It was ok. I kept hearing how funny it was so I went in with high expectations about it being laugh out loud funny.
I didn't think it was all that funny. I alternated between liking, feeling bad for and feeling irritated by the main character.
Some bad things happened to her (her boyfriend dumping her right before he starts his new job as her boss), some she caused. I thought she'd drive her roommate crazy.
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Ummmmm. There was so much that could have been funny but so much that was not! I was bored throughout most of the book and the amount of conflict in this book bordered on insanity. There were a few parts that were LOL funny but they were few and far between. All in all I seem to be in the minority but that does not mean you have to dislike it too! ( )

I loved this book. Mel was a great character that was very easy to relate to. I laughed the whole way through the book. I have enjoyed reading it and have since re-read this book. If you are look for a light, easy and funny read, I highly recommend this book.

Extended review can be found HERE. I actually rated this closer to 3.5 than a 3, but I wasn't quite swayed enough to give it a 4.

Confession: I am a fan of Dr. Pepper. In fact, it is one of my favorite sodas. I love it as much as the main character in this book (Mel) loves chocolate.

So I am looking at this cover and thrown off to see a Coca-Cola can next to the oxford. Then, I see the bow and arrow (very Cupid-esque feel), so I’m thinking the person on the cover is a love doctor of sorts, and that the love doctor’s name is Dr. Pepper.

Then, I delve into the work and find out there’s no Dr. Pepper (drink or doctor) in the narrative at all, but a play off one of Dr. Pepper’s old commercials.

It’s a cute cover, but left me confused.

Imagine there’s this person you’ve grown up with practically your entire life. The two of you are friends and are always there for each other-through triumphs and through heartache. Along the way, you begin viewing each other as something more. This is the comedic journey to get to the finish line.

Strengths:

1. Hook: The hook was very engaging and made me want to continue reading.

2. Conflict: There was quite a bit of conflict in this work. It bordered on being a little too much (see in Opportunities).

3. Comedic situations: Some of Melanie’s situations really made me laugh out loud.

Opportunities:

1. Cover Concept: One opportunity I already commented on was the cover concept. Although I love the colors in the cover, the title as well as some of the visuals could leave one confused in terms of the blurb and the content. Since there was such a love for chocolate, I would have preferred the title had something to do with chocolate. Plus, depending on who is reading the Dr. Pepper footnote, he/she may not have any clue what the author is talking about.

2. Movie and Book References (Comedic Dialogue): I feel like in some parts, the author relied on too many Movie and Book References to bring out the comedy (in terms of dialogue). It assumes that the audience is familiar with titles like The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, When Harry Met Sally, and the like. Luckily, I was familiar with these titles and was able to get the gist of the humor in these circumstances.

However, just because the audience may be familiar with the titles, doesn’t mean they are familiar with the content. You may have people who aren’t familiar with these titles at all, so for them, the humor may fall flat, or they may not even pick up that it was funny.

3. Main Character Dynamic: I really enjoyed Mel in the prequel, Wedding Hells. I really felt her pain–being the daughter who didn’t marry first, and her father wanting to mold her into a set formula: finding a good man, settling down, and being a mother, throwing away aspirations of furthering her education or a career. The prequel takes place four years before The Dr. Pepper Prophecies.

I hoped the same enjoyment of Mel would continue in The Dr. Pepper Prophecies. Unfortunately, as the story progressed, my empathy and sympathy of Mel began to deteriorate into annoyance and outrage.

There were situations where Mel should have butted out and other situations where Mel should have been more active. I felt like Mel had no business interfering in others’ love lives when it took an eternity (and insight from other people) to get her love life in order. It was very hard for me to cheer her on in her adventures, including her pursuit of Will.

Will was my favorite character. He had all of the characteristics of understanding, patience, and longevity. I found him absolutely lovable.

4. Borderline over saturation of Conflict: Although the conflict (along with the comedy) kept The Dr. Pepper Prophecies going, it was very close to being a bit much, due to the fact there were so many different story lines taking place:

A. Mel’s run-in’s with her boss/former lover
B. Beth’s love life
C. Mel’s jealousy of her sister’s life
D. Mel’s turmoil with her father
E. Her co-worker’s path to finding herself after her mom died (Mel’s involvement)
F. Mel’s search for a new job (interview episodes)

and much more...

I have no qualms with the presence of side stories, but the side stories can’t threaten to take over the main focus, which is the chemistry between Mel and Will.

5. Pacing of Mel’s indecision: I felt like this component was drawn out a bit too long, especially towards the end.

The biggest debate: Did the comedic moments outweigh my aggravation with the main character?

After much deliberation, I concluded it did not because my dismay with her took the starch out of my overall enjoyment of the book. ( )

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars

This book is a fun read! If you are looking for a light, funny read this is the one! From the very start you can just tell that Mel is going to keep you laughing til the end! Poor Mel seems to find trouble where ever she goes! But then she also seems to create a lot of her misery as well. From dating worthless guys, to trying to fix up everyone she meets or even just sternly steer her friends in the direction that she feels they should be. She means well, but often times each of these “fixes” end in total disaster. Especially so the ad dates she sets her roommate up with!

Poor Mel seems to be doomed to be stuck in a bad job dealing with her ex that seems to have it out for her in a bad way. She has a rocky sad relationship with her family, and to boot her best friend is dating a woman that hates her. She really does have it pretty bad!

This was seriously one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. I giggled through the whole thing and I really did not think she would ever turn anything around. I too am a chocolate lover so I loved that Mel used chocolate as a way to deal with her problems, albeit she was a little excessive with her chocolate, but hey who doesn’t overdo it sometimes?
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