Confessions Of An Ex-Girlfriend (2002) - Plot & Excerpts
Confessions Of An Ex-Girlfriend is one woman’s journey to find meaning in the end of her two year relationship when the man she loves accepts a job in L.A. and leaves New York and her behind. Emma struggles through most of this book living a very dysfunctional life. She is stuck in a boring job at a bridal magazine writing articles that are intended to sell the institute of marriage and all its glitz and glitter to brides to be. Emma’s mother is preparing to get married for the third time and wants Emma’s help and expertise with the planning. Emma has not told her parents about her change in relationship status. Emma’s father is lawsuit happy and may or may not have fallen off the wagon (again). She desperately needs highlights, but her hairdresser can only make time for his spiritual lessons and his guru. Her unwanted single status forces Emma to take a long, hard look in the mirror and acknowledge some facts (no matter how painful) about being single once again.Even though Emma knew from their first date that her boyfriend would move to L.A. as soon as he sold a screenplay, that event did not happen for two years, in which time Emma got completely comfortable in the relationship and put it out of her mind. Why do we ignore these glaringly obvious relationship red flags? How do Emma and the rest of us develop relationship amnesia and completely forget these events and then walk around like the walking wounded wondering what happened? One thing that annoyed me about Emma is that she spends several pages pining for this jerk instead of getting angry. I felt she should have gotten angry a lot sooner. Two years spent in a relationship, regardless of the red flags at the beginning, is a long time. The last thing I want to see is Emma feeling sorry for herself, while sitting by the phone on the chance that he might call. When Emma finally does get angry and lets him know it, I was cheering. Let him have it, Emma. Rip him a new one. I really liked Emma’s best friends, Alyssa and Jade. Where Alyssa is sweet and kind and in a committed relationship, Jade is the complete polar opposite. Jade is anti-relationship where Alyssa is living with her boyfriend. Emma fits perfectly in the middle between them. I was amazed how these three different women could be such good friends, but they are and it works. In the early days of Emma’s singleness, Alyssa and Jade both play a vital role in helping Emma reinvent herself. I also liked that Emma wasn’t afraid to throw herself back in the dating pool, no matter how scary it was or unprepared she was. I loved that Emma does not strike gold right away either. I really enjoy a story that is realistic and having Emma start dating after a long term relationship and find Mr. Perfect on her first attempt would not have been believable for me as a reader. Whether we’re ex-girlfriends or supportive shoulders to friends going through it, this is a good story that will appeal regardless of the situation. Fans of chick-lit and romance will appreciate how Emma comes out of her ordeal willing to take chances without losing her romantic side or becoming bitter.
We all can relate to the main character. Nearly everyone of us has at one point or another suffered a break-up. I absolutely LOVE chick lit novels but this one was just Mediocre for me. I neither loved it nor hated it. Chick Lit novels are usually brainless reads so I was expecting that much from it, but this book lacked any additional substance. It was a light, breezy read but left nothing to remember it by. This is a book I would recommend for a break after reading an intense thriller or mystery when your head needs a break and you want to clear your mind from the intensity of your last novel.
What do You think about Confessions Of An Ex-Girlfriend (2002)?
Although I like chicklits, I didn't really like this one. Maybe it is because of the nagging main character Emma. She is always complaining that she is overweight and that is the reason why nobody wants her. Is it really so difficult to make a main character which may be overweight but is happy with herself??? Like really, 5 kilo, or 10, will not make a guy run away.... Is it really then that every girl starts panicking because is a bit overweight? I'm not, and the last time I checked, I was a girl..And she is constantly nagging about the fact that Derrick left her. She cannot let it go. Also she has a bit to wild imagination. When she has a date or met somebody she likes, she starts imagining her life with them.. Although I really hate this, the story itself is quite okay. I will not recommend this book to somebody else as there are far better chicklits.
—Inge (Inge1990)
This story of life after a relationship was amusing, sad, and in some areas heart warming. I give it a 3 star mainly because of the pacing. It felt almost as if the author realized she was on a deadline and breezed over the wedding of her mother and the new relationship she developed at the end with Griffin. And yet in the beginning,middle, and near end of the book she went into gory detail of everything else. She brushed over the happy portions/story with barely any detail what so ever. And tha
—Kana
