Also, some of her best, most identifying vehicles footnotes, etc that work so excellently in her nonfiction simply fall a little flatter here. In her nonfiction, we understand that these notes are her own cognitions of her life, but in fiction, what are they supposed to be? Anyways, I certainly enjoyed this and didn't hate it with a passion like some other reviewers and would recommend it to other Lancaster fans like myself, but it wasn't my favorite, and I can only hope her next novel is back on-par.
May 18, Amy rated it it was ok. A book that will be quickly outdated - by tomorrow! Heaven help anyone who tries to read it without be familiar with the above - it wouldn't make any sense. It is like someone name dropping with every other word. I would expect this book to have a very narrow audience.
Does this author have an original idea Her format is much better for her memoirs. Feb 17, Elliedakota rated it it was ok. The constant references to writing for a big paycheck hammered it home that the nonfiction ideas were likely running dry, so another revenue stream was needed. Jul 17, Karen Germain rated it liked it. I have a lot of love for Jen Lancaster as an author and I think that's what has bumped this review to three stars. Lancaster always makes me laugh and when I read her books, I feel like I am hearing a close friend spill about their life. She has a great way of bonding with readers, drawing me in and making me feel like I am a friend.
As a writer, I think that this is a wonderful skill and something that a lot of other writers are unable to accomplish. The couple quickly go from bliss to homeowner hell. As a long time fan of Lancaster's non-fiction books, I had a difficult time separating the two main characters of Mia and Mac from Lancaster and her husband, Fletch. Mia and Mac were just so similar in tone to the way Lancaster has always portrayed her husband and herself.
Even though I love Lancaster, I wanted different characters for this story. I don't at all relate to his movies and they in no way resemble my teen years. I know that his is a huge icon for many people my age, but I just don't get his movies. This immediately made it difficult for me to relate to the character of Mia in the story and I feel that this was a significant reason for my feeling distant. I've been through home remodel hell. I get it and many portions of this book had me nodding in understanding.
However, the home repairs seemed to never end and after awhile, it went from humorous to tedious. The story could have used some editing in the last third or maybe a different plot direction. I still love Lancaster, but this fiction attempt fell flat.
Sep 13, Katie Kenig rated it really liked it Shelves: After reading a couple of books that I just didn't enjoy at all, I was starting to worry about myself. Was I burned out on reading? Was I condemned to find reading a sad, tedious chore from now on? As our protagonist would pronounce. Then I thought okay, I'll go back to an author I know I love. Sometimes that doesn't work, but sometimes it does. And Jen Lancaster definitely makes me laugh. And this book was about home renovations.
And John Hughes, sort of. And I lov After reading a couple of books that I just didn't enjoy at all, I was starting to worry about myself. And I love both those things. So I had to love this book, right? I did love this book. It's so funny, and chatty, and makes you feel incredibly lucky about your own life.
Mostly because the life of some of these characters is so incredibly unlucky and bizarre. And that bizarre element is the reason why this book earned only four stars instead of five. While I had a blast reading it, I had several moments that just strained that suspension of disbelief a shade too far. Or maybe it's just that as a Canadian, I know of Mike Holmes yes, that particular home improvement personality from HGTV that rescues homeowners from their desperate money pits and contracter disasters and how he works. And by the second molotov cocktail fail, I was rolling my eyes.
No one is that hated, not when they're this innocent. This is a fun read. It's a super fast read. It will make you laugh, hard. And if you're a fan of any of the elements of this book, like me, or if you're from Chicago, or if you make fun of Twilight, or if you hate Paris Hilton types, or if you just have a need to read something that is super entertaining, you'll like this book.
Mar 08, Jennifer rated it it was amazing. And is a great novel! That is all I have to say Mia and her husband Mac love their current home So amidst all odds, they decide to move after trying to buy their current home. So they spend weeks and weeks looking for a home This all happens while Mia is on a deadline to finish her current Amish-zombie novel no I didn't get that wrong. I was laughing within the opening first pages at her husband Mac -- whose way of dealing with gangbangers is to make them angry by posting signs that they are gay or other funny quips that would upset any teen trying to fiend being a man by posting graffiti all over someone's house to having literally two toilets fall through the upstairs of home they just bought.
I won't say anymore so as not to give away all the juicy parts -- other than the author for some reason either loves or really hates Stephenie Meyer All the while, the author talks about the ups and downs of the current housing market to how important your relationship of your spouse is.
Things that are seriously on everyone's mind every day! It is a great read!!!! I think I might have to try some more of Jen Lancaster's novels Thanks First Reads for the advanced copy! Totally absolutely loved it! Excited I won a fiction novel! Feb 28, Jessie rated it liked it Shelves: I love Jen Lancaster and if you have read her memoirs then this book will be very familiar to you. She has kept her signature snarkiness, hilarious footnotes and crazy pop culture references but put a fictional twist on the whole thing. I gave Lancaster's memoirs five-stars, and I stand by that, because I love what she has done.
I love her sense of humor and her writing style and because of that I started off with a five for this book too.. T I love Jen Lancaster and if you have read her memoirs then this book will be very familiar to you. The book was knocked down to four stars because, frankly, if she had replaced "Mia and Mac" with "Jen and Fletch" I would have totally believed it. This book just ran too true to her real-life per her memoirs. I mean, this was supposed to be fiction, right?
I'm all for "write what you know" but I guess I was just a little disappointed because I was hoping for something new and instead got recycled. The book lost it's second point because I got a little bored halfway through. I mean when you start going into paragraphs upon paragraphs about door knobs.. I think this book ran true to Lancaster's style and wit but next time she tackles fiction I really hope she goes a little further outside of her comfort zone. May 17, Stephanie rated it liked it Shelves: Mac and Mia move into the home used for Jake Ryan's oh, how I had a crush on Michael Scoeffling who played him, and was even hotter later on as Al in "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken" abode in the movie "Sixteen Candles" to live the suburban dream; however, things don't go exactly as planned with just about every issue imaginable affectin This book was the literary version of the fantastic 80s movie "The Money Pit" starring Tom Hanks and Shelly Long: Mac and Mia move into the home used for Jake Ryan's oh, how I had a crush on Michael Scoeffling who played him, and was even hotter later on as Al in "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken" abode in the movie "Sixteen Candles" to live the suburban dream; however, things don't go exactly as planned with just about every issue imaginable affecting their idealized mansion in the 'burbs.
Other reviewers have complained about the pop culture references and the endless associations with HGTV programming, but I, for one, found it to be perfect for - with home foreclosures at an all-time high, repair shows becoming the rage, and HGTV programming part of many people's day, I thought she hit the right notes in using the program line-up as reference for the characters. Seriously, if she would have limited them even a LITTLE or better yet, not included them at all, I might have given this book four stars as a summer read. Apr 13, Teena in Toronto rated it liked it.
This is the sixth book I've read by this author. I like her writing style My one complaint about her style has always been her use of footnotes. I find them distracting having to look down then back up to find my spot. Just include them in the paragraph. This is her first fiction Lancaster may as well have just kept real names as they are so similar I could definitely hear Lancaster's voice. Mia is really Jen; Mac is This is the sixth book I've read by this author.
Mia is really Jen; Mac is really Fletcher. Even her pets are there. Her Polish grandmother was fun, though. Mia and Mac buy a mansion They did the work themselves Crazy considering he's dealing with electricity! It was way over the top and irresponsible for them to buy this house and fix it up just because it was featured in a John Hughes movie. All in all though, I'd recommend this if you are looking for a fun sarcastic read. If Lancaster writes another fiction, I hope she steps out of her comfort zone and truly makes it a work of fiction.
Sep 18, Paula Phillips rated it really liked it. After years of writing memoirs , author Jen Lancaster has decided to put away her memoir hat and move to writing fiction books, though in a way they are loosely based still on hers and her husband Fletch's life as there were parts in If You Were Here that are similar to tales of woe in her latest memoir Jeneration X. In "If you were here" we meet husband and wife team Mac and Mia , they are in the pursuits of leaving their house in their rough suburb with Ornestga the spray painter who wears Spi After years of writing memoirs , author Jen Lancaster has decided to put away her memoir hat and move to writing fiction books, though in a way they are loosely based still on hers and her husband Fletch's life as there were parts in If You Were Here that are similar to tales of woe in her latest memoir Jeneration X.
In "If you were here" we meet husband and wife team Mac and Mia , they are in the pursuits of leaving their house in their rough suburb with Ornestga the spray painter who wears Spiderman boxers and their Paris Hilton wannabe landlord socialite Vienna.
They look around and fall in love with the house that was used in John Hughes movies e. To Mia, John Hughes was her idol and this is the perfect house or is it? Follow Mia and Mac through the pages as they find themselves blackballed with construction workers , in the midst of a serious Fixer -Upper and strange neighbours and friends. What I did enjoy is that Mia's day job is writing get ready for it "Teen Amish Zombie Fiction" including Rumspringa-ding-ding and through the book , we read manuscripts of the two main Amish Zombie Characters Amos and Miriam.
A fun read , that if you love Jen Lancaster's memoirs - you will enjoy this book Feb 01, Ashley rated it really liked it Shelves: I was so excited to get my hands on Jen's first foray into fiction and wasn't disappointed! It was oddly similar to her real life the obsession with Stephenie Meyer AND John Hughes, the mold incident, the random things that could happen to no one else, etc. When I first caught wind of all these similarties I wondered how it would work - Mia, the main character, is a writer, married to a guy who sounds an awful lot like Fletch and the couple just bought a house which needed some I was so excited to get my hands on Jen's first foray into fiction and wasn't disappointed!
When I first caught wind of all these similarties I wondered how it would work - Mia, the main character, is a writer, married to a guy who sounds an awful lot like Fletch and the couple just bought a house which needed some major updates, including some particularly hideous wallpaper.
But, the hilarious banter, scathing one-liners, and Jen's trademark wit and the footnotes! I always love the footnotes! She could write a dissertation on 16th century Peruvian pottery and I would be still be amazed at how quickly the pages go and slightly jealous of her dry, ironic delivery of course, being a dissertation, it would have footnotes. A funny, quick read that would be perfect to read on vacation. I can't wait to read what Jen writes next though hopefully the Amish teen zombie romances stay firmly in her fiction world. May 04, Sophiethebandit rated it really liked it.
The other side is honesty, which leads to platonic love But like nature with the rain cycle, the human condition has its own cycle It is a perfect song for 16 candles, as it is exactly what the movie is about General Comment I agree with voydlander. He is trapped in the relationship and lies to her to spare her feelings.
Hometown News
He wants out, and states "My emotion wandering, yeah" for another girl and he'll spend time on repair for missing her but "I'll be always falling, yeah" meaning he's going to fall for someone else "Only to rise and fall again" he keeps falling in and out of love. It is sad, for both. Why in the hell would they place this song at the end of Sixteen Candles?!!
Love the song though. It may make sense from the point of view of Jake and his feelings towards his old girlfriend. And now Sam is where his emotions are wandering. Flag escapedcanadian on September 08, Yea, That makes sense. Flag Gmaddox on September 29, General Comment If you really read the lyrics, it actually looks like it's about how the man doesn't want to be in a relationship anymore. It seems like maybe he's cheated or something and feels he needs to fix himself like the crack in the cieling he needs to repair. This was must MY interpretation of the lyrics. General Comment To me it seems like he is speaking of the one he loves.
And how when they are around eachother he doesnt act like he wants her, but wonders if she notices that he really does. The other half seems like he isnt ready for going after this person, because he himself isnt ready, and needs some time to get to know himself.
Memory The song stars and ends with wondering what would happen "If you were here," presumably meaning that the person to whom the song is directed isn't present. I think the speaker went through a typically difficult breakup of a relationship--something, it appears, that has happened before "I'll be always falling" --and is now trying to emotionally cope with the fact that another relationship has failed by painting it as something like all the others that never really mattered in the first place.
A few of them are: Each character is well-defined and fits in perfectly with the story and each other. I liked it a lot and give it a 3 out of 4. And, by the way, this is my 11th 3 out of 34 books in , plus That is a percentage of I knew you would want to know. Dec 27, Nia Forrester rated it liked it Shelves: I wanted to love this book, and was prepared to love it.
But after a few fits and starts, I finally resolved to sit down and read the entire thing. That should have been a clue.
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It just didn't flow for me the way this author's other books do. The biggest thing it had in its favor for me was that there was a strong and interesting female lead, and the other women in the book were also well-rounded and layered characters. McKenna Jordan, the main protagonist is flawed and complicated and very human I wanted to love this book, and was prepared to love it. McKenna Jordan, the main protagonist is flawed and complicated and very human. She was utterly believable. Her best friend, Susan, who has been missing for a decade and suddenly reappears in the grainy footage of a subway incident is also complicated and in many ways, somewhat more interesting than McKenna.
These two women, and their shared history kept me turning the pages. But this wasn't a book just about a complex relationship between two women, it was about the mystery of Susan's disappearance and reappearance and the connection it may have to McKenna's very public fall from grace ten years earlier as an Assistant District Attorney; and her more current fall from grace as a reporter.
That's where Alafair Burke lost me. The connection between McKenna's disappearance and Susan's disgrace was so convoluted that it required many long paragraphs of internal monologue and dialogue to explain it. And even then, I found myself wrinkling my brow and going, "Wait, what? I think the main problem I have is that with mystery-suspense, you want to reach the end and feel like the author dropped you little breadcrumbs along the way that would have you, at the end of the book going, "Ohhh! In this case the breadcrumbs were too well-dispersed and sometimes outright hidden, so that by the end, extended explanation by the characters was essential for you to know what was going on.
On the plus side, the prose was as clear as it always is from this author, doesn't get in the way of the story and moves things along unobtrusively. This wasn't my favorite, but it certainly won't prevent me from reading more of this author's work I have almost all of them and looking forward to whatever she does next. Oct 10, Heather Hopkins Roberts rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: I loved this newest book of Ms.
There has been a lot said about the lead character, McKenna Wright "not being comfortable in her own skin" or "jumpy and not focused"; I agree with these sentiments! However, instead of finding fault with the writing or book based on these assertions, I actually felt it made the character more relatable. Who can keep their focus and not jump to conclusions when emotionally invested in the subject? Which of us does not have flaws we need to overcome as a p I loved this newest book of Ms. Which of us does not have flaws we need to overcome as a person?
For me, these made the character more real and her flaws drew me into her. I wanted to see her grow; I wanted to see her gain perspective. In fact, McKenna is described as a character who hates to NOT excel and will give up on something if she cannot be the best.
Therefore, as we watch he story progress she and the reader can see how these choices have hurt her and that she needs to work hard to overcome them. Additionally, there were a lot of storylines, and possibilities, I felt Ms. Burke, tied them together and handled them well. They were well described and tied together.
I loved that she kept me guessing till the end. In fact, I was so into the characters, at one point when I felt the book was going in a specific direction I was upset and rushed to read to the end putting everything else aside in my life to finish it!
If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster
In fact, even though she was not "there" I felt that Susan Hauptman was well developed and allowed for emotional insight and attachment in spite of her role in the book as a character that is really not seen. Burke portrays her lead characters emotional attachment to the subject. No one is objective when they are emotionally connected to a story or incident. I think McKenna nails it. I like a character that has flaws, who of us does not have flaws? I could not read it fast enough and cannot recommend it more! Jul 11, Ann rated it it was ok Shelves: McKenna, a disgraced former Assistant District Attorney turned reporter for a gossip rag, is assigned a story about a mysterious woman who saved a boy from being crushed by a subway train.
She is shocked to see that the grainy cellphone video of the event shows the face of her friend, Susan Hauptmann, who disappeared mysteriously 10 years earlier. So she starts asking questions. And strange things start happening: Eco-terrorists, West Point graduates, and cops with complicated domestic lives become involved. The book is a page-turner and is well plotted but unevenly spaced.
There is a slow buildup and then in the last 50 pages or so there is twist upon twist upon twist, often with very little explanation. The writing is competent but uninspired. How did the long-time junkie turn her life around? Why is her apparently devoted husband moving out? There were several military types in the book whose position towards active duty seemed to vacillate from gung-ho to absolutely not to anything-for-a-buck.
I understand th review in bullet format, because what are paragraphs what I liked: I understand that it's a legal thriller, but everyone who doesn't have a law degree is going to get tripped up somewhere in here what i like: Oct 10, D. Mar 02, Liz rated it really liked it. Definitely did not see the ending coming. I thoroughly enjoy lawyer lingo and former lawyers who are now writers! As is Alafair Burke The story was a little far fetched at points BUT the last pages of the book brought it together.
Other than that I did enjoy it. Apr 24, Laura rated it really liked it Shelves: McKenna yes, that's the first name! It turns out this was one of those odd consequences, she was wrong, she was vilified and lost her job. Ten years later she's married and has reinvented her life as a reporter. Talk to a high school baseball star, one who was saved from death on the subway tracks by a mysterious woman. McKenna suspects there's something more to this and - surprise - she's right. The "slip" onto the tracks came as the student was being chased by the woman he'd stolen an iPhone from, and his savior?
Who might, very possibly, be an old friend who disappeared years ago.
If You Were Here
Suddenly McKenna's life is turned upside down. Another article she's working on is declared to be "worse than Jayson Blair and Stephen Glass", another disgrace and another job loss. The video of the subway saving disappears from all servers and the originating cell phone. Her husband has a mysterious conversation that implies he knows where Susan is and how to find her. Somehow this is tied in to environmental terrorism - maybe. The only person she can turn to is the detective who investigated Susan's disappearance.
The twists occasionally stretch credulity, but never so far that it breaks. McKenna's questions about her marriage to Patrick, her friendship with Susan and her ability to do her job don't feel planted but grow organically from her investigations. So why the four star? The explanation of what happened ten years ago the accusation against the cop was a little muddied. Some of the characters were a little unbelievable Dana, the photographer, in particular.
Plus, really, today you do not need to explain what RT means in a tweet. Assume the audience knows. ARC provided by publisher. This is my first Burke novel, and it was a winner. When year-old McKenna Jordan, a former assistant district attorney and currently a journalist, views a cell phone video of a woman saving a teenage boy from an oncoming train, she sees a ghost: The woman, she believes, is none other than her former roommate and good friend, Susan, who disappeared nearly 10 years before.
The daughter of a general, Su This is my first Burke novel, and it was a winner. The daughter of a general, Susan was intelligent, successful, beautiful, and ambitious. And then she was gone without a trace. Susan's disappearance came at the heels of McKenna's fall from grace, precipitated by her work on a case where a white cop a nice guy by all accounts and someone McKenna knew shot and killed a young African-American. McKenna believed the cop had used a planted gun to frame the victim and claim self-defense, but her evidence appeared circumstantial, and she lost her job for being not just a whistleblower but a whistleblower in the wrong.
Now married to Patrick, McKenna has always been obsessed with the mystery of Susan's disappearance. She never believed that Susan would just leave. What happened to Susan? And is it in any way connected to the case that broke McKenna's career? Burke expertly weaves in three points of view the majority of the book is told from McKenna's perspective to tell the story of betrayal, lust, greed, and political intrigue.
How well do we really know our friends, and how inclined are we to idealize the dead and missing? Who can McKenna trust to save her job, her relationship with Patrick, and, seemingly, her life? Exciting and well-written, If You Were Here does a good job developing the characters, particularly McKenna and Susan, who had a dark side she hid well. If there were a few too many twists and red herrings at the end, well, they didn't take away from the overall experience. Jul 29, Loretta rated it really liked it. At first I was afraid I would tire of this book quickly and toss it across the room if the author didn't stop trying to impress us with descriptions and phrases that crossed the line into the 'trying too hard' camp.
I'd be reading blissfully along in the flow of words that sounded like what a normal person would think and suddenly BOOM, there would be a phrase screaming "Look, I'm literary!
Fortunately, this didn't last much beyon At first I was afraid I would tire of this book quickly and toss it across the room if the author didn't stop trying to impress us with descriptions and phrases that crossed the line into the 'trying too hard' camp. Fortunately, this didn't last much beyond the first few chapters and I was able to lose myself in the narrative. And really, the story being told shines on its own without the to me clumsy attempts to spark up the writing.
I like my mysteries light and fluffy, this was a little deeper and grittier than what I normally read, a bit reminiscent of some of John Grisham's early books. Not necessarily non-stop action, but always something new to discover as we get to the root of what is going on. I think the best part was the unveiling of the numerous plot twists, that little punch in the gut of surprise. For the most part they really were surprising with the exception of the final one, although the method of reveal was unexpected.
I'm looking forward to finding more of Burke's books to read.