Rating: 
Summary: a very enjoyable read
Review: i recommend this light, romantic, enjoyable book to anyone. the characters are a hoot! wonderful for a first time author! i could not put the book down. i'm excited to start reading this wonderful author's other books!
Rating: 
Summary: The fluffiest of fluff
Review: Don't waste your time. Something about this novel grabbed me from the first page, but I honestly wish it hadn't. I'm a big fan of brit chick novels (loved Bridget Jones, Getting Over It and Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married), but this book was as superficial as they come. A light, run read doesn't have to totally lack any depth to the plot. Don't assume your readers are that dumb, Jewell. Give us some character development for crying out loud!
Rating: 
Summary: Only mildly entertaining
Review: Usually I LOVE what I call "British Chick Lit", but this one fell a little short for me. Six people who are either friends, lovers, or neighbors make up the cast of this story. They are all supposed to be in their late 20's to mid 30's, so in other words they are all supposed to be grown-ups. At times this story makes me think of people that are still in highschool what with all their jelousies and back stabbing. What was with that mustard incident between Jem and Ralph?? I felt like I was reading someone's secret diary of fantasies. (What is exactly what Ralph does to get to know Jem a bit better because he fell in love with her almost from the moment she moved into the flat he shares with his long time friend, Smith. I loved the characters of Siobhan and Karl. They made the story for me. This is very light, at-the-beach type reading,so I guess it served it's purpose...maybe I just wasn't in the mood.
Rating: 
Summary: clever tale of neighbors, lovers, friends and enemies
Review: Ralph's Party begins with Jem moving into the flat of Smith and Ralph, long-time friends. Jem has had a dream that she would meet the man who is her destiny in this flat, and at the end of the first night she is sleeping with Smith (the rich one who owns the flat.) This knocks Ralph for a loop. He is a poor somewhat-employed artist and he spends his days moping around wondering why Jem didn't choose him. In the flat above them, Siobhan and Karl, who have been together for 15 years, are undergoing strife of their own. Siobhan is sure she is fat and unattractive to Karl, who assures her that she is not, while he conducts an affair with Cheri who lives one floor above. Smith has had his eye on Cheri for 5 years, and his affair with Jem is his first in that long a time. But he has the ulterior motive of seeming "taken" so that Cheri will be drawn to him. All these myriad characters and situations evolve, interact and then explode when Ralph throws a party and invites all of them. It is suspenseful, sad and humorous, like real-life relationships. And the endings aren't nearly as pat as you expect them to be!
Rating:
Summary: Life of the party
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Lisa Jewell knows how to pull the reader in and believe in the characters, their faults and all. This is a story about 6 people and their 20/30 something lives and their realizations of finding true love. It was funny, magical and witty. Different from other brit chick books, because a least 1/2 of the book is coming from the point of view of some of the male characters. A must read for anyone that likes comedy romances with some twists and turns.
Rating:
Summary: Top of the Second Tier
Review: This is the latest in the string of "Single in Love" novels I've reading lately. Finally I've found one that I enjoyed as much as the first pair I read (the two Bridget Jones books). Ralph's part is the story of six people who in various ways are pursuing each other. What Lisa Jewell does brilliantly is show us how misread signals and making assumptions lead us to heartbreak and tragety. By quickly showing us each character's view on the immediately preceeding events we get great comedy of misunderstanding that while not as great as "Much Ado about Nothing" is certainly well beyond the average "Three Company's" episode. The result is an easy to read, funny, and effective tale. The only real downside is the conversion of one of the characters into a villian over the course of the novel. While he certainly is what he becomes, Jewell only sketches the change leaving it to seem slightly artificial. I'm definately checking out her other novels after this one.
Rating:
Summary: Top of the Second Tier
Review: This is the latest in the string of "Single in Love" novels I've reading lately. Finally I've found one that I enjoyed as much as the first pair I read (the two Bridget Jones books). Ralph's Party is the story of six people who in various ways are pursuing each other. What Lisa Jewell does brilliantly is show us how misread signals and making assumptions lead us to heartbreak and tragety. By quickly showing us each character's view on the immediately preceeding events we get great comedy of misunderstanding that while not as great as "Much Ado about Nothing" is certainly well beyond the average "Three Company's" episode. The result is an easy to read, funny, and effective tale. The only real downside is the conversion of one of the characters into a villian over the course of the novel. While he certainly is what he becomes, Jewell only sketches the change leaving it to seem slightly artificial. I'm definately checking out her other novels after this one.
Rating:
Summary: Anglophiles say: Brilliant
Review: 1. What is the text about?
About two things: the dynamics of love in your 20s and 30s and to a lesser extent, London culture in the 1990s. 2. What is good about it? The writing is solid; the author uses some writerly techniques that adventurous but generally work out; the story, though a little predictable, is compelling. It's also a little philosophical. 3. What is not so good about it? The story's predictability-and its cuteness. It "does" women a little better than it does men. 4. Who might like it? Anglophobes, anyone who likes a good quick but substantial read. Readers of "chick lit" for sure. 5. Personal bias: Lived in London in the 1980s; a weakness for good relationship fiction.
Rating:
Summary: 6 people, one town, one party = A good read
Review: Ralph's Party is a great first novel by a wonderful author. She manages to take 6 strangers and make there lives all come together in the end. Some of them good and some of them bad. Ralph and Smith share a flat together and are looking for another flatmate to live with them. They find Jem who is a carefree young woman is looking to get away from some of her problems and start over with new friends and hopefully some other things. She meets them and they hit it off, but when she and Smith start dating Ralph feels left out and wants to be part of that world but he can't figure how to and at times he trys to hard. Karl and Siobhan are the couple that live above Ralph, Smith and Jem and they are going through there share of problems. Siobhan thinks that Karl isn't happy with her and her weight so on a weekend away she creates some problems. And then when she finds out some more about there life together it makes her more upset with how things are going in there lives. Cheri is the goddess who lives above Ralph, Smith and Jem and she is just out to cause problems for everyone that she meets and she doesn't care how many problems she causes. Overall this was a good book. A little too predictable at times, but then again I've read so many books that I can pick up on things pretty quick. I hope to read the rest of this authors book soon.
Rating:
Summary: Beach Bag Requirement
Review: Here's another great summer beach read. Lisa Jewel delivers a fantastically twisted plot and great character development and serves them up deliciously in this quick, easy read. The players in this story are hip, current-day, adult characters that I could identify with, and I love the fact that the story centers around this group of people who all live in the same building. Ralph, as the hero of the story is endearing from the first page (in his grey long-johns) to the last (in his Armani suit)! This story will keep the reader turning pages--so make sure you put on a nice thick layer of sunblock before you open this one up and start reading. Fun, fun, fun!
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