blogher book review

Diary of a Mad Fat Girl. Stephanie McAfee. New York: the New American Library

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As we meet Graciela “Ace” Jones, we learn that her best friend Lilly has mysteriously backed out of their annual spring break trip toPanama. Ace is mad. She is mad at Lilly, her bad-boss Catherine, her friend’s abusive husband, and most of all, Mason McKenzie. Mason is the former love of Ace’s life, former because she ran out on him for talking to another woman. This unique group of characters gets tangled into all kinds of mysterious, dangerous, and hilarious situations. Author Stephanie McAfee’s quick witted voice delivers a fast paced, fun, engaging and ultimately endearing tale.

From the first page, I was hooked! I found Ace to be more cranky and chubby rather than mad and fat. McAfee cleverly takes us through the characters history, revealing why Ace is so guarded with her relationships. While I expected the book to be funny, which it was, I didn’t expect the mystery and detective work which followed. I couldn’t guess where the story was going from one page to the next, and combined with the characters hilarious stories and situations, made for a truly entertaining, fast read. I enjoyed the book so much, I am eagerly awaiting McAfee’s next novel. For details on how this self published writer became a New York Times bestseller, visit her website HERE.

And please join in on the discussions with the BlogHer Book Club, we’d love to hear your opinion too.

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

The Weird Sisters. Eleanor Brown. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

“So we love each other, we just don’t happen to like each other very much” is the line above the title on The Weird Sisters cover, and to me, this sums up a lot of family relations. Written about the Andreas sisters and their return home as adults under the guise of caring for their ill mother, the sisters are forced together and to grow up. As a family of readers raised by a renowned Shakespeare professor, the sisters are named after famous Shakespearean female characters. The oldest Rosalind, who goes by Rose, believes she holds the family together and that without her everything would surely fall apart. Bianca, the middles sister, goes by Bean. While she is clearly intelligent, her lust for money has gotten her into big trouble and she leaves the city to escape guilt and consequences. Finally, we have Cordelia, Cordy, who is a free spirit who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and returns home out of necessity for a safe and stable home for herself and the baby. All three sisters return home to ‘care for their mother’ but in reality are forced to deal with each other and their secrets.

Let me first tell you that I LOVE this book! Really, this is the second time I have read it and I was equally engaged and attracted to the characters as I was the first time. While the pages are sprinkled with references to Shakespeare and quotes, you don’t need to know or even like Shakespeare to enjoy the book. I found Brown’s use of first person plural narrative voice is unusual and engaging. Viewing the sisters as a whole but also through the view of each of them created a unity between them. While they each attempt to prove how different they are from one another, they are linked throughout the story as “we” instead of individuals. Completely entertaining and thought provoking, this book had me laughing and crying. You don’t need to have sisters to identify with the characters, it’s really about the relationships among friends and family and I found myself (an only child) completely drawn into and in love with the Andreas family. This is one book I would highly recommend and I will definitely be reading again!

Please join me in the BlogHer book club discussion HERE, such a fun way to discuss and discover new books!

*This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

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Diary of a Mad Fat Girl ~ a book reveiw

The Weird Sisters ~ book reivew