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mehitabels's review
4.0
one of my favorite author's recommended this, Jen Lancaster, and it was fun. a chick-lit book that wasn't painful or fraught with embarrassment. only one complaint (the poor dentist!) and I will look for more of her
work. a perfect weekend read
work. a perfect weekend read
felisa's review
4.0
I'd put this more at a 3.5 than a 4, but I did really enjoy it at the end. It takes a bit to get into it, but after you do it's pretty funny in the "I wish I was that clever on the spot" kind of way. I read this book after the author, Stacey Ballis, came to book club to talk about GETE. Maybe it is because I could associate the main character with Stacey, but I think this book was much better than GETE (or maybe it just was better).
The one thing that I think really bugs me about Stacey's writing is she describes every character in so much detail that it doesn't leave you room to make the characters who you want them to be, or someone you can relate to. Don't get me wrong, the descriptions are really good and I can see exactly who she wants each character to be, but I get frustrated when the author leaves no room for your own imagination.
The one thing that I think really bugs me about Stacey's writing is she describes every character in so much detail that it doesn't leave you room to make the characters who you want them to be, or someone you can relate to. Don't get me wrong, the descriptions are really good and I can see exactly who she wants each character to be, but I get frustrated when the author leaves no room for your own imagination.
ohheyemilyk's review
4.0
Aside from the narrator's distracting and annoying tendency to burst out in spurts of alliterative description, I thought this was an easy enough read and an enjoyable way to pass several late evenings.
girlinacardigan's review
3.0
http://jennsbookblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/room-for-improvement-by-stacey-ballis.html
gijanechosen's review
3.0
Huh, go figure? Well, like the author, I am also a fan of home improvement shows, so I really liked that aspect of the story! I was less enchanted with the number of people Lily seems to fall into bed with while barely knowing them, I mean really? I am only slightly disappointed that the guy I liked the most isn't the one she ends up with, although I feel like I should have seen it coming (I kinda did, but I held out hope anyways). Oh and the chapter titles, absolutely loved them! Very cute.
ajcousins's review
4.0
Stacey Ballis is a fun and witty writer. Her main characters are humanly flawed and recognizable women, as opposed to standard, romance novel glamour women. They fuck up, and make amends for it. They also have blunt and humorous outlooks on life, sharp and sassy friends and a habit of making a number of poor choices in men before finally figuring it out. Room for Improvement is more about figuring out how to balance your life than it is about the romance alone. Bottom line: I would go drinking with Stacey Ballis���s characters any day!
piepieb's review
3.0
This wasn't my favorite Stacey Ballis, but this novel still made me snicker. What I DID like was the snark and wit and "genuine"-ness of the character. What I DIDN'T like was all the casual, casual sex on the part of the main character, Lily -- masturbation I don't mind reading about, but I thought the scene with drug use was unnecessary and un-classy.
The Stacey Ballis novels I prefer are about food and cooking... and while the setting of a home improvement/interior decorating reality TV show was fun to read about (at certain parts), the ending left me feeling a little let down and thinking that things were too neatly wrapped up. Not a HORRIBLE book, but not Stacey's best.
The Stacey Ballis novels I prefer are about food and cooking... and while the setting of a home improvement/interior decorating reality TV show was fun to read about (at certain parts), the ending left me feeling a little let down and thinking that things were too neatly wrapped up. Not a HORRIBLE book, but not Stacey's best.
mcipher's review
4.0
Funny, entertaining fiction - the story was fast-paced, the characters engaging, the plot entertaining. My complaints are the alliteration that was thrown in randomly (I emailed Ballis and was told none of her other books use that device, and so I'm really looking forward to them!) - it got to the point where I was cringing waiting for alliteration as I read - and that there are places where the story jumps in time without warning, and you are left wondering what happened in between the last chapter and this one (particularly with Lily and the carpenter's relationship change). Altogether a good, entertaining read, though.
familywithbooks's review
3.0
I wanted to love this book - I really did! When the book focused on the behind the scenes of the "Trading Spaces" meets "What Not to Wear" DIY show, the book was great! I loved reading the chapters with the crazy tenants, the crazier rooms, and the craziest designs. This book would have easily received 4 stars from me if not for 2 things: (1) there were these sections in the book where the author tried a bit too hard to be funny by using alliteration. Enough with that already! Once was cute, but more than that? It is only in one section of the book, which makes me think the author thought it was funny for the 2 days she wrote it, then came to and it stopped. (2) I didn't really feel a connection between the friendship of the 3 girls. I felt the connections with all of the love stories intertwined, but when the 3 girls would be in the same scene, it just felt too generic. I would still recommend this to those who enjoy Trading Spaces just for the behind the scenes fun!