The Smart One by Ellen Meister
I am now reminded why I normally don’t read “Chick Lit.” At least I think this book was Chick Lit, I’m not 100% positive since I find myself reading very few of them. I was really excited to read The Smart One by Ellen Meister. I mean, look at that cover. It’s great. Even after finishing the book, I thought the cover was even more great because I understood who each character was on the cover.
The story in The Smart One was really good, the characters were interesting, and it had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing, but I could not get past the writing. For some reason, I was irritated with the writing style. First off, did this book really need to be 360 pages long? I think 250 would have been just fine. And did I really need to read two pages dedicated to the main character going off about a company called Horizon Wireless? It’s not hard to suspect the author must have had some beef with Verizon Wireless at some point, but did it need to be included in the book? Did that passage further the story or the character development? No. There seemed to be passage after passage of mind numbing details and tangents that had nothing to do with the story and not only bored me to death, but took me right out of the story. Later I wondered why so much focus was on these details, I thought maybe there would be a reason later. But I didn’t see any.
Another reason why I think this book and I didn’t mesh is . . . can you guess it? One, lots and lots of language, which usually makes me cringe. And two, lots and lots of sex. No wonder I normally don’t read Chick Lit. I just don’t think the two of us go together.
So what is The Smart One about? I haven’t mentioned that yet have I? Like I said earlier, the premise of the book is actually fine. I didn’t have a beef with that, I just thought the execution was poorly done. In The Smart One, Bev is at an impasse in her life as she is contemplating changing careers and moving away from New York to relieve the pressures resulting from being known as the smart one among her two sisters. Her older sister, Clare is known as the pretty one who has to keep up with the perfect image and her little sister Joey is the wild one, who is overcoming drug addiction after her short but successful career as a singer. All must learn how to overcome their jealousies, old resentments, self-imposed labels, and even rethink their loves lives while also uncovering a murder committed decades earlier in the house next door. I was guessing until the very end and certainly was caught up in some surprises.
I’m really sorry Ellen. I just don’t think I was cut out for this one. Ellen Meister also wrote Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA, The Smart One is her second novel. Visit Ellen Meister’s website and her blog.
This book review is part of the BlogStop Book Tours book review series for The Smart One. Visit to learn more.
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Category: Adult, Book Reviews, Fiction
Tags: blog tour, chick lit, M-P Author, published 2008, Q-T Title, review copy
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I seem to have the same issues with chick lit as you do–it seems that with so many of them, the women sleep around with whoever! I am on the hunt for a really good “chick lit” book, with a strong, moral female lead character.
on August 11th, 2008 at 7:54 amDo you know what’s funny? Whenever you write a poor review for a book it makes me want to read it to see if I agree with you and I often skip the good ones. hmmm
I can enjoy a chick lit novel every once in awhile if it’s good.
One of my favorite chick lit novels is Confessions of a Shopaholic…she doesn’t sleep around but she’s not exactly a strong, moral character either as the title suggests. It’s a very light and easy read, perfect for summer. It’s also a series with a total of 5 books but the first two are the best after that they are kind of weak.
on August 11th, 2008 at 11:27 amIt’s okay not to like every book you read. Have you read her first book?
on August 11th, 2008 at 2:44 pmI’m with you. I don’t like chick lit and avoid it like the plague. What I don’t like is usually things are wrapped up nicely in the end…that just doesn’t agree with me. And I don’t need graphic sex scenes in a book, which I don’t normally associate with chick lit, necessarily.
But I do wish the author the best of luck! I’m sure it’s hard writing and publishing a book.
on August 11th, 2008 at 4:17 pmI know how you feel. I usually don’t read too much chick lit either. Sometimes I find a rare one I enjoy, but I don’t like the shallow characters or the silly dialogue. I haven’t read this one, but thanks for doing an honest review!
on August 11th, 2008 at 8:55 pmThe sex and language in most of the Adult books I pick up and flip through is frustrating. The Historian was a semi-recent example that I really appreciated. And I have been impressed with a lot of the young adult fiction lately, it mostly avoids the sex and language. It’s like authors of adult books feel the need to be coarse to entertain grown-ups and that’s just not the case.
on August 12th, 2008 at 12:16 amLaura – Have you read Austenland by Shannon Hale? I thought it was good.
Janet – I do think it would be pretty boring if we all had the same tastes! My neighbor keeps recommending the Shopaholic series to me. I don’t know though. Not this year.
Amber – I haven’t read her first book. I don’t think I will either.
Trish – I really should start avoiding it as well! To tell you the truth, I really haven’t read much of it, so it was good to give it a test drive. I’ve got another one on a blog tour coming up, so I’m curious to see what the verdict will be.
Kim L. – I like to tell it like I see it. I did think the dialogue was really silly. I kept thinking, “Come on!”
Mrs. B. Roth – It’s so hard to find something that’s not raunchy anymore. In the case of this book, all of our characters had loose morals and slept with whomever they wanted. I have been reading a lot of YA lately, while I still find some language and sex, it doesn’t seem as bad.
on August 12th, 2008 at 3:33 pmI enjoy certain chick lit books. I’ve never heard of this author though. Too much sex though really ruins a book.
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on August 28th, 2008 at 10:17 pmOuch. I know the Applewood PTA was a very popular book. I’m not familiar with Meister’s work (as a guy I’m not a big chick lit reader).
As I read this I wondered what it would be like to be on the wrong end of a review like this. That it was well conceived and delivered articulately would only add to the sinking feeling I’m sure.
on June 3rd, 2009 at 6:25 pmStopping by late, ha ha, to say I love chick lit.
This book was just alright for me.
on June 9th, 2009 at 10:01 pm