do some research!!??? She could have chosen the island of Bali or Lombok and this would have worked....not Jakarta. Grrrr.
4) Really....a motivated woman can't cope once she is near her boyfriend and needs him to survive? Whatever.
Writing this just boils my blood....so,
Read? No. There is much better chick lit out there. This one is not it.
This is the story of MJ (why do names have to be explained and 'cute' in chick lit!!??) and how her life is falling apart. She does not get the promotion she expects, so she runs off to CA to live with her amazing boyfriend...while she hides under the covers and refuses to acknowledge her world and try to fix it (basically, a strong, motivated woman ALL of a sudden needs her boyfriend to get through the day). While there she befriends her neighbor who leaves her a key to a club--- and then disappears to Paris. This club is "Dirty Book Club" and she is signed up with 3 other women she barely knows.... It's all a shaky premises for a book that is supposed to have the read in love...etc. And dirty? Please. 50 Shades...and a bunch of other books I'd heard of...it was all referenced, never scandalous.
This book was 1/2 assed.
1) The premise...the idea of these women that gathered together in the 60s(?) to talk about their home situations and also find friendship is much more interesting and not contrived--- the actual book is about 4 women who are forced into a group to mingle and read. They don't like each other--- and they don't share a love for reading.
2) Dirty Book Club? Hmm...only the titles of the books are risque. There is no "dirty". AND to top it off, they don't even read the books.
3) MJ's boyfriend, plans a trip to Indonesia to go surfing. Ironically, I was in Indonesia reading this book...and was completely floored about the author's decision to send him there of all places. She sends him to Java (Jawa) an island no really known for surfing....to go surfing....and then at one point when MJ is considering going with him mentions while he is surfing, she can explore Jakarta and its temples....Jakarta is not a city to really explore (traffic!), nor is it known for its temples. How hard is it to do some research!!??? She could have chosen the island of Bali or Lombok and this would have worked....not Jakarta. Grrrr.
4) Really....a motivated woman can't cope once she is near her boyfriend and needs him to survive? Whatever.
Writing this just boils my blood....so,
Read? No. There is much better chick lit out there. This one is not it.
Lighthearted, funny, and a tale a true friendship. Really enjoyed this one!
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received an ARC of The Dirty Book Club from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Though the title may turn some away, or draw others to it as it were, for very different reasons, there is nothing "dirty" about this book. It's a book about female friendship: its purpose, its benefit, and its place within a very male-centric world.
M.J. is at an impasse after an expected promotion takes an unexpected turn. Feeling lost and confused, and still emotionally reeling from familial tragedy, she decides to put her career/life on hold and move in with her, to that point, long-distance boyfriend, Dan. He's recently purchased a quaint little beach cottage in Southern California, and is setting down roots.
When M.J.'s promotion goes south, Dan is more than happy to whisk M.J. away from her now unfulfilling life, and help her fix whatever is still broken within her troubled psyche.
Not long after arriving in Cali, M.J. befriends an elderly woman named Gloria.
Unbeknownst to M.J., that meeting will become the catalyst for her discovering who she is, what she's made of, and what she wants.
Each character in this book is central to what makes the story Lisi Harrison weaves work so well: Addie is the free-spirit who's looking for a place to land. Jules is the do-gooder, with the big heart, whose desire to do the right thing gets in the way of her seeing things as they are. Britt is the most seemingly "put together", but she's struggling to figure out how to navigate her inner Superwoman without succumbing to life's plethora of kryptonite.
All of them come together to form a bond that seems unlikely from the start, but totally believable given the circumstances.
It's a quick, delightful, read with plenty of humor to break up the emotional angst, and unavoidable drama, but it's also a book that speaks to the power of friendship--no matter where, or how, you find it.
Though the title may turn some away, or draw others to it as it were, for very different reasons, there is nothing "dirty" about this book. It's a book about female friendship: its purpose, its benefit, and its place within a very male-centric world.
M.J. is at an impasse after an expected promotion takes an unexpected turn. Feeling lost and confused, and still emotionally reeling from familial tragedy, she decides to put her career/life on hold and move in with her, to that point, long-distance boyfriend, Dan. He's recently purchased a quaint little beach cottage in Southern California, and is setting down roots.
When M.J.'s promotion goes south, Dan is more than happy to whisk M.J. away from her now unfulfilling life, and help her fix whatever is still broken within her troubled psyche.
Not long after arriving in Cali, M.J. befriends an elderly woman named Gloria.
Unbeknownst to M.J., that meeting will become the catalyst for her discovering who she is, what she's made of, and what she wants.
Each character in this book is central to what makes the story Lisi Harrison weaves work so well: Addie is the free-spirit who's looking for a place to land. Jules is the do-gooder, with the big heart, whose desire to do the right thing gets in the way of her seeing things as they are. Britt is the most seemingly "put together", but she's struggling to figure out how to navigate her inner Superwoman without succumbing to life's plethora of kryptonite.
All of them come together to form a bond that seems unlikely from the start, but totally believable given the circumstances.
It's a quick, delightful, read with plenty of humor to break up the emotional angst, and unavoidable drama, but it's also a book that speaks to the power of friendship--no matter where, or how, you find it.
This is a book that I definitely bought straight based off the title and was so surprised by the content. So, contrary to the title, it actually doesn't talk about dirty books that much. Pretty sure I bought this book around the time that 50 Shades of Gray was really popular (never read it myself but had many friends who did and that was enough for me) and I thought it would be a little something like listening to my friends talk about the "dirty" books they read.
I was very pleasantly surprised to find that this book is focused more on friendships between women, focusing on connecting women from different backgrounds and responsibilities and personalities through a book club that encourages them to own and explore their own sexuality and take ownership of their pleasure. There's overlap between the original book club and the newest inheritors in the form of letters that the OG book club wrote after picking the books, and it was a great way to show that while times change, how women relate and respond to their relationships, society, and other women doesn't ever really change. I was rooting for each woman as they learned more about themselves and learned how to be part of a community, even though none of them had had been super excited about the club. Each of them were picked with intentionality by the OG members, even if our main character was picked after only a few days of conversation.
This slice of life women's fiction is one of the best books I've read this year just for the simplicity and realism of the situations and relationships. It makes me want to form a pact with my friends from high school and start a book club with them. It reminds me of the power of having a supportive community of women to confide in and also support and encourage and how much I love my friends. It's also going to be a good that I shove into as many people's hands on possible because I think more women need to read this. I've already convince one person; hopefully the next person to read this review will be another person. Happy reading, and I'll see you in Paris! (though I'd personally pick Greece or something. We'll talk about it at the next Dirty Book Club meeting on the full moon.)
I was very pleasantly surprised to find that this book is focused more on friendships between women, focusing on connecting women from different backgrounds and responsibilities and personalities through a book club that encourages them to own and explore their own sexuality and take ownership of their pleasure. There's overlap between the original book club and the newest inheritors in the form of letters that the OG book club wrote after picking the books, and it was a great way to show that while times change, how women relate and respond to their relationships, society, and other women doesn't ever really change. I was rooting for each woman as they learned more about themselves and learned how to be part of a community, even though none of them had had been super excited about the club. Each of them were picked with intentionality by the OG members, even if our main character was picked after only a few days of conversation.
This slice of life women's fiction is one of the best books I've read this year just for the simplicity and realism of the situations and relationships. It makes me want to form a pact with my friends from high school and start a book club with them. It reminds me of the power of having a supportive community of women to confide in and also support and encourage and how much I love my friends. It's also going to be a good that I shove into as many people's hands on possible because I think more women need to read this. I've already convince one person; hopefully the next person to read this review will be another person. Happy reading, and I'll see you in Paris! (though I'd personally pick Greece or something. We'll talk about it at the next Dirty Book Club meeting on the full moon.)
ugh, what can I say. The book started out nicely, but then it ended up a quagmire of female personalities, some who were unlikable. I plugged away to the end with no great revelation. I think Harrison wanted to show "strong" women, but meh....
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Oh my goddess I loved everything about this book!!!!!!!!!!!! I won this in a goodreads giveaway and I am so happy - I saw the title and immediately knew that I needed to read this book and odds are that I would love it.
It was very character based though I wish it was more alternating POV between the 4 instead of just MJ driven though in the end it makes sense as to why that was the case so no points off for that aspect but I wish I could have got into the other characters heads too not just one.
Being a 32 year old recently married individual - this book was quite entertaining and wowza .. an eye opener for those married a long time/having issues - I just literally reading this book and just squealing out loud or going oh my god!!!! my husband sitting next to me looking at me like I'm crazy, yes, yes I am. I really wish it didn't end and this is a definite re-read for me. I'll be recommending it for everyone - I'm going to lend it to my mom too because, well, I just think she'll like it ha!
It was very character based though I wish it was more alternating POV between the 4 instead of just MJ driven though in the end it makes sense as to why that was the case so no points off for that aspect but I wish I could have got into the other characters heads too not just one.
Being a 32 year old recently married individual - this book was quite entertaining and wowza .. an eye opener for those married a long time/having issues - I just literally reading this book and just squealing out loud or going oh my god!!!! my husband sitting next to me looking at me like I'm crazy, yes, yes I am. I really wish it didn't end and this is a definite re-read for me. I'll be recommending it for everyone - I'm going to lend it to my mom too because, well, I just think she'll like it ha!
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes