I Did a Bad Thing - Linda Green (2007)

Birmingham newspaper reporter Sarah Roberts is living with her schoolteacher boyfriend Jonathan, a vegetarian Amnesty International crusader. Then two blasts from her past reappear - Nick Hardwich, who she used to work with on another local newspaper, and Colin Leake, a councillor and story source from those days. In a series of flashbacks to 1997, it is revealed that Sarah first slept with Nick the night of Colin's parliamentary election - she didn't get around to voting and he lost by a single vote. She's been tormented by guilt ever since - about both events.

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I Do (But I Don't) - Cara Lockwood (2003)

Lauren Crandell's qualities as a neat freak and organisational guru makes her the perfect wedding planner (even though she has uncontrollable curly hair and is divorced). When two weddings go haywire on the same day - a parachuting groom gets stuck in a tree and a bride faints after spotting a stalker ex-girlfriend dressed as a bridesmaid - hunky firefighter Nick Corona comes to the rescue. With sparks flying between them, Lauren is put on to a new client who knows Nick - the beautiful but Psycho Bride Darla. Although the cases of mistaken identity were as obvious as a bride wearing a big meringue dress, it's an entertaining read with a delightful heroine. The story was turned into a 2004 TV movie starring Denise Richards as Lauren and Dean Cain as Nick. The sequel about Lauren's sister, Lily, is called I Did (But I Wouldn't Now).

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I Do, I Do, I Do - Samantha Scott-Jeffries (2009)

Isabelle is PA to the chief of a London TV production company. But she is sent packing when she shoots off a draft email her boss never intended to send. With her art director boyfriend Harrisson always away on shoots, Izzy thinks she needs a fresh start so applies for a job as a wedding planner in Majorca. This has lots of the chick lit staples like a gay friend (Ray), a stylish shopaholic friend (Remi), and a new love interest (Tomas). But Izzy is not a particularly convincing character - she's prone to getting herself into embarrassing situations but is more than capable of pulling things together in the face of wedding mayhem. She actually lost me right at the start when she doesn't even ask why she's been fired. Read it instead for all the captivating, behind-the-scene wedding preparations, inspired no doubt by the author's own experience as a Majorca wedding planner. The sequel is due in June 2010.

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I Don't Know How She Does It - Allison Pearson (2002)

This is a classic story about a woman who tries to juggle too much in an age where women are wondering about the myth of 'having it all'. Hedge-fund manager Kate Reddy is a frazzled mother of two who's trying to make store-bought mince pies look homemade for the school Christmas party. Married to architect Richard, Kate feels endless guilt about not being a good-enough mother, especially because she has to travel a lot for work. When one of her trips brings her into contact with attractive client Jack Abelhammer, her family life is tested even more.

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If Andy Warhol Had A Girlfriend - Alison Pace (2005)

Holding an MA in Art History, Jane Laine works for the most influential artist of all time - Dick Reese - in his art gallery. However, her boss is as obnoxious as you can imagine. Jane thought that she could quit her job and "live happily ever after" when she marries her Mr Right - Jack Davis - right up until he ends their two-year relationship. Devastated about her love life, she commits the grave mistake of ordering the wrong size Reeses Peanut Butter Cups for an important art show. As a punishment, Jane is sent on a five-month international art fair tour with British artist Ian Rhys Fitzsimmons - whom she thinks is a big fraud. Will this trip be a total disaster? Or will it blossom into something better? (XT)

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If This is Paradise, I Want My Money Back! - Claudia Carroll (2009)

Charlotte Grey is in a coma after being in a car crash. She can hear everything her visitors are saying, from her mother's incessant chatter about everyday events to her sister Kate's confession about her infertility woes. Then film producer James swings by - the boyfriend her family and friends hate and the guy she had a terrible row with just before her crash. As he's telling her about how he's fallen for someone else, everything fades to white as the medical team rushes into her room. Next thing Charlotte is being greeted by her late father. But when Charlotte discovers the afterlife is more about playing cards and watching the horse racing with a bunch of geriatric relatives, she signs up for angel training. She heads back to earth as a ghost-like angel - and since only James can hear her, the devilish side of Charlotte begins to mess with his mind. But maybe she can also help those she loves, including Kate and her best friend Fiona.

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If You Could See Me Now - Cecelia Ahern (2005)

Also known as A Silver Lining

Interior decorator Elizabeth Egan likes to keep everything organised. She has lots of responsibilities in her life, including bringing up her six-year-old nephew, Luke - son of her wayward sister Saoirse. Then Luke is befriended by Ivan. Elizabeth thinks he is one of his friend's fathers but there are much more magical elements at play.

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I Hate Cinderella - Amanda Cole (2009)

This is a big girls' fairytale that follows Lucy Summers' identity crisis after she breaks up with her long-term boyfriend. Lucy is wallowing in self-pity and questioning who she really is without her man by her side. As Lucy is flying for business, her plane crashes into the ocean and she is rescued by a beautiful mermaid, Obelia, who mends her broken heart. While she spends time in the ocean with Obelia, she begins to realise what life is really all about and understands she can survive this break-up. This is an imaginative book unlike anything I have read since I was a child complete with mermaids and magic. This book touches on some big issues but in a simplified way. To read it you need to open your mind and think like you were 10 again but dealing with adult issues. (GF)

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I Heart Hollywood - Lindsey Kelk (2010)

Angela heads to Hollywood after British movie star James Jacobs specifically requests that she interview him. With best friend Jenny along for the ride, Angela soon discovers that celebrity life in Hollywood is not all that glamorous. When a paparazzo catches her and James in a compromising shot, Angela finds herself becoming the story. Can she convince her boss and her musician boyfriend not to believe everything they read? This continues on from where the debut, I Heart New York, left off and all of our favourite characters are back, bigger and better than ever before. With a few new characters added into the mix and a plot twist that comes completely out of the blue, this book is light and frothy, and highly, highly entertaining. (KC)

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I Heart New York - Lindsey Kelk (2009)

What would you do if you found out your long-term boyfriend was cheating on you? For Angela it meant ruining her best friend's wedding by screaming at the bride and making her cry, breaking the groom's hand with her shoe and then fleeing to New York City. Checking into a hotel, she quickly makes friends with Jenny who gives her a makeover and after a whirlwind tour of the city and a major shopping spree it's not long before she's dating two cute guys. Oh and the best thing of all? She gets to write about it in her new blog for fashion magazine The Look. Although the premise of this book may not be all that realistic, it is without a doubt a fantastic read with some really hilarious moments thrown in for good measure. Pure escapism and chick lit at its best! (KC)

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I Heart Paris - Lindsey Kelk (2010)

Angela Clark started out in London, moved to New York and now is visiting Paris in the third instalment of the I Heart series. When Angela is offered a job for chic Belle magazine and her boyfriend, Alex, asks her to go to Paris at the same time, Angela is on cloud nine. However, when they arrive in Paris, things don't go as planned. Angela had romantic plans of walking with Alex by the Eiffel Tower wearing berets and whispering sweet nothings to each other, but what she gets is a whole other story. Alex is too busy practising with his band for a huge festival. Plus, Angela has her first piece for Belle to work on, which she may have actually made some progress on if only her luggage hadn't gotten blown up at the airport. Oh, and if someone wasn't conspiring to make her look like a fool. When Alex's beautiful ex-girlfriend, Solene, shows up and tries to reclaim him, Angela feels her Parisian getaway is really taking a turn for the worse. So, when she is faced with the choice to go back to London or stay in Paris and watch Alex and Solene flirt, Angela lets her heart lead her - though that may not be the smartest thing to do. This novel continues to make the I Heart series one of my favourites. Angela is funny, sweet and extremely relatable. The whole story just makes you root for her even more and it has an especially heart-warming ending. It's one definitely not to be missed! (AS)

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I'll Have Who She's Having - Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke (2008)

TV producer Kate is depressed and drinking a lot after her latest boyfriend dumps her, while her younger sister Kelly is feeling the strain of being a young married mother. When Kelly meets a gorgeous guy at Starbucks, she convinces her sister to sign up together for his volleyball classes. Once Kate meets coach Tim, she decides he could well be the man of her dreams. But he is too busy making a play for Kelly. Told in alternate chapters from each sister's viewpoint (Fenton wrote the Kelly chapters, while Steinke wrote for Kate.)

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I'm Not Julia Roberts - Laura Ruby (2007)

Lupe Klein may resemble the stepmom Julia Roberts portrayed in the movie of the same name but she's definitely not as lucky as her. When she married Ward, other than knowing that her life was more or less screwed up by his three less-than-endearing kids, she certainly hadn't expected that his plump ex-wife Beatrix would constantly send her threatening messages. As for Beatrix, her life isn't any better, with her stepdaughter Liv proving to be a strangely sarcastic teen. Liv's mother Roxie is also dating a divorced man - and the chain of blended families goes on. It's just like when Stepmom meets Desperate Housewives, but just not as interesting. (XT)

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I'm So Happy for You - Lucinda Rosenfeld (2009)

Wendy and Daphne have been best friends for 15 years. During that time, Wendy has always been there for Daphne, offering a shoulder for Daphne to cry on and giving her much-needed advice when she gets in over her head. And the truth is that Wendy likes it this way. She prefers to be the strong one in the relationship, always coming to the rescue of her overly dramatic wreck of a best friend. However, when Daphne's life begins to turn around and she marries the perfect husband, renovates her dream brownstone in the best part of Brooklyn, and becomes pregnant with the child that Wendy can't seem to conceive, Wendy finds herself having a very hard time being happy for her best friend. In fact, she realises that she is downright jealous of Daphne and the way her life is moving forward, while Wendy seems to be stuck in a dead-end job with a slacker husband in a run-down apartment. The author does an excellent job of exploring the often tenuous relationships between best friends and the surprising feelings that come to light as their lives begin to travel down different paths. At times during the book, you will find yourself sympathetic to both Daphne and Wendy, always aware that there is sometimes a fine line between love and hate in female friendships. Anyone who has ever had a hard time being happy for a friend's good fortune when your life seems to be stuck will relate to this story. (LEK)

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I'm with Stupid - Elaine Szewczyk (2008)

This follows New Yorker Kas and her friends Max and Libby as they go on a South African safari. Kas is an awfully boring one-dimensional 20-something who has been dumped by her boyfriend and is stuck in a post-breakup depression. To make things worse, Kas sees her ex, Richard, out at a club with his new girlfriend, who actually ends up being his fiancee of two years! Max decides to enact revenge on Richard in various ways such as telling all his neighbours he's a convict and putting up signs around town advertising his escort services. Max's antics are about the only thing that is funny about this novel. On the African safari, Kas has a fling with handsome park ranger William who saves the group from certain death. After going back to New York, Kas thinks William is out of her league. When he unexpectedly sends an email and says he is coming to New York (believing that Kas has offered him a place to live) Kas is ecstatic but her excitement fades when she realises William is not playing with a full deck of cards. He has an obsession with Big Apple-themed souvenirs and psychics. So it's a case of the girl gets the guy but wishes all along that she hadn't. But the characters are boring and the chapters are far too long (at over 100 pages just for chapter one!) The way it is written feels like you're reading the ramblings of someone with hyper activity disorder - it's all over the place and hard to follow. (AS)

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I Never Fancied Him Anyway - Claudia Carroll (2007)

Cassandra has been able to predict the future since she was a little girl and she is used to others asking her what is in store for them. Sometimes, she has good news for them; other times what she sees is disturbing. Despite being able to predict everyone else's future, she has never been able to see anything about her own. However, one quick flash late at night shows her that her friend Charlene has met a handsome man at a club but that man is going to end up with her. Of course, she doesn't really have the time to worry about her vision as she is busy with her popular column at Tattle magazine and the piles upon piles of people writing in to ask what she sees in their futures. When Charlene drops the bombshell that she has met The One, Cassandra has to act surprised. Jack is a huge television producer and he wants Cassandra to come on his morning show The Breakfast Club. Her segment is a huge hit ... that is until Jack walks into the studio and she blanks out completely. She can predict nothing when he is around, which has never happened to her before. Throw in another smarmy television producer and a gang of Charlene's trust fund friends and you've got quite a story. With many comic moments and beautifully crafted characters, this is one book you'll want to read all the way through without putting it down. (AS)

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In Her Shoes - Jennifer Weiner (2002)

Sisters Rose and Maggie Feller have nothing in common apart from the same shoe size, a dead mother and a wicked stepmother Sydelle. But they have stuck together through thick and thin. But then Rose, a down-to-earth attorney, catches the wild and gorgeous Maggie with her boyfriend, colleague Jim, and throws her out of her apartment and life. Maggie, who fails an MTV screen test because of her dyslexia, takes off to Princeton University where she squats in the library. Rose quits her job, takes up dog walking and starts dating former colleague Simon. Then Maggie rediscovers her grandmother Ella, and heads to stay with her in Florida. The book was adapted into a film starring Toni Collette (Rose) and Cameron Diaz (Maggie).

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In My Sister's Shoes - Sinead Moriarty (2007)

Kate O'Brien has just landed her dream TV presenting job in London when her older sister, Fiona, finds out she has breast cancer. Kate owes her sister big time since Fiona selflessly brought her and brother Derek up after their mother died of the same disease. So Kate heads back to Dublin to step into her sister's shoes and look after her boisterous five-year-old twin boys.

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Insatiable - Meg Cabot (2010)

With the plethora of paranormal (vampire) fiction, it's hard to find one that has the elements of mystic, romance and originality - but Meg Cabot has hit the spot. At first glance, it probably might seem like another soapy romantic story of a depressed vampire boy meeting an ordinary human girl but Insatiable goes beyond that. It narrates the story of Meena Harper, a dialogue writer for a soap opera called Insatiable, who subsequently finds herself in a series of frustrating events - losing her well-deserved promotion, compromising the storyline to meet the demands of sponsorship, and having to deal with her next-door neighbour trying to fix her up with a new man. To others, Meena comes across as a normal woman dealing with the messed- up realities of her life. But she has the supernatural ability to see the demise of people around her and Meena goes all the way to prevent these events from happening - until she meets a young immigrant woman whose incoming death becomes the igniting factor of the story. Lucien Antonescu, a 500-year-old vampire, is more than just a bloodsucking machine - he's the son of Dracula and the new Prince of Darkness. When a series of vampire killings strike New York, Lucien leaves his teaching job and hometown behind, determined to stop the carnage and find the culprit before another woman is killed. But his mission is not without obstruction as Alaric Wulf, who works for the Palatine Guard, thinks that Lucien is behind all of it. I absolutely loved the first half of the story, where the tension started to build up and the relationship between Meena and Lucien raised questions about the possibility of a vampire-human romance and how it came to be a threat to her loved ones. But somehow I was a little bit disappointed by the second half of the story as it seemed to be a little scattered and predictable. (XT)

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I Remember You - Harriet Evans (2009)

Tess Tennant and Adam Smith were best of friends growing up, they did everything together and were each other's first loves. Everything was going great until they reached 18. Tess was offered a place at the University College London while Adam was offered a full-ride scholarship to Cambridge. Adam was about to leave when his mother Phillipa died suddenly, leaving him alone and disillusioned, passing on university to stay in their small town. Fast forward to years later, Tess is desperate to get away from a broken relationship so decides to come back to her hometown and take up a job at Langford College as a Classics teacher. Seeing Adam again stirs up some long-forgotten feelings but he's pre-occupied with his girlfriend. So Tess jumps at the opportunity to go on a class trip to Rome. But when a holiday romance turns sour, Tess heads home - to find Adam gone. Tess then once and for all has to decide to stop running and choose where she wants to be and with whom. This is a wonderful story all about trying to find your place in the world and never forgetting who you are. It makes you realise that you will always remember your first true love. (PP)

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I Say Tomato - Katie Wall (2010)

Sunny Triggs is an Australian actress looking for her big break in Hollywood. Having left a broken relationship behind in Sydney, she spends her days chasing auditions, navigating the road system and doing yoga; her nights at bars and hanging out with friends from back home. Then she meets a potential co-star, Sam, who shows her the red carpet lifestyle. This may have a colourful cast of characters, some laughs through cross-cultural mix-ups and some tongue-in-cheek insider insights into the Hollywood scene. But if it showed up at an audition looking for a part as a "charming rom-com", I would have rejected it.

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In Search of an Impotent Man - Gaby Hauptmann (1995)

Insurance agent Carmen Legg, a flame-haired 35-year-old, is sick of men trying to crack on to her, so she places a personal ad for a man with higher things on his mind - because he's impotent. Surprisingly a lot of men reply and Carmen meets them in turn. This book was originally written in German and sometimes reads a bit clunky because of the translation.

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I Take This Man - Valerie Frankel (2007)

When Penny is jilted at the altar by Bram, the mother-of-the-bride immediately swoops into action. Esther finds the groom in the bridal suite, clonks him over the head with a bottle of Dom Perignon and drags his unconscious body back to an unused attic in her mansion. There she imprisons him until he pays for humiliating her daughter. By eating his way through the uneaten reception food, including 80 servings of prime rib, 70 servings of grilled salmon, 50 roast chickens and 30 pounds of shrimp cocktails. He also needs to write all the return labels for the wedding gifts and admit why he got cold feet. But with Bram's father on the hunt for the runaway groom, Esther realises that kidnapping sure isn't a piece of (wedding) cake. Especially when you throw in some suspicious injuries, a mysterious death, a predatory friend and a calculating Russian servant.

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Italian for Beginners - Kristin Harmel (2009)

New York accountant Cat Connelly is used to playing things safe, always looking out for her younger sister and father ever since her mother left them. At her sister's wedding, she meets restaurant owner Michael, and he encourages her to return to Rome, where she spent her last carefree time years ago. Disappointed when she discovers Michael is married, she does take off to Rome, planning to reunite with Francesco, her lover from all those years ago. But soon Cat finds herself alone in the Eternal City and embarks on her own Roman Holiday-inspired adventure, complete with Vespa. A romantic holiday read about one woman's need to leave home to find herself.

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It Had to Be You - Sarah Webb (2004)

In Burnaby village, three women are discovering that it's all fair in love, politics and business. Molly Harper is manager of Ireland's only dedicated romance bookshop, Happily Ever After. She suspects the new owner Milo Jones is up to no good but at least he has a very attractive son, Sam. Her best friend Paige Brady is a councillor who is contesting the next general election. But a newspaper smear campaign and family matters may put her out of the race. Kate Bowan is a shoe shop assistant who runs a dummy dating service at night. She gets more than she bargained for with one of her clients.

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I Think I Love You - Allison Pearson (2010)

Back in 1974, Welsh teenager Petra was a mad-keen David Cassidy fan. She and her best friend, Sharon, devoured every photo and tidbit contained in The Essential David Cassidy Magazine. But, of course, The Partridge Family star and singer didn't have anything to do with the magazine. Instead his missives to the fans were penned by Bill, a frustrated music journalist. Twenty-four years later, Petra discovers that she had won the magazine's ultimate fan quiz and should have received tickets to meet her heart-throb on the set of his TV show. So she goes to belatedly claim her prize but will the moment live up to expectations? This will appeal to anyone who's lusted after a celebrity - no matter what generation your pin-up comes from. It's a funny but poignant story that was well worth the wait. And the book ends with an interview the author did with her own teen hero, and answers that most vital of questions: is brown really Cassidy's favourite colour?

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It Must Be Love - Sharon Owens (2008)

Photographer Sarah is all set to marry her older fiance, lord of a Scottish manor Mackenzie, on Christmas Eve. But when she overhears him talking about his late wife, she realises she can't go through with the wedding. Taking off in the middle of the night, Sarah heads to Redstone, a village on the Irish west coast where her parents once lived. There she gets caught up in the troubled lives of her new friends Miriam, Gemma and Aurora and even falls for a new man Ethan, who has his own shameful past. A heartwarming tale which contrasts nicely with its wintery setting.

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It's A Kind of Magic - Carole Matthews (2008)

When Emma's irresponsible but loveable boyfriend Leo turns up to her 30th birthday dinner very late and awfully drunk, she can't help wishing that he was different. And after realising she'll never change him, she tells him that the magic is gone and so begins the next phase of her life without him. That night Leo runs into the mysterious Isobel and falls under her spell. As this fairy girlfriend waves her wand and sprinkles her fairy dust around, Leo starts becoming more like the man Emma wished he was. Even if you don't like books with magical themes, read it for the hilarious cardboard box scene.

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It's Not You, It's Me - Allison Rushby (2004)

Charlie is at the airport leaving for a trip to Europe when she hears over the announcement system a name from her past - Jasper Ash. It's her former flatmate, a songwriter who has gone on to great things as Zamiel in supergroup Spawn. The last time she saw him was when they nearly slept together - until he backed away at the last moment proclaiming 'it's not you, it's me'. When Jas joins her on a bus tour to Oktoberfest in Munich (even though Charlie hates beer), they slip straight back into their easy banter. But That Night looms over them as an undiscussed topic. Both seem at a crossroad in their lives - why is Jas ignoring all his phone calls and why has Charlie still not finished uni or got stuck into creating her sculptures? Not just a light frothy read. You'll also get some great survival tips in case you ever find yourself at Oktoberfest with a group of Australians from a Beer-drinking Society.

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It's Now or Never - Carole Matthews (2010)

Annie and Lauren are twins in need of a change. On the night of their older sister Chelsea's 40th birthday they make a pact that they will change their boring lives. Annie intends to go on a Peru trip that her office is doing for a team-building charity event. But once she starts to raise money for the adventure, her husband isn't keen on the idea of her going abroad and leaving him behind. Lauren, who has been in a relationship with a married man for five years, says that this is the year he will leave his wife and be with her. This is a great read about finally changing your life when you're not happy with it. You will laugh out loud at the crazy things these sisters do in order to shake things up. (CG)

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It's The Little Things - Erica James (2008)

It's been several years since Dan and Sally, and their friend Chloe, survived the Boxing Day tsunami. Dan and Sally now have a little boy, Marcus, conceived in the disaster's aftermath - Dan is a stay-at-home dad while Sally is rarely home as she spends long hours working as a divorce lawyer. Chloe, who followed her father's footsteps into his medical practice, is single - after her long-term boyfriend dumped her when they returned from their life-changing experience in Phuket. When she meets Seth, everyone including Chloe is hoping he may be The One. But there's something Seth hasn't been upfront about. And Sally is going to get caught up in an act of deception.

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