J. Cain 2008-08-31
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The Good: Strohmeyer's quick wit and pop culture references are once again dead-on in this book. Her writing style has a great flow and keeps the reader engaged, even when the content is a little lacking. This book kept me chuckling throughout, and the character development was quite good for the three main characters of Nola, Nancy, and Deb. This was a good read with a satisfyingly, if not excessively, sweet ending.
The Bad: Much like The Sleeping Beauty Proposal, the saccharine factor ran a little high at times, particularly at the end. Fairy tale is one thing, but this isn't actually a fairy tale, though there are moments where you think it certainly must be. At one point in the book, the main character is posing as her alter ego and not everyone realizes who she actually is ... makeup and a new hairdo do not an entirely different person make. The book is pretty predictable, to a flaw in some spots. Additionally, I found it extremely difficult to believe that a "Dear Abby" type columnist could be as big a celebrity as the book portrays.
The Summary: Nola Devlin is an editor for a fashion/tabloid-esque magazine where she is under-appreciated by her annoying boss. She's been under-appreciated and overlooked her whole life ... because she's fat. Not slightly overweight ... fat. She and her two best friends Nancy and Deb are tired of being fat and all the social ramifications of it, so they form "the Cinderella pact" to lose weight. Unbeknownst to everyone, Nola also harbors a big secret ... her thin alter ego Belinda Apple who is a famous columnist at her magazine. Having been passed up for the job despite being qualified, she takes on this thin and beautiful alter ego, which presents the conflict throughout the book as her secret unravels. Along the way, Nola meets an unlikely love interest who likes her just the way she is, even if Nola does not. But he too is not who he appears.
