Review: Made for your summer reading list!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 24, 2011
This book starts off running and never quite stops. It's one misadventure after another, and just when you think it's all settling down, it starts right back up again. Julie spends quite a bit of the book pontificating inside her head, and these often ridiculous and sometimes insightful thoughts are what really make this book fun. Julie is a well-defined character who is easy to picture, and it's difficult not to like her in the same way you are fascinated by a train wreck. Spoiled and self-righteous, impulsive yet endearing,  she is definitely a fish out of water for most of this book. The other characters in the book were unique and interesting, but only the monkey felt somewhat three-dimensional to me. The rest were background noise- fun to watch, but not nearly as engaging as Julie and her pot-loving monkey friend.The author's writing style was perfectly suited to the "chick lit" genre, and this book is a prime example of brain candy at its finest (as I like to think of chick lit). Aptly described in the blurb as "Romancing the Stone meets Survivor," the action rarely stops long enough to let Julie breathe (let alone bathe), and each event somehow seems logical in the course of the book, however ridiculous it looks in retrospect. I really liked the way a certain situation (no spoiler here!) was heavily hinted at in the end, but never spoken aloud. Of course the reader instantly knew what was going on, but the fact that Julie hadn't figured it out made the ending sweeter.If you are looking for a serious, literary read, this one may not be for you. If you're looking for a fun book to take to the pool or to read outside while sunbathing, look no further. This book never takes itself too seriously, and the minor flaws become forgivable in the overall picture. The end result is a book that's a lot of fun, and isn't that one of the major reasons we read fiction?full review @ gracekrispy.com MotherLode book reviews