Customer Reviews

In One Year and Out the Other

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got this book for Christmas and I read it in one day, it was that addicting.
The Bad Breakup Regime by Beth Kendrick was pretty good and a little misleading.The story is about a man and woman who live together after their mates dumped both of them for the others mates.

Resolved: A new Year's Resolution List by Cara Lockwood was also pretty good and I love the other books that Cara Lockwood has written.The story shows a woman who is far from perfect and she has to sort through her issues.

The Future of sex by Megan McAndrew was a so-so story, not that great.The character seemed a little too desperate for me and she seemed to have no conscience.

Happily Never After by Tracy McArdle was pretty good and I thought it also lead you to believe something was going to happen.The story is about a woman who seems happy until she has to go through something difficult and she finds comfort in an unexpected place.

Halo, Goodbye by Kathleen O'Reilly was not very good in my opinion. The story takes place in Heaven and it just seemed too far out for me.

Midnight Kiss by Eileen Rendahl is a pretty good story about friends.

How to start the new Year like a guy by Pamela Redmond Satran was a so-so story, nothing great and the title pretty much explains what the story is about.

Expecting a call by Diane Stingley is a pretty good story and it is a twist on a Christmas Carol.

The Luckiest People by Libby Street was also a pretty good story about a girl who finds herself in bed with a movie star, except she can't remember his name.

Great short story book for those who love chick lit. My favorite stories are Resolved: A New Year's Resolution List and my least favorites are probably Halo, Goodbye and The Future of Sex. But still pick up this book and check it for yourself.

Reading this book just puts you in the New Years mood! Seriously - when you read it, you're going to want to pop open a bottle of champagne and celebrate with everyone in sight!

This was an awesome anthology, though as with all anthologies, some stories were better than others. The best ones were probably Cara Lockwood's story which focuses on a girl trying to get over an affair she had with a married man, and also Libby Street's, which deals with a one night stand and not recognizing the guy in her bed the next morning. Makes me excited to read her upcoming debut novel.

On the lamer side were stories like "The Future of Sex" which is basically about a woman who decides she should get artificial inseminated because she wants a baby. But even though some of the stories were worse than others, none were actually BAD, they just weren't ones I'd read again.

So I'd say that every woman should get a book like this, and when the new year comes around again, you'll be prepared to celebrate weeks early and can begin celebrating while reading this in bed.

I thought this short story collection was better than "American Girls About Town," also from Downtown Press. Here are my favorite stories from "In One Year and Out the Other", in no particular order:

Beth Kendrick, "The Bad Breakup Regime": This is a fun story about a man and a woman who seclude themselves and eat Doritos while watching bad television, after the woman's boyfriend leaves her for the man's girlfriend. After sulking for a few months, they whip themselves into the best shape possible so they can hold their heads high at the company New Year's Eve party. Both women work there and all four of the main characters show up at the party, with some surprising results.

Cara Lockwood, "Resolved: A New Year's Resolution List": this story is about Megan, who was dating a married man until recently, and has now drawn up a 600-item resolution list to "improve herself." This story has surprising emotional depth, but is still funny, as Megan deals with group therapy ("this is a safe space") and new love.

Pamela Redmond Satran, "How To Start the New Year Like a Guy": this is about a married woman who decides to act more like a guy in a number of ways. Maybe not surprisingly, she gets her husband to act more like a girl.

Diane Stingley, "Expecting a Call": this was a good story about a woman who's waiting to hear from a guy who got her number at a party. He never calls, but the woman does receive visits from 3 ghosts who give her surprising insight into herself. Sort of a modern-day Scrooge tale about New Year's Eve instead of Christmas.

This nine tale chick lit anthology is overall an entertaining relatively strong collection. Each tale is well written with none disastrous and a third really superb. Especially enticing are entries by sub-genre favorites Cara Lockwood, Beth Kendrick, and Diane Stingley. Though this reviewer holds a prejudicial belief that that the short story is the perfect medium for this milieu, sub-genre fans including those who prefer novels will appreciate this collection. This reviewer's New Year resolution is to try to read books in a timelier manner. Still better late than never, fans will toast the authors of this delightful lighthearted anthology, which holds up for any holiday as the characters and their respective relationships make for a fun read in time for Valentine's Day.

Harriet Klausner

I am usually not a fan of short stories and did not realize that is what this book was until I received it as a gift, but was pleasantly surprised. I loved the novelettes, or short stories. They were fun to read, and gave me exposure to authors I have not read before. I was familiar with Cara Lockwood and Pamela Satran, but others were new treats to explore. I highly recommend this as a light, fun read. Now I am off to explore the other novels of these clever women. Enjoy!!

This book wasn't thought of as being done in short stories when purchased. I was highly pleased though! Almost every story ended up having a little piece of me in it... either something I had once done, same situation happened to me, same scenario. You get the picture. I completely related to this book. Not only did each and every author achieve a portion of me within their novelettes, but also they gave me a chance to branch out to other writing styles and new authors. I HIGHLY recommend this book!! It truly makes a person understand that everything happens for a reason.... and leaves you feeling like a new person inside and out.

A wonderful collection of great chick lit stories that was perfect to read over the New Years holiday weekend. With many different characters at the center of varying stories from women who are married to women who have been single for quite some time and are ready to celebrate a New Years with someone special.

I fell in love with each story and wanted more when I was finished with each one. It was also perfect to make a list of authors to follow and check out.

I would absolutely recommend this collection of stories to all fans of chick lit. Whether you are a fan of short stories or not, this book is great if you need to read one or two stories and put it down and pick it back up later.

I did not care too much for this book due to the fact that the stories were short and not very interesting.

5 BIG stars for this one! This is my New Years Eve tradition---I like to read this book in this time frame; it's very fitting :) In fact, I am going to start my third reading of it today. Just a great, fun compilation of good stories that you really get into; my very favorite is the first one, I just love the way it's written. You won't be disappointed with this book, I highly recommend it :) Enjoy every story, they are all wonderful!!!

I loved the format of short stories. This book introduced me to some very funny, female authors.