Rating: 
Summary: Losing my mind
Review: I almost lost it reading this book. Waste of time. If you want to read about a 30 something who considered herself a "fatty" at 175, who has a pathetic life, go ahead and read this book. I felt the author pushing me through this book, not savoring it.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment...
Review: I like a good girly read, and I don't open up any sort of chick lit expecting it to be War and Peace. However, I don't expect to be so irritated as I was during the course of reading this book. I, like many others, wanted to like it. It dealt with some very complex issues (weight loss, low self-esteem, depression) that are commone enough in an insulting, overly simplistic manner. Those who struggle with such things know that a lower number on the scale does not immediately (and miraculously) translate to high self-confidence and a complete life turnaround. There was no journey to follow, and the heroine was particularly difficult to relate to because she was unrealistically stupid: What 32-year-old woman who had been celibate for 15 years would truly believe she had become pregnant by immaculate conception? Or would be aghast at the selection of makeup in a drugstore? It's one thing to shun such girliness, but to not even know it exists? Not possible in this culture, I'm sorry. It's insulting to the reader and to the character.
Rating: 
Summary: a crowd pleaser!
Review: I loved this book so much that I ran out and bought copies for all my girlfriends as Christmas gifts - so far, everyone seems to be having as much fun with Diana as I had! To reinstate the opinions of several reviewers here, she is simply as real as it gets. Yes, she may be a little on the inexperienced side - which is why she has trouble with what many might consider the "simple task" of picking out lipstick, but HELLO! that's the fun of it. Who wants to read about picture perfect people who already know everything? Heaven knows, I don't. Essentially, anyone looking for chick lit with humor and heart is guaranteed to love this book.
Rating:
Summary: truly one of a kind
Review: I read this book about a month ago and don't normally write reviews, but I just signed on to order "Losing It" for a friend of mine and I must say I strongly disagree with any reviewer who says this author used stereotypes in her book. At a size 16, Diana never once refers to herself as obese, and her problems with "getting laid" have much more to do with her emotional issues and self-esteem than the number she sees on the scale. She starts losing weight as a means to feel better about herself on the outside, but if anyone recalls the, ahem, pool player scene, she'd only lost a few pounds by then and didn't seem to have any problems finding a partner. Also, to anyone who pays attention, Diana's familial problems are clearly not resolved in one simple conversation. I don't want to give anything away in terms of the ending, but the author lets you know that there is work ahead. Every good book brings some kind of resolution, but things certainly don't resolve themselves in the snap of a finger. And another thing, did I miss something? There was no date rape in this book! The sex was consentual, and though Diana was one year shy of legal age, this scene was never referred to as "rape." To call it that grossly exaggerates the storyline. Losing it is a truly one of a kind book that doesn't come along very often. I appreciated the colorful cast of characters and the author's attention to "non"-stereotypes. And I think it's a real winner for this genre.
Rating:
Summary: I wanted to like this book...
Review: I really did want to like this book, however, I ended up struggling to get through it. First of all, I felt that this book fell far short of the message it was trying to send. I think it was trying to send the message that it is who you are in the inside more than the outside. I think. What I got out of this book instead that if you are overweight, you are clinically depressed and have no value to society. Because that is exactly what the author makes her main character, Diana Christopher like. She is overweight, she hates her job situation, she hates her mother, she has deep emotional issues that have nothing to do with being overweight, and her only friend is the 98 year old lady who lives next door to her. But if she gets skinny- it will all go away. This book is excruciatingly stereotypical and isn't work the paper it is printed on. I was extremely disappointed with this book.
Rating:
Summary: perfect beach read!
Review: I took this book on my fourth of July trip down the shore and was glued to it the entire weekend. What I loved most was Diana's relatability. So many other books out there are filled with thin, whiny, bed-hopping heroines with glamorous jobs. Diana's struggles with food, self-esteem, clothes shopping, etc. - not to mention her awkward romantic encounters - were so much fun to read about because, hey, who HASN'T been there? I really enjoyed Rech's writing style. I felt as if I was living the entire story in Diana's shoes; her emotions were so realistically portrayed. It was never as if you were being told the story, but rather experiencing everything day by day directly through Diana's eyes. Well done, Ms. Rech. I look forward to your next endeavor.
Rating:
Summary: Too many serious problems for a "light, comic" book
Review: I wanted to like this book, but I thought Diana was much too unstable and had some serious mental problems that would not be solved by losing weight or finding a man. The book seemed to perpetuate the myth that "if I lose weight, everything will be great." In real life you don't go from wanting to die one day and having MAJOR self-esteem issues to going on a diet and then everything is fine. I did like the relationship b/w Diana and Mrs. Bartle, but the rest was just too over the top. If this were a serious/sad type of novel, I could have gotten into it more. However I felt Diana's problems were much to deep to be addressed in a comedy.
Rating:
Summary: BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ!!
Review: Let me start by saying that anyone who reads this book and cannot in some way identify with its heroine is missing a few heart strings. This is not a book about weight. Diana is unhappy with her body image, but so much more is missing from her life, and her search for those missing elements is nothing short of inspiring. Her relationship with her 93-year-old neighbor is refreshing and endearing, and her self-esteem transformation is wonderful to watch. This is definitely not your usual chick-lit - the message is deeper, the tone much more original. Still, humor is not to be overlooked. I laughed out loud several times while reading this book! I HIGHLY recommend it. You will not be dissappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and charming!
Review: Losing It is by far my favorite Red Dress Ink book yet! The main character, Diana, is full of acerbic wit and humor despite the challenges she faces in her life. She is genuine and endearing, as is her relationship with Mrs. Bartle. While most Chick lit I've read is almost stream-of-consciousness, heavily focused on voice and going off into tangents instead of advancing the plot, this novel is a great combination of a distinctive voice and a clean, evenly-paced story. It's sweet, sad, realistic, and sometimes, romantic. Losing It breaks away from the traditional single girl out for a man and touches on issues of self-esteem, relationships-romantic and familial, and friendship. In a way it reminded me of a combination of She's Come Undone, Bridget Jones Diary and Jemima J. It has the feel of intelligent and emotional chick lit, and is at the same time cool and cutting edge. I highly recommend this one!!
Rating:
Summary: Waste of time...Could have been so good!
Review: Okay, it's the story of a sad, lonely, overweight thirtysomething woman with an awful mother, a dead-end job, and only one friend - who happens to be 93 years old. I think this could have been a compelling and emotional story to tell. However (and unfortunately), Diana's story is told to the reader as if it were a clinical report or a case study. The language is flat and the story is colorless. There is no realistic dialogue, no subtlety of description, no engaging narrative. I felt as if the author were worried that her readers wouldn't be intelligent enough to infer things about Diana and her life. Instead of TELLING us Diana had a life-changing epiphany (in pretty much those exact words), why not use your craft as a writer to SHOW it happening, and do so over more than one or two pages? Diana's character is endearing but pretty implausible - I mean, come on, a 32-year-old woman who is shocked and confused by the creative names for shades of lipstick? ...and who prefers to go to her OB (with her mother, no less!) for a pregnancy test rather than purchase an at-home test?...even though she hasn't had sex for years? Come on! RDI has published some genuinely smart, well-crafted chick lit in the past few years, but this one has considerably LOWERED the standard. It really comes across as a rushed and half-hearted effort.
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