Bridgette thinks she has it all - a great boyfriend, a rent-free apartment, and a job that she is secretly hoping will give her a promotion soon. After two years with Adam, when he invites her over for dinner she thinks he is going to propose. But dressed in sweats and a shirt that she has tried to throw away countless times, Adam instead tells her that he doesn't think their relationship is going anywhere and that that should break up. Blindsided, she cries all the way home to the apartment that she shares with her grandma. Unable to understand why Adam has done this, she meets up with his mum, Carla, who tells her Adam's new girlfriend doesn't hold a candle to her. Shocked that Adam has moved on so quickly, Bridgette announces she also is dating. Meanwhile her ex from college, Ian, comes back into her life. A lot of ups and downs are in store for Bridgette and she has no idea which guy she is actually in love with. This is another great read from Becky Monson. (CG)
Julia Dorning is back and happier than she has ever been. She's running her own bakery and her relationship with boyfriend, Jared Moody, is moving along nicely. Julia submits a video application to be on her favorite show, Cupcake Battles, and gets the shock of her life when they accept her. She is beyond excited to be on the show and see how it will help business. Meanwhile, her old coworker Brown's wedding is coming up and her sister Anna also makes a surprise announcement that she will be marrying her boyfriend of six months, Jonathan. With all of this going on, Jared tells her that he has accepted a job in New York City. Julia has so many balls in the air and knows soon one or all will fall. Can Julia keep it together for her friend Brown and her sister Anna? Or is she going to succumb to the drama and stress of it all? A great sequel to Thirty-Two Going On Spinster, this is a hilarious tale about love, work, and sacrifice to keep it all together. (CG)
This tells the story of Julia Dorning, a 32-year-old who is slowly starting to consider herself as the real-life definition of the word 'spinster'. She still lives at home in her parents' basement, she has a boring job where the only highlight is the smoking breaks in which she can gossip with her colleague and good friend Brown, and her social life is non-existent (if you don't count watching TV shows with your cat while eating homemade cupcakes). Julia's spinsterly existence is, however, turned upside down when Jared Moody starts working on the floor above hers. He's handsome, friendly, and Julia can't believe he actually seems to want to spend time with her. With the help of her sister Anna and a bit of her own confidence, Julia starts to slowly change a few things: a bit of make-up here, a new outfit there ... But when Julia's world is turned upside down once again, will she be able to crawl back up again or is she indeed doomed to spend her life as a spinster? Julia is a great, down-to-earth, funny heroine and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about everything that happened to her, especially all the humorous situations she managed to get herself into. Jared (aptly named McManly by Julia) is a handsome leading man, and Julia's typical schoolgirl crush is something lots of women will be able to relate to. The novel is easy to read and made me laugh out loud more than once; a thoroughly enjoyable addition to the chick lit genre and I look forward to reading more of Becky Monson's work! (JoH)