Now after reading Bride Needs Groom, I was thinking that most mass market size romance books are more the traditional "romance" style than the chick lit that I prefer. This was TOTALLY the kind of book I enjoy. It had some really goofy parts that made me laugh out loud, as well as the kind of "romance" that I like to read about. I think this is the first book by Cara Lockman that I've read, and I'm sure I only picked it up because it was a strip cover that sounded good, but she will now be added to my list of chick lit authors to check on new books, or past books going to bargain. :-) From the list of her books in the front, I think maybe she writes teen books as well, so I will check those out as well.
Anyway, as you might or might not get from the title, our main character, Jane, has just gotten laid off. So the book is all about her trying to deal with unemployment. She is an art major, so of course doesn't really have a lot of the qualifications needed for many jobs. Soon other people from where she works have been laid off and they come up with a revenge plot on the office supply company they worked for. Where, ironically, Jane used her art degree to design pink slips. Jane had also been dating one of her bosses, and he also dumps her the day she gets fired. Jane's adventures at the unemployment office, as well as with her stoner ex-boyfriend are so funny. And I love the response letters we get to read that are from companies that Jane has applied to, or else from her credit card company saying they won't accept her organs as payment. It reminds me quite a bit of shopaholic in that bit.
I did mark a few parts in this book.
1st she talks about having a crush on her brother's friend Kyle, and how sometimes it is just nice to have a crush and get to flirt, even if it's not going anywhere, although for Jane, it does. I feel the same way. Sometimes it is just nice to have a cute boy to crush on and flirt with, even if you know there is no way anything is ever going to happen, and I am completely okay with that.
However, later, this Kyle, who did kiss her, and she thought was flirting with her, brings to her family's house his ex-girlfriend. So now she wonders if he was really flirting with her or if she can't even read dating signals anymore. Again, something I've been dealing with too. I hate when I think someone is flirting with me, and they totally aren't. It sucks. Of course it has been so long since anyone I would want to flirt with me has flirted with me, that I am pretty much out of practice at those signals, so I was probably completely off track.
Towards the end, when things start to wrap up, she says something that I wonder if it is true and would work for me. She says she's learning to be less critical. That hating things is a lot easier than admitting to what you like. And that if you're critical of the whole world it means in most cases that you're being the most critical of yourself. That last part is totally true for me, I am so critical of myself it's not even funny. However she goes on to say that it's better to put yourself out there and get hurt than to never take the chance at all. And I'm not sure about that one. If every time you've ever put yourself out you've been hurt, when do you learn to stop? If you keep trying, isn't that the definition of insanity if you don't get any new results?
The last page I marked is actually in some questions with the author at the end of the book. When asked where does she get her inspiration for writing humor, the way she talks about her family totally reminds me of mine. She talks about how she and her brother would mimic Saturday Night Live skits long after they wore out their funniness. My family does that too. We have our own "inside" jokes that are often movie quotes, or even SNL skits.
I really enjoyed this book. Will probably loan it to my sister Anna first, as I think the art major thing, and the having trouble finding a job will really be easy for her to connect to.
