Customer Reviews

What I Did for Love

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

This book is pretty much a spin-off of Jennifer Aniston's real life story. A funny-face, sitcom-princess marries and then is dumped by the best looking actor in Hollywood. He leaves her for an actress famous for her unusual beauty and dedication to world humanitarian works. The story begins after the divorce, when Georgie (the heroine) accidentally gets drugged by a groupie in LV and wakes up married to her former sitcom costar - a man she detests and who treats her really, really badly.

The book does have all the elements I love about SEP - the quirky characters, funny situations, and witty dialogue. While I did enjoy reading it, at the end of the day it left a bad taste in my mouth.

First - I never liked the hero Bram. For the first half of the book he is just despicable. And while small clues show that perhaps he isn't what he seems, his underlying motivations are still entirely selfish and self-centered. At the end of the book he does redeem himself, but even that seemed like a case of `now that I've really figured out what I want, I really want to get what I want.'

Second - My favorite character in the entire book was Chaz, Bram's housekeeper. She way overshadows either Georgie or Bram.

Third - I kept thinking that I've read this book before. The dialogue especially seemed so similar to other SEP books that sometimes I could even place it. The ending reminded me of `Match me if you can.' While the premise was original, a good lot of the execution felt recycled.

Fourth - One of the reasons I like SEP is because her books are focused on humor and characters and fun. The sex, while present, isn't usually heavy-handed. That didn't seem true in this book. The hero and heroine were married, but absolutely hated each other. Their sexual relationship was like a fling or a recreational event (which they both openly admit), and not an outcome of genuine feelings for each other. Yuck.

So overall why I enjoyed the hilarity and absurdity of this book, too much of it just didn't work for me.

***SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS***

I love SEP and I own many of her previous books. What I love the most about her novels is that they can make you laugh and cry. Okay, I've never cried before but I have felt very emotionally attached/touched. Anywho, What I did for Love worked and didn't really work for me on many levels.

Worked:
First, you can depend on humor. There were a few points in the book where I found myself grinning or laughing like a crazy woman.

Second, she brought up some real issues that she hasn't really in the past such as drugs, prostitution, weight problems, etc. It made her characters more flawed and human and relatable.

Didn't Work:
First, I couldn't NOT think of Georgie York as Jennifer Aniston.
Georgie's ex-husband, a gorgeous blonde movie star, leaves her for another woman. Who coincidentally happens to be his costar in a movie and she is also an accomplished, talented, sexy brunette who does charity work and promotes global causes!! AND she was pregnant!


Secondly, I have to say this...very few sex scenes! Of course, they get it on in the book, but there's really only one scene that I can recall that was "descriptive." The rest of the sex scenes were more just like...oh...and they slept together. I think it was because of this that...

Thirdly, I kind of found it hard to believe that they fell so in love. They wasn't a strong emotional connection. As young costars, they had their beef with each other. On Georgie's part, rightfully so. Bram's, not so much. But they DID separate for years. They DID hate each other their entire acquaintance. But forced intimacy made them realize they loved each other? There was delightful and witty arguing (which I LOVE)...but I never really saw what was so great about Georgie OR Bram.

Fourth, I never connected to Georgie York or Bram Shepard. I love SEP's spunky and intelligent heroines and tough and confident heroes. Neither Georgie nor Bram really shine compared to SEP's previous characters.


Overall, I enjoyed it. What I Did For Love is not SEP's best work, but it is STILL better than a LOT of other romance novels out there, past and present! I don't regret buying it at all. It is well worth the hardcover price. It really didn't touch me the way her novels have in the past, but it was still pretty good.

I would give it a B-.

And ps. for those of you who were hoping to catch up with Glitter Baby Fleur Savagar and "Bird Dog Caliber" Jake Koranda...they appear in the novel but you never hear them speak! Their daughter, Meg, is a character in this novel, but they themselves are only referenced in conversation. I'm kind of sorry for that. It would have been nice to see what they were like now.

So I am one of those people who love celebrities....I subscribe to People magazine, am usually on top of all the latest gossip, and am a sucker for famous hollywood love triangles...for all these reasons, this was a great book!

SEP ranks as one of my top 3 authors....along with Judith McNaught and Lisa Kleypas. What sets SEP apart from ALL other authors is her unique and signature humor. I can't describe it, but you know when you are reading a SEP book because her use of humor is so distinct....fans know exactly what I'm talking about!

This book, while maybe not QUITE as good as some of her "gems" like Heaven, Texas, Nobody's Baby But Mine, and It Had To Be You, is still penned by the resident genius Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and for that reason is a must read...maybe not a must buy, but great all the same.

What I Did For Love contains one of the sexiest and most erotic love scenes I think I've ever read...I can't believe other reviewers have yet to comment on it! It takes place in a erotic toy/negligee shop called "Provocative". This part of the book is so original, steamy, and fun, that you'd be well served to read the WHOLE book just to get this chapter. It is great fun!

I get what the others are saying about the love story/emotional chemistry being lacking between Georgie and Bram, but I did understand their hang-ups and motivations. This book contains THREE love stories (another signature SEP find). I enjoyed all the secondary characters, but the relationships did feel a bit rushed....maybe just TWO romances in one book would've been more doable.

Overall, worth the wait. The best part about waiting for a SEP new release to come out is revisiting some of her "oldies but goodies" that never fail..I haven't decided if What I Did For Love will constitute one of those, but if it doesn't I have plenty others to pick from....I love that Glitter Baby!

While I liked this book tremendously, and loved the creative plot, I never made the emotional connection with Bram. I was never convinced of the depth of his feeling for Georgie. The passion was there, but the "need" was not.

It's SEP though, which means it's better than most books out there, but it's not her best work.

I hope SEP writes about the rest of Georgie's group.

When I first began reading this novel I noticed, as some other reviewers have noted, that the parallels between the Brangelina/Jennifer Aniston love triangle were many. That made me nervous. But, as I read on I was swept into the world of Georgie York, spurned ex-sitcom star, and Bram Shepard, the man who lived to make her life miserable but was destined to love her all the same.

Some may argue that this is a typical romance novel, with an obvious ending and vaguely trite storyline. My response to that would be that Ms. Phillips took a "ripped from the headlines" piece of celebrity gossip and turned it on its head.

The wit that's evident in every piece of the author's writing shines through in her two main characters. Their exchanges had me laughing out loud. And the cast of secondary characters (along with their own side stories) provided the perfect balance to what could have been an obvious conclusion.

I've never had the privilege of reading any other works by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. But, after reading "What I Did for Love" you can bet that I'll be seeking out her other works.

*** NOTE: This is completely unrelated to the story itself, but I should warn anyone who enjoys show tunes that you WILL have the "Chorus Line" song of the same title stuck in your head on a constant loop while reading this novel! (Good thing it's a decent song.)

Good story, great writing, I couldn't put it down. The first half of the book was a definite 5, the second half slid a bit, especially near the ending, when the author was trying to wrap everything up. It was strange that the hero took so long to figure out his feelings for the heroine, pretty much near the end. I won't repeat the plot of the book since that's done already. Definitely a feel good happy ending type of book.

Georgie York is in desperate emotional straits and the paparazzi are circling, waiting for her to fall to pieces. She's still America's darling, due to her long-running role in the beloved sitcom Skip and Scooter, but the show's been off the air for years and Georgie's current life isn't anything worthy of a laugh track. Her action-star husband left her for a prettier actress, and she hasn't recovered from the betrayal. She has plenty of money, but her post-sitcom career is littered with cinematic flops. Georgie is lonely, discouraged, and can't find her niche in life, so it'll take a major shake-up to bring back her lost joy.

Bram Shephard knows Georgie from way back. While she spent eight years playing the imaginative, happy-go-lucky orphan Scooter Brown, Bram played her counterpart and eventual love interest, Skip Scofield. Skip was a well-bred, loyal young aristocrat who always had to bail Scooter out of scrapes when her zany antics went awry. But while Georgie is a good deal like her character, Bram is nothing like Skip--when he was on the show, he made life unbearable for everyone from production assistants to fellow actors. From age 17 to 25, he gave excellent but grudging performances on the show and spent the rest of his time drinking, partying, and breaking things. Now he's in his early thirties, and has utterly sabotaged his career. It'll be hard for him to change the public's decidedly unfavorable opinion of him.

When the two old enemies meet up in Vegas, they exchange scowls and harsh words. Little do they know, they're about to get accidentally married when someone spikes their drinks (it's a plot convenience you just have to accept, since it's illegal to perform a marriage ceremony for people who are under the influence). But once Georgie and Bram find themselves married, they realize that continuing the charade could be exactly what they both need. Georgie will look like she's thriving and totally over her past heartaches, and Bram will gain respectability and credibility just by being associated with her. They strike a bargain: they'll spend one year pretending to be a happily married couple, and move on amiably...if they don't kill each other first.

Animosity between a future couple is always a fun thing to read, because the enemies-to-sweethearts transition is different every time it's portrayed. Georgie has ample reason to despise Bram: his nasty behavior caused their show to be canceled, and he broke her heart in worst possible way when she was a teenager. It's more difficult to say why Bram holds a grudge against Georgie. He hated her in the past because her dad interfered with the show and made sure she got most of the spotlight, but Georgie doesn't come across like the stuck-up snob he accuses her of being. She wasn't even bratty, just naïve, so if Bram's motivations,are actually examined, he seems less likable. Bram thinks Georgie's plastic, and all she cares about is fame, and he's halfway right--Georgie does need a bigger purpose in life, and enough time spent with Bram helps her realize it.

Of course, neither of them is as bad as the other one envisions them. Georgie's dad took great care with her career, getting her the right jobs and investing her money wisely, but he has no heart for her as a person. She's never had genuine love and support, though Bram thinks she's pampered. As for Bram, he's mean and snarky with his words, but his actions are no longer villainous. It takes Georgie forever to notice, but he's given up smoking, and the brown liquid he's always throwing back is iced tea. He lies about everything, so most of the time when he say he doesn't care, he actually does, and he fakes being lackadaisical so she won't know he's gotten serious about his work as an actor and (maybe) producer.

Both of them can fake emotions and mug for the camera at the drop of a hat. There are plenty of hilarious scenes where they're smiling for the paparazzi and punctuating their conversation with loud laughter while quietly exchanging accusations and I-hate-yous. And of course, while they're playing up their relationship for the cameras, they're actually developing one. But though the setup of the story and the character interactions are great, there are a few down spots. Bram and Georgie fall into a conversational rut where the argue about the same issues over and over. I like Bram's creative description in lines like "He was dressed like the aimless second son of an exiled European monarch" (pg 24), but he's described in nearly identical terms in other places. The love-realization takes a little too long and gets resolved a little too quickly on Bram's part.

In this book, I've finally noticed a pattern in Susan Elizabeth Phillips' stories. A gorgeous guy and not-quite-as-gorgeous girl are thrown together by unusual circumstances. The girl falls in love first, and then she has to run away from the guy to save her pride and her heart. The guy realizes too late what he's lost and makes a declaration, but she doesn't believe him, and he has to do something significant to change her mind. At least one secondary couple will get together in the course of the novel, and there's an epilogue where one or both of them will have made an important career change or career advancement, and they usually have a baby girl. What I Did for Love does feel formulaic, but that's no problem if you happen to like the formula. I do. And while this isn't SEP's best work, it still has some charm and sparkle to it.

When your life is falling apart, the last thing you want to be is famous with paparazzi on your tail, ok the second to last. The most humiliating thing would be to have the man, whom you loathe, see the paparazzi show you photos of your ex and his new wife and their happy news. This is the kind of day that Georgie York is having. She is known for being a spunky romantic heroine and not only has her film career tanked lately, but now her public image is suffering.

When she and the same man, former costar and super hunk Bramwell Shepard, run into each other in Vegas during what was supposed to be a girls get away weekend, turned Georgie in Sin City alone, you never know what might happen. When she wakes up the next morning she finds out that they were married the night before, a fact which neither remembers. Now she has a fake marriage, a fake husband and no clear way out. So she and Bramwell strike up a deal to stay together for a year. But, with Bran's housekeeper, her father and a stuck up agent as well as her ex, can they last a year. More importantly what will happen when they live together and start to learn more about each other than what the public knows?

Will they pull closer or further away when suddenly they are stuck in the house under quarantine, thanks to her ex, and what each really desires surfaces?

I enjoyed delving into the lives of the paparazzi and Hollywood stars. I think that Ms. Phillips did a wonderful job detailing just how much the "jackals" are like their namesake. What I Did for Love was an interesting story for me to read; while I missed Ms. Phillips football men I found that Bram had enough charm of his own to keep me interested in the story. I had fun reading What I Did for Love and think I learned a few things along the way. You got to love it when the bad boy makes good after all these years.


Tanya
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Sitcom darling Georgie York has held her head high as the tabloids relentlessly chase her in hopes of catching her at a vulnerable moment after getting dumped by her sexy actor husband who fell for his exotically beautiful and humanitarian co-star, whom he just impregnated. She wakes up in Veags alongside her teen nemesis and former co-star Bram Shepherd with a hangover from a roofie and a marriage certificate in tow. Rather than get it annulled, they choose to remain married and ride out the media storm - she needs Bram to prove she's not pitiful; he needs Georgie to elevate his sullied reputation. What they don't count on is that all that sniping might lead to something more.

Bar none, SEP is one of my favorite authors. She manages to juggle steamy romance with great plotting, unforgettable characters, and the wittiest dialogue. While I enjoyed the story, I found it hard not to consider it a thinly veiled account of the Brangelinafer debacle. The only thing missing from Jade was the collection of international children. It just seemed lazy to me. I did think that Bram's metamorphosis was a little too abrupt; that the story was a bit too populated; and some of the secondary characters really stole the story. Despite the predictability, it was still a well written story with some great one liners!

© Tracy Vest, March 2009

I am a huge Susan Elizabeth Phillips fan. I have read the other reviews and will agree that there was a definite pull from the tabloids in this storyline. However, Phillips made the story far more interesting than the National Enquirer.