Everyone Else's Girl [Paperback]

Megan Crane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 2005

Meredith McKay has gone to a lot of trouble to create the picture-perfect life for herself-far away from her troublesome family, thank you. When her father's car accident forces her back to her hometown, however, she soon discovers that there+s no running away from family issues--there's only delaying the inevitable. Can anyone sort out a lifetime of drama in one hot summer? Throw in a hot guy from back in high school with an ax to grind, a best friend turned enemy turned soon-to-be-sister-in-law, and of course, the sometimes irritating, sometimes delightful members of her own family, and Meredith is on her way to figuring out that a trip through the past is the best way to move forward. With one revelation after another coming to light, Meredith must reexamine all the things she+s ever believed, including the truth about herself. Could it be that she isn't the picture-perfect good girl she always thought she was?

Editorial Reviews

Review

Crane shows a growing depth. The humor we enjoyed in Crane's debut bubbles up here, too. -- Library Journal Library Journal

About the Author

MEGAN CRANE lives in Los Angeles, California

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: 5 Spot (October 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446694339
• ISBN-13: 978-0446694339
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,096,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Megan Crane is a New Jersey native who had great plans to star on Broadway, preferably in Evita, just like Patti LuPone. Sadly, her inability to wow audiences with her singing voice required a back up plan. Accordingly, she graduated from Vassar College and got her MA and PhD in literature from the University of York in England. She wrote her doctoral dissertation on AIDS literature, mostly so she could wallow in her obsession with the remarkable multi-media artist David Wojnarowicz and her idol, the bitter and hilarious David Feinberg. After many years in the rain and subject to the whim of seasons, she followed the sun to Los Angeles, where she lives with a dog, a cat, two crazy kittens, and an artist named Jeff. She is still plotting her Broadway debut.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great voice, humorous yet touching, January 18, 2007

By 

LaMonita "PG" (Libya) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everyone Else's Girl (Paperback)

I read this one before her debut novel, English as a Second Language, and though both are good, this one surpasses her first. Ms. Crane really brings out the characters and fleshes out the story more in the this one, they are far more believable and less part of the background. Both of her heroines have been flawed (aren't we all), but I found Merediths voice to be more substantial, and her family is a riot. Having gone through the similar experience of moving home after college, I can say that I empathized with everything she was going through trying to fit back into a life she had mostly outgrown, and in the end, accepts in a new way. I think Ms. Crane's writing will just get better and better, her sense of humor is fantastic, laugh out loud funny, and her stories are deeper than what is seen on surface. Her grasp of the trials and tribulations of friendship is very sharp. Looking forward to Frenemies.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hot and Insightful, November 16, 2005

By 

SailorLawyer (Annapolis, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everyone Else's Girl (Paperback)

Megan Crane is a great novelist. I found this book to be an unexpectedly compelling read (unexpectedly because I'd never heard of Megan Crane and wasn't expecting much.) The character development here is exquisite and--in a departure from most chick lit--100% organic. These aren't prepackaged stereotypes for your absent-minded pool-side consumption. The first person narration skillfully weaves a tale from the slightly flawed, somewhat narrow viewpoint of the heroine while the reader has the delight (and the trauma) of watching her grow. The events are satisfying but realistic--no perfect, candy-coated solutions here--and so much better for it. This book is funny and wry and very observant. Certain lines, universal truths that I'm not sure anyone has ever put into words before, will never leave me. And The Guy is INCREDIBLY HOT!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not Great, March 30, 2010

By 

D. Herring (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Everyone Else's Girl (Kindle Edition)

I became a fan of Megan Crane's " Frenemies" and promptly bought this book on my Kindle.

I now wish I had just passed on it.

SPOILERS SPOILER SPOILERS

The main character Meredith McKay has created a lifestyle for herself with her boyfriend of many years away from her crazy family.

When her father has a car accident that happens the same day that her mother has planned her vacation her family talks her into staying and taking care of him (apparently getting a nurse was out of the question and also the mother kind of a jerk for still going on vacation but there are some issues between the parents that Crane just glosses over).

Meredith back at home finally confronts her former best friend about to be sister in law about how mean she was in high school but then Meredith gets an eye opener when she gets confronted about the fact that she wasn't nice either and was also a jerk to everyone since then in several ways (seriously this is why she did not speak to her best friend for 10 years so so dumb).

Also while home Meredith just has to have an affair with the boy she used to torture and falls in love with him while ignoring the fact she has a boyfriend (also dont see what was so appealing about the new guy).

I think that is where Meredith lost me you don't get a good reason for why she threw away her best friend, her new boyfriend and then she moves back home to become a wedding planner. Yes you read that right.

Really wish I had passed on this novel, really not that great.