Amanda Monday: It's a Mall World After All

I struggled a lot deciding what book to highlight this week.  I know a lot of really great books, but all the ones I thought of reviewing just didn't seem right for me.  Either it had been too long since I'd read the book, or I just wasn't in the mood to write about it even though it was good.

Then it hit me: whenever I feel this way when searching for a book to read, I always turn back to one of my tried and true favorites by fabulous author Janette Rallison.  I guess the same applies to choosing a book to review, because once I thought of her, I was instantly gung-ho and ready to go.

It's too bad they don't give out diplomas for what you learn at the mall, because I could graduate with honors in that subject.  No really.  Since I've worked there, I've become an expert on all things shopping-related. For example, I can tell you right off who to distrust at the mall:

1) Skinny people who work at Cinnabon.  I mean, if they're not eating the stuff they sell, how good can it be?

2) The salesladies at department store makeup counters.  No matter what they tell you, buying all that lip gloss will not make you look like the pouty models in the store posters.

3) And most importantly--my best friend's boyfriend, Bryant, who showed up at the food court with a mysterious blonde draped on his arm.

Yeah, I saw it, and yeah, I told my best friend all about it.

You would think this would mean trouble for Bryant, but you would basically be wrong.  Somehow, the evil boyfriend turned everything around, and now I'm the one who has to prove myself!  But I will. Even if Bryant--and more importantly his best friend, Colton--keep trying to stop me. Quoted from Goodreads.

This book falls into one of my favorite categories: FLUFF.  This is by no means a disparaging term, at least when I use it.  A "fluff" book is one that is fun, light-hearted, usually predictable, very funny, and always, always entertaining.  Scholars and high-brow readers would look down on such a book the way a health nut would look down on brownies and ice cream and chocolate.  But those of us out there whose reading habits are a little more relaxed would find such a book equally palletteable.

Our heroine, Charlotte, has the delightful job of spraying customers with perfume samples at her local mall.  While there, she makes the most of her boring job by people watching, and consequently, she catches her best friend's boyfriend with another girl.  The rest of the book is her trying to prove it to her friend with the reluctant help of her cute love interest Colton.  A definitely silly premise, but Charlotte is a likeable enough character that you would probably love her no matter what conflict she was thrown into.  A perfect mix of smart and naive, gutsy and awkward, kind and overbearing, she makes you laugh and groan all at the same time as she bumbles her way around trying to help out. . . even when her help is not wanted.

Are her awkward moments a little bit over the top?  Well, yes they are.  Is the plot a little bit too ridiculous and predictable?  Mmmm, probably.  But I am willing to forget all of that because it is predictable and ridiculous in a VERY funny way.  I chuckled the entire time I read this book, and that is why I love it.  

I would give the writing of the book 3 stars because the plot is a little contrived.  However, I give the book 4 stars based on how much I liked it.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who is having a "blah" type of day and needs a little something to pick them up.

Oh, and if you like this book, be sure to check out other Janette Rallison books.  I chose to highlight this one because I just read it, but some of her others are equally, if not more so, entertaining.  Enjoy!