Room For Improvement [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Stacey Ballis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 6, 2006

The author of Inappropriate Men and Sleeping Over tackles home improvement and reality TV.

Give two hopeful singles their own fashion consultants and interior designers, and allow them four days to perk up each other's homes and style, and what do you get? Swap/Meet, the newest reality show on the network block-and Lily Allen's dream job turned nightmare.

At first, Lily thought working on Swap/Meet would make her an interior design star. She just never imagined she'd end up working with a ditzy host, a jealous competitor, and feuding fashion czars. Plus, the cute, curmudgeonly carpenter on her team knows just how to push her buttons. Episode by episode, through do-it-yourself disasters and matchmaking miracles, Lily starts to discover that a little bit of controlled chaos is the spice of life- and love.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In her third outing, Ballis, author of Inappropriate Men (2004) and Sleeping Over (2005), offers up a frothy, fun send-up of reality TV. Chicago interior-designer Lily Allen is thrilled when she gets a job on the new U.S. version of Swap/Meet, where contestants trade apartments and help redesign the apartment of the person they've traded with. What Lily didn't count on when she took the dream job was fussy contestants, a ditzy host, warring fashion consultants who've just broken up, and a competitive fellow designer. Despite the stress, Lily's best friends, high-powered attorney Hillary and artistic Naomi, keep her balanced until they start to get frustrated with her crazy schedule. Lily barely has time to see her friends, let alone date, so she puts off earnest, persistent Ron in favor of the show's sexy new producer, Gary. Readers will have a blast watching Lily and her friends try to figure out what their priorities are in this lighthearted tale. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Review

Her novels are delicious and unforgettable, worth savoring from the first page until the last. -- Johanna Edwards, author of The Next Big Thing

One of the season's best....a pleasurable read. -- The Washington Post

Stacey Ballis is warm, witty and wise. Her books suck you in and won’t let you go -- Cara Lockwood, author of Pink Slip Party, I Do, But I Don’t, and Dixieland Sushi

Stacey Ballis knows her readers like books smart and funny - and she always delivers. -- Laurie Gwen Shapiro author of The Matzoball Heiress, and The Anglophile

Stacey Ballis manages to be irreverent, unflinching, sexy and somehow very sweet. She is truly a writer to watch. -- Laura Caldwell, author of Burning the Map, A Clean Slate, The Year of Living Famously, The Night I Got Lucky, and Look Closely

Wickedly funny and brutally honest, Stacey Ballis is the thinking woman’s writer. -- Jennifer O’Connell, author of Bachelorette #1, Dress Rehearsal, and Off the Record --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (June 6, 2006)
• ISBN-10: 0425209822
• ASIN: B000LMPL74
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #657,267 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stacey Ballis is the author of several novels, incuding Inappropriate Men, Sleeping Over, Room for Improvement, The Spinster Sisters, Good Enough to Eat and the upcoming Bread & Butter. She is also a contributing author to the anthologies Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys, and Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really, with the glowing review, really?, June 6, 2006

By 

Jen Lancaster "Author of BITTER IS THE NEW BLACK" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Room For Improvement (Mass Market Paperback)

I received an advance copy of ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT and pretty much inhaled it in two days. I adored everything about it - the size 14 heroine Lily who, instead of sitting around apologizing for her weight or feeling sorry for herself, has a fantastic career, great sex, strong friendships, a positive self-image, etc; the interesting and complicated network of supporting players - of which there were many, but were so thoroughly drawn there was never an issue of keeping them straight; the extensively-researched DIY back-story; and, best of all, the humor so pervasive throughout the book. (I defy anyone to not laugh out loud whenever Bob speaks.)

For those who say "Chick Lit" is played out, all I can say is think again. Stacey Ballis proves the genre can be funny, honest, clever, real, and most importantly, totally fresh.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED THIS BOOK!!!, October 9, 2006

By 

cm designs (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Room For Improvement (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved the characters in this book and the way Stacey wrote about them. I felt like I knew Lily and all of her friends. That could have been my friends that she was writing about, they were down to earth and REAL!!

Stacey has such an entertaining way of telling a story. . .I could not put this book down!! I was definitely laughing out loud throughout the book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chick lit with a message, November 5, 2006

By 

Shon - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Room For Improvement (Mass Market Paperback)

This was my first book by the author. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. Finally a real story about 30-something women trying to balance their personal life with work. The author did a great job on tackling the "still single in your 30s" issue and exploring the fears of allowing yourself to be vulnerable in a relationship.