Review: Good first effort, real chick lit!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 29, 2013
Okay, I'm a guy, so maybe I shouldn't be leaving a review.  But I've read other chick lit books, and some are great!The writing is clever and designed to pull you in.  There are layers of emotion conveyed by each character.  We are drawn in to how they think, act, and behave for themselves and toward others.I felt the characters were somewhat self-absorbed and narcissistic.  True, in a romance book, the ultimate aim is self-satisfaction and love for the other, but in this book I felt that the characters could have had a more realistic grounding in the everyday tedium of life.  Such as family obligations, college marks, sports teams, and just hanging out with friends and enjoying their company. (they're all in this book, just not at length).For example, in Slammed by Colleen Hoover, which is a GREAT chick lit book, the boyfriend had a job teaching high school, and they both had to deal with loss of parents and caring for younger siblings.  They also had a intriguing hobby, writing and acting out poetry.  Here in this book, I felt the main characters were constantly on a quest for hedonism.  Parties were quite common and there is a lot of flirting going on between guys and gals.  A lot of the conversations in the book are centered on guys.My favourite part of the book was when Wes, the boyfriend, meets Brookelyn's parents and has to pass their "tests" in order to gain approval.  That part felt realistic, down to earth, and warmly conveyed.The author writes well.  It is just that the story would have had some other angle to it that would have grabbed my rapt interest.  I have no doubt that this author will come up with one soon!