Off the Record: A Novel (Paperback)

by Jennifer O'Connell (Author) "Present Day "Are you watching it?..." (more)
Key Phrases: Teddy Rock, New York, Drew Weston (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A fun addition to the chick-lit collection." -- Booklist on Dress Rehearsal

"It's decadent fun... O'Connell makes this sweet treat go down smoothly thanks to snappy dialogue and evocative scenes of Chicago." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Poolside page-turner." -- Cosmopolitan on Bachelorette #1

"Rockin' chick lit." -- Complete Woman

"The cleverly unconventional plot …is fun, and O’Connell unveils the transformation with impressive skill and timing." -- Romantic Times

Product Description
What would happen if the world discovered you inspired a legendary rock song? Jane Marlow is about to find out... Jane Marlow is a true-blue good girl: plain, predictable, and perfectly responsible. But when her brother catches an episode of Music One's "Off the Record," he discovers that former pop sensation Teddy Rock is actually their childhood neighbor Theodore Brockford, and that his one-hit wonder twelve years earlier wasn't just a catchy tune that took the charts by storm-it was a song about Jane Marlow! Now Jane has a chance to live life off the record, but is she ready for the changes it brings? And even if she's willing to take the risk, is she willing to face the music?

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Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: New American Library (September 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451216458
• ISBN-13: 978-0451216458
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #784,054 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Entertaining and Original, September 30, 2005

By	Rian Montgomery "Rian Montgomery" (Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What would you do if you found out a childhood schoolmate had named a famous love song after you?

When Jane Marlowe, a highly organized lawyer about to be made partner at her firm, finds out from her brother that the kid that grew up across the street from them has written a song about her, she is confused. After all, she had never gone out with Teddy, the now-famous rock star in question. She doesn't want to believe it. After all, she likes to keep her life organized and complication-free. She doesn't have time for this.

But unfortunately her brother is determined to push her into the spotlight and shed light on the fact that yes, she is the "Janey" in the song. Jane meanwhile decides one night on a whim to live it up. After all, how often is a famous love song written for you? Her life quickly turns into talk shows and interviews. But are things what they really seem? And what about Drew, the guy at her office that seems sort-of interested in her?

I thoroughly enjoyed Off the Record. The characterization is excellent, the plot believable and fun, and the story line unique and refreshing. O'Connell's writing style is fast becoming one of my favorites- she has a knack for telling an excellent story with just a hint of subtle romance and uncertainty present in the background. Best of all, Jane was a great main character. She was smart, funny and quirky enough for anyone to like.

Other than a tiny bit of predictability found in the story, I couldn't find much I didn't love about this book.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for a fun abd thoroughly enjoyable read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining book!, January 23, 2006

By	Janice (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

Jennifer O'Connell's "Off the Record," centered around Jane, an attorney in a Chicago law firm whose life was revolved around her work. She was seen as the boring Jane, who did not know how to have fun and was perceived as an incredibly serious person. Even her out of state co-worker, Drew, seemed to have her all figured out. Out of the blue, her brother Andy told Jane that she could be the Janey in the hit single "Janey 245" by the once popular Teddy Rock. "Janey 245" was a big hit in the late 1980s, in which Teddy Rock wrote about this hot girl whom he so desired. Teddy Rock used to live across the street from her but Jane had not much recollection of him. Jane's life became out of control when Andy made it known to the public that she was indeed The "Janey 245."

This was quite an entertaining book. The characters were well-developed and the plot was actually quite engaging. It was also fast-paced and contained many funny moments. This was definitely a better than average book in this genre.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book's a hit, December 20, 2005

By	K Engles - See all my reviews

Off the Record was so much fun. I'm a big music buff, so it was fun to read all the "fake" articles about Teddy Rock when he was a big star, and then watch him try to make a come back. Jane was someone who was likeable, if flawed, and I liked how Teddy's attempt to come back paralleled Jane's own realization that maybe she needs to make a sort of come back, too. Jane's family and her friends rounded out the story to create a really fun book.