Thoughts While Having Sex [Paperback]

Stephanie Lehmann (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a poignant look at the troubled relationship of two sisters and the surviving sister's guilt... tremendous..." -- theromancereadersconnection.com

"...full of drama and shows a great deal of character insight..." -- thebestreviews.com

"You'll be scouring the bookshelves in the hopes of finding that Lehmann has published another novel to follow this debut." -- womenwriters.net

"might well be what you'd get if you asked Woody Allen to pen an episode of "Sex and the City". -- aromancereview.com

From the Inside Flap

The plays that 25-year-old Jennifer Ward writes for Off-Off Broadway are no match for the drama being played out in her mind on a minute-to-minute basis. She worries that she's getting hooked on a health food sleep aid. She didn't pass her last Cosmo quiz. And she can't eat cheesecake, take a meeting, or indulge in a sexual fantasy without being overpowered by a completely hilarious chorus of desire and doubt battling for control of her head space.

But beneath the noise of her own thoughts lie more painful voices Jennifer would rather not hear--voices that whisper to her about the dramatic life and heartbreaking death of her sister. Their love/hate relationship hanuts more than Jennifer's memories; it colors her work, finding its way into the relationship of the two sisters in her latest play. Not that Jennifer intends to let anyone know about all that stuff--certainly not Peter, the sexy director who seems to be finding his way into her fantasies more and more... or Kelly, the gorgeous, ambitious actress who may be playing up to Peter, too. But the person Jennifer needs to hide form the most is herself, and when things take a wild turn for the worse, she just may get the role of a lifetime--and a chance to confront her real life.

In this wickedly funny and heartwrenchingly honest debut novel, Stephanie Lehmann introduces a true-blue heroine in Jennifer Ward who proves that no matter how booming our self-doubts can sound, nothing speaks louder than hope--and love.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Kensington; 1ST edition (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758203330
• ISBN-13: 978-0758203335
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,899,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Suggestive Cover and Title Cloaks a True Gem of a Book, June 6, 2004

By 

Rian Montgomery "Rian Montgomery" (Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Thoughts While Having Sex (Paperback)

Well, you know that old saying "Don't judge a book by its cover"? It has never been so true as it was with this book. Because "Thoughts While Having Sex" ended up not only completely surprising me with its warmth, honesty and raw emotion, but actually helped me to see things about myself that I didn't realize. I'm still amazed that a chick-lit type of book had such an effect on me.

"Thoughts While Having Sex" tells the story of Jennifer Ward, a 25-year old playwright living in New York City. It all begins after Jennifer has written a play and submitted it to a theater in Chelsea. The play, entitled "Til Death Do Us Part", is about two sisters, one who commits suicide and the other who is left behind and feels as though her dead sister is haunting her. After receiving the good news a couple of months later that the play will be produced, Jennifer throws herself into the casting and production process. Things aren't easy, but luckily the production manager Peter is sexy, smart and above all, nice. Sparks, although reluctant on Jennifer's part, seem to be flying between them. But everything changes when Kelly Cavanna joins the cast. Kelly is the complete opposite of Jennifer - she's beautiful, outgoing, and outspoken. She's also razor sharp, suspecting that Jennifer's play is based on something that really happened. Unfortunately, she's right. Jennifer's sister Diana did commit suicide, the night after they had had a terrible argument.

But Jennifer doesn't like admitting it, so she closes up her emotions and won't allow herself to really feel anything. She had been that way since her sister's death and probably would have gone on being that way forever had it not been for Kelly. Kelly decides it's time to bring Jennifer out of her shell. She ends up doing some pretty shocking things that threaten the outcome of the play and their uneasy friendship. At the same time, there seems to be something between Peter and Jennifer, but also Kelly and Peter.

This book is a wonderfully warm and sometimes painfully honest story that was an absolute delight to read. It is very well written with a prose that is both easy to read and suspenseful. While the book does touch briefly on the topic of sex, it is nowhere near to the degree that the racy cover and title suggests. The story explores various themes such as opening up, guilt over the death of a loved one (when the last words you exchanged with them were hateful or angry), friendship, love, lust and more. Don't miss it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dealing with the Past..., July 24, 2003

By 

M. Parcel (Kelso, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Thoughts While Having Sex (Paperback)

Playwright Jennifer Ward has been living in the shadow of her older sister, Diana, for many years. Even after Diana's suicide, Jennifer can't shake the demons of Diana's tortured bipolar existence. She writes a cathartic play about sisters, which Off-Off-Broadway director Peter Heller decides to produce. From the start, there is an attraction between Peter and Jennifer. As they audition actresses the chemistry ignites.

The small production is thrilled to land Kelly Cavanna as one of the leads. She is dynamic and beautiful--everything Jennifer saw in Diana but does not see in herself. Kelly and Jennifer become friends, albeit reluctantly on Jennifer's part because she cannot see why Kelly would want to be friends with her. The relationship between Peter and Jennifer grows, but will Jennifer allow it to happen without pushing him away? Does Peter really want Jennifer or is he more interested in Kelly?

I was impressed by THOUGHTS WHILE HAVING SEX. It is far from the fluffy chick lit I was expecting. The characters, especially Jennifer, go through growth and transformation. Jennifer starts as extremely insecure, and gradually, through the help of others, begins to see herself as strong and worthwhile. There is actually very little sex mentioned. Most of the thoughts deal with Jennifer's inability to let herself go, to lose control enough to develop a fulfilling relationship.

THOUGHTS WHILE HAVING SEX, for all of its contemplation, is not dark and depressing. It is funny and moving while staying true to the drama of Jennifer's life and dealing with her past. I love the ending and the way things wrap up--I won't give away any more. Pick up THOUGHTS WHILE HAVING SEX and you won't be disappointed.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Your Typical Chick Lit.., February 8, 2003

By 

Kelly A. fuller "certified book nut" (Pennsville, New Jersey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Thoughts While Having Sex (Paperback)

5 stars! I love this book! I was so surprised by the story. I was expecting your run of the mill "chick lit" type story, but that is definitly not the case!It has much more heart than that! This story revolves around Jennifer, who lost her sister to suicide. As Jennifer tries to make her way as a New York playwright, she also has to overcome her fear and apprehensions about sex, love and relationships. This is no tawdry, sex filled beach book! It's much better than that!