I liked this book a lot. Cannie is a wonderful heroine and role model. Filled with wit and wonderful characters, this is a delightful read. I’ve read others by Weiner, and this is one of my favorites.

I've always been a fan of Jennifer Weiner, and this is a great read of hers! Many of my friends have enjoyed it, too. I like to recommend it to friends looking for a good romance.

This is a really late review, and I apologize for that. Inthought I had already submitted it. I happened to be looking through my account and saw that there was a separate place for older books.

I really enjoyed this book. As a woman who is also larger than average, I could really relate to Cannie as a character and I truly felt for her as she dealt with so much heartbreak.

I thought the writing was great, but I also felt like a lot of the story was a little unrealistic.

Overall, it was a fun read, while still being emotionally compelling.

3.5 *** The premise of this one as good. I am not a large woman so I don't know those perils, but I am on the small side and know that life ain't all its cracked up to be either.
Weiner did a great job with the story and character's flaws and woes will certainly move you and hit you in the feels. Definitely a do not miss if you enjoy her other books.

Unbelievably disappointed. The story was repetitive and I don't like reading exact thought process over and over, page after page, in every chapter. The content bounced around, and followed no true form. I couldn't finish the book.

Good in Bed is one of those books I somehow missed reading when it was first published over 15 years ago. I was very much aware of it, my daughter read it and loved it, and I even had a paper copy of it. But somehow I never quite got around to reading it. When Atria offered it through Netgalley last year, I decided to finally give it a try, and I’m happy I did. I was very much entertained, both by the story and by the author’s wit and style. She tapped into the feelings that so many women experience about looks and size and well, just life in general. The lessons the main character, Cannie, learns throughout the book are ones that most of us (hopefully) learn through age and experience. I’m not always a fan of “chick lit”, but I do enjoy it when it’s well-written, and I absolutely enjoyed this one. (And this is one of those chick lit books that men could learn a little something from.)
Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

I didn't get on with this book - I found it to be a bit repetitive and the character was a bit glass half empty for my liking

GOOD IN BED - Jennifer Weiner

#1 in the Cannie Shapiro series

CUTE AND FUN

Plot - 4 stars - Cannie is a plus-size single woman who is just trying to live her life in the happiest way possible. She has a successful job at a newspaper, but she's just out of a relationship that's starting to look better now that it's over. We follow Cannie as she faces some life problems and learns how to deal with them. It was especially enjoyable to watch her interact with her circle of friends (and family) and grow from her experiences.

Writing - 4.5 stars - Weiner grabbed me right from the beginning and drew me right in to Cannie's story, compelling me to keep turning the pages until the end. She was able to build a multi-faceted character who both attracted me and annoyed me. At times Cannie would be insightful and empathetic, then other times she'd be unreasonable and selfish. I seesawed about my feelings for her throughout the whole book, but overall I'd definitely want her to be my friend. Weiner also created a world around Cannie peopled with interesting characters who all interacted with her in various ways, adding even more depth to the Cannie character.

Characters - 4 stars - Cannie is fun and personable, with a great sense of humor. I found her entertaining and very likable. On the negative side however, she also spends a lot of time regretting her choices and bemoaning problems that she actually created herself. So I had a love/hate relationship with her, although I'd say that I'd lean more toward loving than hating. She's multi-dimensional, with a history that made her present-day self make sense. And I loved traveling with her as she faced the life-changing situations she was embroiled in, following her every step of the way.

Title - 4 stars - The title made my thoughts head in one direction and caught my eye, although it's really the title of her ex-boyfriend's new feature in a local magazine.

Cover - 3.5 stars - The cover is bright and cheerful. I wasn't exactly thrilled with the sweets sitting next to her, but I suppose that implied that she is overweight, which is a big part of her personality.

Overview - 4 stars - I read this book a few years ago and gave it a 5-star rating, but I didn't love it as much this time. I'll admit that overall I'd rate the book highly, but I had reservations about Cannie and her up-and-down personality. Although her self-doubts and unhappy moments made sense because of her past, I wanted her to grow out of her rut and see herself as others saw her. I suppose that's probably true of everyone in real life, but I really liked her and hurt for her and wanted to shake her so she would appreciate what she had.

Good in Bed is a modern day Cinderella story. It makes a good vacation read.

Sorry I was not able to read you book but it went to archive before I could get to it. Sorry once again.

I really, really enjoyed this book. It was a fast, fun read and makes me want to read others by this author.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

For twenty-eight years, things have been tripping along nicely for Cannie Shapiro. Sure, her mother has come charging out of the closet, and her father has long since dropped out of her world. But she loves her friends, her rat terrier, Nifkin, and her job as pop culture reporter for The Philadelphia Examiner. She’s even made a tenuous peace with her plus-size body.
But the day she opens up a national women’s magazine and sees the words “Loving a Larger Woman” above her ex-boyfriend’s byline, Cannie is plunged into misery…and the most amazing year of her life. From Philadelphia to Hollywood and back home again, she charts a new course for herself: mourning her losses, facing her past, and figuring out who she is and who she can become.

I can abide a lot of poor stuff in books. Hell, I have read enough books in my life to know what I am talking about. I can deal with bad plotting or plot holes; characters that appear and disappear for no good reason; social issues that are overdone and become melodramatic...these things I can deal with.

What I can't get past are whiny characters. "Oh poor me," she cried...

"Oh give me a break," I cried.

On and on and one, went the pity-party. It was embarrassing and I wonder what the motivation was to write such a dreadful MC. But, then again, I don't really care to know at all...


Paul
ARH

This was a good read. Well-paced and humourous, while still dealing with serious topics.

This was not my cup of tea. I read about half of it over several months before deciding to set it aside. The writing is crisp and well-paced, and I thought the story progressed in a natural, realistic way, but I don't think this story was for me because I kept finding that I couldn't connect with the main character.

I thought that this was a good read and one that deals with some issues some of us have to deal with everyday. It is nice to have a good, fun, humorous read every once in awhile and Jennifer Weiner gives us that with this one.

Cannie is a twenty-eight year old woman that has recently decided to take a break in her relationship with her boyfriend when he was headed more towards marriage instead. Cannie is not sure where she really wants their relationship to go and has decided to give herself some time to think about it. When Cannie sees her boyfriends name under and article that talks about loving a plus sized woman, she gets furious!

Cannie has known and accepted that she was a larger woman but is determined now to get her weight under control. When she saw that article in a magazine, it all seems to hit her in the face. This was an emotional roller coaster that we are taken on with Cannie. I loved how Jennifer Weiner did not shy away from the tough issues that Cannie had to work through though. This story made you feel like Cannie was your best friend and you were in her life. I love how it was written. I can't wait for the next one in this series!

Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella brings us Sylvie and Dan. They are happily married thirty-somethings with two young children. At their annual insurance health check, their doctor mentions that with their fantastic health, they could live to be a hundred. Giving them 68 more years of marriage. How wonderful! Right?

Now that the number 68 has been thrown out there, both Sylvie and Dan start to wonder what their vows actually meant. 68 years is a long time. When they agreed to forever, did they really agree to 68 years? Trying to lighten the situation, Sylvie suggests that they can keep their marriage fresh by planning little surprises for each other.

Naturally, now that they are so focused on surprising each other, every little thing they do for each other turns into a small disaster. Nothing is working out quite right. With their close relationship thrown under the microscope, things are not looking all that great. And to make matters worse, Dan is obviously hiding something from Sylvie.

Will they make it through the current turmoil? Can they survive another 68 years? What is Dan trying to conceal from Sylvia? In typical Sophie Kinsella style, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry while you take this journey with them.

Not at all what I was expecting but a really good read. Although being a bbw myself I did get sick of her mentioning it but loved when the light bulb went off. Cannie was oblivious to any man who wasn't Bruce and had other issued that kept her locked in a world that kept her down but once she woke up she was wondrous. This author gives us a great wake up story for women who aren't happy with some part of themselves and does it so we laugh, cry and heal. Well written with characters that help (Dr K) and love and support her when she remembers to ask while reminding us at the same time. I haven't read this author before but I truly had a blast getting to know her style.

Hands down one of my favorite books ever. I had read this book quite a few times and still continue to enjoynit

This was my first Jennifer Weiner book. I was definitely expecting to care about the characters more, but I found myself never really rooting for the romance. The whole story got pretty boring to me about halfway through and then I just never regained interest, unfortunately. I've heard to many good things about the author's books that I would be willing to try another in the future, but this one was just not for me.

Jennifer Weiner is a favourite author and I loved this introduction to Cannie, highly recommend!!