Customer Reviews

Bare Necessity

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Emily is distraught when she finds out that her boyfriend Declan, head of several dot.com companies has just started a porn site, and has posted suggested holiday photos of her dubbing her "Saucy Santa." She is mortified, as the photos were meant for his eyes only.

Soon she discovers that this is not his only betrayal. He has also mortgaged their home, depleted her savings accounts, and as a result of his internet doings, has managed to get her fired from her job as a teacher.

With no home, no job, no money, and no man, she turns to best pal Cara, a reporter. Cara's co-workers have all seen the photos and soon her paper creates media buzz by identifying Emily (which results in her inability to get another teaching position) in an article. Cara has her own problems - she is nursing a crush for her co-worker, photographer Alex, a single father contemplating custody of his pre-teen son.

While trying to turn her life around, she is soon signed with a publicist who arranges for her to attend several local events. She spots a man there that takes her breath away, but unfortunately, they never have the chance to actually meet. Unbeknownst to Emily, the man in question is Alex.

It is through a series of miscommunication and misunderstandings that events unfold, as Emily struggles with the newfound fame that has been thrust upon her, and her desire for her anonymity restored. I loved the characters, except for Declan - would have loved to see him hung out to dry. It is an engaging story, and I was rooting for Emily to find Mr. Right all along.

I loved this book from the start. The plot was a little on the far-fetched side, but the cover art itself tells the reader that they are not in for a somber, important-work-inwomen's-fiction type read. What you get is just what the title and the cover suggest and that is a fun, entertaining, frothy reading experience.

There was a time in Emily Miller's life that she thought she had it all: a job, a house, and most importantly a boyfriend that she loved. A boyfriend that she thought loved her in return, that is until the devilish Declan sold thier beautiful house, ran up thier shared debts and posted a rather intimate picture of Emily on the Internet. So, Emily is a woman scorned and smack dab in the middle of a scandal. She has no choice to move in with her best friend, Cara. Cara thinks she can turn Emily's bad karma around through the use of various crystals, potions, cleansing of chakras etc.... And who knows it may work because when one has nothing to loose, there is everything to gain.

I Loved all the characters in this book. Cara was sooo original. and I found myself rooting for Emily from the very beginning. What this author may be lacking in witty turn of phrase, which I love in Brit Chick Lit books, she makes up for in character development. The lives of all the characters intersect in all sorts of interesting ways that keeps the reader wanting to turn the pages.

I picked this up after spending a half an hour looking for a good woman's fiction book. I never have time for myself as far as quiet time goes, so I've never had time to sit and read anything but the newspaper.

I have to say I have enjoyed this book so much I have made the time to read it! I'm almost finished with the book, and I am so thrilled I am currently looking for more titles by this author for my next pursuit!

This book was fun from the beginning. Emily is left broke and disgraced after her boyfriend Declan gets them in debt and posts private photos of Emily dressed as a naughty Santa on his newest website. Running to her best friend Cara for support only makes things worse as Cara discovers the men in her office have been viewing her best friend on the internet.
Cara reveals to a fellow reporter that the very woman they are ogling is a friend of hers and Emily wouldn't appreciate how she was being portrayed. However, this is just what the reporter needs to hear to give him an idea for a new story.
This is just the beginning of a mad dash Emily ends up having to run in order to get her life back in order.

I adore this book it is fresh and funny with that little bit of betrayal thrown in to allow the characters to find redemption and ultimately love. It's a wild mix of misunderstandings and turns into a fun read.

I look forward to checking out other books by Carole Matthews after Bare Necessity.

I'm a longtime fan of Carole Matthews and her work. I absolutely loved her new US publication of "Bare Necessity." This hilarious romp into the world of Emily Miller makes us all feel like our lives aren't THAT bad. I mean - come on, this girl has the worst luck ever. Not only is her boyfriend a dirt bag but she's lost everything else. Her home, her job and her dignity. How can a girl regroup? What else?????? Her friends! (and yoga, of course).

While this is certainly in the "chick lit" genre --- it's better than the usual fair and Ms. Matthews' work is really well crafted and clever. She knows how to write a great page tuner with interesting characters, great romance and funny dialog. It's a real winner and I think perfect for those summer days when you can spend a bit of time with a sweet and fun book.

Cheers!!!

This reminded me of the TV series Coupling. Not the tepid American remake, but the original British series with its slapstick situations and witty dialogue. The plot is a comedy of errors, with the reader aware of all the entanglements, while the main character continues to have obstacles put in the way of her happiness. There are lots of humorous situations and the read is made more enjoyable with the wonderful anticipation of what's going to happen next and who will she end up with?.

I read "For Better, For Worse," first and didn't really like it. The ending was cheesy, Matt did not deserve Josie, and just missing each other in every scene by seconds got annoying. Although, there are a lot of similarities between "Bare Necessity" and "For Better, For Worse," (missing each other, the author's need to be "humorous" in every other sentence) I enjoyed this novel a lot more.

WHY you ask? The plot was crazier, more over-the-top, and the characters were more likable. Adam could be a little daft when it comes to romantic situations but he's sweet and the scenes with his son are cute. Emily IS daft and should have immediately hired a lawyer to sue Declan and called the bank to get her money back (hasn't she ever heard that signing a document because of fraud, false pretenses, or by force, can mean the document is void) but she is likeable and funny in a bumbly way. Cara is strange but a good friend to Emily and is a unique character.

Another thing I liked about the novel is when I started it, I expected certain characters to end up with each other but they didn't. While the author had several scenes that involved just missing each other it was not used excessively as in "For Better, for Worse." And I enjoyed the end, when the son realized who Emily was. I thought that was the most comical part of the novel.

I randomly picked up For Better For Worse at my library last summer because I thought the cover was cute. Well I loved it. I was so excited to see that Carole Matthews had another book out. I read it very quickly, the short chapters helped it to go by very fast. I loved it, funny and enjoyable!

If anyone ever thought they had a bad boyfriend they might reconsider that after reading Bare Necessity by Carole Matthews.

The main character in this book is Emily Weaver. Her horrible boyfriend Declan has posted a very naughty picture of her on the internet. After that she basically loses everything. She ends up having to live with her best friend Cara. Well, Cara works for a newspaper and when word gets out that she is on a porn site everything breaks loose!

She ends up loosing her job and basically everything else along the way. But, she does happen to meet a guy along the way of rebuilding her life. The problem is while she ever find him?

A really great chick lit book to read over the summer.

I liked this book a lot until the last page. It's hilarious and occasionally poignant and a fun, light read.

But it was the last page that killed it for me. I was disappointed, reading it and realizing it *was* the last page, and that the closest I was going to get to a happy ending was that the female lead and the male lead exchanged a few words. Their eventual romance was built up throughout the entire book, only to come to a screeching halt just when it might have been going somewhere. Meeting twice and saying two words to each other does not a love story make, no matter how much I like the characters. I would have liked to see them interact more with one another. When I go looking for a love story, I want to see the characters actually fall in love.