All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

I have read several of Jennifer Weiner's novels and have loved each one. All Fall Down was no exception.

This book was a little different from her other novels though. The subject:  addiction. The main character, Allison Weiss, is a wife, mother, blogger, and all round busy gal. When she hurt her back, she continued taking pain killers and for two years progressively abused Oxycodone, Vicodan and Percocet until she was putting her daughter in danger. 

I personally don't know much about addiction, but this story rang true in the way Allison was in denial, abused the drugs progressively until she couldn't not take them, and the reluctance she experienced in thinking she needed help. And then accepting it when she was finally forced to go to rehab.

Read and love it!


All Fall Down: A Novel

Book Read:  All Fall Down
Author:  Jennifer Weiner

The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner

Okay, if you love television and a good story, I highly recommend The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner. Ruth Saunders is a 23-year-old woman who was injured (and disfigured) as a child in a car accident that killed her parents. She was raised by her grandmother and when Ruth decides to move to California to try her hand at writing for television, the two of them begin new lives. 

The story is believable and a fun read. I really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood that we are privy to. I liked how realistic the story seemed, no big sugar coating here.


Book Read:  The Next Best Thing
Author:  Jennifer Weiner

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

I am always happy to find a new novel by Jennifer Weiner to read. She is never sappy, always tells a good story with plenty of plot twists and true-to-life problems for the characters. And Then Came You was no exception.

This novel has believable characters that are not totally likeable all the time, which makes them perfect! The story of is told from the point of view of four women, all involved in one way or another with fertility, egg donation, surrogacy, and ultimately motherhood.

Book Read: Then Came You
Author: Jennifer Weiner
ISBN: 978-1-4516-1772-6

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

When I started reading Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner, it was like deja vu all over again. I had just read Janelle Brown's All We Ever Wanted Was Everything.

The two books have an eerie number of similarities:  a powerful cheating husband, a wife who's put her life on hold to take care of him, his career, their house, and their two daughters, two daughters in each book with their own set of problems. The younger one even gets pregnant, in each book. And she's named Lizzie in each book to boot! Hmmm.

But, since these two books were written (or at least published) around the same time, I guess this particular plot just was cycling through these two women's minds.

I like this author's writing. She's detailed enough to show the scenery, crafts good characters that are believable, and enough plot twists that aren't so obvious that you can predict with 100 percent accuracy what will happen.

Book Read:  Fly Away Home
Author:  Jennifer Weiner
ISBN:  978-0-7432-9427-0 

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner

Well, it's summer--maybe not officially for another 2 weeks--but with the temps hitting 100 here in Phoenix, it's summer. And the book Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner is exactly what many would call a "good summer read," a good book for staying in out of the heat or going out and enjoying the warm weather if it's not already a blazing 90+ degrees and it's not even 9 a.m. where you are. Ugh.

I have to admit, I read this book during the day, at night, whenever I could. It was a nice escape, and I like the writing. Nothing flowery but a good story with realistic, interesting characters; a good old-fashioned bait and switch (get him naked then hit and run); two opposites who were best friends.

Book Read:  Best Friends Forever
Author:  Jennifer Weiner
ISBN: 978-0-7432-9429-4

The Lacuna a No Go

In case anyone gives a rip, I am not going to read The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. I really really really think she is an excellent writer, but this one didn't do it for me, so it's in the book bag to go back to the Snotsdale Library when I go there next.

I picked up Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner (is that pronounced weener or whiner? I will have to check.) and I'm enjoying it. Go figure. I am shameful. But she's a very good writer too. She wrote the book In Her Shoes (I've seen the movie) and Good in Bed (I've read it) and others.

Okay, just checked. Here's how it's pronounced straight from the horse's mouth (that is, from Ms. Weiner's blog):

"...And finally I find it, and then phone rings with my backup emergency wake-up call.

"Miz Weener?"

Yeah. Great. Good morning to you, too. (You do know that it's Wyner, right? The infinitely less offensive pronunciation. Note to self: consider using married name while travelling.)"