Customer Reviews

The Pre-Nup (Bantam Discovery)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Pre-Nup by Beth Kendrick

I'm going to start this by saying that I generally stay away from a lot of so called "chick-lit" because at my age they tend to talk down to me. I usually come away from those other books feeling very old. But there was something about this book that piqued my curiosity from the very first time I saw the cover and read the excerpt. I was not let down. This book did not talk down to me or my generation; as a matter of fact these three women Ellie, Jen and Mara seem ageless. We know they are young, yet Ms Kendrick never smacks you in the face with it. It was a lovely surprise.
This book is filled with laughs, tears and a wonderful plot that proves revenge is of course is a dish best served cold. We find out that while some men are scum and deserve everything they get in life, not all men are and that we have to let go of our own insecurities and learn to trust the opposite sex. We can`t always paint men with the same brush. Be aware that you will laugh your socks off when meeting a heart of gold stripper named Bentlie/Alex, so try not to be drinking anything that will stain!

Have fun reading this, because that's what this book is all about; fun and the lighter side of reading.

At first glance this seemed like a typical chick lit book that is fun reading, but raises few questions. However, Ms. Kendrick tells an entertaining story, while also raising some provocative questions about whether pre-nups actually help or hurt. The three major characters are Ellie who has been married for about seven years to a husband who is cheating, Jen who has started a large business since her marriage, and Mara who is trying to negotiate her pre-nup before tying the knot. While seemingly typical couples on the surface, they demonstrate the real life complexities that can make deciphering a pre-nup difficult. I clearly got the message that a legal document written "before the fact" may not adequately protect or represent future situations! All three women are the closest of friends and their stories are interesting and inter-woven.

Three women, good friends from college, find themselves in relationships which are affected, in one way or the other, by pre-nuptial agreements. Ellie is married to Mike, has a beautiful three-year old daughter and is a darling of Mayfair Estates society where she organizes fundraisers and benefits. Hers is the perfect marriage until she stumbles across the fact that Mike is having an affair. Jen, founder of her own business which markets a non-soda beverage which she invented, is married to Eric, once her best friend, but not necessarily the one passionate love-of-her life. Mara, high-powered attorney, is engaged to marry Josh, but why does she have this feeling of reluctance?

The Pre-Nup takes a look at relationships that are complicated not only by the emotions involved, but the legalities created by pre-nuptial agreements. Ellie, Jen and Mara are likable heroines and their friendship is fuel for plenty of humor. It's fun to watch how the three women work their way through their legal "difficulties. Pre-Nup is a fun, fast-paced read that held my attention from start to finish.

When I bought the book I was expecting it to have issues between the 3 main relationships, but then I figured it would end good. Not exactly what happened. The book was so depressing at times I didn't want to finish reading it, but kept the hope that things would end okay.
The book is about three couples. Ellie and Michael, Mara and Josh, and Jen and Eric.
Of all the characters I felt the worst for Ellie. Her husband cheats on her and then tried to leave her with nothing. I was so appalled by Michael's behavior through the book it was making me sick. He was supposed to have loved her and they'd been married for years and had a kid together. But he was a selfish jerk and disgusted me with the way he treated Ellie. Even though he is a character in the book there are probably guys out there like him which makes what happened to Ellie even worse.
Next was Mara and Josh. I really wanted to scream at Mara. Josh was a nice guy and she was doing everything she could to ruin things between them. She had a good thing unlike Ellie, but she never seemed to get that. I understand that she wronged Josh and he in ways had a hard time getting over it, but she was the one holding them back. In the end I was surprised by Josh's behavior and glad, but I really thought that Mara should have been the one begging for him to reconsider their relationship.
Last were Jen and Eric. I also wanted to yell at Jen. She had a great guy, one who loved her even when she didn't love him. Eric had every right to make the choices he did. Even when Jen was trying to make things right between them, I never felt like she was trying as hard as she could. She seemed to only put half her energy into wanting their marriage to work. On the other hand she was trying and Eric was acting as if he didn't care. I wanted to yell at both of them.
The book had some funny things and lots of surprises. It was so depressing at times and continued to be a cycle where nothing was really happening. The relationship between the 3 women was good. I did like the end although I wasn't clear on Jen and Eric, but I think I know what they decided to do. Eric didn't seem very enthusiastic and Jen didn't put forth the emotions she should have. I was happy for Ellie, but sad that Michael truly was a jerk, but at least things ended decent between Mara and Josh.

A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining story about 3 college friends who live in a swanky neighborhood and who are in various stages of their love lifes.

Two are married and one is engaged to be married and all have pre-nups. The story revolves around how a pre-nup can save you or destroy you.

The dialogue is snappy and the different characters are engaging and real. This is light reading but also tells the story of three friends who support each other through the good and the bad times.

This was a good book and I won't go into the whole plot of the story. I will say that ending seemed rushed and it REALLY would have been nice to hear/read some of Michael's point of view. He came across as really cold and diabolical especially when you stop to consider his daughter. Would've liked to have known why. We knew why with Eric, and Josh but not Michael.

Other than that it really was a nice, fluffy read :)

The Story Line

One of the things I like so much about Beth Kendrick's writing is that, in the two books that I've read so far, she writes the story from a collection of several women's perspectives. The same is true about The Prenup. In this story, the main characters are Ellie, Jen and Mara. Ellie is married to her wealthy "Prince Charming" who, very quickly in the story, we learn is a complete JERK (aka Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eater). Her friend Jen is a health-nut, fitness crazed guru who has started up her own business selling a healthy "cola." She is married to Eric, her best friend and business partner. Jen and Eric have their trials with being married more as friends than as romantically entwined lovers. Lastly, there is Mara, the brilliant lawyer who is engaged to Josh, the perfect guy. Mara and Josh have some hiccups along the way to the altar based around the issues of trust and the prenuptial agreement.


Ellie, Jen and Mara are friends who are there to support one another in the times of difficulty. And, they are not going to let anybody get the best of them!


The Review


I started and finished this book in one night. Kendrick's writing is like hanging out with a girlfriend... it has an ease and familiarity to it. I just breezed right through it wanting to know how things turned out. There is a very surprising "turn of events" mid-book that I didn't see coming. Rather, I had it pegged for going a completely different direction. I love it when an author surprises me like that! I very much enjoyed hating and loving some of the ancillary characters in the book, especially Alex and Patrice.


Kendrick's books are, for me, the great escape in between the heavy literary reads I have been engaged in for the book club and the website; they are the light, breath of fresh air escape books that I crave! My mind needs to escape from my own world, thoughts, and worries. That's why I love going to movies... to escape. What Kendrick brings me is the same escape in her books. I get folded into the characters' world and the storyline very quickly and remain there until I gobble up all of the pages. And, due to the shifting of character view points, I don't get bored with the protagonist... because there are several!


On the Sher's "Out of Ten Scale:"


As you can see, I really enjoy Beth Kendrick's writing style and I just being lifted into another world in reading her books. The twists and turns in this particular book were great and I loved the ride! For the genre Fiction:Women's/Chick Lit, I am giving this book an 8.5 out of 10. For another great book, try The Nearlyweds.

The book was enjoyable while it lasted, but easily becomes one of those books you cannot remember a few days later. It's entirely forgettable because the characters are not remarkable and the story isn't either. But, it's a light beach read and can easily be finished in a day (or a few hours) because the storyline and writing is straightforward and easy to follow. Basically, there are three girlfriends who are all at various stages in their relationships - Ellie is on the verge of divorce, Mara is on the verge of marriage, and Jen finds herself in a loveless marriage. All of the women are having issues with their men and, surprise!, a pre-nup of some sort, whether it was signed or is about to be. There really isn't much more to the book than that - very simple. The story has a nice beginning, middle, and end.

Ellie has been with her college sweetheart for years now, and they have an adorable toddler daughter. As far as she's concerned, everything is perfect, except for her dress size, but Michael doesn't seem to mind.

Jen is nearing her fifth anniversary with her husband, and so what if things between them are strained? He swore he'd love her enough to make up for the fact that she was not in love with him when they married. Her business is perfect and he's her best friend.

Mara is engaged to Josh and things are going well, except for the pre-nup he doesn't want to sign without adding in some stipulations of his own.

Suddenly the rug is pulled out from underneath all of them. Mara thought she'd been forgiven for her mistakes, but his added clauses indicate otherwise. Jen finds herself fearing for her marriage and realizes she have felt more than she thought, but is it too late? Ellie is in for the biggest shock of all. The man she loved, the perfect husband and father doesn't seem so perfect anymore.

I love Beth Kendrick. LOVE HER. I can tear through a book of hers in less than 2 hours. The writing is light and humorous and so quick to buzz through. Her characters jump off the page and you empathize with their plights. I can't recommend her books enough!

This very slight, barely readable book about 3 friends and their marital woes is totally generic. Even after spending over 200 pages with the characters, they all feel like ciphers, with not a true moment between them. The men are even paler shadows that the women and make no sense at all.

Ellie and Michael have the perfect marriage but then she discovers he is having an affair with the red thonged 'vixen-md'. He then acts in a manner so duplicitous and despicable we need a scene or two with him to make sense of it, but no, we're just given to expect that he will act in this awful way, well, because he can? because men do? Mara and Josh struggling over a pre nup are not much better, though when Mara asks Josh why he loves her, we're not surprised that he can't get beyond 'good in bed' as we can't see what they see in each other either. Jenn and Eric are nearly 5 years into their marriage and now her ex returns on the scene.

Really slight, light book. The sentences all flow correctly but nothing is really written.