Book picks similar to
Vivian Lives by Sherrie Krantz


chick-lit
10th-grade-advisory
wont-read
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A Confusion of Murders


Marina Johnson - 2017
    A brother obsessed with his looks, a dog that thinks it’s human and a happy though, dull routine. Until that is, her father starts talking nonsense and she makes a shocking discovery about herself. Not to mention the strange events occurring in Frogham – a missing person and a case of dog-napping. And then, on top of everything Louise finds romance in the unlikeliest place....

Ruthless Women


Melanie Blake - 2021
    But with ratings at an all-time low, a new network owner, the malevolent Madeline Kane, arrives on the private island determined to do whatever it takes to get the show back to the number 1 slot.Director Farrah, leading lady Catherine and producer Amanda are the driven, ambitious women who've been trying to hold the production together. But thanks to their handsome but corrupt boss, Jake Monroe, Farrah is losing episodes to male colleagues, seventy-year-old Catherine is terrified of losing the public's adoration, and Amanda is battling her desire for a forbidden affair with a handsome new employee.As Madeline's pressure to revive the show intensifies, she unleashes a true battle of the sexes where the women will do anything to stay in the jobs they love and on the island they call home. Can they team up to bring down their rivals? Or will jealousy, betrayal and revenge rip their friendships apart? As the story reaches its shocking climax, one thing is for certain: only the most ruthless woman will survive...

The Village Idiots: Part1 - Inheritance


Sara Alexi - 2017
    Older, slightly more wayward and most definitely not wiser, Takis has spent his years taking Spiros under his wing, whilst taking advantage of his younger friends naivety.When the duo, who often scrape by in life to make a living, discover they are heirs to an estate, they mistakenly believe that their ship has come in!As they discover their inheritance is not all as it seems, Takis begins to plot their way out, dragging poor Spiros with him. As one escapade spirals in to another, Takis is easily lured by the money signs while Spiros finds his eyes are being opened to a wider world. Amidst the ouzo and the scheming, this charming and comical tale will leave you eagerly awaiting the next instalment!

Putting on the Style


Freda Lightfoot - 2006
    So the vibrant market of Champion Street is a source of many a tempting bargain – as well as all the local gossip.Dena loves her Saturday job at Belle Garside’s market café, and her ready smile makes her a universal favourite. She is soon in thrall to Belle’s two good-looking and dangerous sons. But fate has other plans in store when her younger brother is killed by a gang of thugs.Only when it is far too late does Dena begin to ask herself one terrifying question: has she fallen in love with her brother’s killer? A moving saga of second chances and forbidden love set around a bustling café in 1950s Manchester, perfect for fans of Kitty Neale and Ellie Dean. Praise for Putting on the Style 'You can’t put a price on Freda Lightfoot’s stories from Manchester’s 1950s Champion Street Market. They bubble with enough life and colour to brighten up the dreariest day and they have characters you can easily take to your heart’ Northern Echo‘A rattling good read to touch the heart of anyone who has loved someone they shouldn’t have’ Dorset Evening Echo‘Deftly chronicled’ Telegraph & Argus‘Freda Lightfoot’s talent for creating believable characters makes this a page-turning read’ Newcastle Evening Chronicle

Secret Diary of an Incurable Romantic (Um...and a closet alcoholic)


Chitrangada Mukherjee - 2018
    Have these knots in my stomach. But drinking isn’t an option. Maa is sleeping with me. Baba in Lalitaji’s room. And she on the sofa. Want to step into the toilet, take one swig, and then go directly to sleep. How the hell will Maa know? I mean she’s sleeping like a log. No, no, shouldn’t. What if she wakes up? She’s a light sleeper, after all.11.30 pm: No wine. Or vodka. Terrible, terrible night. When will they go back to Kolkata and let me be?11.32 pm: Chhi . . .Chhi . . . How selfish am I? My parents, one with a heart condition, spent thousands on flight tickets and landed in Chennai. Why? Because they wanted to spend time with their widowed daughter. And what does the daughter want? To sneak into the toilet and take one good swig of wine. Shame on her! Okay, now I’m being over-dramatic.Meet Madhubala Ray a thirty-year-old brand-spanking-new widow in Chennai.She lives with her seventy-year-old mostly-silent MIL—whose name she can’t remember, teaches Social Science to bratty teenagers, and suddenly has a life filled with unpredictable men, catty colleagues, a bisexual best friend, and . . . heart-wrenching memories of her late husband.How does she deal with all of that?By baring it all, in her diary. Join this oddball-widow who always keeps it real as she gives an honest account of a young North Indian working woman in Chennai, who tries to survive a tragedy through wine and vodka, her quirky sense of humour, and refuses to give up on love. Despite its oddities. The question is: does she survive and find love, again?Secret Diary of an Incurable Romantic is a story that is brutally honest, funny, romantic and liberating. It’s a slice of life, you wouldn’t want to miss.

Acting Up


Libby Purves - 2004
    When the second Iraq war breaks out, it is only natural that their newest generations should be represented in the ranks of British officers: at 24, Lieutenant Susie Anderson delays her wedding to handsome fellow-officer Callum and joins her regiment on the hot sands of Kuwait. Brother Francis, meanwhile, continues his cabaret career as Madam Fanny Fantoni, drag chanteuse and net-stockinged vamp, with a stinging line in repartee and the most remarkable falsetto top C in Clapham. As the neighbours agree, it must be terribly difficult for their poor parents, especially the General. Real difficulties come, though, when Callum comes home injured, altered and bitter, and Susie and her family feel as though their lives are shattered. The solution to this tangle comes from the most unlikely source of all. Set against a background of desert war, seedy clubs, a hippie sailing-ship and quiet English village life, Libby Purves' latest novel is a commentary on changing social roles, the nature of courage and the futility of prejudice.

Diary of an Adorable Fat Girl: The Complete, Full-length Novel: For anyone who's ever been on a diet (yes - all of us!)


Bernice Bloom - 2017
    She's also about six stone overweight. When she realises she can't cross her legs, has trouble bending over to tie her shoelaces without wheezing like an elderly chain-smoker, and discovers that even her hands and feet look fat, it's time to take action. But what action? She's tried every diet under the sun. This is the hysterical story of what happens when Mary joins 'Fat Club' where she meets a cast of funny characters and one particular man who catches her eye. The story is laugh-out-loud funny and will resonate with anyone who has dieted, tried to keep up with any sort of exercise programme or spent 10 minutes in a changing room trying to extricate herself from a way too-small garment that she ambitiously tried on and is now completely stuck in. Bernice Bloom is the big, new name in comedy writing...this is the first full-length novel after her series of laugh-out-loud mini books.

Three Nights in New York


Michelle Jackson - 2009
    As a director of Just for Coffee dating agency she reckons you need the correct profile and bank balance to find love. Fate, however, does not agree!This is single mum Nicky’s first time in New York and she has come to shop! But she gets more than she bargains for! For Rachel it’s time out from her stressful marriage and a chance to visit her hunky brother Conor. A holiday fling is the last thing she needs. Until she meets sexy Alex who uncovers the dark secret she lives with in her cosy secure life back in Dublin.From the High Line to SoHo and the Boathouse to Chelsea – the magic of New York transforms their lives forever!

Not Without Your Love


Arvind Parashar - 2021
    But his actual destination is Noosh, the love of his life.NOOSH – smart and spirited, she has known Kabir since her college days. In her hometown, buried under political unrest, she is waiting for Kabir, the man of her dreams.When Kabir’s idol, Professor Sizov, offers him this special project, it comes with a baggage – he has to be a spy. Little does he know that he is a part of a larger conspiracy that will ultimately lead to a war and crush his existence. After multiple setbacks and betrayals, he takes it upon himself to fight for love.Spread over years, NOT WITHOUT YOUR LOVE is a story of unresolved hatred and lasting friendships, of suspicions and unwavering faith, and of the power of true love that beats all odds.

Four Bridesmaids and a White Wedding


Fiona Collins - 2017
    A relaxing spa break is the perfect way to escape their crazy careers, grumpy husbands and stroppy children – even if the groom’s straight-laced sister, Tamsin, is coming too.Until they realise that there’s been a mistake in the booking and instead of sipping prosecco in fluffy white dressing gowns they’re off to bridesmaid bootcamp!Squeezing themselves reluctantly into tiny shorts and sliding through the mud, it’s only a matter of time before secrets emerge that could change everything…Forget about saving the date, these four bridesmaids need to save the day – otherwise will there even be a white wedding at all?

The Island Hideaway


Louise Candlish - 2013
    But on the shimmering, sun-drenched Sicilian island of Panarea, distractions come in many forms - including her fellow hotel guest Lewis, an enigmatic Englishman with secrets of his own to protect. And then there's Frannie, a young Italian actress on the island to prepare for her first film role, who is as charming as she is beautiful. Can she really be so perfect? And shouldn't Eleanor be the first to suspect that things might not be as they seem?The Island Hideaway is a surprising, insightful and compelling novel from the bestselling author of Since I Don't Have You.Previously published as Prickly Heat.

Just Desserts


Sue Welfare - 1995
    Every time she chops up her delicious home-grown tomatoes she dreams of murdering her husband. Why can’t Harry just have an affair with a younger woman, and leave?Trouble is Harry has no intention of giving up his home comforts. Not when he’s been having his cake and eating it for years. Glamorous banker Carol accompanies him on business trips and the odd weekend away, but she too is beginning to think maybe life with Harry is growing stale.So who’s fooling who? Harry, happy in his illusion that he’s a sex god and all his women love him? Katherine and Carol, unlikely partners in Harry’s parallel lives? Against a background of gleeful coincidences, cute Cambridge cafes and the unexpected joys of unexplored freedom, the women decide that revenge is a dish best eaten cold.First published in 1999, Just Desserts takes us back to an era of shoulder pads and fax machines, and proves that when it comes to love and betrayal some stories are timeless.Pro

For All the Wrong Reasons


Louise Bagshawe - 2002
    She's rich, British and beautiful, with a designer wardrobe to die for. Recently married to the head of a publishing empire, she fills her days with shopping, gossiping, and hosting the hottest parties in town.But when she discovers her husband is having an affair, her glamorous bubble bursts. She suddenly finds herself without any money or job skills, shunned by the glittering society she once ruled. On her own for the first time, she takes the only job she can get, exchanges her Manolo Blahniks for Payless, and tries to settle into the life of a woman who does her own laundry, buys her own groceries, and takes the bus. Along the way, she discovers that her handsome new boss might be interested in more than her pretty face, and that she just might make it on her own.

Licence to Live: A Seeker's Journey to Greatness


Priya Kumar - 2010
    It is a seekers journey towards finding greatness within. This wonderfully crafted fable is about finding the direction you are destined to head in and creating the life of your dreams. License to Live tells the tale of a successful corporate guru who enrolls herself in a seminar by one of the finest success coaches in the world. His radical training methods take her on a life-changing odyssey. A seven day seminar spread over three countries, puts her onto a journey where she is forced to look within and be her own teacher and guide, something she had done so well for others but missed doing for herself. Full of wisdom, wit and spiritual insights, you collect lessons that will change the way you lead your life forever. Discover within this fast paced fable : * Surviving people you don’t understand * Solving situations you seem to have no control over * Finding greatness in your daily choices * Listening to your own voice – following your own path * Taking responsibility of your life and creating a worthwhile mission * Creating a future without fear and doubt entering it * Putting your past behind and standing tall in the present * Living in the present and creating your life anew one moment at a time * Putting an end to your fake helplessness.

The Four Seasons Collection: A Spring Affair, A Summer Fling, An Autumn Crush, A Winter Flame


Milly Johnson - 2013
    THE QUEEN OF FEEL-GOOD FICTION!'Every time you discover a new Milly book, it’s like finding a pot of gold'  Heat Four of Milly's bestselling seasonal titles - A Spring Affair, A Summer Fling, An Autumn Crush, A Winter Flame - in one exclusive ebook edition, with an introduction from Milly on the inspiration behind the novels.