Book Review - Mixed Doubles by Jill Mansell

This post has been long pending... A book review. I still have to write the review for the Shopaholic series. But this is it for now. This book got me into Rom Com novels.

I was not the romantic novel kinds. Even in college, when all my friends used to drool over Mills & Boons, I used to be like - 'Who will want to read romantic novels? They are so boring'. I was into crime, mystery, suspense (read Sidney Sheldon).

I went to a book store which had a closing down sale and the deal was 3 books for £10. I knew 2 books that I definitely wanted. They were costing me almost £9. I thought why should I let the deal go? So after much deliberation (and nagging from P to hurry up), I bought 'Mixed Doubles by Jill Mansell'.

When I read the back cover, I knew it was a girlie story(its about 3 best friends and their new year resolutions). But something told me its going to be full of humor and it'll be a nice time pass read. I was right and wrong. It was quiet funny. But it definitely was not a time pass read. Once you come to a certain point, I had to read it till the end. So instead of passing my time, the book took away my time (not that I am complaining). I did not think I'll enjoy a romantic comedy this much.

The book is about three best friends (all are above 30) and their new year resolutions and how they keep them up.

Liza - She's a successful food columnist(critic types). She's not the thin types but men find her irresistable. Her only problem is - she cant stay interested in a man for more than 2 weeks. She doesn't want that. So her new year resolution is to get married. She meets a person who is 9 years younger to her. She feels she's going to get bored of him like the other men in her life.

Dulcie - She's married to a workaholic. She has a lot of money on hand but doesn't have her husband when she needs him. His only excuse is - I am working for our better future. Her new year resolution is to divorce him and be single. She comes out of the relationship only to have a bad fling with the tennis coach. Its only when she sees her ex-husband with another girl does she realise that she still loves him.

Pru - The calmest among all, she's married to her first love and she feels he's helped her not to go through the teenage affaris. But she is not allowed to do anything that she likes except spend the money he earns. Her resolution is to stay married to him. Her world turns upside down when she discovers that her husband is having an affair with the cleaner and is bankrupt. She needs to start life fresh after having lived a protected life.

The book then goes on to see how the three friends cope up with the situations and the happenings in their lives during that one year.

Apart from a very few serious situations, the book is quiet funny. If you are the kind of person who'll laugh and cry with the books you read, you health will improve with this book (doesn't laughing make you healthier?).

Confessions of a Shopaholic - Book Review

You'll laugh at her. You'll feel sorry for her. You'll even get angry at her. But by the end of the book, you'll fall in love with Rebecca (Becky) Bloomwood.

She narrates her story. She's a shopaholic (as if we don’t know from the title), "up to her eye balls in debt" - in her words, but she can’t stop shopping. And her shopping has to be designer stuff every time.

She shares a London apartment with her friend Suze. She doesn't pay her rent on time. Suze is always understanding. Never demanding money, paying council tax for both of them, etc etc. In short, a real friend in need. Its not like Becky is taking advantage of her. She writes IOUs to Suze all the time. Becky does feel bad. But she can’t stop shopping.

She ignores all the letters and calls from her bank manager (she's over her over draft limit). She bins, throws and stows the letters from other credit card companies. She actually forgets her debt when she does that and wishes that her debt clears itself.

You might think she's jobless. That's where you are wrong. She's a financial journalist telling people how to manage their money.

To pay off her debt, she tries to follow a self-help book, tries to cut back and even tries to make more money by taking up another job. Everything ends in disaster.

In between all this, she meets a guy called Luke. He's anything but like her. He is a high flying entrepreneur, who takes Becky luggage shopping to Harrods. Before you draw any conclusions, it was for his girl friend and he wanted Becky’s opinion. He breaks up with his girl friend. Or rather, she dumps him. As they say, opposites attract. That's what happens at the end of the book. They both fall in love.

A movie (with the same title) was based on the book. I had seen the movie way before I read the book. But the book is far better and totally different. Apart from the fact that Becky is a shopaholic, in debt, lives with Suze and falls in love with Luke, the incidents are totally different.

By the end of the book, I loved Becky so much that I bought the whole series.

I've even started reading the second book in the series - Shopaholic Abroad. I am already loving it (only read 60 odd pages till now).