Mine Are Spectacular! by Janice Kaplan

Mine Are Spectacular! Reviews

• 
  Myrna

  Perfect funny read after reading a dark one.
• 
  Lois Duncan

  This is an easy, cute, light weight, humorous read for women "over a certain age" (meaning 35 or so). The good thing about books by Janice Kaplan and Lynn Schnurnberger is that the women mesh as a team and speak with one voice, so you don't get that jerky, disoriented feeling that is common when two writers collaborate. The unfortunate thing is that all of their books sound alike, so don't make the mistake of attempting to read two of their novels back to back. You'll feel as though you're reading the same book twice.
• 
  Lindsay

  This book was really cheesy and not at all what the title or the cover photo makes it look like it is. I was a bit disappointed, because I think the cover and title are kind of funny. But really, it was very lame and not all the entertaining. A chick lit book written by two women who had nothing better to do with their time.
  
  
  http://lindsayslibraryblog.blogspot.c...
• 
  Ruth Santana Valencia

  Segundo libro que leo de las autoras y no me han defraudado.
  Es una mezcla Sex and the City con 3 personajes "fifis" con romance, reencuentros, sorpresas y muchas situaciones simpáticas.
  Divertido, ligero, recomendable.
  Pd. El título a mi parecer tiene muy poco que ver con la trama y con la imagen de la portada.
• 
  Carous

  Ao passo que estou SATURADA dos livros YA/Ya Fantasy, seus enredos e personagens que parecem todos iguais e desenvolvidos porcamente, não consigo me cansar da fórmula dos chick lits e acho tanto Janice quanto Lynn as rainhas no que diz respeito a abordar uma personagem feminina central com mais de 40 anos. Os comentários sobre a juventude perdida, a mudança no corpo, a crença de que depois de tantos perrengues simplesmente não somos mais obrigadas a aturar certas coisas... isso tudo me atrai e fascina.
  
  Ainda que aqui Sara tenha que aturar algumas pessoas e situações desagradáveis, como a enteada adolescente mimada e pentelha e a mãe dela, que dá em cima de seu ex-marido como se não soubesse que ele está prestes a casar-se novamente. Quanto às situações, bom, nada superar o retorno de seu ex-marido, o mesmo que foi morar na Patagônia e deu adeus sem cerimônias ao casamento com Sara e à gravidez dela. Agora ele está arrependido de ter se comportado assim e deseja conhecer o filho e assumir seu papel de pai... e de marido, se a Sara aceitá-lo de volta.
  
  Sara conta com duas companheiras para desabafar e pedir conselhos: Kate, sua melhor amiga desde a infância. Embora a renomada dermatologista precise de uns conselhos também já que engatou um romance com um cara casado (e egocêntrico e babaca, como veremos mais na frente na história); e Bern, sua vizinha, grávida de gêmeos e que resolveu se aposentar para ser mãe em tempo integral.
  
  Confesso que a presença da enteada aborrescente, a rivalidade entre Sara e a ex- de seu noivo, a falta de sororidade com Kate com a esposa de seu amante foram clichês que me fizeram torcer o nariz. Assim como James, o ex-marido e pai ausente, voltar na maior cara de pau ou Bradford, o noivo, ser extremamente apático quando ele e Sara deveriam ser, segundo a sinopse, "perdidamente apaixonados".
  Continuo mantendo minha opinião de que esses clichês não eram necessários, mas Janice e Lynn trabalham com tanta leveza e competência que não consegui me incomodar por isso. E, no fim das contas, os personagens não têm má índole. Uns são sem noção (como a ex-esposa do Bradford, acostumada a viver em um mundo de intrigas) e outros só precisavam cair em si de que estavam pagando mico.
  
  Aliás, "Sara e o noivo estão perdidamente apaixonados" soou meio exagerado, mas durante o livro tivemos prova de que eles se amavam mesmo no fim das contas - no fim mesmo.
  
  Achei que as autoras optaram por um desfecho final de novela demais, e por isso não dei a nota máxima. Tanta treta, tanto personagem, todo mundo prometendo ser uma pedra no sapato maior na vida de Sara e depois... nada. Todo mundo tirou seu time de campo, seguiu com a vida. Tudo acabou em pizza.
  
  Enfim, foi um livro que entregou aquela fórmula gostosinha de chick lit, não me decepcionou de modo algum e estou muito feliz de ter dado uma chance ao livro.
  
• 
  Cris Mtz

  Mismo resultado o "pior"... Y le pondría la leyenda: " léalo bajo su propio riesgo"
• 
  Angelica Bell

  I enjoyed this lite, jovial read. It was a little bit predictable but I enjoyed the ending. It even made me tear up a little. I really loved the character development of Kate, Sara, and the step daughter.
• 
  Stacey

  I found this book at the library on a display or I would have never read it!!! You want something to make you giggle and out right laugh your ass off! This is the book for you! I loved it!!!
• 
  Ana

  It is good book, but so similar to the other one, The Botox diaries. I did not like that characters are almost the same in this 2 books.
• 
  Maru

  Buenísimo. Toda mujer debería leer esto una vez cada 5 años y cada vez que lo lea aprenderá algo nuevo. Completamente recomendable.
• 
  Randi Monley

  Blah.
• 
  Alicia Esparza

  Un libro divertido, fresco y corto sobre mujeres que están entrando a la edad madura.
• 
  Marianne

  I am embarrassed I read this, but it was a really fun read. Cute, even if corny and silly. I don't usually do beach reads but for this I made an exception and I'm glad I did.
• 
  Erin Egan

  Stereotypical chick lit. An easy read but not particularly memorable.
• 
  Tyler

  Synopsis: The title is taken from a quote at the end of a popular Seinfield episode (I don't believe that I've seen it). Instead of a synopsis as usual, I will present a character list and describe their place in the story.
  
  Sara - Divorced her first husband James after he disappeared to Argentina 8 years ago. Has been a single-mother to her son (who was born after her first husband left). Is dating Bradford and best friends with Berni and Kate. Junior-high art teacher invited to star on a cooking show on the Food Network.
  
  Bradford - Dating Sara and very busy wall street banker. Has a 14 year-old-daughter and annoying ex-wife (Mimi) that is trying to win him back.
  
  Berni - Hollywood agent that is quitting her job because she is pregnant with twins. Always complaining and best friends with Sara.
  
  Kate - World-renowned dermatologist that works off 5th Avenue. Has perfect figure, skin and makes tons of money. Starts dating an extremely rich guy (who is married) and convinces him to leave his wife.
  
  Kirk - Hunky soap-opera star doctor from Days of Our Knives. Goes with Sara to first filming of her Food Network show and is invited to co-star with her on it. Is always hitting on Sara and trying to convince her to leave Bradford.
  
  James - Main Lady's divorced ex-husband that ran off to Argentina to find himself. Shows up 8 years later and wants to be a part of Sara's life once again.
  
  My Review: This book isn't a trashy romance novel or anything, but it would certainly fall under the category of chick lit. If I was reading it in print I would have stopped early on, but because I was listening to the book on cd, then it's easier to sit through books that I normally wouldn't read. I think that the book has 2 authors simply because of all the desperate metaphors and similes in the book. Every paragraph seemed to contain one - and I doubt that one person could come up with all of them on their own. I did actually start enjoying the book by the last third or so. Not enough to recommend it, but enough that I can actually say that I liked the ending. From other reviews that I've read online, if you've got a penchant for chick lit, then you may just love this book.
  
  Disclaimer: This book is a somewhat mild PG-13. There is no swearing, but there are references to boobs, implied sex, a stripper comes to a baby shower and a neighborhood party that turns out to be a sex-toy party.
• 
  Gary E

  A descent book nothing great. I listened to this book as I was convalescing from a pretty badly injured back so it took me forever to get through. In part because I kept getting knocked out by my meds the other part was just that the book was boring and uninspired. It was very sappy at the end. Yeah I laughed, I cried (at the end anyhow) and getting a middle aged man on potent muscle relaxants to cry at chick is no small feat . . . I just can not give this book a very positive review. Yeah a lot of chick lit is sappy and predictable but the story and the characters are so good it does not bother you. Well that was unfortunately not the case with this book.
  
  The supporting characters were flat and the title of the book never really made sense. You think you are going to get a book about an early middle aged woman finding herself after divorce or something who comes to a slow complicated realization that she is a much better person than she thinks she is over a series of funny stories, tragic events etc. This book it kind of just happens with little to no known reason and it happens all at once. The title, cover and publisher blurb also give this novel a sexy vibe that is just not there . . . not I the least!
  
  If you are in love with author or this kind of novel I guess it is worth reading but that is about it.
  
  As I have written this review I realized I could not even give this a generous 3 star rating it is just not good enough! There are much better books out there!
• 
  Emily

  I read this book for a book club and that is probably the primary reason I finished the book. It was an ok book, well written, but didn't really appeal to me overall.
  
  The book is about Sara, a recently engaged middle age woman, who is trying to come to turn with lots of changes in her life. There is her best friend from child hood, Kate. The "Derm Darling" of park avenue who is losing herself in a relationship and becoming someone who Sara doesn't recognize. Berni her new best friend a recently retires Hollywood agent who is expecting twins. She has a new fiance , with a new house and new social standing (aka money to go with the marriage). Her ex husband, and father of her son, returns after disappearing for around 7 years of no contact. Her fiance has a daughter she has to forge a relationship with and an ex wife on a mission to get him back. As Sara finds her way through this all she is all so having a new career and opportunities being open up to her.
  
  I can't really say why I didn't enjoy this book and I didn't hate it, but it wasn't my cup of tea I think. Maybe, if it was older and could understand the situations more or something, but over all didn't do anything for me.
• 
  Jodi Goldbeck

  Sara is a teacher, but lives within the upper class in a suburb in New York. Her best friends are Kate and Bernie. Kate is a famous New York dermatologist and Bernie is a publicist ready to give birth to twins at any moment. Bradford is her fiance and James is her ex-husband.
  
  This book was given to me by a co-worker, who received it from the author Jacqueline Michaud, as an advanced, unedited copy. From the minute I read the first page, I was hooked. I really liked the main character, Sara. She was depicted as a very real, very authentic person. She was constantly surrounded by people who were fake, whether it was fake personalities or fake breasts! I would feel so lucky if I had the same attitude, humility and sense of humor that Sara had. She was a character that, I believe, many women could relate to. The book is funny and pretty realistic.
  
  Grade: B+
• 
  Sarah

  I'm sure I got plenty of looks while reading Mine Are Spectacular!: A Novel at the gym. The pictures they put on these books sure get people's attention...I can almost feel the condescension boring into my back, but whatever, they really are the best books to get you to stay on the elliptical/stairs/treadmill when you'd otherwise be bored out of your mind.
  
  I wonder how it'd be to co-write a book...and/or if Janice Kaplan and Lynn Schrnurnberger were friends first...I'm sure their story could be found somewhere online.
  
  In any case, I'm on to The Botox Diaries which was also co-authored by them!
• 
  Putri

  This is a story about a friendship that consists of 4 ladies in their forties live in New York with all the luxurious,botox,affairs are there.
  Along the way,friendship doesnt always go smoothly,there are disagreements and missunderstanding, but at the end they help one another.
  Showing how friends can help you to go trough difficult times.Most of the times.
  Eventhough the back ground is quite common -new york life style-, in fact too common, but somehow having read this book reminds me that we need friends to keep our priorities right.
  
• 
  Erin

  I am not going though menopause or mid-life crisis but I did like this book. It was funny, cheeky, and romantic with a little touch of gossip mixed in for good measure. I hope that when I get to that point in my life I am surrounded by women just like this. This book was not too intense but was funny enough to keep me involved. If you need a good book to just come home and zone out to this is the one. I am not normally a chick lit girl but this book worked for me.
• 
  Kristin

  Love this book! I felt like I really got to know Sara, the main character. I like that she is by no means perfect and is the first one to acknowlegde it. I wasn't quite sure how it was going to end which made it all the more fun to read. It even made me laugh out loud! Such a fun read! I highly recommend this book- It is totally a "chick book!"
• 
  Mindi

  It was not entirely what I expected, but it ended up being good. I loved that there seemed to be more conflict than just a lovey dovey relationship. It seemed more real world. It was about two main friends. One that is dating a troublesome man that you love to hate. The other is engaged to a man where they both have been divorced and had kids that get in the way.
• 
  Camille

  I sooo related to Sara: divorced, teacher, single mom, new man, jerky ex, self-depracating, teenager struggles, crazy friends, etc. This is a cute book and the main character is witty and doesn't take herself too seriously. There are some funny lines and comments in the book and I liked the sarcasm from the characters. Read it and enjoy!
• 
  Amy D

  I listened to the audio book. I thought it was fun, light, and made my commute better. Much better than the DJs on the radio or the news. On the literary front nothing new and enlightening, however a good funny escape. Can't read too much into it or it won't make reality on a few notes and ties up too neatly. One part bugged me that was never finished and seemed lazy not to by the authors.