Alice's Review: The Time of My Life

Summary:  Lucy Silchester keeps receiving this strange appointment card and sweeping its gold embossed envelope under the rug. Literally. She busies herself with a job she doesn't like, helping out friends, fixing her car, feeding her cat, and devoting her time to her familys dramas. But Lucy is about to find out that this is one appointment she cant miss, when Life shows up at her door, in the form of a sloppy but determined man.  Life follows her everywhere - from the office, to the bar, and to her bedroom - and Lucy learns that some of the choices she has made and the stories she has told arent what they seem. Now her half-truths are about to be revealed, unless Lucy tells the truth about what really matters to her. ~powells.com

Review:  I love Cecelia Ahern.  One of my greatest blog moments was a Q&A session I did with her two years ago after the release of her novel The Book of Tomorrow. (Read it here.)   As you can guess, I had high hopes and expectations for The Time of My Life.  I’m happy to say, Ms. Ahren delivered once again although it didn’t quite start out that way.

Oh, Lucy.  What a character!  When I started the novel, I felt like I was trapped inside someone’s mind that had ADD and was highly delusional.  I had a difficult time warming up to her or generating enough interest in how Lucy would go about changing her life.  Frankly, I had a difficult time liking her.  She was a pathological liar and with each page, my distaste for her grew.  Then something interesting happened.  Lucy began to reveal herself, her true self to me and my opinion of her changed. When she was avoiding life, I couldn’t help but dislike her.  As she began to be honest with herself, I started cheering for her and finally understood what made her tick.

Some things were predictable and typical of Chick Lit.  Ms. Ahern follows the recipe of successful novels:  A dilemma, unrequited love, friends that stick with our heroine though thick and thin, and of course, blooming love.  However, she does it with her own twist.  This twist is Life in the form of a man with an office and secretary who helps Lucy put herself back together.  And it’s a pretty fun journey.

The Time of My Life should be at the top of your summer poolside reading list. It’s entertaining, funny, and uplifting.  You’ll fall in love with Life too.  This novel won’t change your life, but it will allow you to escape it for a little while as you spend some time with these truly interesting characters.

Final Take: 3/5

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations to Harley McCutchen for winning a copy of The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern.

Please send Alice your mailing address so we can have the publisher get the book out to you ASAP.

As always, Girls Just Reading used Random.org to generate the winner.

Author Interview: Cecelia Ahern

Yesterday Jenn and I reviewed Cecelia Ahern's newest novel The Book of Tomorrow.  Today we are thrilled she took time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions for us.

GJR: In The Book of Tomorrow, I really enjoyed watching Tamara grow from a spoiled teenager to a mature young woman right before my eyes. What inspired you to tell her story? Is there anyone she is modeled after?

Cecelia Ahern: Thank you. Tamara isn't based on any one individual but rather on a breed of young women that seemed to grow in Ireland during the time when the economy was booming. Of course she is her own unique character but the sense of self-importance, and on a more positive note, the confidence which she has is very much how teenage girls are today. They are so much more aware of their appearance, of each other, of designer clothes and labels. I think they are more sophisticated in many ways. Some have a sense of entitlement and do very little to receive so very much. Obviously not all girls are like this but the celtic tiger bred a lot of young women who didn't know what it was like to not get what they wanted. I wanted to take this kind of personality and strip them of all the material possessions that they feel identify them to the world and really look at who is beneath - that is a vulnerable young woman trying to find herself.

GJR: If you had your very own Book of Tomorrow, would you use it?

CA: I would find it very difficult not to open the page the night before, I have very little patience so I think I couldn't wait to see what tomorrow held. In saying that, I'm not interested in going to fortune tellers or tarot card readers to hear my future, I would rather just let it happen, but if there was a book sitting right beside me that could tell me what was going to happen, I would find it very hard not to have a peek. For Tamara it becomes a huge responsibility because as soon as she has seen what tomorrow will bring she feels an enormous responsibility to have to change it and help people. And once she changes one thing, it has an effect on the next day and she is almost trapped in having to see it through to the end.

GJR: Once a novel is complete, are you ever tempted to revisit past characters and shake up their lives a bit?

CA: I always feel that I have brought the character to the correct place at the end of the novel, so I don't feel the need to revisit them. However, The Book of Tomorrow is the first time I felt I could revisit the character and the story because a book that reveals tomorrow can take her down so many paths in her life.

GRJ: One reason why I love your novels is your ability to describe places with such detail that I can picture each place perfectly. Do you get your inspiration for settings from places you have been or do you image them yourself?

CA: Finding a setting for the story is a mixture of both imagining it and seeing an actual place that exists. For most of my books I use my imagination and create a world within our world that doesn't actually exist but is a place that the reader can identify with. For The Gift and The Book of Tomorrow I actually decided to use real places - for The Gift I used Dublin city at its height of the boom where there was so much happening and a crazy rhythm and pace that was in tune with the main character. In The Book of Tomorrow I had the idea for a few years but couldn't find where to place it or who to put in the story, then I visited a place called Killeen which is beside Dunsaney Castle and I immediately had a sense of its history, and got a kind of eery feeling there. I knew it was the right place for spoiled city girl Tamara because it was the opposite environment from what she'd grown up in. I took the feeling that I got while there and created the fictional Kilsaney.

GJR: If you were not a writer, what would you be doing?

CA: Before I wrote PS I Love You I had begun a Masters Degree in Film Production however I left after two days to write my first novel. I have a huge love for Television and film and so I would imagine I'd be on a film set somewhere making tea or coffee for the director!

GJR: What motivates you to write? How do you overcome the dreaded writers’ block?

CA: I have many different answers for this. I feel compelled to write, I feel that being a writer is just who I am. I don't choose to write a story, it comes to me and it spins around and around in my head and won't go away until I put pen to paper. It's like therapy, writing helps my busy head and transports me to a place with other characters in another world and I get lost in it. Then, when I have begun a book, what motivates me is the character. I fall in love with them, I can't get them out of my head and I can't relax until their story is told or else I've left them in limbo, stuck on a page somewhere pondering something for all eternity. I want to help move them on and bring them to a good place. Once I've started something I must finish and am very focused in that way.

Writer's block comes and goes and when it comes I must remember that it will soon go. Last week I went to bed for an hour, this week I went for a massage, if it happens again next week, I'm going to get drunk. But seriously, a block usually comes when you're trying to push the story in the wrong way. You need to think about making changes about what you've already done instead of just trying to figure out where to go next. It's very frustrating but I always have to remind myself that it doesn't last forever. (touch wood)

GJR: Are you working on a new novel? If so, can you tell us the premise?

CA: I'm working on my eighth novel at the moment and I can't tell you the premise because I never give anything away until I'm finished! However I have a book of two short stories called The Memory Maker and Girl in the Mirror; The Memory Maker is about an old man who invents a machine which can help input new memories into your mind; things you wish you could have done or said. Girl in the Mirror is a kind of a gothic thriller about a mirror which can steal your identity.

GJR: Who are your favorite authors to read? Why?

CA: Lee Child because he has created a character called Jack Reacher who I am secretly in love with.

Karin Slaughter because she is a wonderful writer and I love returning to read about the same characters in each book; I care about them a lot.

Mitch Albom because I love his ideas and his writing is beautiful.

GJR: What are your top 3 favorite books?

CA: The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, Golfing with God by Roland Merullo, For One More Day by Mitch Albom

GJR: What are you currently reading?

CA: Neil Jordan's "Mistaken"

GJR: Something different: Do you prefer “tree” books or ebooks? If it’s “tree” books, do you dog-ear pages or use a bookmark? Do you still use your library card?

CA: I prefer Tree books by far. I don't dog-ear any pages, I use a bookmark, I won't lend anybody my books, they are too precious!

GJR: When you write, do you have total quiet or background noise? Has this changed over the years?

CA: I light a candle and I have no back ground noise and I have always worked like this.

GJR: Will you continue to write YA novels in addition to your contemporary fiction?

CA: I never choose which genre or which age group I'm going to write for. I just write the story as it comes to my mind, how it feels the most natural and I wait for the right audience to find my stories.

GJR: Do you keep a diary or journal?

CA: Yes! I love the feel of pen going on paper - it's like therapy for me so I could never stop.

Thanks again to Ms. Ahern for visiting with us.  Don't forget to enter our drawing to win a copy of The Book of Tomorrow.

Giveaway: The Book of Tomorrow

We are thrilled to giveaway a copy of Cecelia Ahren's The Book of Tomorrow.

In order to qualify for this book you will need to:

Be a resident of the US or Canada.

Enter the contest by midnight EST on 2/1/11.

Fill out the form below:



A special thanks to Mark Ferguson for providing us with this giveaway novel.
Girls Just Reading uses Random.org to produce the winner

Group Review: The Book of Tomorrow

Summary:  Tamara Goodwin has always got everything she’s ever wanted. Born into a family of wealth, she grew up in a mansion with its own private beach, a wardrobe full of designer clothes, and a large four poster bed complete with a luxurious bathroom en-suite. She’s always lived in the here and now, never giving a second thought to tomorrow.


But then suddenly her dad is gone and life for Tamara and her mother changes forever. Left with a mountain of debt, they have no choice but to sell everything they own and move to the country to live with Tamara’s Uncle and Aunt. Nestled next to Kilsaney Castle, their gate house is a world away from Tamara’s childhood. With her Mother shut away with grief, and her Aunt busy tending to her, Tamara is lonely and bored and longs to return to Dublin.


When a travelling library passes through Kilsaney Demesne, Tamara is intrigued. She needs a distraction. Her eyes rest on a mysterious large leather bound tome locked with a gold clasp and padlock. With some help, Tamara finally manages to open the book. What she discovers within the pages takes her breath away and shakes her world to its core.


Alice's Review: I was thrilled to receive an advance copy of The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern.  Saying she is one of my favorite authors is an understatement.  She has the awesome ability to write for the heart and she definitely delivered in this novel.  Ms. Ahern captivated my attention from the very beginning.   She also completely surprised me. 

For starters, I wasn’t expecting to like Tamara as much as I did.  She starts off as a self-proclaimed spoiled brat and yes, she totally acted like one.  But after a tragedy she could never imagined takes place, she is forced to look at her selfish ways and change.  Everything.  With the help of a fascinating cast of characters and a magic diary, Tamara goes on the adventure of her life without leaving the tiny village with its very own decrepit castle.  Right away Tamara finds a kindred soul in this castle, it’s as beat up and broken as she is.   

I really enjoyed all the characters, especially Arthur, Tamara’s uncle.  You can tell how much he loved Tamara, how his silence was there to protect her more than anything else.  I loved her creepy Aunt Rosaleen and the way she was like a ghost, always watching.   And that’s what started my wheels turning.  I can’t remember the last time I was genuinely surprised at an ending in a novel.  I didn’t see it coming at all.  Ms. Ahern didn’t give anything away, all things were discovered to us along with Tamara. 

The other character that I wholly loved (pun intended) was Sister Ignatius.  I have this odd fascination with nuns.  My favorite calendar is my Nuns Having Fun calendar.  On my desk at work I have Nun-chucks and Nun Bowling.  I have a newspaper clipping of a sneaker wearing nun playing softball hanging in my closet.  Yes, I’m odd and I’ll admit, maybe it’s more of an addiction than a fascination.  Sister Ignatius is exactly the kind of nun I would be if I ever was a nun.  She’s an artistic, funny, smut novel reading awesome creation.  She was the perfect friend for Tamara in her new life.

I loved this novel so much because it made me think of my own book of tomorrow.  I made me wonder what I would do.  Actually I wouldn’t have to wonder at all, I know I would open that thing in a heartbeat.  I would want to know what was going to happen to me.  I’d rather have regrets for things I did than things I didn’t do.  Plus, it’s a great way to stay out of trouble. 

I loved the idea of Tamara knowing what her future held.  It’s like receiving a cheat sheet on life.  I loved that she had the ability to either keep it that way or change it.  I loved that what I thought was going to happen, didn’t, that it was better than I could ever imagine.  Most of all, I loved watching Tamara change, watching her mature.  Ms. Ahern did a wonderful job of maturing Tamara without changing the core of who she is. 

Now go.  Go on and get your very own copy of The Book of Tomorrow.  You can’t borrow mine.

Part of Alice's & Julie's List Swap Challenge

Final Take:  5/5

Jenn's Review:  I didn't have any expectations for this book having not read Cecelia Ahern before. I saw the film P.S. I Love You and thought it was good, not brilliant. Not necessarily a reflection on the book, of course (I would never judge a book by its movie!), but it made me want to read one of her books.


This is much in the same vein as P.S. I Love You. A death causes, this time, a teen to reexamine her life and her priorities along with what she knows to be true. There's a little bit of magic in it too, ala Sarah Addison Allen, with a diary that predicts the future a day in advance.


This was a bit of a slow start for me because, once again, the protagonist was not very likable. Tamara did not sit around and whine about her situation (much), however, she is a shallow girl who is forced to find depth. I wasn't crazy about the nonchalant "typical" teenage girl antics, but I did appreciate her desire to save her mother from herself and her quest for the truth ~almost-redeeming qualities.


While the plot has plenty of twists and turns to propel the reader forward, I did see all of them coming, save one. However, that didn't lessen my love of the storyline one bit. I do wish the existence of the diary had an explanation of some sort that made it seem less like a plot device, albeit a clever plot device, and firmly tied it to the characters and their story.


It is a charming read, despite its minor drawbacks, and I will happily read more of Cecelia Ahern's works in the future.

Final Take: 4.0/5

Thank you to Harper Collins for making this available for us to review.

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Don't forget to come back tomorrow to read our special interview with the Cecelia Ahern.

Movie Review: P.S. I Love You

Summary: Cecelia Ahern's debut novel, PS, I Love You, follows the engaging, witty, and occasionally sappy reawakening of Holly, a young Irish widow who must put her life back together after she loses her husband Gerry to a brain tumor. Ahern, the twentysomething daughter of Ireland's prime minister, has discovered a clever and original twist to the Moving On After Death concept made famous by novelists and screenwriters alike--Gerry has left Holly a series of letters designed to help her face the year ahead and carry on with her life. As the novel takes readers through the seasons (and through Gerry's monthly directives), we watch as Holly finds a new job, takes a holiday to Spain with her girlfriends, and sorts through her beloved husband's belongings. Accompanying Holly throughout the healing process is a cast of friends and family members who add as much to the novel's success as Holly's own tale of survival. In fact, it is these supporting character's mini-dramas that make PS, I Love You more than just another superficial tearjerker with the obligatory episode at a karaoke bar. Ahern shows real talent for capturing the essence of an interaction between friends and foes alike; even if Holly's circle of friends does resemble the gang from Bridget Jones a bit too neatly to ignore (her best friend is even called Sharon). ~amazon.com

Movie Review: I haven't read the book PS, I LOVE YOU MOVIE TIE-IN EDITION but I've had the movie on DVR for quite a while and I finally got around to watching it. I liked it but I didn't love it. Let's just say I'm glad I recorded it and didn't see it in the theatre but I don't feel like it was a waste of 2 hours.

We meet Holly and Gerry as they are having a horrible fight about how he told her mom that she wasn't ready to have kids. We'll we know that's a bad move and they fight and make up. Flash forward and Gerry's dead. Not a shock we know that's the premise. Obviously Holly is devastated as any wife would be if her husband passed to early in life. But the story is more about Gerry's goal after his life it over to get Holly to live hers and live it without him. He leaves her these letters that give her specific instructions on what to do. See Gerry is one of those fictional male characters who thinks and plans ahead and that us women swoon over.

I have to say the person who redeemed this movie for me was Harry Connick Jr. Not only am I a fan of his music but he had me in the acting arena years ago when he was in Hope Floats. He was hilarious as Daniel, the guy vying for Holly's attention. He had me cracking up during the movie when the movie needed a good joke or a funny moment. Another one who is just great in this movie is Lisa Kudrow. Let me tell you that woman has great comedic timing. She's perfect in her role as one of Holly's best friends.

Now I generally think Hilary Swank is a great actress but I just don't think that Romantic Comedies are her thing. Put her in a serious drama and she rocks it but this I just didn't "feel" her as Holly. I get that Holly was supposed to be a stick in the mud but I didn't empathize with her and I feel that I should have. Now a girlfriend and I think Jennifer Garner would have been perfect in this movie as Holly bringing her a bit of warmth that I feel was lacking. That being said I didn't find it completely hard to believe that her and Gerard Butler were madly in love. They had decent chemistry together and it was fun to see their relationship in flashbacks.

Overall, if you want a good cry this if your movie but you won't be blown away.

Movie Review: 3.5/5

P.S. - They go to Ireland in the movie not Spain.