Customer Reviews

Don't Even Think About It

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A love triangle can be a pretty sticky situation to begin with. What happens when you add in a fourth angle? Would it be considered a love square? Perhaps. In any case, this is the scenario that the characters face in Lauren Henderson's latest novel. In my opinion, there is nothing more enticing then a juicy, intriguing chick lit book filled with offbeat characters and situations.

Katie and Michael have recently become an item and seem to be madly in love. The only problem is, Michael still lives across the street, and is best friends with Sally, one of his ex-girlfriends. Not only that but Sally seems to still have feelings for Michael, and enjoys flaunting her intimate knowledge of Michael's habits in Katie's face. Jude is Sally's best friend and wants nothing more than to see Sally back together with Michael, and Katie out of the picture. Meanwhile Jude is dealing with her own new workaholic boyfriend Scott, who doesn't seem to get along with her friends. For the time being, at least, Katie and Michael seem to be very much into each other and faithful.

But of course, life drops a bomb. As if things aren't complicated enough, Michael's first love Sofie, who had broken his heart mercilessly (from which he had never seemed to recover) comes to town. Katie discovers she is expecting Michael's baby, which throws everyone into a panic. Michael seems to be the devoted father-to-be, but is he really? Will Sofie woo him back? Will Sally woo him back? Will this complicated mess ever be solved?

Lauren Henderson has thrown together an irresistible recipe of romance, bad manners, jealousy and friendship in this book. The story is very unpredictable - just when you think you know what is going on, a wrench is suddenly thrown into the works to knock everything about. I enjoyed the seemingly unshakeable friendship that Sally and Jude had, the realistic relationship angst between Katie and Michael, and the angst felt among the characters. What a great story! There is a delightful amount of British wit and phrases to further spice up the story.

Michael has a type, petite, brunette and very pretty. All of which describe his best friend and ex-girlfriend Sally. Sally has been holding a torch for Michael ever since they broke up nine years ago but their relationship has moved from romantic to more like brother and sister. On the surface this seems to be fine with Sally as Michael parades around with girl after girl. But Sally's best friend Jude knows better and has a plan to get these two back together. However, after a series of events it becomes clear that Michael's newest girl may be in it for the long haul and quickly relationships between Sally and Michael, Michael and Jude and Jude and Sally are redefined. And once another of Michael's ex's shows up all of their lives will be flipped upside down!

'DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT' is not at all your typical chick lit novel. There are no clear answers as to where the story is going or how it is going to end and it will keep the reader quickly turning pages in order to find out. I also loved the ending because it was not at all what I would expect from a chick lit novel where usually everything is tied up in a neat little bow for the reader. 'DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT' is a refreshing story that is well written and much like real life, highly recommended!

This is story of real life and love. Michael is a playboy who changes girlfriends every other month. Sally is Michael's ex-girl and his best friend who still loves him. Katie is young Sally look-a-like and Michael new flavor of the month. Jude is the only realist in the group who finds herself in the middle of her friend's chaos. The friendship and love are so real who feel every emotion the characters go through. I would not say this was favorite read but very thought provoking.

Lauren Henderson, known for the Samantha Jones mystery series, has been branching out into chick lit with a distinct edge. In "Don't Even Think About It," Katie moves in with her new boyfriend Michael. Michael's ex-girlfriend Sally and her best friend Jude live across the street and all three are very close, much to Katie's displeasure. Complicating matters are: the torch Sally has carried for Michael for nine years after their relationship ended, Michael's womanizing, Katie's accidental pregnancy, and the appearance of Sofie, a temperamental, egotistical French artist who was Michael's first love (and shattered his heart).

My only complaint is when the book spirals to a startling denoument it stops with the immediate fallout, then rushes to an epilogue and leaves out a few scenes I would have liked to see, but can't reveal without being a spoiler. Still, it's a nice read on a lazy afternoon.

I have come to expect a lot from Lauren Henderson and was a bit let down by this book. The story is basically about 3 friends and the troubles that relationships bring. Especially when they are with one another. The three friends are well developed and their interactions are a wonderful read. But, the story reminds me of one of those books where the author doesn't know how to finish the book so the planet explodes. The book ends and you are left wondering why you spent the time, even with the great characters.

Really enjoyed this novel! It was written in the third person and rotated between the points of views of the different characters, each of which we can all relate to (either always or at some point in our lives). There's lovestruck Katie, Jude with her insecurities of her body, Sally who can't get over an ex and I'm sure we've all known a charismatic playboy like Michael. The book had lots of twists and turns, all of which were never dull and made it hard to put it down. A well-developed book from start to finish!

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT by Lauren Henderson
June 14, 2008

Rating 4/5 stars


Another fun DOWNTOWN PRESS book. In DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, Katie meets a new boyfriend and moves with him to London. Michael is a very popular good-looking guy, and has a reputation for not committing. But Katie thinks he's the one. Michael's best friends Sally and Jude watch as he constantly meets women and goes from one to another. Sally, by the way, is one of his many ex-girlfriends, but for some reason the two have remained best friends. What Sally can't admit is that she's still in love with him, but she tries to push those feelings away.

Things get complicated when Katie gets pregnant, and she and Michael (unbelievable) plan for the baby. But Sally knows better, knows that he's freaking out and sooner or later he's going to run off again. Katie however is excited and thinks that she's got a future with him.

Jude is the one that stands watch while her best friend Sally makes a fool of herself over Michael, a guy that had treated her horribly in the past and doesn't get that she's still in love with him. They are a threesome, best friends who enjoy hanging out with each other, but things change for the three of them after they learn about Katie's predicament.

What I really liked about this book was how complex these characters were. I don't think they write chick lit like this anymore. It was a fun read but at the same time, the characters were not one dimensional but ultimately the characters do feel realistic, especially with the fact that it's not quite a happily ever after type of book. I recommend DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

AWESOME! Another amazing novel from Lauren Henderson! Her characters are real and honest, her story is compeling and true to life and while you're laughing at Lauren's wit you're also learning a bit about human behavior along the way! 3 cheers for Lauren on another wonderful novel.
P.S. If you're single or even if you just know someone who is single or even if you aren't single -- you have to read Lauren Henderson's "Jane Austen's Guide To Dating." It is the best, most honest, most helpful and most entertaining guide book on the subject. This guide will be the last book you'll need to read on the subject and you don't need to be an Austen fan or authority to learn a ton from Austen's wisdom and Henderson's application of Austen's wisdom to the single world in the 21st century.

I thought this book was a massive improvement on Henderson's previous romantic comedy, "My Lurid Past." This novel was truly difficult to put down.

A comedy of manners, this novel follows the intertwined lives of Sally, Mike, and Jude. Sally and Mike used to date, but are still close friends and near-flatmates; Jude lives nearby as well. The three of them are inseparable until Mike starts dating the latest in his "parade of brunettes," a younger woman named Katie. Sally, who still has submerged feelings for her ex, predicts that Katie won't last, but when Katie gets pregnant, no one can predict what the outcome will be.

Henderson does a great job with plot twists and turns, and very engaging characters. Sally, Jude and Mike are so fully described that you can see what they look like and practically picture them in your living room. Henderson has a particular talent for warts-and-all description, where the reader becomes intimately familiar with every character's insecurities, Schadenfreude and sense of rivalry with the other characters.

My only complaint is that the plot twists toward the end of the book become increasingly difficult to believe, and this detracted from the story's "realness." Also, at the very end the story was predictable (although not until then, which was impressive).