Rating: 
Summary: Riotously funny!
Review: An absolutely delightful story that most women will relate to... characters are totally charming, and storyline moves VERY quickly. Read these nearly 400 pages in two days! Jane Green, please write more!
Rating: 
Summary: Slightly entertaining
Review: I emphasize the word "slightly". This book was very poorly written, and I am a bit offended that this woman can be published but many other writers who great exceed her are snubbed. The book itself is offensive in that Ben only finds her attractive after she loses weight. That may be realistic, which is unfortunate, but it shouldnt' be treated as acceptable. Also the portrayal of a "fat chick" as stuffing her face with bacon sandwiches and washing it down with candy bars is naive at best. The author needs to stick to the old saying of "write what you know".
Rating:
Summary: I am embarrassed to admit I liked this book.....
Review: This novel had a lot of plot-holes, but it definitely kept my interest. It's a bit like a trashy soap opera......you groan at the license the writer takes with the characters and plot, but you can't wait to find out what happens next. I read it at a time when I was struggling to overcome a few of my own hurdles, and I found it to be inspiring in its own funny way. Not good literature, but good fun.
Rating: 
Summary: Fluffy but hugely worthwhile read
Review: While this book is not a huge literary masterpiece, it is a greatly enjoyable read. Read it last summer and am planning to do so again this summer, very funny, very light and I really related to the characters.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT EVEN A GOOD BEACH READ
Review: Let me just say "I'm sorry" in advance, because I know people hate negative reviews... but I must be honest! I felt this book wasn't worth my time or money. My main problems with it: 1) The author keeps switching from 1st person to 3rd person point of view. This meant that HulaHead had to keep rereading passages so she could figure out who was narrating and why. [Fun, isn't it?] 2) I can't buy the major plot line that stems from Jemima just learning how to surf the web in 2001, even though she's a GenXer who works for a newspaper just outside London. 3) The totally unrealistic weight loss. Does the world really need another story whose happy ending relies on little more than the woman losing weight? [NO!] This tale is just too fluffy -- even for a beach book, which is why I bought it. But, to balance out this negative review, I want to recommend two other recent books about modern single women that I really enjoyed: Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner, and The Trouble With Catherine by Andes Hruby. Either of these should satisfy any cravings for strong female characters.
Rating:
Summary: Banal and cliched - not worth your time
Review: Thank goodness I didn't buy this book. A friend who claimed that it's as good as Bridget Jones's Diary lent it to me. The author clearly wanted to write a novel in the same vein as Bridget - funny, realistic, ironic and an amusing read. Jemima J accomplishes none of the above, and manages to offend as well.Jemima works as a drone at a newspaper, where she hides her love for her coworker Ben while rewriting other people's articles without getting any credit. She lives with two obnoxious, freakily-thin roommates who treat her like dirt. Eventually, she starts a flirtation online with a guy from Los Angeles, and tells him that she's 100 pounds lighter than she really is. When he invites her over, she loses all of her extra baggage and discovers that she really looks like a supermodel/movie star. After seeing Jemima again, but in her new skinny form, Ben instantly falls in love. Ta dah! One happy ending. But it's also one insulting ending. Why did Jemima suddenly become a better person when she lost weight? I think that the author was trying to show that she gained confindence in herself, but all that comes out of this book is the message that Hollywood has been preaching for years: Nobody Likes a Fat Person. Jemima J has every painful cliche tucked neatly into its story: the fat girl letting herself get taken advantage of by thin girls; the fat girl getting passed over for promotions because she's not attractive enough; the fat girl only becoming an object of affection after losing 100 pounds in three weeks and buying a new wardrobe and new makeup. Reading Jemima J was like returning to the social strategies of junior high school, where the popular people only cared about clothes and weight. There's more to life than that, and there should be more to Jemima J as well.
Rating:
Summary: FUN, RIVETING, EXCITING
Review: WOW!! THIS NOVEL HAS RESTORED MY HOBBY IN READING. I CAN'T REMEMBER READING FOR PLEASURE AND ACTUALLY ENJOYING AND LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING TO THE NEXT CHAPTER. JEMIMA J WORKED HARD TO REACH HER GOALS, EXPERIENCED THE PERKS AND THEN WAS ABLE TO COME BACK AROUND TO THE OTHER SIDE. I FOUND MYSELF ROOTING FOR HER ALL THE WAY. I EVEN CRIED.... THIS WAS A LOT OF FUN, VERY EXCITING, AND SEXY.....SHE REACHED THE UNATTAINABLE. SHE MET HER GOALS!!! THIS WAS INVIGORATING TO READ. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!! I HAD TO COVER UP THE PAGE I WAS ON, TO KEEP FROM TRYING TO PEEK AT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN NEXT. ANOTHER GREAT READ IS "GIRLFRIENDS" BY PATRICK SANCHEZ. I WAS SO EXCITED AFTER READING THIS NOVEL, THAT I WENT OUT AND BOUGHT ALL OF JANE GREEN'S OTHER BOOKS.
Rating:
Summary: Food for the Soul
Review: Anyone who has ever had a problem with self-esteem because of their body weight should read this book. It is empowering.
Rating:
Summary: Looks like pornography
Review: I first saw JEMIMA J in a bookstore at Dulles International Airport. It caught my eye because of its cover. At first, I thought it was pornography. However, a small group of women were also looking at it - [...] I picked it up and read the brief description on the back cover and concluded that this was not pornography. With the racy cover, I wonder what people would think if I read it on the plane. I bought it and read on my way home. I'm glad I did. I can make several points that might be helpful for others to decide if this is a good book. First, Green has a rare talent. Effective character development within the pages of a novel is a formidable task. Most writers - even good ones - do not hit the bull's eye. Green does. She creates a moving picture of Jemima. The vividness of her words makes Jemima's physical transformation come alive. Her writing is quite remarkable and believable. After completing the book, I reflected on Jemima's weight loss program. Physiologically, I don't think Jemima's weight loss was possible. For me, this demonstrates that Green is a master of the written word. While reading, the impossible seemed possible. Second, in addition to her vivid writing style, Green gets into the heads of Jemima and most of the secondary characteristics. Her talent enables the reader to appreciate the feelings and perceptions of the characters. This is what gives novels depth and a rich quality that can never be captured in a film. I enjoyed reading the thoughts of the characters - particularly during conversations with each other. Third, I like a book with surprises. Although I found the end anticlimactic, there are great surprises in store for the reader. After the reader begins to empathize with Jemima, the story unfolds with a series and twists and turns that are totally unexpected. They are funny! All and all this was a good read on a plane - but I hid the cover.
Rating: 
Summary: oh, please....but an entertaining read.
Review: i thought this novel was completely absurd and unrealistic. the author initially portrays jemima as an enormous, disgusting ball of lard that nobody would touch with a 10 foot pole (we find out later that she isn't even that dramatically overweight). then, in the blink of an eye, this character sheds a hundred pounds and is instantly depicted as having the looks of a movie star. men are devastatingly attracted to her, and she is transformed into a cold, boring hottie who gets the guy.
even more ridiculous is the twist involving brad and jenny...i had to snort out loud - nothing so ironic could be feasible.
the only realistic aspect of this book was that ben, like most men, wasn't attracted to the woman until she was thin.
STILL, the book was much like a fairy tale - if you don't think about it too hard, and take it with several grains of salt, it's a very entertaining read. i would reccommend it for a long flight or something of that sort.
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