Summer Chick Lit

Nine Hot Reads for the Beach

By Rebecca Vnuk -- Library Journal, 6/1/2006

Get out your flip-flops, your sunscreen, and a nice big beach bag for the next crop of chick lit! Leave room next to your towel for a new short story collection perfect for the beach and, of course, the obligatory June wedding tales. Some old friends as well as a few debut authors round out this summer's offerings. Purchase titles based on the needs of your readership, although the starred titles deserve a place on all shelves.

Chicago interior designer Lily takes a job designing for Swap/Meet, a reality makeover TV show that pairs up singles looking for a new room and a new love interest. She thinks it's going to be simple and fun, but a half-wit host, a cranky but cute carpenter, and a diva designer make things difficult. When a playboy producer gets into the mix (and into Lily's bed), life becomes a lot more complicated. Self-proclaimed home improvement junkie and author Ballis (Sleeping Over; Inappropriate Men) has written a laugh-out-loud novel that will appeal to HGTV devotees as well as those who like their chick lit on the sexy side.

Delilah wakes up in bed with her boss. Why is that a problem, besides her having been fired just yesterday and her boss being kind of disgusting? Because it means she has now hit her self-imposed limit of sleeping with 20 men. Refusing to up her number, Delilah tracks down her previous 19 conquests, convinced that she has to make it work with one of them. As she begins a cross-country trek, she finds one in jail, one who has become a priest, and more than one who won't speak to her. Is Delilah doomed to a life of celibacy? Making her fiction debut, Bosnak, who first attracted attention when she solicited online donations to pay down her credit card debt (recounted in Save Karyn), writes with a keen eye for comedy. The result is absolutely hilarious. [New Line Cinema has acquired the movie rights.—Ed.]

Four divorced Boston women get back in the dating game. Jess had an affair and now wants to figure out what she truly wants from life. Nell's husband of 20 years has finally come out of the closet. Laura wanted children, but her husband did not—so now she's after P.F.M. (perfect father material). And Grace simply can't seem to get her ex off her couch and out of her life. Chamberlin (Living Single; Babyland) showcases four very different women looking for the same thing—happiness. For most chick lit and women's fiction collections.

Christian chick-lit authors Dayton and Vanderbilt (Emily Ever After) are back with Lily, who decides on a major life makeover. First, she trades her softball glove and jeans for fishnet stockings and flirting lessons. Then she starts writing an anonymous blog called Fashion Victim that gets picked up by the San Francisco Weekly but quickly becomes troubled when her editor spices up her columns without permission. Christian readers and fans of “good-girl” fiction will enjoy; those looking for fun and flirty chick lit should look elsewhere.

This follow-up to 2004's popular Girls' Night In features a stellar list of 25 hot chick-lit authors, including Marian Keyes, Meg Cabot, Emily Giffin, and Cecelia Ahern. In Keyes's “Wishing Carefully,” Kate realizes that she should have been more specific when wishing for a fairy-tale romance. Cabot's “Reunion” is a fun peek at a flurry of emails centered on a ten-year high school reunion. And in Giffin's “A Thing of Beauty,” Nina quits her job and breaks up with her boyfriend on the advice of her manicurist, who doubles as a numerologist. With barely a dud in the bunch, this anthology is perfect summer reading. [Net proceeds from the book's sales and a donation of $60,000 each will be made to the charitable organizations War Child and No Strings.—Ed.]

Emily tries to make a go of attending Columbia while pursing her dream of being a couture model. However, she learns that it's hard to juggle the books and bronzer at the same time. And leaving for a photo shoot in the Caribbean right before Finals Week is not the best way to get your grades up. Former model Hazelwood's debut is just right for fans of America's Next Top Model.

Cate was always the bridesmaid—four times in fact. Now that it's finally her turn, problems abound. Moving in together turns into a construction nightmare, her fiancé's ex-girlfriend is hanging around way too much, and mom won't stay out of the planning. Lyles (Always the Bridesmaid) has a knack for over-the-top characters and the absurd situations that arise with modern marriage. Sure to be a hit with the June brides.

Drama Queen Elle is back (Tales of a Drama Queen) with more problems than ever. Her illegal phone psychic business is floundering, her best friend won't let Elle plan the wedding, and a video of her in a dressing room is making the rounds on the Internet. What's a drama queen to do? Not a bad afternoon read, but not an essential purchase.

Isabel loves her job at a New York art gallery and can't wait for her promotion, but when the wealthy owner of the gallery dies suddenly, Isabel's life goes into a tailspin. She manages to make a horrible first impression on both her gorgeous new boss and the gallery's latest hot-shot artist. Meanwhile, her best guy friend is turning into a newspaper sensation—a male Carrie Bradshaw—with his article on using pickup lines, and her cousin, who once stole Izzy's boyfriend, is now stealing her dream wedding. A fun and frothy debut from a former Dial Press editor.

Rebecca Vnuk is currently Head of Adult Services, River Forest Public Library, IL. She reviews chick lit for Library Journal and wrote a collection development article on the topic, “Hip Lit for Hip Chicks,” LJ 7/05, p. 42–45