Customer Reviews

Some Nerve

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

 

 

Predictable and formulaic - everything everyone else has said - lacking in sympathetic characters or any real surprises. It seemed like the book was trying too hard to be deep and meaningful, and I just didn't get it.

Ann Roth is a reporter for a celebrity magazine and loses her job, forcing her to move back to her hometown in the midwest (why didn't she just get a different job in LA? Why was her whole future in LA tied to one job??) to regroup, finds out that the very celebrity who inadvertently got her fired is going to be in her own hometown to get treatment at a hospital without the prying eyes of the press (ok, so beyond the fact that the chances of that happening are beyond comprehension, if you're as big of a celebrity as this guy is, word is going to get out - just look at stars who go all the way to Africa to have a kid, and still the word gets out - try and tell me that the star of a blockbuster movie collapses and drops out of the world for a few weeks, and reporters aren't going to get curious and track him down?).

So Ann starts to volunteer so that she can get close to him and land her "killer journalist" interview. But oh, the twists and turns of being in such close proximity to a vulnerable movie star who shows a human side...

As a side note, Ann kept doing all these klutzy things - I really thought that it was supposed to be a Bridget Jones kind of thing - but it's like it just didn't fit with the book or the character or something. I don't know - it seemed like every once in a while, when the story was moving slow, it was like somebody thought, "oh, let's make Ann have an endearing Bridget Jones moment..." and so she'd run into a patient or something.

Oh yeah, and there was a lot of exploring of her emotions and fears and phobias and things. And possibly a mystery at the hospital, which never really got resolved. And another unrequited love, which also didn't get resolved.

Something was just "off" about it - there wasn't any continuity, I guess. It was simple and easy to read, and would definitely be good for a beach read, but I kind of wish that it wasn't trying so hard to be something deeper and profound, which it just wasn't.

I brought this book on vacation to Italy - and left it there when I was done. It was that bad. The story is like a bad romance novel - very predictable and stereotypical. I didn't really like any of the characters, and the author seemed to be trying too hard to squeeze in too much stuff - the wonders and selflessness of volunteering, the Hollywood scene, and way too many mental health troubles. Sheesh. I had hopes as I neared the end that something might happen to wrap everything up, but no. It would have been more surprising and interesting if the reporter hadn't fallen in love with the celebrity, or if something had come of the chief of staff's shenanigans. I won't be recommending this book to friends, and I don't think I'll seek out any of the author's other books.

I love Jane Heller's books and "Some Nerve" is one of her best! Ann Roth is an entertainment journalist (Think "People" or "Us Weekly") who profiles some of the top celebs. She's not a tabloid reporter who sorts through garbage cans, so when her new editor wants her to develop a "killer instinct" and pursue one of Hollywood's most private stars, she is forced to get creative. This book is both laugh out loud funny and surprisingly bittersweet. I don't want to give away too much of the plot but suffice it to say readers won't be disappointed. I finished this book in two nights and was sorry to leave the characters behind.

This is the first book by Jane Heller I have read "Some Nerve" Ann Roth is an entertainment journalist (Think "People" or "Us Weekly") who profiles some of the top celebs. She's not a tabloid reporter who sorts through garbage cans, so when her new editor wants her to develop a "killer instinct" and pursue one of Hollywood's most private stars, she is forced to get creative. This book is both laugh out loud funny and surprisingly bittersweet with a real heart warming twist. However, i found the book to be a bit predictable aka the girl gets together with the movie star happily ever after. I would give it four stars.

This book was so frustrating! The main character has so many phobias it is ridiculous. She is scared of everything and has problems keeping her job due to all her fears. Worst book I have read in awhile.

Ann works as an editor at Famous magazine she is too nice to get trashy information on stars which ends up costing her her job. She goes back to her hometown to get over this blow. She discovers the star who caused her to be fired is a patient in her local hospital. She volunteers there to get close to him and dig up some information so she can publish it and ger her job back. She starts to realize she is having feeling for this guy and begins to doubt her plan. This is a light read I finished it in one day.

This book was definitely light entertainment. It was very predictable, but there were a few funny moments. There were a couple of plot lines I was hoping would get wrapped up that never did (the possible hospital corruption and Richard's involvement as well as her mom's progress). I think 3 out of 5 is very fair for this book and would recommend it for a quick easy read.

This is the first of Ms. Heller's books I've read but it certainly isn't the last. Her writing is witty, her characters realistic, and her plots keep the pace lively. I'll definitely be back for more!

I've read most of Jane Heller's books. I really liked her earlier ones, like "Cha Cha Cha" and "Sim Boom Bah", but I feel her newer ones are becoming a bit too predictable, like this one. But hey, us writer gals gotta stick together, so I say, "Go Jane!" I only hope that someday I'll be as well known for my writing!

Some Nerve has some nerve being so darned FUNNY! What a romp, and yet this novel makes a great statement about the importance of volunteering at institutions like hospice facilities and hospitals. Author Jane Heller is a hoot, and yet her novel is a moving and persuasive testament that we get back when we give. If you want to feel really good --read this book and then go sign up at your favorite do-good organization. Brava, Ms. Heller! Hope it's a movie soon...