Rating: 
Summary: Fluffy and fun romance for the Cosmo girl in you
Review: This novel is like "Notting Hill" with genders reversed -- and with a leading lady who is actually appealing (unlike Julia Roberts). The author's asides, like a hipper-than-thou Greek chorus, were cute, and amusing and valid observations about life are sprinkled throughout. The cleverness and archness can almost be too much at times, so it's best not to read in one sitting. A dash of Joan Collins, a large helping of Bridget Jones, a sprinkle of Katie Fforde, mixed together with the Cosmo "I can have it all" sensibility.
Rating: 
Summary: A delicious must read, like a pint of Ben and Jerry's.
Review: I bought this book after reading the rave review in "Entertainment Weekly" and could not put it down. Stuck in bed with a miserable cold I picked up and subsequently put down four other books before starting and never putting down "Love: A User's Guide." I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning guiltily imagining a famous actor I'd love to have a fling with. Chock-a-block full of fantasy and wit, please write another book Clare Naylor.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and Charming
Review: Brilliant characters with hilarious dialogue! I read it on the beach - it's a perfect holiday read.
Rating: 
Summary: Well written but self-absorbed heroine
Review: Naylor creates an engaging narrative that draws the reader in, but she begs for sympathy for Amy, whose actions deserve very little. Amy is not a terrible representation of up-and-coming professional women in their 20s, but I'd hate to think that the rest of us were that shallow and image-oriented. And while this may be an age of sexual freedom for women, there are still the nagging messages of safe sex and respect for oneself--and Amy has no respect for anyone, especially herself. Her initial encounters with Orlando are great, however, and she's not afraid to be witty and silly and, well, herself. But as stardom clouds her view, her self-absorption makes the book hard to read. This character becomes pathetic and goes downhill. A quick read that will hopefully leave the reader thinking: Movie star boyfriend or not, I have it together pretty well if compared with Amy.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put this book down !!!!!
Review: I had read a review of this book in one of the women's magazines and decided to order it. I was having a particularly bad day when the book arrived, but that quickly changed. It is light reading and highly entertaining (I was laughing out loud the whole time!) -- I couldn't put it down until I was finished. I can't wait for the next book by this author!
Rating:
Summary: Fun book, main character needs to get over herself
Review: I was attracted to this book because the cover looked like fun. It definitely was a fun book to read, but the main character, Amy, bothered me. She was took stuck on herself for me to even like her. The best part of the book was the love story between Amy and Orlando Rock. Every person who has a fantasy to meet and fall in love with some hot, famous movie star will enjoy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Chore to read
Review: Yes, the old adage rings true here: never judge a book by its cover. That was my mistake, because it sounded quite good when I read the back. I was looking for something light and fun. But the entire book is so disjointed. Many times I found myself going back to re-read a sentence that was so awkwardly structured, you couldn't figure it out the first time. It really reads like a first draft that hasn't been edited. A pity, because it could be a charming (even if somewhat fluffy) tale to read.
Another word of warning...there are LOTS of references to British Lit, so if you're not familiar with writers from Keats to Enid Blyton, you may not pick up on some of the attempted jokes.
Rating:
Summary: ugh
Review: I hated it. What else is there to say? It's a total mess. Specifically, it wanders around with very little warning or direction. Like being on a roller coaster and looking forward to the thrills but the highs and lows never come--it's just one long endless boring meandering. I hesitate to give bad reviews because I know authors pour a lot of time and effort into their work, but this should never have made it to print.
Rating:
Summary: Don't love this "Guide"
Review: Imagine -- a gorgeous, world-famous, universally desired yet down-to-earth celebrity falls madly in love with your quirky smart beauty, in spite of malicious press and his sexy costar. Sounds like a teenybopper fantasy? That's pretty much the description of "Love: A User's Guide," where Clare Naylor tries to make a smarter version of Bridget Jones... and fails miserably.
Amy works at Vogue, but in one of the less glamourous jobs -- she dresses anorexic models and fashionistas in the latest styles. She's also mired in her high-school inferiority complex -- she's one of those infuriating characters who are gorgeous, believe themselves to be Quasimodo. Despite this, she has quite a few quickies, including a fling with another woman.
Then she meets Orlando Rock, a broodingly handsome celebrity who immediately falls for her. Amy tentatively enters a relationship with him, rife with her own insecurities -- which only gets worse when she sees tabloid pics of his sultry costar smooching him.
The only thing that makes an idiot look even more profoundly stupid is when the idiot tries to pass himself off as an intellectual. And Clare Naylor's efforts to create a "smart" chick-lit fail miserably -- the book comes across as aimless, plodding and hyperdramatic.
Naylor obviously had no real plot in mind, beyond celebrity-falls-for-everywoman. The plot wanders around aimlessly, trying to be dramatic over Amy's jealousy or poor gorgeous Orlando being pursued by beautiful women. Naylor even tries to spice it up with a lesbian encounter, but it feels confusingly random. And somebody needs to tell Clare Naylor that it takes more to make a smart character than name-dropping Bronte and Baudelaire.
Speaking of which, the greatest flaw of the book is Amy -- a naive, neurotic, brainless mess who believes she is intelligent if she can ramble off a few lines from Shakespeare. A genuinely intelligent woman would be smart enough to not try to flaunt her taste for Bronte on the beach. And Orlando is merely a walking Ken doll who is tailor-made for Amy's neurotic desires. The more interesting supporting characters like Lucy are given short shrift.
A meandering mess, "Love: A User's Guide" comes across merely as an embarrassing schoolgirl fantasy. This shallow disaster is what gives chick-lit a bad name.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as Ms. Jones, but equally entertaining.
Review: So she isn't "Bridget Jones." But who is? This book is a wonderful read for any woman who has at one time or another said to herself, "If I was in the right place at the right time, I could snag Nicholas Cage." It is for any woman who loves to fantasize about having a beautiful, strong, wonderful man (who just happens to be a famous actor) sweep them off of her feet and tell her that he loves her for her. I would recommend this book to anyone who liked the "Bridget Jones" books. The heroine is quirky and fun, yet insecure at times, which I am sure is a lot like any other woman. I was able to relate to her thoughts and though I am not dating a handsome actor type, I'd like to believe that I could if I wanted to.
|
