Customer Reviews

Notes From The Backseat (Red Dress Ink Novels)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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... :)

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.

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.

First off, I must clarify that most of the reviews listed under "Notes from the Backseat" are incorrectly posted for "On the Verge". This review is specifically being posted for "Notes from the Backseat". I just finished reading this absolutely delightful book today! I haven't had much time for leisurely reading in the past four years, but this book made me want to MAKE time! From the very first page, the written insights of Gwen Matson (the main character in the book) kept me wanting more. Jody Gehrman's vivid description of the players forces you to feel some type of emotion towards each character. "Notes from the Backseat" finds a light-hearted way to bring our own insecurities as well as the complexities of inter-human relationships to the forefront. Gwen Matson's witty, self-deprecating insights make her a very endearing heroine. When the book ended, I couldn't help but hope that Jody Gehrman will allow Gwen to continue purging her deepest thoughts into another series of journals as she passes into her next great adventure.

from reading the reviews, i, perhaps, had inflated hopes for this book. it was cute, but fairly standard chick lit fare. writing style makes it worth the read, however.

NOTES FROM THE BACKSEAT
JODY GEHRMAN

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

When Gwen Matson's best friend Marla buys her a journal to take with her on the weekend road trip with her boyfriend Coop and his best friend-a gorgeous blonde yoga goddess-she can't imagine it's the only thing that will keep her sane.

From almost the first moment Gwen meets Coop's best friend, she's feeling slightly insecure and she's writing furiously in the journal, detailing everything from how perfect Dannika is to how she's sure Dannika's trying to break up her and Coop. After all, how can she compete with the perfect blonde who knows everything about Coop, while Gwen's only known him a couple months? Sure, it's possible that this could all be Gwen's three month panic rushing into break things up, but Dannika seems to be doing everything in her power to edge Gwen out of the picture...permanently.

I really enjoyed this book. It's easy to sympathize with Gwen, being stuck in the backseat while her boyfriend and his perfect best friend are up front, talking and laughing and generally making her feel like the proverbial third wheel. Dannika doesn't try hard to hide her dislike of Gwen and Coop, typical man that he is, really doesn't see things for what they are...until it's almost too late.

There are so many great scenes in the book that it's hard to pick a favorite to mention, but I especially liked the girls night out when Gwen goes along to Joni's bachelorette party and ends up dancing on top of the bar with Dannika, just so they can sneak the inebriated bride out.

Filled with a great bunch of characters, from the lovable Gwen and the easy to hate Dannika to the soon to be newlyweds Joni and Phil, NOTES FROM THE BACKSEAT is a must read that is sure to entertain.

I look forward to reading more from Ms. Gehrman.

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
March 2008

It's kind of funny how you might know someone for a really long time and never truly know them. Marla thought she knew her best friend Gwen, but she never knew Gwen could write so much.

The story starts out with Marla in Paris, meeting her fiancé's parents. However, most of the story is told from Gwen's point of view through the journals she sends to Marla. Gwen is going on a trip with her boyfriend of almost three months, Coop, and Coop's best friend from college, Dannika. What Coop doesn't know is that Gwen has massive jealousy problems, and the fact that Dannika is a beautiful blonde in a yoga-toned body doesn't help.

As one would expect, the story ends well. I found many parallels between Notes from the Backseat and Faking 19. The main characters are two girls who have been best friends since high school. There is a divorce involved in both, and the girls from those families come to terms with or learn to accept their fathers. And of course, there's the happy ending.

There's a repeated phrase in this novel that really stuck with me: "We are not out parents." It shows that no matter what our parents do, we can always blaze our own trail because we're not destined to follow directly in their footsteps, as realized by Gwen and her new friend Joni. That's the phrase that helped Joni get through her wedding and Gwen come to accept her dad's mistakes.

What I like best about this novel was the descriptiveness. Gwen, Coop, and Dannika do a lot of driving, and each new scene and setting is exquisitely described. I felt like I was there beside them. I also really appreciated the complicated personalities of the characters. All the jealousy, anger, and finally happiness makes them seem human.

I would recommend this book to teens, although I believe it was aimed at an older audience. There are some mature scenes, so it would be best for older teens to read.

[...]

"Notes from the Backseat" was very well-written, believable and relatable. At times the metaphors could get out of hand, like "I felt like she'd punched me in the solar plexus." But even so, everything blends beautifully, and you feel as if your best friends with Gwen after reading a few pages.
Very enjoyable, easy (and addictive) to read, unique from the rest.

I picked this book up at the Ukiah courthouse while waiting for jury duty. I had another book with me, but when the potential jurors were offered the chance to browse the courthouse's donated library books, and take any we would like, I scanned the shelves and found "Notes from the Backseat". I was intrigued as the book was written by a local author, so began reading it. I quit reading the other book that I brought, and had to finish this one. The book was really easy reading, with the reader feeling like they were reading the journal of a slightly neurotic but believable young woman. There was some language I wasn't totally comfortable with, (I am pretty conservative,) but overall, good fun.

I dove into this book and was delighted with the humor and quick wit of the characters. Gwen is definitely someone I would love to meet in real life. I would enjoy a sequel to find out what this clever, self-discovering character does next. Thanks Jodi for the intuitive thoughts from the back seat....not to mention the steamy love scenes!!