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Loading... The Boy Next Doorby Meg CabotI didn't think I'd like it because the entire book is written in emails back and forth to,the different characters. I thought it would be hard to read, but I really enjoyed it. ( ) Has anyone noticed that the main characters of Meg Cabot's "Boys" series are all pretty much the exactly the same? Zany, well-meaning, naive Midwestern-girl meets world-weary, cynical, invariably rich bachelor. Misunderstandings occur, wackiness ensues. Characters eventually wind up sahring a blissful pint of Chunky Monkey (or >insert happy ending of choice Another lovely Meg Cabot book! This was the first non-princess diaries book I read by her and it certainly did not disappoint. The story is told strictly in e-mail format and is so fun and easy to read. Definitely a recommended book for anyone interested in a fast reading romance with a hint of mystery and the traditional Meg Cabot humor:) This is a light, charming, contemporary romance featuring a case of assumed identity: He pretends to be somebody else, and during his masquerade finds his special someone... Published in 2002, it shows its age a little bit: The general public is getting more into e-mail, and there is no Google, FaceBook or Skype... and if there was, this plot would fall apart very quickly! Still, a fun & funny story told primarily through e-mails :-) To: You (you) From: Human Resources (human.resources@thenyjournal.com) Subject: This Book Dear Reader, This is an automated message from the Human Resources Division of the New York Journal, New York City’s leading photo-newspaper. Please be aware that according to our records you have not yet read this book. What exactly are you waiting for? This book has it all: •Humor •Romance •Cooking tips •Great Danes •Heroine in peril •Dolphin-shaped driftwood sculptures If you wish to read about any of the above, please do not hesitate to head to the checkout counter, where you will be paired with a sales associate who will work to help you buy this book. We here at the New York Journal are a team. We win as a team, and lose as one as well. Don’t you want to be on the winning team? Sincerely, Human Resources Division New York Journal Please note that failure to read this book may result in suspension or dismissal from this store. *********This e-mail is confidential and should not be used by anyone who is not the original intended recipient. If you have received this e-mail in error please inform the sender and delete it from your mailbox or any other storage mechanism.********* Written as a series of e-mails among co-workers, friends and significant others. This is somewhat problematic as no one writes e-mails the way these people do, plus the office exchanges make you ask why someone doesn't just walk to the cubicle across the way and talk face-to-face. Otherwise, the story is a compelling and fast read even without "real time" dialog. Basically Mel and John meet cute through John's impersonation of Max. The Boy Next Door is a cute contemporary romance (some might categorize it as Chick Lit) written entirely in the format of email messages between characters. The main character, Mel, finds her elderly neighbor face down in her apartment after being struck in the head and left for dead. While her neighbor is in a coma, Mel starts to take care of her neighbors pets (two cats and a great dane) until she can contact the neighbor's only living relative, Max Friedlander. Max Friedlander is a world renown photographer playboy is is busy enjoying an extended vacation with a beautiful supermodel, so he calls in a favor and asks his friend John to take is place and pose as Max so his rich aunt thinks that her devoted nephew cares and keeps him as her heir. John agrees, but he didn't count on finding the woman of his dreams living next door. How will she react when she finds out he is not who he says he is. This was a very cute story with a little mystery thrown in. It was a nice quick read that was light and fun. It would be the perfect book for reading on the beach. What I particularly enjoyed about this book is the originality of the writing style. The book is written in a modern epistolary fashion, it develops through the emails the various characters exchange. The story is witty, there is a little bit of a mystery to solve, which I always enjoy, and the book overall is light and refreshing. I loved this story which consisted entirely of emails. The action, plot, romance all good and it was hilarious. I don't know when I've laughed so much. Gossip columnist Mel finds the elderly women next door barely alive. When the neighbors nephew comes to take care of her pets, he says his nickname is John. This book is very problematic for me. When I first read it, I really enjoyed the story. And then I gave it subsequent rereads. The biggest problem I have overall is the characterization. I’m sorry, but I have a very hard time believing that a professional working woman at the age of 27 acts more like an eighteen-year old when it comes to her romantic relationships. Nor do I think that she would have gotten away with some of her actions- such as placing false information, gossip column or not- with as little of a punishment. While I give the story credit for being loose and playful with taking a murder mystery and giving it a romantic comedy flair, the number of clichéd tropes that show up in the book grated me at times. (Such as Nadine’s plotline of being the fat best friend. Yes, she accepts her size 16 body, but she goes on for 200 pages with little development beyond “Omg, I cannot fit into my mother’s wedding dress!”) Oh, and the fact that everyone insists that Mel take back John after it’s discovered that he did, in fact, lie to her: Mel was completely in the right to insist that she couldn’t trust John anymore, and the roundabout way they make up was just too neatly-wrapped up for me. (I love Meg Cabot’s books, I really do, but there are some that I finish and go “Seriously?”) |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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