Notes From The Backseat (Red Dress Ink Novels) [Paperback]

Jody Gehrman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Red Dress Ink Novels | Publication Date: January 1, 2008

It s either Willa Cather or blondecide, I guess.

I thought I knew everything about Gwen Matson. We ve been best friends since sophomore year at Analy High. I know her to be smart and confident with a retro style that would give Jackie O. a run for her money. (Albeit a graceful, sweat-free run in kitten heels).

Not once did she ever display a rabid need to record every detail of her existence. But never before had she gone on a weekend road trip with her amazing boyfriend Coop...and his evil, yoga-toned best friend, Devil Blonde Dannika. Now she s writing to me like mad.

Not that I'm complaining. I m in gay Paree (good), meeting my future in-laws (bad), so her tireless scribbling is keeping us both sane.

Usually, a well thought-out What Would Jackie Do? helps Gwen pull it together. But this crisis is beyond help. I know Gwen and Coop are meant to be, but can their love withstand Gwen's psycho jealously and Dannika's twisted sabotage?

And what do you do when you re just watching it all unfold from the backseat, over 3,000 miles away?

Editorial Reviews

Review

Her characters are confused, believable, and utterly human, which is one of the main reasons the book strikes so many lonely, bewildered and true notes. --Publishers Weekly on Summer in the Land of Skin

Jody Gehrman writes with a poet s vigilance and a comic s wit....In between laughing breaks, you ll appreciate the keen eye Gehrman trains on life s small, fine, bitter moments. --Kim Green, author of Paging Aphrodite

Gehrman s enjoyable novel is as sharp and observant as the title suggests. --Booklist on Summer in the Land of Skin

About the Author

Jody Gehrman teaches writing at Mendocino College in Northern California. Unlike her heroine, she has never perused Victoria s Secret in class, she s never had a crush on a student and she is well aware that syllabi cannot be purchased on Amazon. Notes from the Backseat is her third novel. Visit her at www.jodygehrman.com.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Red Dress Ink (January 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373895488
• ISBN-13: 978-0373895489
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,174,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a pretty obsessive writer; when I find myself between projects, I get fairly neurotic and moody. Without a book to keep me focused, I tend to question the nature of the cosmos, eat too much chocolate, and buy useless hair products, then toss them out in a fit of panic. Admittedly, though, I'm also difficult to live with when I'm in the middle of writing a book or play, because I get so caught up in the world of my characters that I neglect my loved ones and even get sloppy about basic hygiene. Since I seem to be on a confessional jag, here, I might as well add that I'm really not a very good cook, though I believe I could be if properly motivated. It just seems so futile, since you know you'll be hungry again soon and then you'll have to start the whole process from scratch. Other random notes: I love living in northern California, land of hippies and rednecks, but I'm so fond of British slang, I sometimes fantasize about relocating to London just to hear people call each other wankers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nicely written! A sinful treat! Like a piece of dark chocolate that melts in your mouth!, January 6, 2008

By 

L. Yarnell "loves the vivid charecters" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Notes From The Backseat (Red Dress Ink Novels) (Paperback)

About the author: Jody is not only a wonderful person with a beautiful soul... she's also an immensely talented writer. This book "Notes from the Backseat" was so well written. In this book, the characters come to life and you can almost picture yourself there, sharing the emotions of gwen and dannika and all the others... it takes a certain type of author to make a story come to life. Jody Gehrman *is* that type of author. Each character in this book was shaped so well, these were people you could easily picture yourself loving or being completely annoyed with as you came across them on the street or at a party; walking through your daily life.

About the book: Gwen's got a problem, her boyfriend has invited his best friend along for this road trip up the California coast. You would think Gwen would have nothing to worry about, but this, so-called best friend is tall, slender and gorgeous. Our leading lady Gwen... is a thin, petite roughin' and toughin' vintage fashionista, herself... who loves to flaunt her leopard print car coat and Jackie-O shades... Gwen has some serious jealousy and self esteem issues to deal with. (You can relate so well to this character... Gwen's emotions are real.) So while her boyfriend and his best friend, the gorgeous Dannika Winters chat it up in the frontseat on this roadtrip, Gwen stews and scribbles out her emotions on paper in the backseat of this classic convertible, while driving up the coast on highway 1, with the sea breezes ruffling her hair and the smell of salt water tickling her senses and thwarting her emotions... I could think of far worse situations to be in while venting some emotions. Gwen shares her story in a letter format, which is so incredibly fun to read! ...feels almost as if you're sneaking a peak into someone's diary, a personal memoir... In the book, she sends these letters to her best friend, who, upon receiving the letters, devours them at a little cafe in paris... and this is where the story begins...
the imagery in this book is delightful and there is quite an unexpected turn of events towards the end... i could say more, but why spoil it?

I highly recommend if you want a little sinful read to devour, yourself. I would suggest under the sheets, on a lazy, rainy sunday morning... :)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the cover fool you..., January 4, 2008

By 

K. Hills "kali in mendo" (Northern Ca, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Notes From The Backseat (Red Dress Ink Novels) (Paperback)

One might think from the cover that this is just another chick lit book to be devoured like good chocolate and laid aside forever. However, despite the publisher's choice of cover this book falls squarely in the well-developed-characters end of the genre.

(Read the book and see that the heroine wears KITTEN heels...not stilletos...C'mon people, it's a major character defining point, here, not just your average footwear decision!...She also worries far too much about her figure for those to be her legs...I could write a separate rant about this choice of cover, but...nevermind...)

Gwen, a Jackie O fashion junkie, is traveling by car up the coast to a wedding with her boyfriend of 3 months, the delicious Coop. We wouldn't have a story, though, without a conflict, and the conflict arrives in the form of one of Coop's oldest and dearest friends, the freakishly perfect yoga goddess, Dannika. Dannika is hell-bent on breaking up the two, as she secretly (or not so secretly sometimes) pines for the luscious Coop herself. Throw in a flamboyantly gay actor stuck in the sleepy tourist town of Mendocino, a couple of anarchist-type hippies, and the obligatory parents (crazy in ideosyncratic ways) and you know what happens...

High jinks ensue.

This book goes beyond the usual chick lit fare with a setting that is spot-on (I live in Mendocino County), a heroine that is unique (but who we can relate to), a luscious boyfriend who is all too human, and side characters who could carry their own books. Read this book. Buy it for everyone you know.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Loved this..., January 20, 2008

By 

CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Notes From The Backseat (Red Dress Ink Novels) (Paperback)

Marla has always thought her best friend Gwen was perfect. After all, who could pull off the vintage Jackie O look better than she can? Even in high school Gwen had her own unique sense of style, and she had pulled it off with aplomb. So why is her best friend falling apart when she's in a stable relationship with a guy who adores her? Marla gives Gwen a journal she found at a drugstore so that she could write every detail of her life. Gwen gives her diary for Marla to read while she's in Paris, meeting her future in-laws. It turns out that Gwen has a big problem: her boyfriend Coop's best friend Dannika. Dannika is not only famous, but she is blond, leggy and gorgeous, and she seems to want Coop all to herself. This is a big issue for Gwen, who is terrified of being cheated on, which is why she has ended all of her previous relationships. She dumps them before the inevitable happens. Coop is perfect for her. He loves her very much. Will she dump him before he leaves her for Ms. She-Devil in Prada?

I knew I'd enjoy this from the moment I read the opening chapter. Jody Gehrman has a unique writing style and she engages you from beginning to end. She also has a great chick-lit voice that is refreshing and wonderful. The characters are very real, especially Gwen. I could relate to her fear of being cheated on because I've struggled with the same things myself, and I couldn't help but nod in agreement with her diary entries. I cannot imagine having a woman like Dannika as a rival, even if she was an ugly duckling while in high school. I would have liked to read more of Marla, but Gehrman showed a unique form of using the perspective of two different women. I enjoyed Notes from the Backseat and recommend it. I look forward to reading more stuff by Gehrman.