BlogHer Book Club Review: Diary of a Mad Fat Girl by Stephanie McAfee

Stephanie McAfee's Diary of a Mad Fat Girl was originally released as a self-published e-book. Just a few months after she put it out there, it debuted at #31 on the New York Times bestseller list. She stayed there for 12 weeks, got an agent, and got published.

It's an impressive story.

I just wish I liked the book as much as I liked the story of McAfee's road to publishing success.

First, I just felt like the book was overwhelmed with pop culture references. If the book was about pop culture that would be one thing, but they just felt like they were put in for no real purpose. They didn't add to the story, they didn't flesh out the characters. If I picked up this book five years from now, I just think these would make it feel dated and irrelevant.

As for the characters, I felt more like they were caricatures than characters. They felt like they could become something interesting, but there just didn't seem to be any depth to any of them. Lots of things happened, but I didn't feel like any of the events had any kind of impact on the characters. They didn't grow, they didn't change, they didn't evolve. They felt almost like they were in a sit-com where everything would reset at the beginning of the next day.

I also get that this is light reading, but she also wrote about really difficult situations. And it's hard to write about something like domestic abuse as a beach read. The tension just felt off to me the whole time.

I think that Stephanie McAfee has a promising career ahead of her. She has all of the makings of a good book here and obviously a lot of people enjoyed it. But personally, I'd give this Diary of a Mad Fat Girl a pass.

For more discussion about this book, stop by the BlogHer page for Diary of a Mad Fat Girl.

Disclosure: I received a copy of Diary of a Mad Fat Girl by Stephanie McAfee for the purpose of review and was compensated for my review, however, my opinions are 100% my own.

BlogHer Book Club Review: The Rules of Inheritance by Claire Bidwell Smith

This month the BlogHer Book Club is reading The Rules of Inheritance by Claire Bidwell Smith.

I love memoirs and this was by far one of the most unique books in that genre that I've read. Rather than telling her story in a linear fashion, Claire shares bits and pieces, broken up. Claire at 18. Claire at 22. Claire at 14. Each section gave us a better view of the pieces that we had seen before.

I also loved that because it was, in part, about losing parents, the disjointed story-telling actually helps set the mood. She deals honestly with depression, addiction, and grief. The dialog is all shared without quotes, so the story has almost a free verse form to it.

The pain of losing a parent, let alone both, is one that I have not had to experience. Because Claire lost her parents at such a young age, it affects all of her other relationships. I found the way that she described her interactions with others because of her loss to be powerful.

If you're looking for a unique and affecting memoir, I definitely recommend The Rules of Inheritance. And be sure to stop by BlogHer for an excerpt and for discussions inspired by the book.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of The Rules of Inheritance by Claire Bidwell Smith for the purpose of review and I was compensated for my review, however, my opinions are 100% my own.

BlogHer Book Club Review: The Underside of Joy

This month the BlogHer Book Club is reviewing Sere Prince Halverson’s debut book, The Underside of Joy.

This story starts out beautifully with the description of the relationship between the newly married couple, Joe and Ella, and Joe’s children Annie and Zach. Halverson gives us a glimpse of a couple that is happy, but is working through learning how to communicate in a more honest way.

When Joe dies, Ella finds out some of the areas where she and Joe had not been fully honest with one another. In the midst of that, Joe’s first wife and the mother of Annie and Zach comes back into the picture, wanting to become more involved in their lives.

I really enjoyed this book. Halverson has woven a beautiful story here. Her characters are believable and likable. And as a woman who has suffered from post-partum depression, I appreciated the treatment that she gave of this issue. Her dialogue rings true, the relationships are complex, and the outcome is very satisfying. I would absolutely recommend checking out this book.

For more information and discussions about The Underside of Joy, head over to the BlogHer page.

Disclosure: I received a copy of The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson for the purpose of review and I was compensated for my review, however my opinions are 100% my own.

BlogHer Book Club Review: Sea Change by Jeremy Page

This month I had the opportunity to read Sea Changes by Jeremy Page for BlogHer.

The book opens very strongly with the tragic death of Guy's daughter. It then takes on a dual story-line. In the real world, we see how Guy's life falls apart. He and his wife divorce and he moves onto a boat where he sails on the North Shore.

The way that he deals with his depression is by writing an alternate world where his life continues as it was supposed to with his daughter surviving and his marriage flourishing. Every night he writes in his journal, escaping into a world where everything is good and safe.

As a blogger and someone who writes regularly, I wanted to like this book, but honestly, I just bogged down in it a lot. The prose that starts off thick just never. lets. up. It's beautiful, but after a while I just kind of glazed over. Between that and the difficulty of moving between the real world and the construct that Guy has created, it was just not a book that kept my attention.

For more discussions about this book, stop by the BlogHer Sea Change page. You can participate in the first discussion about the small moments here.

Disclosure: I received a copy of Sea Change by Jeremy Page for the purpose of review and I was compensated for my review, however all opinions are 100% my own.

BlogHer Book Club Review: Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Easily one of the most quotable books I've read in a while, Rules of Civility by Amor Towles is a fantastic look at New York in the thirties. Head over to the BlogHer Book Club now to check out my review!


Disclosure: I received a copy of Rules of Civility by Amor Towles for the purpose of review and I was compensated for my review, however my opinions are 100% my own.

BlogHer Book Club Review: Slow Love by Dominique Browning

I enjoy a well-written memoir and Dominique Browning's Slow Love is a lovely piece of writing. She paints a beautiful narrative and while I had to rush through reading this book far more quickly than I would have liked, I found her prose to be a delight.

I was torn on the actual content. On one hand, I absolutely love the idea behind the book. When forced to slow down because she lost her job, Dominique discovers that relationships require nurturing that can't be scheduled in the day planner. I am thoroughly in favor of this idea.

However, I was less excited about the seemingly unending writing about "Stroller" - a man with whom she is having an affair and who is clearly disinterested in her in any meaningful way. Obviously she realizes this because she is able to write so plainly about it, but it is really difficult for me to like someone who, for so long, allowed herself to be used in such an obvious manner and who seems to write about it almost wistfully. It was just hard for me to reconcile that with her over-reaching message of really immersing yourself in relationships.

We'll be having a month long discussion about this book over at BlogHer. If you have a chance to read the book, stop by and share your thoughts as well!

This was a sponsored review by BlogHer. The opinions expressed are 100% my own (like it could be any other way).

BlogHer Book Club Review: The Kid by Sapphire

I'm not really blogging, I promise! But I did want to let you know about a review of The Kid by Sapphire that I did for the BlogHer Book Club. It's very spoiler-y, so be warned. Also be warned if you're considering reading this book, it's brutal - both in content and in style. But you can find more about that in my sponsored review.

Thanks for checking it out!

Disclosure: I received a copy of The Kid by Sapphire for the purpose of review and I was compensated for my review, however my opinions are 100% my own. 




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