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ultimatekate's review against another edition
3.0
Like most of Weiner's novels, this one featured interesting and well-developed characters. The novel brings us back to Cannie, who was the heroine of "Good In Bed." It's twelve years later, and she's living happily with her husband Peter and her daughter Joy. She wrote a novel called "Big Girls Don't Cry" about her experiences, but switched her focus to science fiction after she realized that fame isn't all it's cracked up to be. Joy finds out about the novel and starts questioning a lot about her life--Did her parents even want her? Why doesn't she have a relationship with her grandfather? Why is her mom so weird?
The novel is told from both points of view, which is one of the things I really like about Weiner's writing. I think she does a good job getting into her character's heads and making them believable and relatable. There were times when I thought to myself, "Jeez, Cannie, Joy is right. Chill!" And there were other times when I wanted to smack Joy in the face and tell her that that uber-cool girl Amber didn't really like her and she shouldn't abandon her boyfriend. My issue with this book--which is kind of my issue with her fiction in general--is the huge twist ending. It felt forced. And, to be honest, I didn't like it. I thought it was just a little too much and that the novel was great when it was about the mother-daughter relationship. Why add additional drama?
The novel is told from both points of view, which is one of the things I really like about Weiner's writing. I think she does a good job getting into her character's heads and making them believable and relatable. There were times when I thought to myself, "Jeez, Cannie, Joy is right. Chill!" And there were other times when I wanted to smack Joy in the face and tell her that that uber-cool girl Amber didn't really like her and she shouldn't abandon her boyfriend. My issue with this book--which is kind of my issue with her fiction in general--is the huge twist ending. It felt forced. And, to be honest, I didn't like it. I thought it was just a little too much and that the novel was great when it was about the mother-daughter relationship. Why add additional drama?
allisondenae's review against another edition
5.0
Weiner is my favorite author, and she really out-did herself with this one. She explores the mother-daughter relationship, adolescent angst, adoption, tragedy....very powerful and interesting book. I cried. A lot.
aubrey_the_explorer's review against another edition
4.0
I took a break from reading Jennifer's books for what feels like too long. This was an enjoyable read, of a nice length. I really enjoyed that story being told from both the mother and daughter's perspectives. It had several unexpected plot twists.
emerygirl's review against another edition
3.0
I was in a hurry and randomly plucked this book for the library shelf. The cover looked like a "chick-lit" book to me and so I thought I would give it a try. I didn't love it, but I liked it it. I loved the literary writing style of having each chapter written in a different first person (sort of Jodi Picalout-esque) and I loved the differences between the mom's perspective and the daugthers perspective. I thought the tragedy at the end could have been done without (it just added more more dramatic event that wasn't necessary in my opinion). But I liked it.
Update Feb 2013-- I didn't realize the first time I read this book that it was a sequel. Having read the first book the second book now makes much more sense, however it is definitely not as good as the first in the series.
Update Feb 2013-- I didn't realize the first time I read this book that it was a sequel. Having read the first book the second book now makes much more sense, however it is definitely not as good as the first in the series.
rwbb43's review against another edition
5.0
Sequel to Good in Bed. I really enjoyed the mother/daughter dynamic. Maybe too close to home?
erkadahl's review against another edition
3.0
Based on the mixed reviews of this book I wasn't sure what to expect, but I wound up liking it more than I expected. The only reason I give it 3 instead of 4 stars is due to the ending. Not what I would have expected and just kind of left me unsure.
austinreg's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kitsuneheart's review against another edition
3.0
No, fuck you!
Fuck!
Okay, look, this entire review is going under the spoiler tag, because there's no way I can do this in a way that isn't going to ruin everything. So here.
THIS BOOK.
Because Weiner does not do us the justice of killing off pops early on. Oh no. We get this long, tense book about overcoming your past relationships and taking on the responsibilities of being a step-parent and going through all the drama of pursing IVF, and then Weiner is like “btw, he ded, and also, he daddy.” WHY? What did that ADD to this book? You had a perfectly good plot going about a child learning the true nature of their conception and a family coming together through tense emotions to make themselves new again, and then SIKE! Now it's a story about being a widow, and there's only, like, 10 pages left! Woot!
I just. I can't. And the worse part is, I can't bring myself to knock it down any further stars, because I was GENIUNELY enjoying the story, up to that point! Weiner did a great job of bringing us back into “Good In Bed,” and it all felt so natural. She had perfect plots and likable characters and great humor, and at the end she just SMASHES YOUR FACE INTO IT AND ASKS IF THAT FEELS NICE
So, in conclusion, this book fits in with the tone of “Good In Bed,” but “Good In Bed” fans are going to throw it into the wall. The end.
Fuck!
Okay, look, this entire review is going under the spoiler tag, because there's no way I can do this in a way that isn't going to ruin everything. So here.
Spoiler
This is the THIRD DAMN SEQUEL THIS YEAR I'VE READ WHICH DECIDES THEY NEED TO KILL OFF THE LOVING HUSBAND AND FATHER. WHAT THE HELL??? At first, it was the newest Bridget Jones book, and I was irritated, but not heartbroken. I mean, Mr. Darcy was a great guy, but the characters hadn't stuck with me for so long, and having a book entirely about coming to terms with widowhood and your kids growing up was fine. Then the newest Princess Diaries book was like, btw, gonna hook Mia's parents back up, got to kill off Mr. G so mummy is a swinging single again, and I was aghast. And then...this book.THIS BOOK.
Because Weiner does not do us the justice of killing off pops early on. Oh no. We get this long, tense book about overcoming your past relationships and taking on the responsibilities of being a step-parent and going through all the drama of pursing IVF, and then Weiner is like “btw, he ded, and also, he daddy.” WHY? What did that ADD to this book? You had a perfectly good plot going about a child learning the true nature of their conception and a family coming together through tense emotions to make themselves new again, and then SIKE! Now it's a story about being a widow, and there's only, like, 10 pages left! Woot!
I just. I can't. And the worse part is, I can't bring myself to knock it down any further stars, because I was GENIUNELY enjoying the story, up to that point! Weiner did a great job of bringing us back into “Good In Bed,” and it all felt so natural. She had perfect plots and likable characters and great humor, and at the end she just SMASHES YOUR FACE INTO IT AND ASKS IF THAT FEELS NICE
gfox's review against another edition
2.0
I really enjoyed Good in Bed back when i first read it. So much so that i reread it several times, in fact! So I had anticipated its sequel with great excitement, to say the least. Unfortunately it fell very short for me, mostly because of the terrible, terrible ending. I mean, can we say unnecessary? I actually did enjoy the first two-thirds or so, finding the relationship between mother and daughter touchingly realistic... but that ending really soured things for me.
catymart83's review against another edition
3.0
I loved "Good in Bed" so I was excited about this sequel; but I am disappointed in its execution. While I loved the first half of the book, the ending was really poorly done. I don't know if the author Jennifer Weiner was trying to create a more "literary" novel but it just didn't work for me. This is chick lit-not high literature so I expect a happy ending darn it! Especially with such a great heroine as Cannie Shapiro. All in all it was o.k. I really loved the Tamsin character though-a geek girl after my own heart.