Customer Reviews

Emily's Reasons Why Not: A Novel

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

 

 

This book was horrible. I think the editor was on vacation because there were so many grammatical mistakes and sentences that just didn't make sense. The time line of events was disjointed and I never got the feel of how long these relationships actually were. The book had no flow and you found yourself not connecting with any of the characters. Which is odd because the scenarios Emily went through were so universal that you should have been connecting with her. The other characters might as well never even been in the book they were so pale and underdeveloped. Why even put them it? Filling space I guess. The men Emily dated were such stereotypical men that you didn't feel sorry for Emily-- you felt like yelling at her for being so utterly stupid. And to put so much emphasis on sex (which is all she seemed to think a relationship was about) just made her character even more unlikable. I rarely write reviews, but this book was so terrible that I just had to.

Mr. Wrong. We've all dated him, and some of us are too good at finding him. Emily Sanders, our main heroine of this novel, seems to have an extraordinarily good nose at picking out the wrong man. So she decides to go to therapy to see what she is doing wrong. Her therapist tells her to make a list of 10 reasons why she thinks it didn't work out for her past relationships. So she does.

The novel goes back and forth in time, and tells the story of each of Emily's relationships, while Emily lists the reasons why she thinks it didn't work out. Each of the stories are really good. When she gets to her most recent relationship, which she is still in at the time of therapy, she begins listing why she knows deep down that the relationship won't work out either.

This was a great book. I personally feel as though I've learned some things about dating Mr. Wrong, which was an added benefit of reading this novel. Through all her bad choices with men, Emily doesn't seem to me to be a pushover or idiot; instead she seems intelligent and funny, but just needs some guidance in her love life. Another great thing about this novel was that although it went back and forth from past to present, it didn't once get confusing.

The only thing about this book that I didn't like as much was that the writing seemed awkward and did not flow smoothly. I ran across a couple of grammatically incorrect sentences that made me raise an eyebrow.

However, overall this was a great book that I really enjoyed. Best of all, I feel I came away with some good pointers about how to spot Mr. Wrong. This book definitely isn't for everyone - if you don't like stories about a woman sitting in therapy and rehashing the past mistakes she's made with men, then you most likely won't like this book. But if you are in the mood for something a bit unusual and interesting, give this one a try.

This book is basically about a 30-something Botoxed woman who can't stop telling us what kind of car she is driving. It must be very difficult for an author to make her heroine so unappealing, we wonder why anyone would be attracted to her in the first place, but somehow, the author manages. Her friends are underdeveloped characters and I dont think I need to be told the same "reasons why not" three times (one list for every guy is okay, but we get THE SAME lists during each chapter, at the end of each chapter, and then again at the end of the book). The only highlight of the book is her connection with Sam, her dog, and even that relationship did not feel "real" to me when Sam was sick. Don't bother with this one.

It's tough being single and dating...there are so many different types of men and women stay in relationships....just because. The entire novel consists of Emily's time spent in therapy trying to figure out 10 reasons why a previous/current boyfriend is a waste of time with her ever-so-patient therapist.

Poor Emily is all about having sex with the first gorgeous guy that she meets and then she wonders why the relationships never last.

Emily's Reasons Why Not will give you RED FLAGS as to what to avoid in relationships that you might not have noticed at the time but will be aware of in the future.

I love well-written chick lit books by the likes of Sophie Kinsella and Emily Giffin. I found Emily's Reasons in the bargain bin at Target and picked it up. The lack of even ONE positive review on the cover or inside the book should have been a tip off (the only endorsement is a lukewarm quote from Brittany Murphy), but I purchased it anyway. As another reviewer noted, the character is unlikable, and the book is so poorly written and edited that it is rendered unreadable. If the TV show was as bad as the book, it's no wonder it was cancelled after one ep. The bigger mystery is who was dumb enough to option this tome as a TV series . . .

This book was an insight into my life. Single, with a dog, drinks vodka and dates guys that are all wrong for me. This was such a good book, I couldnt put it down and just really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it, especially to single women.

This book wanted to make me scream. I like my books light and fluffy and do not mind detaching from reality to get into a book. But this was absolutely insane, I cannot believe I managed to finish the book. Emily is not really a very likable character and so spineless and wussy that I couldn't take her.

While the novel titled "Emily's Reasons Why Not" will never win any awards for being exceptional literature, it still has a quirky charm that is very appealing. Give it a try, and you might like it better than you thought you would.

This novel is about a young, reasonably attractive and moderately successful woman looking for love in an image obsessed Hollywood world. Unfortunately, the L.A. singles market is just a little too saturated with self-centered wannabes, with very little quality in a sea of too much quantity. After being urged by her shrink to create a list of "Top 10" reasons why past relationships didn't work out, Emily begins to learn that while searching for Mr. Right, it might be a little difficult to avoid past mistakes.

Granted, this novel lacks a little in depth, but what it lacks for depth it often makes up in style. The main characters can, at times, be a little one-dimensional, due to the fact that they are based on stereotypes, but I still maintain that there is a lot of fun to be had with this book. Stereotypical characters lacking any real depth aside, the story and idea are more fun that it looks. Can any one of us make a great list of reasons why our failed relationships didn't work out -- and actually avoid making the same mistakes? No! We're all human, and so is Emily. She ends up doing a lot of soul searching, while really only having a lasting commitment with her faithful dog (which is actually a heart-warming relationship -- probably the only real one in the whole book). However, in the end Emily continues on down the twisted road of life and love, as we all must do.

Unfortunately, this novel was the basis for a sitcom starring Heather Graham that failed miserably in the worst way possible. Despite being heavily hyped prior to it's debut, the show was cancelled after one episode! I'm not sure if it was possibly a scheduling or contract conflict , or the absolutely abysmal ratings it's first episode received (here's a hint -- it's the latter), but in the end I think the only damage the failed show did was to the merit of it's predecessor -- the book!

I'm not going to lie, this won't be the best novel you've read -- but it's still charming in it's own way, and a great fun bit of chick lit.

This was a very funny, smart look at single 20-30 somethings life with a sort of odd ending... Too bad really about the ending, because the rest of it keeps you laughing and nodding for hours!

This was an amusing, fun easy read. I read it in two days while I was on vacation and laying by the pool. It's not an advice book, it's fiction. I thought Emily was quick witted and funny. Great book!