BOOK REVIEW: The Undiscovered Goddess by Michelle Colston

 Who knew a Cosmo quiz and a bottle of wine could change a woman’s life?
Holly, housewife and frazzled mother of three, is determined to discredit the lackluster result of a Cosmopolitan magazine quiz. After buying a workbook geared toward helping her find her inner goddess, Holly sets off on a year of self-discovery, journaling through each exercise as she goes. Facing inner demons, yoga, an explosive colon cleanse and REALLY spicy curry, the lessons are hard on her emotions, not to mention her digestive system. But does she succeed in the end? Beyond the superficial, what important lesson does Holly’s inner goddess have the power to teach her…and what can Holly teach you - goodreads


(received by netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

I requested this book based on the cover alone. It spoke to me. Then because it seemed like a pretty good read based on the synopsis- I mean, who doesn't like Cosmo?

That being said I give this book 3.5 stars, almost a 4.

When I first started reading I have to admit I was very confused. Was this a self-help book?  Did they mislead me? So I had to keep reading the synopsis to make sure I wasn't crazy (in this instance at least). I found out that it wasn't and after a few chapters the novel got out of reading like one.

 Then I started to really enjoy it.

Holly is a character that anyone can relate too. She is a frazzled stay-at-home mom, who has been trying to do some soul searching, as is evident with her obsession of buying self-help books. ENTER the Undiscovered Goddess.   Holly goes through each chapter of the book, trying out and writing about the obstacles she faces. She is fully sarcastic, drinks a lot, tried out ridiculous cleanses and fads (basically is me minus the kids) which is translated in her journal entries.  

So while it is not a self-help book per se, you could definitely use it as one. And maybe because it is written in a chick-lit (I know...I know... that term) you will find it helpful. As I was reading through each step that Holly was presented with, I kept thinking about how I would attack each part, making me want to find my inner goddess as well.  I do recommend it for anyone looking for a quick, funny read. Or anyone who needs a little help disovering their inner goddess without buying a real self-help book.

 Also, this book made me realize I really need to get back into yoga. I only really started last year for a couple months. Then stopped ( I blame Christmas). However, I remember the complete zen feeling I had while doing it.

BOOK REVIEW: It's About Your Husband by Lauren Lipton

This was a cute summer chick-lit read.  It had its funny moments and also the ‘yup, I would say the exact same thing if I was in the same situation’ moments. 

Basically Iris Hedge is a recently separated (in the process of getting divorced) women living in New York, where she moved to work in her dream job. However, that dream job is short lasted and she quickly becomes unemployed. While meeting with her only friend in NYC Val, Vickie -Val’s twin sister happens to be there as well, complaining of her possibly-cheating husband, Steve. Vickie ends up wanting to hire Iris to follow and spy on her husband to confirm or deny the accusations. Iris, being poor enough agrees.

Iris screws up royally and actually meets Steve after a series of unfortunate events.  Steve, obviously is taken aback and upset about the situation. However, instead of flaking off, Steve decides to help Iris by giving marriage tips that she can pass on to his crazy wife. Some of the tips were things that everyone can take into consideration with marriage; such as don’t emasculate, be nice to each other, if the guy isn’t saying anything maybe he just needs time to decompress and is not secretly having a shit of a day.

New York also played a character in the book. She had the internal debate of staying in this new fangled city with no friends and no job, or to go back to LA and try and make her marraige work, with a job gauranteed.  I find it ironic in a sense that she is trying so hard to try and save other people's marraiges yet, hers fell apart and she didn't feel the need to work on it. I get it, some things just end and you don't know why. But still... maybe take her (or Steve') advice.

I like the twist that happened in the end.  I thought something like this would happen while reading it- and I’m glad it did. So,. For a first novel Lauren did great.

3.5-4 stars for and easy, chick-lit read. Nothing sensational but you get exactly what you want from the genre.

BOOK REVIEW: Staying At Daisy's by Jill Mansell

 

I bought downloaded all of Jill Mansell’s book one day because she kept coming up in my Goodreads recommendation panel. And well, why not. I do love chick-lit books. They are the perfect easy read for the days where you want to read something but don’t want to think.

Synopsis:Daisy manages the hotel in a small quaint village in England in which her exceedingly cool dad Hector owns, when a wedding comes into the hotel. This wedding is of Dominic, whose ex- Tara-  just happens to work in the hotel and is Daisy’s best friend (oooh look at all the connections already!). Sparks reignite between Tara and Dominic. Daisy and Dev (Dominic’s best man) have some issues as well, but Daisy is also trying to start things up with her best friend Josh again.  

Confused yet? Staying at Daisy’s had a lot of sub-stories going on; while it wasn’t hard to follow each story line. But they all flowed into the bigger picture. It was easy to like the characters in this book. Jill Mansell developed them in a way that you  felt connected to them. I love Hector. He seemed like the coolest dad. Josh was a great character to. What girl wouldn’t fall in love with him?

I give it 3 stars, The typical British chick lit book.  Nothing special but it filled my chick-lit quota for the week. I know this isn’t the best review, but with all the sub-stories going on I find it hard to give a good synopsis without spoiling anything and how they are interconnected.