Rating: 
Summary: Breezy, cliched, predictable
Review: Jane Green's "Jemima J" is yet another in the English-single-girl romances that have sprung up like mushrooms on manure in the wake of "Bridget Jones' Diary." Thankfully, Jemima Jones is not nearly as annoying as Bridget, although she is not well-dimensioned. A overweight twenty-something who writes a household-tips column for a suburban British newspaper, she envies the thin models in magazines while sighing over the handsome Ben, a junior editor. Discovering the Internet during a training class at her job, she meets L.A. resident Brad in a chat room and reinvents herself as JJ, a sleek blond beauty (the illusion is helped along by a computer geek and Photoshop). When Brad wants to meet her, she panics, then resolves to lose weight to be what she thinks Brad wants. She succeeds dramatically (if remarkably quickly--90 pounds in four months if my math is right) and turns into ... a beauty. There's a shocker, eh? Alas--of course--nothing is as it seems as she heads for California.My main problem with the book is that Jane Green tries way too hard to cover a bunch of topical themes. There's the fat vs. thin thing, the Internet dating scene, image vs. personality, desperate British singleton behavior, etc., and every theme goes as one would expect. Her penchant for constantly changing points of view don't help either. There is a small twist towards the end, but other than that the book is completely predictable. It's not awful, but it's literary cotton candy, right down to its pink cover.
Rating: 
Summary: It's A Modern Day Fairy Tale
Review: Let me begin by acknowledging what other reviewers have said about the unrealistic nature of the premise of this book. No, Jemima's stunning three month, hundred pound weight loss is not realistic (and, indeed, such a weight loss would be very, very dangerous). And perhaps Jane Green deserves criticism for that. But the very title of this book lets us know that we are not quite set in reality: "Jemima J: A Novel About Ugly Ducklings and Swans." In other words, a fairy tale. I enjoyed this book. I've read it twice, and I'm getting ready to read it again. I apprecaited Green's unexpected narrative style (switching from first person to third, addressing both the reader and Jemima at times). I ejoyed her unexpected character arc with Geraldine, who the cover text had prepared me to hate. And I enjoyed Jemima. This is not meant to be a trip through the reality of weight loss. Jemima's weight loss seemed, at times, to be metaphoric. It wasn't so much that she lost weight as that she finally let the person inside her out. And that is what ultimately leads her to her utterly satisfying conclusion.
Rating: 
Summary: Makes Sweet Valley High look like a literary masterpeice
Review: I didn't have very high hopes when I started reading this book -- I was happy just to have something that would pass the time. But what kind of feel-good pulp novel about love and transformation makes you want to pull out all your teeth? I couldn't get past the first fifty pages. Take that for what you want, but it's a [darn] good indication that the book provides all the entertainment of a documentary on dry-wall application. The characters, situations, and dialogue all existed in this wierd make-believe world of Barbies and soap operas. I wanted to laugh out loud when the protagonist, a [would be] journalist, babbles on and on about how she loves a "well-crafted line" or something to that effect. She's supposed to be "funny and witty" -- something that just doesn't come across as believable when the writing style is so labored and cliched. The book is definitely not funny and not remotely witty. I wanted to sympathize with the main character but ended up not only pitying her, but hating her. Sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: Set up a date with Jemima J
Review: Sometimes when you judge a book by it's cover, you're bound to be disappointed. However, this book left no room for disappointment. The author did a wonderful job introducing us to and keeping us interested in Jemima's life. The only thing disappointing about this book was having to close it for the last time. You want the story to continue because by the end of the book, Jemima seems like your best friend.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is in the mood for a fun read. It would be perfect for a day lying in the sun or cuddled on the couch.
Rating:
Summary: cant put it down
Review: this book was so fun! i loved it and found my clock turning to 1 am while reading! i finished it in a week! i hope her next one will be as good!
Rating:
Summary: silly
Review: This book was silly & unrealistic. It was an easy read & entertaining enough to read all the way through but that isn't saying much since I hardly ever decide not to finish a book. I doubt Jane Green has ever been in a book store in LA since she thinks the chain book stores sell nothing but books on the film industry.
Rating:
Summary: A Bit Farfetched but Wholely Entertaining...
Review: I have to be honest here to those other reviewers who attacked this book. I too was a little bothered by the fact that Jemima Jones(our heroine) lost 100 pounds in 3 months and she claims to feel great! Not realistic in my opinion since it took me 4 months to lose 45 pounds and that was hard as it was excercising hard and cutting way way back on my eating. Another little peeve that bugged me was her life before she dropped the weight. I have been overweight all my life and I have never had this many problems in school or with guys. People giving her dirty looks for being overweight? Her roomates and people on the street acting disgusted with her? (I don't think the author was EVER overweight and didn't understand the facts and went with the misconceptions people seem to have about overweight people) She wasn't even THAT large as she claims to be. She starts out at 214 abouts and claims to be so huge she can hardly breathe or move. I found that a little ridiculous, but oh well, it's just a book right? ~Jemima Jones is overweight, about 100 pounds over. She is miserable and lonely and is tired of seeing her thin roomates go out every night to parties with men. She wants some of that life. Her only friend is a woman at work named Geraldine whom everyone at work envies and thinks is a snob. She befriends Jemima and Jemima sees in her what she wants to be. Add to this dilemma, a gorgeous man at work named Ben who also befriends her and hangs on her every word, but doesn't SEE her for a woman, just a great friend. She knows she needs to change her life when she discovers the internet and a Californian hunk named Brad.
Brad is perfect in every way. He is tanned, gorgeous and fit. He also thinks Jemima is too. When things get more serious between them, he asks her to come out to visit him. Jemima is aghast! Suddenly inspiration hits...lose the weight, become what you said you were...go out to LA and meet gorgeous hunk! So now Jemima, now JJ, does just that. She becomes gym obsessed, food obsessed and thin obsessed. In three months she is 120 pounds of lean muscle and ready to knock 'em dead.
Things get complicated when JJ goes out to LA and finds her hunk. He is gorgeous...but is this what she wants? Is thin everything? Men now flock to be around her and she still feels like the heavy girl in the crowd. As time passes, she realizes many things about herself. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and life is what you make of it. She also realizes love is in the most unexpected place of all... It was a fun read and fast-paced. Jemima could've been much more fun had she stopped her whining earlier on in the book and tried to get a life when she was heavier. I didn't get why being heavy was stopping her from going out to the mall or stores? She felt too sorry for herself and it wore thin. Brad got on my nerves because the author kept saying how 'gorgeous' and 'perfect' he was the whole time and I was starting to think he wasn't even there in LA, that JJ made it all up, lol. I loved Ben though and I disagree with the other people who said he wasn't interested in her until she lost the weight. He was interested in her long before, but men being men he didn't make any moves. He didn't want to ruin the friendship obviously and repected JJ too much to do anything. I was happy with the ending and also thought the comment about being a size 10 as not being thin was a little stupid, but hey, its just a story and I enjoyed it immensely.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put this book down.
Review: Over the summer I just picked this book up at a book store and started skimming it. I ended up sitting there and reading the first 30 pages of it. I bought it and read the entire book in one night. It is interesting to watch Jemima turn from a fat, lonely British girl in love with the studly Ben; to a slender "JJ" that becomes an LA babe with her perfect L.A boyfriend Brad. When one thing goes right in Jemima's life something else will go VERY,VERY wrong. Fun and entertaining book.I definetly say this book is worth the one night of reading it takes to read through this.
Rating:
Summary: Great story!
Review: I loved this book so much that it's in a special bookshelf I reserve for "keepers." Any woman who has ever struggled with weight will most likely be able to really relate to Jemima, a.k.a "JJ." I loved how the story incorporates internet dating and all the funny things (and scary things!) that go on when you meet someone and develop a relationship with them via the web. I stumbled on to this book at a time in my life when I need to read something that would make me feel better - this book did it. I could totally relate to Jemima's feelings and actions. Book was heartwarming, funny - wonderful story!
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I thought this book was wonderful. It was a very entertaining modern day fairytale. I must say that if someone is looking for a literary masterpiece than this is not the book for them. But if you are looking for some light-feel good reading buy this book. I think everyone finds flaws in themsleves and can simpathize with Jemima's insecurities. I loved how smoothly everything happened for her. There is no heartbeating suspense in this book, but again I will state that if you just want some fun, relaxing, enjoyable reading this is a nice choice!
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