In whichever angle, this is definitely not The Book for guys. xDIt is, however, the perfect mirror for women. Everything about this book is just silly girlish. I swear if it isn't about anything a woman undergoes through then I'm not sure I'm a woman myself. By that, I mean EXes, soon-to-be-boyfriends, fiancees, and girl bestfriends combined with life and conflict rolled into a single book of pure and non-stop gossip. Top that. As a matter of fact, I unexpectedly liked it. Meg Cabot - the very same author of The Princess Diaries - has reflected through her story the daily thoughts of women and their opinions on anything, literally. The story, from beginning to end, was actually told through - get this - through a series of email messages, voice mails, journal pages, job memos, letters, receipts, and other random written statements exchanged along the course by the different characters. I was amused how the author has played a story so well without sticking to the traditional point-of-view manner of telling it. It was amazing - how she did that, I mean. Characters talk via email, text messages, chat boxes, and whatnot, but you actually catch the story. It might take time getting used to, yes, but sooner or later you'll get the hang of it.And well, I wouldn't have applauded and praised her fantastic skills if it was just the execution of the storyline. There's more to that. The characters were all sooo well-defined and very carefully developed that you really distinguish who they are and their personalities by the way their dialogues were written. You could actually "hear" them utter the words. How genius is that?The plot is ever so SIMPLE and STRAIGHT TO THE POINT but the author has made it interesting enough to hold the reader's attention. I may have to admit it isn't that exciting during the first part, but what the heck. I have reached the succeeding pages and couldn't put the freaking book down. It could've been the humorous lines that tickled the heart, I guess. This book goes along with that chicklit list!So ladies and damsels in distress, this might be especially written just for you. Meet the tough soulless lawyer who turns out to be the complete-utter-fool-of-a-woman's knight in shining armor. Feel like that girl to be rescued by this sarcastically sweet and good-looking man with that rescue complex you just couldn't resist. I may sound waaay overreacting now, but wait til you read the book and find out for yourself. :p
Cute, sorta bitter sweet ending...fast read, loaded with drama, but not your petty 'he said, she said' drama that I normally go such distances to avoid. It was sort of cliché, the whole way that Kate and Mitchel met, and fell in love, but hey...Cabot made it a bit more realistic than SOME romance books, and as a bonus, it wasn't paranormal ick-mance, so I was ok with it, actually.THE CHARACTERSKate MackenzieAll her characters are sort of sounding the same. Innocent, gets wrapped up in stuff that they didn't want to be in, and grabs the attention of the unlikely other special someone. I have read countless books like that, such as 'The Guy Next Door,' which is almost the exact same plot, only takes place in an apartment--never mind, reviewing this book, not that one.Jen SadlerAs far as (office) heroines go, she played her part well. Definitely my favorite character, she reminds me of myself. I totally would have gone the lengths she did to help her friend out, though I totally think she should have stepped up earlier. Anyways, her personality is upbeat and fresh, and I enjoyed reading her emails and ideas.Mitchel HertzogHmm, Mitchy-boy. Wasn't quite what I expected, though he has a hero complex that all her characters from all her books seem to deal with. Not that I am complaining...actually, I am. You'd think that writers these days would come up with more....original, men characters, but again, men ARE all the same, aren't they? His heart was in the good place, and considering he had his weird half good, half bad family at his back the entire time, he handled himself and his new love interest pretty well. Despite getting her fired.Also, Hertzog? As far as original names go...well done.Amy JenkinsBee with an Itch. That's all.Stuart Hertzog.See Amy Jenkins.Plot line was fresh, fast read, though very predictable. But makes for a good rainy day read.
What do You think about Boy Meets Girl (2004)?
OH MY GOSH!! I'm still hyperventilating from laughing so hard. Seriously, I was reading this at school and probably looked like an idiot, cackling into my "math notes". The whole book is written in emails, IM's, and other correspondences. I loved it. I've only read one other book written like that, but that was a while ago, so this was quite refreshing. Kate was adorable, the little spaz. And Mitch... I think I love him. Actually, I know I do! The book was cute, funny, and dealt with the issues people have within relationships, be it family, friends, or "signigicant others", all while remaining hysterical! I read it in less than a day, and am going to chuck it at my besties to read as soon as I get to school tomorrow!! I've just recently started reading more Cabot (I know *gasp*!), but so far I love love love, and will be on the hunt at the library for more!!!Definitely a fav. 5-stars! *****
—Rachel
As a fan of Meg Cabot, I know that her books can be funny at times, but I was surprised at the number of times I actually laughed out loud while reading this book.Although this is definitely a stand-alone book, I did appreciate the return of several characters from Boy Next Door in minor roles as well as the chance to see just how vile Amy Johnson (unlike most of the HR professionals I know) really is.I also appreciated the diary entries (some of which were very creatively written between the lines of other handy documents), IM & voicemail transcripts, letters, & PNG notices in addition to the main narrative of email messages between characters. I think that this made the book a bit more interesting and well-rounded than Boy Next Door.Once again, a great light book to read through quickly. If we had real beaches where I live (and I didn't sunburn quite so easily) I would definitely recommend this book as a must to pack in your beach bag.
—Anne
This book left me in a really good mood. It was a light hearted, fun and entertaining romantic comedy that had me laughing out loud several times. It is the first book I have read that is written entirely in the form of emails, journal entries, receipts, instant messaging, menus, memos, dispositions and receipts and I was suprised at how well it worked. The story was easy to follow and it didn't lack details despite it's format. This book had a huge cast of characters. Sometimes when there are so many it can get a bit confusing but because of the way it was set out it worked well and didn't take me long to sort out who was who. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to people who are looking for a quick, light read that will cheer up your mood.
—Nic
