Customer Reviews

True Love (and Other Lies)

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NY-based travel writer Claire is bored with her life. Her last significant romance ended with him leaving the country to get away from her. When she is seated next to a sexy stranger on a flight to London, they hit it off and arrange to hook up after he ends his current unsatisfying relationship. Not expecting to ever see him again, she is surprised when he calls and arranges to show her around London.

Imagine her surprise when she discovers that her new man, Jack is Jack Harrison, the man that just dumped her best friend Maddy (though Maddy refers to him only as "Harrison"). It wouldn't be so bad - after all, she did not know who he was, except that Maddy is obsessed with getting back with Jack, while Claire might just be falling in love.

They continue to have a trans-Atlantic romance, and Claire never gets around to telling Maddy about it, even though she knows that Maddy is threatening to hire a private detective.

Claire suffers from self-esteem issues and can never really understand why Jack wants her. She is suspicious of his intentions, and it does not help when those closest to her feed into her ego problems. Will she tempt fate and allow herself to fall for the man who seemed to be born to love her? Is Jack a good guy or a bad guy?

Gaskell follows up her excellent debut with a charming story about two unlikely but perfectly suited people fated to find each other despite the odds.

Whitney Gaskell's latest novel True Love and Other Lies is a must-read. It's funny (downright hilarious at times), touching, absorbing and hard to put down.

Clare Spencer, main heroine of True Love and Other Lies, is a travel writer - but not the glamorous kind. She works for a magazine called "Sassy Seniors", and gets stuck traveling to places that are suitable mainly for senior citizens. Not only that, but the slightly sarcastic and witty twist she injects into the articles she writes are always being shot down by her editor. The story starts with Clare boarding a plane and getting stuck sitting next to an irate Indian woman who keeps complaining non-stop to her husband seated behind her, but the guy sitting next to the woman's husband offers to switch seats. This guy, named Jack, ends up being interesting, intelligent and nice. Needless to say, they hit it off very well and arrange to meet up during her stay in London. They spend a glorious few days together, and despite herself, Clare starts to fall for him.

However, there is a twist. (Isn't there always?) Clare discovers that Jack is her best friend Maddy's ex boyfriend, whom she is still obviously pining for. Clare, who is a very moralistic and solid person, is stuck in the middle and doesn't know what to do. She wants to confess to Maddy about her and Jack's relationship, but Maddy is so torn up about him (even seeming psychotic at times) that Clare is afraid to confess. Meanwhile Jack and Clare are becoming closer and closer.

What's a girl to do? Join Clare on her adventure through this mess of a romantic triangle. True Love and Other Lies isn't only about romance, however; Clare is trying to find a new job, as her current one is driving her crazy with boredom. She is also struggling with a lot of self-doubt and isn't sure she is ready to open herself to being hurt again.

True Love and Other Lies is a wonderful story, and I enjoyed it very much. Whitney Gaskell has created in Clare a strong, yet flawed character many will be able to identify with. She is a woman with actual morals, and has a way of looking at life that is sarcastically hilarious yet down to earth. This book made me laugh out loud more than once with the funny commentaries on airplane travel, job angst and general life happenings. (If you think you've ever been stuck sitting beside someone unpleasant on a flight or had a job interview from hell, you'll especially appreciate this book).

Definitely a unique novel, I highly recommend True Love and Other Lies. The book was a tiny bit predictable to me (especially the ending), and a couple of times I wanted to shake Clare because she was just too nice for her own good, but overall this was a great read that I had a hard time putting down. People that enjoyed Gaskell's first book "Pushing 30" will love this one, as well as others who haven't read this author before. Gaskell puts together a winning formula once again: insecure yet strong and witty woman trying to find herself, a better job and get her romantic life sorted out, with snappy dialogue and plot twists to add to the mix.

Heroine: full-figured, voluptuous

Claire Spencer isn't bitter about love, oh no. Seeing her parents divorce didn't leave a bad taste about marriage in her mouth. And having her lover flee her didn't affect her in the least. Not at all.

So when an attractive fellow American catches her eye on a trans-Atlantic flight, she's surprised and a bit suspicious that he'd hit on a bigger girl like herself, but decides that engaging in a little harmless flirtation to pass the time would be reasonable. But she didn't count on falling hard for him during that overnight flight. And Jack (think Owen Wilson meets Matthew McConaughey) was wonderful enough for her to reconsider the dating scene, right up until he dropped the other shoe. He was in a relationship, albeit one he was about to end.

And what's even more distressing, Claire knows the girlfriend in question very well indeed. She swears to herself that she will not get involved in the upcoming romantic mess, but she's so drawn to Jack that she just can't help it. And before long she's entangled in a web of lies, deceit, and guilt.

What good is it to have a great new guy in your life if you can't actually talk about him and feel guilty for even knowing him?


What worked for me:

I totally get Claire's interest in reading high-end home decor magazines and wanting not just the profiled homes but the lives of their owners. I, too, wish I could be in a gourmet kitchen serenely washing baby arugula leaves, but my lifestyle and personality dictate that instead I lift my feet as kids and cats race under them while I give the iceberg lettuce a quick pass by swishing the core into the trash can, so be it. It's probably not going anywhere, so I'll pick it up later.

The litany of movies in this story was a blast from the past for this child of the 80s.

I enjoyed the cute little email exchanges between Claire and Jack, but things got a bit confusing when other people were added to the correspondence. Of course, I imagine it was a bit confusing for Claire too.

Size-wise Claire sounded abundant, but only in the way she thought of herself. At the end of the story we find out that she is tall, a size 14, and built along the lines of a young Liz Taylor.

What didn't work for me:

It was fine for me, but some folks might not enjoy the first person point of view.

The story could have used a tad more polishing in spots. And Claire's low self-esteem and unwillingness to sort out her own life really annoyed me at times. (But mainly because it hit too close to home for comfort's sake.)


Overall:
             "True Love and Other Lies" is a quick and funny read. Worth picking up for that last visit to the beach this summer.

Warning: there are some coarse words and sexual scenarios in this book.

If you liked "True Love and Other Lies" you might also enjoy "The Way It Is", "Inappropriate Men", "The High Price of a Good Man", "Bridget Jones's Diary", "Good in Bed", "Coffee and Kung Fu", "Separation Anxiety", "Jemima J.", "Waking Beauty", and "Fat Chance".

I know some people decry this kind of book, but I think the world needs more books like this. I read chick lit for fun. My job is so serious and demanding that when I have time to read, sometimes I just need light fiction, something to read on the train and completely escape both work and the problems, and the messy solutions of the world. This book was IDEAL for me this week!

I really liked Claire Spencer, and her friends and family, and even when the plot took some rather strange turns, I was laughing and rooting for Claire and Jack the whole way. IAnd I was ready to cry and sulk with her too. Most of all, I love finishing a book and wishing that I had someone like the main character in my circle of friends. I think that Whitney Gaskell created a very lovable and memorable character in Claire Spencer.

It took me a week to finish this book when it usually only takes me a few days. The main character Claire was at times unlikeable and condescending as were her friends Maddie and Max. The only likeable character was the love interest Jack but he was almost too perfect. The plot was predictable. Some of the situations bordered on unbelievable and the writing was often redundant. And then the ending felt rushed. A "perfect" ending tied up in a bow. All in all it was disappointing. I'm not sure I want to even try any of her other books.

As with her first book, Pushing 30, I enjoyed True Love (and Other Lies) quite a lot. On her way to London, Claire Spenser, a discontented travel writer, meets Jack, a handsome man who soon becomes her everything. The problem? He is her best friend's ex-boyfriend. This minor problem becomes the central focus of the story and everything stems from the complications involved when dating your best friend's ex. The other complication is Claire's low self-esteem and the way she constantly compares herself to others in a negative light; the book seemed to be a lot about Claire and her personal demons. There was a major point of discontent with me in this book: the `friendship' between Claire and Maddy... it just didn't seem as deep and continuing as we were meant to believe it was. Maddy was drawn as a vengeful, sour, and altogether mean woman who made, and makes, life difficult for Claire. I just didn't buy into the friendship or the eventual reconciliation. But, I did like Jack and his mile-long romantic streak, and the way in which he treated Claire. Overall, it was a good book and kept me interested.

I personally think Whitney Gaskell's writing stands out among others in the chick-lit genre. She's funny, and her word choices feel original and evocative.

But I wasn't as drawn in by the the book's love story as I would have wished. There's something too perfect about the hero, Jack, and I was frustrated that the heroine, Claire, kept making excuses to herself about why he couldn't be so perfect when on every page he was just too good to be true.

Also, I felt Gaskell made Claire too insecure, which I found annoying at times, because unfortunately the reader keeps getting hit over the head with it.

All in all, I'd say it's a not-too-gripping story, but with better than average writing. I'm looking forward to reading "Pushing 30," which I hear is better.

It was the words in parenthesis on the cover of this book that first caught my eye. I felt the same way. From the first page, it had me hooked. Claire is me and almost every one of my friends although there are a few Maddys hanging around the fringes. The character resonated with me on several different levels, from comparing the size of my arm to the size of a model's thigh to working in a geriatric atmosphere to sticking to the 'rules' of dating to being forced to participate in cake-and-punch parties to commemorate a co-worker's successful gall bladder operation. This book had me laughing out loud while still appreciating the realism of the story.

I'm on the final chapter and while I'm looking forward to the happily ever after conclusion, I just don't want the book to end. I'm saving the final chapter to read in bed tonight so I can drift off to sleep with a smile on my lips and hope in my heart.

This a great book for anyone who has faced the perils of dating in the new millenium head on and has come out of the experience just a tad dishevelled and a little bit bruised.

Kudos to Whitney Gaskell for a wonderful book that I'll read again and again.

Caroline

When you're thirty-two, still single, and working for a company that consistently underutilizes your talents, you begin to wonder what you're doing wrong. At least that's what Claire Spencer is thinking about.

While she had always dreamed of living the writing life, Claire's position at Sassy Seniors, a travel magazine for retirees, falls short of her delusions of grandeur. Also just out of her grasp is love and a lasting relationship. While she thought she had found it with boyfriend Sawyer Clarke, his announcement that he was relocating to Tokyo with no plans to continue their relationship dashed Claire's dreams of happily ever after. Even her family life leaves a lot to be desired.

While it's bad enough feeling as if she's not living up to her full potential and that love has passed her by, it's even worse to have a best friend, Maddy, who is gorgeous, successful and to whom everything comes easily: men, jobs, glamour, money --- you name it and Maddy has it.

However, even Claire, with her insecurities and cynical attitude toward love, is vulnerable to Cupid's arrow as she finds out on a flight from New York to London where she's headed on a trip that might actually be of interest. When she meets Jack Harrison on the transatlantic flight, he seems too good to be true; however, Claire can't resist the urge to get to know him better in spite of herself.

Jack, a fellow American, who works as an attorney for a British corporation and lives in London, seems to be everything Claire has been looking for --- but does she dare hope that Jack is as good as he seems?

Alas, Jack is not perfect. For instance, he still has a girlfriend with whom he is planning to break up as soon as he returns to London. Can Claire trust her feelings and the charming Jack? Only time will tell.

As is usual in fiction and in life, the course of true love never runs smoothly. When Claire and Jack hit a few snags, you'll find yourself rooting for their eventual unification and even at times berating Claire for letting her insecurities get the better of her. But I can guarantee that the one thing you won't do is put the book down until you see how it ends.

Whitney Gaskell made her debut with PUSHING 30, and now wows us again with TRUE LOVE (AND OTHER LIES).

--- Reviewed by Amie Taylor

Sharing a row on the flight from New York to London is thirty-two years old full figured woman Claire Spencer and Jack Harrison. Claire, a travel writer for Sassy Seniors magazine, is going to London to write articles and see her best friend Maddy Reilly while Jack, an attorney at British Pharmaceuticals returns home. Claire and Jack hit it off, but he promises that he will ask her out the moment after he breaks with his current girlfriend, which he insists that he was going to do before he met Claire.

In London Jack tells Claire it was hard, but he did indeed break-up with his girlfriend so they can go out now. They have a great time together. However, both are stunned when Jack's former girlfriend turns out to be a heartbroken Maddy. Claire wants to remain loyal to Maddy, but she has never been so attracted to a man as she is to Jack.

TRUE LOVE (AND OTHER LIES) is an entertaining character study that focuses on Claire, who finds herself pulled in two opposite direction, loyalty to a friend vs. finding her soulmate. Claire is a delightful protagonist unable to believe a hunk like Jack would drop the beautiful Maddy for a big babe like her. Claire is a likable person even if she has generalized the shortcoming of "petit" males due to one date while Jack is a solid ethical person cleaning up his relationships before starting a new one. Readers will feel for Maddy suffering a broken heart, but soon want her gone after she tosses guilt grenades at Claire. This is a fine London contemporary romance that readers will enjoy.

Harriet Klausner