Book Review: Fifteen Minutes of Shame by Lisa Daily

Before I get into the review I want to apologize for what may be perceived as slacker-blogging. This blog is very important to me, but more important to me is writing my actual novels. And I am on an uber-deadline right now. So, you may not hear from me real regularly in the next couple of months. Sorry! But you won't be when all my hard work pays off and you get to run to the store to buy my debut! (Cheesy, I realize.)

Ok, on to the review:

The moment I heard about this book, I got excited. I mean, come on. Great title, great premise, fantastic cover. Why wouldn't you buy it? Then there's the fact that the author, Lisa Daily, is actually a dating expert. This chick knows what she's talking about! Hold on, I realize that maybe not everyone (those living in a closet) may have heard about the book. (That sentence was very awkward. I apologize. Generally I write very well, but it's been a long week. Which is why I'm not working on the novel right now, because my brain is mush. But I digress...) Here's the back cover blurb:

Fifteen Minutes of Shame by Lisa Daily

What happens when America's favorite TV dating expert finds out on national television that her husband is cheating? Darby Vaugh's fifteen minutes of fame quickly spin into fifteen minutes of shame: Not only is the most humiliating moment of her life splashed across every supermarket tabloid and celebrity gossip show, but also her reputation as America's love guru is shot.

Her fans are turning on her, her book sales have tanked, and her love life is fodder for late-night television. If Darby breaks her own zero-tolerance policy for cheaters and takes her philandering husband back, her career will be over. But if she sticks to her own rules, she'll lose the only man she's ever loved.

Good stuff, huh? Let me tell you, I was laughing Coca Cola out of my nose in the first four pages. Typically when I'm trying to get a manuscript finished, I only allow myself to read during meals. So, until today, this was my lunch read. What was the moment of no return? Chapter 5, the Today show scene. After reading that, I basically blew off the rest of my day and finished the book. Let me tell you, this is the highest honor you can bestow. That can't-put-it-down-until-you-finish-it quality. Lisa has a way of throwing you off course just enough that you aren't quite sure what's going to happen, or how it's going to happen, or just how humiliating it's going to be when it happens, that makes it impossible to not know right now!

This book exemplifies everything that is good and right about Chick Lit, and about Commercial Fiction in general. It draws you in on the first page, doesn't distract you will mediocre writing, keeps you hooked the whole story through, and then resolves it in a way that just makes the world seem right. And who doesn't want the world to seem right? Especially when it is the furthest thing from the truth?

For me a good read must include the following:

A character I "get". (This is completely elusive and undefinable.)

Humor that is not trite or predictable.

A plausible storyline. (Must be interesting as well.)

Resolution. (Can you tell I'm not big on literary titles that leave your soul wrenched?)

Throwing in a hero any woman would drool over adds some seriously good icing. (Everyone loves icing.)

So, I don't do ratings, but if a title ends up on my sidebar, that means it's one that won't head to the used bookstore...

Thanks Lisa Daily. The best of luck to you. Great start!