Customer Reviews

Dress Rehearsal (Signet Eclipse)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Lauren is the Vera Wang of wedding cake design. She owns a hip boutique and has an uncanny knack for determining a couples' potential for staying together based on the cake that they choose. Her best friend after all chose the wrong cake and ultimately the wrong groom. When her other close friend makes a near disastrous decision, it is up to Lauren to rescue her from making the same mistake.

Enter ex-boyfriend Neil. He and his fiance show up at her boutique and he chooses the cake that Lauren has already determined will be her cake. Did she make a mistake eight years ago when she sent Neil packing? Despite being in the early throes of a new relationship with marriage-shy divorce lawyer Charlie (who she has so much in common with, including clients), Lauren entertains the idea of pursuing a relationship with Neil before he ties the knot. At the same time, she is trying to launch a wedding cake book, set her friend Paige up with a more appropriate guy, deal with a temperamental head cook, and determine if happily ever after means marriage.

Witty and insightful, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, except for that ambiguous ending. It just seemed to be missing something!

Lauren Gallagher trades in safe and stable boyfriend, Neil, in search of a more adventurous life and ends up finding professional success when Lauren's Luscious Licks becomes the "in" wedding cake boutique in all of Boston. In addition to becoming the Vera Wang of wedding cakes, Lauren discovers her talent for predicting martial bliss (or disaster!) by observing what couples select as their ideal vision of flour & frosting for their wedding day.

For Lauren, the trouble begins when she's forced to apply this frosting forecasting to her own life as ex Neil enters her boutique (w/new fiancee in tow) and selects Lauren's exact dream cake for his wedding! And the chaos ensues when she flip-flops between Charlie, a man who shares her zest for life and her supposed sense of humor regarding the cliche of the happily-ever-after, and the ex who according to her pastry prediction has to be THE ONE!!

Amidst all the delicious fun of cake, fillings, and fondant is Lauren's journey to figure out how to live life w/out a safety net and the risks & rewards of giving in to love when there's no guarantee that your heart won't break like egg shells in the batter. . .As with O'Connell's first novel BACHELORETTE #1, the author manages to get across a meaningful message in a fun and witty page-turner.

I loved the concept of someone being able to predict a couple's future by the cake the picked out for their wedding. This book contains three very strong charcters: Lauren, the main heroine, and her two best friends, Robin and Paige. They stick together through trials and tribulations, just like good friends do. They also give each other a lot of bad advice that keeps the pace moving and the story interesting. Jennifer O'Connell has a great voice and penned a fun story. And, as someone who lives in Boston (and gets greatly annoyed when Boston references aren't accurate), I must say the author pegged the landscape with topical and accurate references.

My only complaint against the book was that the type font was ridiculously small and it made reading for an extended amount of time difficult on the eyes. But that's the publisher's fault, not the author's. A definite summer beach read.

In this fun, highly humorous chick-lit novel Jennifer O'Connell serves up a collection of lovable empathetic characters and a storyline that is easy to relate to.

Lauren is the proud owner of Boston's premier wedding cake bakery or as she likes to call it, her "boutique." She's a 32 year old single woman and she's okay with that...sort of. She certainly not going to throw herself into the arms of any guy willing to offer her a ring. She has very strict criteria that she adheres to when it comes to men and she feels certain that the best indication of mutual compatibility lies in the way a man and woman choose their wedding cake. If their tastes are dramatically different their relationship is destine to fail. As silly as the theory sounds she has been able to predict enough divorces to win her friends over to her way of thinking. Her friend Paige even uses it as one of the justifications for breaking off her engagement. However when Lauren's old boyfriend walks into her boutique (and her life) along with his new fiancée just days after a charming divorce attorney asked her out her theory is put to the ultimate test. But instead of a simple plot about a love triangle this book ends up being more about self-discovery and, ultimately, personal growth.

Several reviewers have made a point of calling this novel "fluff." It's true that there is nothing Orwellian about O'Connell's writing style and Dress Rehearsal is definitely a quick, "feel-good" story; but it's also not the lightest chick-lit I've ever read. Lauren's control issues, and her fear of making the wrong choices with her life are things that most women can easily relate to and the novel does make you stop and reexamine the reasons why people get married without ever belittling the institution or glamorizing it.

What do you get when you take a fortune-telling pastry chef, her bitterly divorced and soon-to-be-wed best friends, and a grouchy Italian baker who thinks her boss is nuts? A truly fun story. I also read the author's first book, which I enjoyed, but for some reason I liked this one better. The relationships between the friends, and between Lauren and Maria, the woman who's in the kitchen baking, are really endearing. Boston is the perfect setting for this book, and there are a few twists that keep this from being "just" a book that has something to do with weddings. The wedding of her friend is just the starting point, and I thought that the book was more about the women, their friendships, and making choices you can live with than just dress shopping and choosing the right flowers (thankfully). The story moves fast and kept me interested until the very end, which, like a few others have mentioned, was great and really fit the characters and the story.

The characters in this story are what make this book so much fun to read. The three woman are in three totally different situations, yet you can see a little of yourself in each of them. I really liked the main character, who falls under the illusion that she can tell a couple's future by watching them in her cake boutique. Her desire to tell the future, and avoid any mistakes, is what sets off a stream of events that get the story going - her friend's upcoming marriage, her own acknowledgement that she's not above wanting the fairytale, and her realization that she's let her business fall into the hands of someone else. This isn't a "wedding/bridal" book, there are no weddings or silly bridesmaids gowns, and that's why I liked it. What could have been another book about the wedding jitters ,etc. was really about the characters figuring out how they want to live their lives, and their friendship. The story and subtle humor kept me turning pages, and the ending was spot on.

The premise of this book draws in chick lit fans from all walks of life. Weddings, cake, friendships, heartbreaks, perilous dating, and the confusion of trying to find out what you really want, infuse this entertaining story.

SYNOPSIS: Lauren is the owner and founder of one of the hottest bakeries in town. Women from all over are scrambling to purchase their wedding cakes from *the* Lauren Gallagher. However, Lauren also has an interesting hobby. She believes she can predict the future happiness of a couple based on what kind of wedding cake they order. Unfortunately Lauren soon realizes that while her "predictions" have come true in the past, her belief in this strange gift causes a lot of trouble when it comes to her own dating life, and that of her friends.

This is the perfect book to read if you just want to be entertained for a few hours while you sunbathe on the beach, or curl up with a cup of cocoa on a rainy day. The heroine of the story is relatable, which is the key to a great novel. Lauren reminded me of the frustration and confusion of feeling like I don't know what I want out of life, or where I belong. Luckily, while the character of Lauren and the experiences she has are relateable, the book doesn't drown itself in too much angst. Even while it's exploring the painful aspects of relationships, it still manages to keep a light, witty charm about itself.

If you're wanting a fun and easy read, then this novel is for you. If you're looking for something more in depth and heart-wrenching, then you might want to skip this one.

Bottom line: It's a lot of fun, and a great addition to my chick lit library.

With four female characters that are vastly different from one another (one engaged, one divorced, one single, one older), I loved the way the story looked at the different ways each woman figured things out for herself. Don't get me wrong, this wasn't some soul-searching novel about women coming to terms with earth-shattering issues, but it was both funny and thoughtful at the same time.

I'll admit, I am one of those "thirty somethings" who enjoys reading about women in all their incarnations, and the smart/absurd/ridiculous/human things they do as they figure out life. And that's exactly what Dress Rehearsal was for me - a fast, fun read with enjoyable characters who made me laugh and cringe and hoped they got out of their own way long enough to find what they were looking for.

Having read and loved Ms. O'Connell's first book, I bought this one as soon as it came out, so excited to read it! I wasn't disappointed with it, though I still think "Bachelorette #1" is better because of its unique concept.

"Dress Rehearsal" focuses on Lauren as she runs her famous bakery. I liked the relationship she has with her friends and with her coworkers, but the plot was a tad predictable with how it was going to end. The route taken to the end, however, makes it worth reading, as there are a number of twists and turns you don't expect. It's well written and you can both cringe and laugh as Lauren does stuff that you want to tell her not to do.

Definitely written for women, and I think most women would probably enjoy this. I'd recommend reading "Bachelorette #1" first and if you enjoy that (and you will), then read "Dress Rehearsal!"

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! More than anything, this book shows the value, passion and complexity of what good friends are. How influencing and influenced they can be.

The protagonist is funny and utterly down to earth, and her friends are a dynamic study in contrasts. (Robin who has written off men completely because of her failed marriage, juxtaposed against Paige who believes in the whole fairy tale of love and marriage.) These three friends have a strong bond, and their interactions are the best part of the book. I love how different they are, yet have such great familiarity with each other.

The relationship that Lauren has with Maria, the head pastry chef, gives the reader a chance to see the more vulnerable side of Lauren. And the silly side of her as well.

The characters are all such strong women in their own right, I would love to see them again in O'Connell's future books, even as main characters.

The ending of this book shows a completely believeable outcome--what I attribute to having good friends throughout times of crises, who can support you, comfort you, and kick you in the [...] when needed.

This book is a great book to buy yourself, and for a good friend.