Rating: 
Summary: Cute, but...
Review: I picked up this book for a little bit of light reading, and because it received so many good reviews. I thought that the book was cute, if not a little predictable. Also, I was a bit bothered by the whole "Ugly Duckling to Swan" aspect of it. All she did was lose some weight! I found it very shallow that the weight issue played such a huge (and exaggerated) role in this book. I knew ahead of time that the story was about an overweight woman and her revelations about herself, but after finishing the book, I saw no earth shattering revelations. Te basic theme here is that if you're slim, things turn out better for you, and people who never realized you existed before suddenly fall at your feet. A cute story overall, but shallow and unrealistic.
Rating: 
Summary: I liked this book
Review: I was told to read this book by several of my friends, who had to read it for a class as a reading requirement. I think they truly believe I will be like Jemima and end up meeting a man on the Internet and fall for him. I see this book is a sort-of take on Cinderella, with twists thrown in. The author makes a social statement with Jemima's transformation, and her new found attention because of her new thin appearance. This is her way of showing that society is too concerned with physical appearance than the true character of a person. And I'll admit, I'm a sucker for a happy ending.
Rating: 
Summary: I wish i could have given it a 10
Review: This book was soo good, i absolutly could not put it down. I have already read this like 3 times. Jemima is a good hearted person that is hidden behind an overweight body, and worked so hard to get to what she wanted to be. And then he treats her so badley, but then she ends up getting to be with Ben anyways. I absolutly loved it and i recommend this to you all!
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your time....
Review: I don't understand the hype of this pointless book. The places that should prove some sort of interest are rushed. I suppose the simple sentance structure and 3 hour read make it ideal for light reading. Personally, I'm mad that I wasted 3 hours of my day. Bring on good literature.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining read
Review: I picked this book up out of pure desperation. I was dying for something to read. As soon as I started reading I couldn't put the book down. It was mildly annoying how the author would switch tenses in the middle of a chapter and I am also not a big fan of British slang.
I think many people can relate to Jemima Jones. She wanted to hard to change something, she worked for it, got it but it wasn't as great as she planned it. It may be a little superficial but it is a lot of fun? Sure it isn't going to be the read of your life but it is definitely entertaining and helps to pass the time.
Rating: 
Summary: Even fantasy needs believability.
Review: Well, it has certainly been established here that this is a "love-it-or-hate-it" kind of book. :) My own feelings about Jemima J are not warm ones, but as other people here have enumerated, with much eloquence, the same problems that I had with the book (i.e. the condescending and snotty attitude toward the overweight, Jemima's unrealistic weight loss, Green's tendency to tell us that Jemima and Ben are smart and lovable, rather than show why they are smart and lovable), I will not dwell on them overmuch. What I do find distressing, though, are the number of positive reviews that dress down the negative reviewers for demanding too much of Jemima J. These reviews are peppered with phrases such as "It's just a fantasy," "It's just fiction," "This is a beach read, it's not Shakespeare/Milton/Anna Karenina," etc. I doubt that a single person who picked up Jemima J picked it up because s/he mistook it for Anna Karenina. This is a beach read, it is a sweet, lighthearted, confectionery read, or at least it is meant to be. Jane Green makes no bones about that, nor should she. We all know exactly what kind of story she meant to tell; the question is, did she succeed? If you loved the book, then yes, she did. If you hated it, then no, she didn't. I would hazard a guess that everyone who didn't like Jemima J, myself included, picked it up wanting to like it, wanting to read a fantasy about a goodhearted, underappreciated girl who gets all the good things she deserves in life. I know that I certainly wasn't looking for Milton, or Shakespeare. I was looking for a character I could root for, one who has an adventure and runs into trouble only to come through it a stronger, better person who lives happily ever after. Jemima Jones was not that character for me. Even though this is a fantasy, there needs to be at least some kernel of believability in the story to make the fantasy work. Again, if you loved this book, if you were caught up in the fantasy, then that's great - it worked. But if the fantasy doesn't work for you, then no amount of admonishments to "lighten up, it's only a book" will make it work. For me, that point came when Jemima loses 100 pounds in less than six months by a combination of starvation dieting and overexercise. Now, everyone's diet-and-exercise experience is different, and what works for one may not work for another. That said, when Green tells us that Jemima is able to switch overnight from overeating to a regime of no breakfast/plain lettuce & tomatoes for lunch/grilled chicken & veg for dinner; that Jemima goes from no physical activity to doubling her new workout regime within a single month; that she suffers no cravings, or lightheadedness, or hunger-induced headaches, or stretch marks from rapid weight loss; that she loses five to six pounds a week for four months; and that, despite this marvelous change in her appearance, she is not thin enough at Ben's farewell party for him to notice that she has lost 40 pounds in two months...well, that stretches the fantasy too far for me. Imagine that you are reading a story about a young girl who lives in a small town in Idaho. She has always dreamed of living in New York City. You know that she can live the dream if she believes in herself and tries to succeed. You know that one day she decides to go. So far, so good. But if the author then tells you that she drives from Idaho to New York in six hours, with no stops for gasoline, purely because she has the force of will to drive across country in six hours, would you still believe in her?
Rating:
Summary: Blah
Review: Althought his book was competley irrational and annoyingly steriotypical when it comes to looks and happiness, I did inspire me to go out and join a gym. I feel so much better about myself since i've started working out thanks to this book.
Rating:
Summary: Can't be overweight, have a guy and be happy
Review: I read the book during a 20 hour flight. I so wanted to know the ending so i kept reading... BUT what is the point of the book.
It seems like we are introduced to two women or two personalities in one woman. First, we are introduced to an overweight woman, who feels trapped in her body, is unhappy and wishes she could be thin- sound like a reality that many women can relate to...
Then, we ate introduced to a beautiful slim women who flies to the oh so glamorous Los Angels to be with the rich baywatch hunk she met online. Oh yeah of course men throw themselves at her as well... because she too now looks like a baywatch chic. After I was done reading the book I gave it between 3 and 4 stars. Then the more I thought of the story the less I liked it and was irritated by it
Her novel is typical at least that's how I felt. The message I got again was " Loss weight and you will get the guy and be happy but you can't be all three" By end of the book JJ is size 10 and "completely happy with her new look...and Jemoma Jones is no longer lonely..." What happened to losing weight to be healthy or feel good about oneself.
Beginning of the book was a good effort to show some insecurities women face but I felt it lacked the real ending...where JJ finds beauty within herself, excepts and love herself the way she is even if it meant being with no one.
Rating:
Summary: Good Light Reading!!
Review: O.K. So it doesn't have the most complicated, in-depth plot in the world. It may even be erranous or (very) unbelievable in some parts (Ok, a lot of parts). The best thing about this book? The fact that you can curl up and enjoy it without racking your brains to figure out twists in the plot (there are none). It is predictable with characters that will potentially grow on you. I read this book even though I believed it may be a wast of time. I enjoyed it so much I read it more then once. All in all? A fluffy but rather enjoyable book.
Rating:
Summary: It Is What It Is. So, Get Over It!
Review: People either love or hate this book. I love it because, although the plot is an exaggeration, I can relate to Jemima. Let's face it, all us girls want to be beautiful and we do everything in our power to make the best out of what we got. Come now, admit it. No matter how much we fight it, we all wish we could be a sexy fashion model/actress/rock star just for a day so that all the men can drool over us. Jemima gets to live that fantasy! How cool is that? The key word to remember here is "FANTASY". Another key word here is "FICTION". If you hate this book because it insults your intelligence or your feminism, chances are you're taking this book way too seriously. Reading is a form of entertainment you know. And you don't pick up a book of this genre because it's going to win the Pulitzer. Relax, enjoy and get lost in this fantasy of a woman who's dreams really do come true.
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