Book Review: Off Season by Jennifer Weiner

Author: Jennifer Weiner

Title: Off Season

Genre: Horror, Short Story, Paranormal

Format: Ebook

Pages: 26

Published: October 19, 2021

Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Sarah Vernon has spent twenty years trying to make it as a novelist…and she’s never even come close. None of her novels has sold more than five thousand copies, and she’s never earned enough money to make fiction her full-time job. After her last disappointing publication, Sarah’s agent dumped her, and it seems like her dream is dead. Sarah vows that she’ll do anything for one last shot at the bestseller list.

Enter Will Presser. Nicknamed The Viper, Will is a literary agent whose career-making reputation precedes him. A business dinner ends with a nightcap at Will’s apartment—and a night Sarah can’t remember. When she wakes up the next morning, Will says he’s got a plan to make her new book a hit. He sends Sarah off to Elder Island, a summer playground for the rich and famous that empties out between September and May, for her own personal writer’s retreat. He’s left word that Sarah needs complete privacy in order to write, and Sarah’s too bewildered and flattered by Will’s attention to do anything but pack her bags and board the ferry.

Alone in an isolated mansion, Sarah’s writing has never come more easily. She spends hours each day lost in a trance, falling into the world of her story. She tries not to worry about the nightmares that plague her…or the mornings she wakes up with dirt on her feet and blood under her fingernails. ​

Everything Will Presser touches becomes a success, and, now, Will Presser has touched me , Sarah thinks.

But Elder Island isn’t the pretty summer playground it seems to be, and Sarah’s going to learn that success comes at a cost, and that, whenever you sign a deal, it’s always wise to read the fine print.

Review:

I have enjoyed some of this author's chick lits in the past. I randomly stumbled upon this while looking for a spooky Halloween read.....

Okay...so we have Sarah who is a writer. She teams up with Will Presser who is a literary agent that can turn anything into gold. Will have a plan for Sarah to make her next book a hit. He sends Sarah off to Elder Island to work on her next book in silence. This island is a summer playground for the rich and famous, but it is completely empty from September to May. While alone, Sarah's writing has never come more easily to her. She spends hours each day lost in a trance. However, she has these horrid nightmares that are plaguing her. There are some mornings she wakes up with dirt on her feet and blood under her nails. Sarah will learn that success comes at a cost. 

What

on

Earth

Did

I

Just

Read??????????????????????????????????????

I really and truly cannot wrap my mind around what I read. I finished this while in the waiting room for my therapy session. When I got home I re-read the last few pages and I am still at a loss. 

Me =  

This wasn't necessarily bad. But it was.....weird....and gross. THAT POOR DOG! *shakes fist* Ugh why????? But yes, trigger warning. Poor baby pup and kitten. 

I may stick with the chick lits going forward. This was wild.

I'll give this 2 stars. It would be 1, but the short did what it intended to do (I believe). Confuse you, give you chills, gross you out, and leave you feeling odd. 

Audiobook Review: Golden Hills by Jennifer Weiner

Author: Jennifer Weiner

Narrator: Courtney Patterson
Title: Golden Hills

Genre: Chick Lit, Novella, Short Stories, Politics
Published: June 1, 2023
Pages: 53

Where I Got It: Amazon

Summary: 

Senatorial favorite Ida Berkowitz is headed for a win. Raised by a hardworking widowed mother, she’s authentic, relatable, and down-to-earth. Voters love her. Polls promise victory. Then her campaign manager utters four awful words: Who is Marissa Schuyler? She had almost managed to forget. Ida’s bunkmate at Camp Golden Hills when they were girls, Marissa was confident, sophisticated, and wealthy. Everything Ida wasn’t. Now the polished wife of a major conservative donor, Marissa’s announced a press conference. About Ida.

Just like that, Ida’s old insecurities come rushing in. So do new feelings of dread. After all these years, she knows what’s on Marissa’s mind. It could undermine everything Ida’s worked for. Because it isn’t very pretty.

Review: 

So I guess this was Amazon Prime First Read’s Pick for the month of May 2023. I had no idea about that when I first downloaded this. I have read previous books by this author so I knew I had to check this out. 

This follows Ida who is a senatorial favorite. She was raised by a hardworking widowed mother. She is authentic, relatable, and down-to-Earth. The voters are eating it up and love her. Everything is looking good until her campaign manager utters four awful words: Who is Marissa Schuyler? All the memories from Camp Golden Hills come rushing back. After all these years, she knows what is on Marissa's mind. It could very well undermine everything Ida has been working for. 

Now, I really really liked this from page 1. It had feeling and Ida really is someone you can't help but love. I'm sure she would get my vote if she was real.

Sadly....the ending and the "big reveal" was super cringe. SUPERRRRR CRINGE! I could not roll my eyes any harder at the ending. Sighs. Disappointing. I was hoping for more there. 

The narrator was good. I would like to listen to more by her. 

Overall....I started off liking this and even loving it. Ida is a great character. The ending and "reveal" was eye-rolling-worthy. 

2 stars from me. 

Challenge(s):

- #31 for Audiobook challenge

FitReaders Week 1 & Book Review: Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner

This challenge is organized by Geeky Blogger's Book Blog & That’s What I’m Talking About

Happy New Years everyone!! It's been a fun year. ^.^ I hope you all met your challenges and I hope you set new ones for this year. 

Saturday: 2 miles bike & .50 mile jog Sunday:  Nada (It was my birthday) Monday: 30 yoga & 1 mile walk Tuesday: 3 mile bike & .50 mile jog  Wednesday: Did a thorough clean on the apartment today by myself (it took 2.5 hours), so I am counting it. LOL Thursday: 1 mile walk Friday: 30 mins Zumba - buns, abs, & thighs  Conclusion: Not a bad week. A nice start to the year and I am excited for the year to come! Along with doing a decent job with staying active, I felt I did pretty okay with eating bad food at all the holiday parties of the year. 
~*~

Author: Jennifer Weiner
Title: Good in Bed (Cannie #1)
Genre: Fiction, Romance, & Drama 
Pages: ebook
First Published: 2001
Where I Got It: My shelf (Can't remember where I got it from XI)

"For twenty-eight years, things have been tripping along nicely for Cannie Shapiro. Sure, her mother has come charging out of the closet, and her father has long since dropped out of her world. But she loves her friends, her rat terrier, Nifkin, and her job as pop culture reporter for The Philadelphia Examiner. She's even made a tenuous peace with her plus-size body.

But the day she opens up a national women's magazine and sees the words "Loving a Larger Woman" above her ex-boyfriend's byline, Cannie is plunged into misery...and the most amazing year of her life. From Philadelphia to Hollywood and back home again, she charts a new course for herself: mourning her losses, facing her past, and figuring out who she is and who she can become."

This is my second time reading this book; the first time was in High School when I randomly stumbled upon it at the library. I remember loving it, but not enough to actually buy it. At the beginning of last year, I found a free ebook of this, so I snatched it up and then forgot about it again. 

Anyways, I do really like this book for many reasons. The main reason is because I see a lot of myself in Cannie. She isn't my book twin, but I can really relate to her. She is "bigger" like me (even tho she is taller and more "beefy" tho) and she hates her body. Also, she is a little neurotic and tends to obsess over things - like her weight and the article her ex wrote. Honestly, I would have blown up more then she did over the article that her ex wrote. Okay, it wasn't horrible and mean and overly descriptive, but damn - it was unnecessary of Bruce to write that, because Cannie is already self-conscious about her weight, so waaaaaaay to go ass. I would punch my ex in the face if they wrote that article. >___>

I'm a nosy person and I like reading other people's reviews. A lot of people complained about Cannie being "too depressed" and "too whiny" about the whole breaking up with her ex. DUH! She actually loved him (which is stupid, because he was a loser and ass) and she didn't want to break up with him. Then yes, a event happens and she went on a crazy spout of walking and walking and walking and crash dieting. It's completely understandable and I would bet the majority of people would react the same. It was super sad and it bummed me out hardcore both times I read it. Ugh, so sad. Poor Cannie. 

Yes, it was full of drama and chick lit-y, but I think it was done pretty realistically. The only thing that made me roll my eyes, was Cannie's friend who became "famous" due to her play. Meh, I think its cheesy when an author makes someone become "famous" in their book, but whatever I guess. 

The ending was good. It makes me want to read the second book, but I have read some horrid reviews about it. However, I shall attempt it someday. In the end, this is a fun book. I liked it JUST as much as I liked it when I first read it. The characters are fun and there is a LOT going on. I highly recommend this to those that books with some major drama. Yes, Cannie does get her HEA, but damn...she had to really, really work for it and I love when the author makes it tough to get for the character. Again, I shall stamp this with 4 stars. 

Favorite Character(s): Cannie and Dr K (awwwe)

Not-so Favorite Character(s): Bruce & Cannie's mom 

Book Review: Good Men by Jennifer Weiner

Author: Jennifer Weiner
Title: Good Men (Cannie #.5)
Genre: Fiction, drama, short story, & Romance
Pages: ebook
First Published: 2001
Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon freebie)

"A prequel to Jennifer Weiner’s bestselling and beloved debut, "Good Men" takes us into the world and mind of Bruce Guberman, on the night of an ill-fated bachelor party, when Bruce and his friends decide to kidnap his girlfriend Cannie's rat terrier Nifkin. A tender, riotously funny short story, "Good Men" is about five men and their unlikely friendships and also about love, marriage, and what gives two people the courage to link hands and jump off the cliff"


This is a short story prequel to the book 'Good in Bed' by Jennifer Weiner. I randomly found this at the Amazon store as a ebook freebie and I am certainly glad that it was a freebie, because I would be rather upset if I spent money on this.

This takes place before Bruce and Cannie break-up and Bruce decides to write that article that is the catalyst to the beginning of Cannie's story. Ugh, Bruce. I only read this because I was curious about who he was and what he was all about. Yes, he loved Cannie. But no...I would not date him if I was Cannie. He is a man stuck in his early twenties and refuses to give up weed and make something of himself. He refuses to finally write his dissertation to finally get his masters (or whatever) and get a great paying job. Why did Cannie stick around? Ah, right, because she felt she could do no better even tho she is successful herself. I am glad she finally moved on to find the man right for her. I wish the short story did cover the break-up event, because I am curious. 

Why did the author leave off the story with hope for Bruce and Cannie? It was annoying, because I knew there was no hope for them, because Bruce is a loser. 

Meh. This was an okay prequel, but I do recommend skipping this until you actually read 'Good in Bed'. I hated the ending and that the author left us with hope for the couple. No, there is no hope, he is a loser and I did not want them together. Out of five stars, I stamp this with 1 star. 

Favorite Character(s): Cannie (even tho she is touch cra-cra) and Nifkin (puppy!)
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Bruce (a huge loser)