THIS IS CHICK LIT

Multiple Authors

Edited by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Ben Bella, 2006

Reviewed by :: Amanda Brice

Chick Lit

Along with romance, chick lit is a much-maligned genre, particularly by the literati. Fighting back with much more class than simply a swift kick of their stilettos, Lauren Baratz-Logsted and seventeen other renowned authors, including Harley Jane Kozak, Cara Lockwood, Caren Lissner, and Karen Siplin, joined together to produce this wonderful collection of chick lit short stories.

Although Baratz-Logsted writes in the introduction that the collection was “born out of anger”, the authors channeled that negative energy and created an anthology that lives up to its name. It's funny, light, and breezy, yet tackles some deeper issues as well.

Ariella Papa's “Confessions of a Three-Eyed Freak” is a cautionary tale about the danger of focusing on one aspect of oneself to the exclusion of all else. Julie Kenner's “Dead Friends and Other Dating Dilemmas” has prompted several rereads, because it's so haunting (and I'm not trying to make a pun). Kayla Perrin's “Mama Knows Best” is chick lit at its finest. Best of all, the collection knows when to not take itself too seriously. International bestseller Raelynn Hillhouse provides “Secret Agent Chick,” a hilarious spoof of the very spy novels for which she is famous.

Some of the stories probably would benefit from being extended to full-length rather than the short story format required by the project. Gena Showalter's “Every Girl's Dream” is a prime example. This story was beautiful – making this reader both laugh and cry at the same time – yet I was left with the sense that it was too short and, thus, did not meet its goal.

Besides the stories, this collection also provides anecdotes of what draws each of these authors to the genre, as well as a “Reaching Across the Aisle” appendix, in which the authors name their favorite literary works. The result is a collection that's both positive and entertaining. You go, girls!

4 ½ Kisses