Jackie Rose

Is there a way to give a book NO stars? I was home over the holidays and thought this would be an fun and easy read to take my mind off the stress of the holidays. Well, it was easy, but also truly awful! Evie, the heroine, whines whines whines and has excuses for everything that goes wrong in her life. She never takes responsibility for anything she does and always has someone or something to blame. I thought that the book would her having learned something, but nope, she's still the insipid and annoying whiner that she was at the beginning and no closer to understanding that he behavior leads to the disasters that follow. Example, while her boss is on vacation she comes and goes as she pleases and doesn't do any work - when she gets fired, she doesn't understand and blames it on someone else at work. If I had been Ms. Rose's editor, I'd have shot myself.… (meer)

I picked this book because it was by a Canadian author and I wanted to see what she did in terms of setting. (I'm interested in seeing whether chick lit books set in a Canadian locale get published.) The book started off in Buffalo (at which point a minor character, Jean-Jean, was French-Canadian), included a jaunt to Naples, Florida and ended up in San Francisco.
I don't know how well the author knew her locales. For San Francisco, in particular, I wonder if the author's comments about the heat were factually accurate. (If not, shouldn't an editor have caught this prior to publication?) I was under the impression that the weather in San Francisco was consistently mild; constant sweater-weather, if you will. (A little jaunt over to Wikipedia confirms this impression.) But the author makes reference to the heat and the necessity of an air conditioner in a basement apartment, on a few occasions. So it would appear that the author did not let her lack of knowledge of the chosen locales deter her from writing about them. Which is cool for me, should I also eventually take the writing plunge.
Now aside from the locales, I thought this book was much less shallow than it appeared to be. The plot is about Holly, a mid-twenties woman whose been working at a newspaper for several years and who wants to be a journalist but whose frequent story proposals are constantly declined. Holly also aspired to be a published author and decides to write a book on marrying rich (How to Marry a Rich Man and Still Love Yourself in the Morning) which she intends to write from experience as she sets out to find financial success in this manner.
Yet, Holly isn't a shallow woman who only cares about money. She's only frustrated with her life and misguided.
Eventually, her research on marrying rich leads her to San Francisco, where she has found that more young millionaires live than anywhere else. She convinces her best friend George (a woman) to accompany her.
This book isn't about diamonds and fashion and poshness. Nor is it about an extravagant lifestyle. It's just about a young woman finding happiness and, ultimately, love.
It's a really sweet tale, in fact. A pleasant surprise.… (meer)