Inside Out Girl - Tish Cohen

Inside Out Girl was just released last month by Harper Collins Canada and is on my 'You've got to read this one!' list.

Rachel is a single mother of two who obsesses over accident reports, parenting tips and ensuring her children are safe.It is out of character for her to pull over and help a man and his daughter change their flat tire. Len is the widowed father of Olivia. Surprising herself further, Rachel agrees to a date with Len. As they continue to date, Rachel's children are horrified to find out that Len's daughter Olivia is the ' Inside Out Girl" who attends their school. Olivia has non verbal learning disorder. Although very bright, she is unable to process facial and voice cues, resulting in socially inappropriate behaviour and anxiety. She often chooses to wear her clothes inside out, thus the name. She is extremely well informed about rats, frequently quoting rat facts in times of stress.

As she falls in love with Len, Rachel is forced to face some issues from her own past. Her children are also going through difficulties that she is unaware of. Could this relationship really work?

Cohen's writing is so real. I found myself furious at the bullying of Olivia, nodding in sympathy with Rachel's angst and applauding the parenting of Len.

Cohen has done a remarkable job with all the characters - they truly come to life - especially Olivia, who will make you laugh, make you cry and cheer for the little girl who can teach us all a thing or two - and not just about rats.

This would be a great read for a book club.

Tish Cohen is also one of the founding members of the grog I've mentioned before - The Debutante Ball. She also writes her own blog. I'm off to find a copy of Town House - Cohen's first novel for adults, which has been optioned for a movie.

Falling Under - Danielle Younge-Ullman

Oh boy - where to start?! Danielle Younge-Ullman's debut novel Falling Under grabs you from the first page and just doesn't let go until you reluctantly turn the last.

Falling Under opens with a gut-wrenching scene in which a little girl - Mara- witnesses the ugly end of her parent's marriage. And discovers that there is no Santa Claus.

Fast forward to the present. Mara is a grown woman now. She is an artist working from home - as she has trouble leaving the house. She imagines every bad thing that might happen and becomes paralyzed with fear. Her social circle is limited to her best friend Bernadette and her agent. Bernadette is active and outgoing, always involved in a social cause. Mara is one of her causes.

"Bernadette is saving the world. I can barely save myself".

She also has a love/hate relationship with Erik, her lover, who she only sees when she feels like she's on the edge of a precipice. Erik is emotionally damaged as well.

The story alternates between present and past. As young Mara grows older we learn more and more of how she came to be trapped in the small world she inhabits and why she is unable to function normally.

Younge-Ullman has uncannily captured the hurt, the betrayal, the angst and the despair of Mara. The descriptions and dialogues of her dysfunctional family and relationships are raw and unsettling.

Mara uses her body to please others and punish herself. While some readers may be disturbed by the sexual scenes, they are integral to the plot.

When Mara meets a man she thinks she can love, the two stories collide and we learn the full history behind Mara's inability to love and let herself be loved.

"Certain memories, certain thoughts, are holes....Holes ripped in you, through which precious things escape and leave you wanting, needing, gaping open......And you are left empty, a skeleton, a shell with wind rushing through you and a sensation of sinking, barely existing..."

No spoiler - but I loved the ending - it kept me thinking long after I finished reading.

Falling Under is a outstanding debut from this bright new Canadian author. This intense, edgy novel would generate lots of discussion for a book club.

Younge-Ullman is also part of a group of debut authors who regularly 'grog' (group blog) at The Debutante Ball.

Sleeping With Ward Cleaver - Jenny Gardiner

Are you looking for just the perfect little paperback to slip into your beach bag?

Well, look no further than Jenny Gardiner's debut novel from Dorchester Publishing. The kitschy cover art and blurb by Meg Cabot promise a light fun read. It was the winner of Romantic Time's American Title III contest.

We meet Claire Dolittle, a married mother of five (!) who isn't too happy with her life, her husband or herself right now.
"I am not Claire anybody. I'm a cookie-cutter, nagging, middle-aged mother-slash-sexless housewife, fighting a date with destiny: sex with Ward Cleaver and eventual death and burial as a washed-up has-been of a woman."

Claire now views her husband Jack as lead character Ward Cleaver from a sixties sitcom. Ward was the master of his domain, dispenser of all wisdom for his family and somewhat humourless.What happened to the fun, spontaneous sexy man she married?

When an old flame, Todd, contacts Claire they start an email correspondence that becomes more than a little steamy. At the same time Jack is off to a business conference in Miami with his young new assistant Julia. When Claire offers to go as well, Jack turns her down. Is he having an affair??

Claire receives some unexpected advice from Todd- " What makes you happy, Claire? Is it anything that you actually do? Or are you spending your life with have-tos? Remember, all work and no play makes Claire a dull girl!"

Well, maybe Todd is right. Maybe she needs to change her outlook as well....but first off to Miami to find out what's going on at that conference.

Gardiner recreates many scenes that women with children can relate to - the mess, the scheduling, the demands, trying to hold an outside job and still hold on to who you are throughout it all.

Supported by a cast of off beat family and friends, Sleeping with Ward Cleaver is just what it promises to be - a fun read with a feel good ending that might just make you think twice about your own relationship!

Gardiner is also a writer for The Debutante Ball, a grog that features first time authors. Pretty funny stuff - check it out here.

Driving Sideways - Jess Riley

As promised... Here's the review of Driving Sideways by Jess Riley !

In the first few pages we meet Leigh Fielding. She has lived with her brother since her mother abandoned them and their beloved Gran passed away. Her poor health (she suffers from PKD - Polycystic Kidney Disease) - has dictated her living a "safe"life.

However... she has recently received a kidney transplant from the late Larry Resnick and feels good for the first time in years. So good that she plans a road trip to California. Against her brother's wishes she sets out alone on ' The Unfinished Business Tour.' The unfinished business includes: visiting an old boyfriend, meeting her best friend's elusive boyfriend, meeting and thanking her kidney donor's family and confronting her mother.

Not too far into the trip, Leigh is coerced into letting a teenager ride with her. They are soon joined by Jillian, a friend of Leigh's. 'Larry' is frequently channeled for direction. And just who is in that black Acura they keep seeing? The trio's adventures are comical and entertaining. That's not to say it's all fun and games. Leigh didn't expect to live past thirty and is going through a lot of self discovery.

Riley's characters are witty, full of life and so engaging. Their dialogue rings true - just like you were having a conversation (or argument!) with your best friend. The banter, the references to pop culture all bring the book to life. Leigh's imagination in painting possible scenarios is hilarious.

I hesitate to lable this book as strictly chick lit. It is so much more - an examination of the fragility of life, relationships with family and friends and what, in the end, is really important.

I was happy that Riley did not tie everything up into a neat package. It rings truer the way she has written it.

Jess Riley is pretty funny herself. Check out her blog Riley's Ramblings.

This is a great book to share with your friends. Honestly, I just want to make some calls and hit the road!!

P.S. Jess - Hope you're working on the next book! Can't wait!

Fifteen Minutes of Shame - Lisa Daily

Fifteen Minutes of Shame exposes the heartache of Darby Vaughn. Darby is a successful dating expert ( the Dreamgirl Academy) with a happy ( or at least she thought so...) marriage and two beautiful step children she adores.

Her publicist husband Will arranges for Darby to find out that the marriage is over while doing a promo for her book tour on the Today Show with Matt Lauer. To make matters even worse he has taken the children and gone back to his ex wife Gigi. Darby promptly vomits and passes out on the set.

Her career as a dating/relationship expert has been trashed, she's lost the children she loves and she's been humiliated in front of the entire country. What's a girl to do? Get even, of course. She hires Holt Gregory as her lawyer and begins some high profile dating to get her career back on track.

As with pretty much all chick lit novels, you can kind of fill in what happens next. ( Holt is a charming good looking attorney!)

What makes this book interesting is that Lisa Daily is a dating/relationship author in real life. Stop Getting Dumped is both a column and book. Interspersed throughout Fifteen Minutes of Shame are tips from Darby's Dreamgirl Academy. Daily is part of the Debs (see link in blogroll) a group of 6 female authors releasing their debut fiction novels this year.

A great fun book to take to the beach.