Book Blog #264: Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

Title: Bet Me
Author: Jennifer Crusie
# of Pages: 391 (paperback)
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Synopsis: Minerva Dobbs knows that happily-ever-after is a fairy tale, especially with a man who asked her to dinner to win a bet. Even if he is gorgeous and successful Calvin Morrisey. Cal knows commitment is impossible, especially with a woman as cranky as Min Dobbs. Even if she does wear great shoes and keeps him on his toes. When they say good-bye at the end of their evening, they cut their losses and agree never to see each other again. But Fate has other plans, and it's not long before Min and Cal meet again. Soon, they're dealing with a jealous ex-boyfriend, Krispy Kreme donuts, a determined psychologist, chaos theory, a freakishly intelligent cat, Chicken Marsala, and more risky propositions than either of them ever dreamed of. Including the biggest gamble of all—true love.
Review: I intentionally looked for a chick lit to read.

From my understanding, chick lits are not meant to be great literary works. They are written for the masses, primarily aimed at female audience (dare I say housewives?). I wanted something cheap, easy, and dirty, and I thought a chick lit would satisfy this craving.

My mistake was assuming all chick lits would have an emphasis on the physical aspect of a romantic relationship. Although I'm sure a fair amount do, this one did have nearly as much as I expected. The book concentrates more on the conflicts she has when interacting with Cal, her love interesting in the story who has a not so secret bet to get her into bed within a month of asking her out. Because him getting her into bed is the end goal, there's significantly less romantic action between the two of them than what I was hoping for.

This might be fine for some readers. Personally, if I wanted to read about a complicated romantic relationship, I would choose a book that does not fall under the chick lit genre. Like I said before, these types of books are not amazing pieces of literature. The relationships between friends/family/lovers are quite ridiculous and unrealistic. All the conflicts are petty, and the Min was annoyingly obsessed with Krispy Kreme donuts and chicken marsala.

There was also third person POV switching, and to make matters worse, the narrations were not very distinct. Although humor is not high up on this book's list of genres, I would classify it more as a romantic comedy, except that it's not even that funny.

I had pretty low expectations and was searching for a cheap, romantic read. This didn't quite meet that expectation which is why I am giving it two stars. I would recommend skipping this book for something else if you are searching for a romance novel or a good read.

Book Blog #263: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Title: Me Before You
Author: Jojo Moyes
# of Pages: 369 (paperback)
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is. Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.
Review: I had all intentions to give this book 3 stars.

I checked this book out at the library specifically because I wanted an easy (shallow?) romance read (and I wanted to watch the movie because Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin are in it). I didn't read into the synopsis; the only exposure I had was a clip from the movie where Will appears to be disabled and Louisa is his caregiver.

The reason why I wanted to give this book three stars: first person POV switching and the cliché plot. The story is mostly told from the first person POV of Louisa. However, Moyes would occasionally switch it up and randomly give Will's mother a chapter to tell the story, or Lousia's sister, or Will's father...but there did not appear to be any good reason as to why the story had to suddenly be told from their perspective.

I'm not going to lie; the plot is predictable anyone who is at all familiar with how emotional romantic novels go can guess how this story will end. I even read some reviews before starting this book and heard how people became emotional while reading. When I finally started reading, it seemed like your average book; a normal, boring girl's life changes when meeting a handsome, wealthy man.

DESPITE THIS, I ended up crying like a baby throughout the second half of the book. I don't know if it's because I've been extra emotionally recently (probably largely attributed to this, actually), but I haven't cried over a book like this in a long time. I was grateful I was reading this in a room by myself, otherwise people would have been concerned.

Although the plot is predictable, what makes this book stand out from other romantic novels is how it it gives readers some perspective on the lives of quadriplegics and some of the struggles they go through trying to live their lives in a world not fully equipped to accommodate. This story also tackled the difficult topic of assisted suicide, a highly debated topic that isn't as black and white as some people may think.

Educational benefits aside, another huge bonus is how realistic the characters are. There is not a single person who is all good nor all bad. The story reveals the complexity of different relationships: between parent and child, siblings, and partners. It's this realism that allowed me to "buy in" to the story and enjoy it.

No, it's not my favorite book. I probably wouldn't read it again, but I am so glad I decided to read it once. I would recommend it to anyone interested in this genre.