the case of the missing boyfriend - Nick Alexander

I like chic-lit. I really do. I sometimes feel a bit guilty when reading some though, as if i was somehow wasting time, because let's face it, the stories don't often stay in my mind once read. And it's probably because it's always the same: a woman with a powerful job, a great home, and a desperate need for a new man. And by the end, of course, she's found her happily ever after. This is just the modern day fairy tale really; while little girls have Cinderella, us women have Sex and the City. And all its derivatives.
I had a pre-conception for this book, and i really don't know why. Maybe because of the cover, which looked different from your average chic-lit cover, or maybe because it was written by a man, and had a title that could lead to a different sort of story - somehow i thought that it would be a detective fiction for girls.
But it wasn't.
It was nothing new really.
There were amusing bits though, a lot of lovely gay guys and a lot of clubbing in London. And i really liked the concept of "framily", those friends that become part of your family. But i didn't think the painting of the main character, CC, was realistic at all. I don't see how one can reach 39 and have so much drama in their life without wising-up and maturing a bit more. Or maybe that's just me.
Thus said, there was a few very good observations. Including this one: "And I suppose that in the end, that's what a shrink is. A friend who is paid to listen to things that are too painful or too personal for anyone else". Although the shrink in the book is über-clichéd, i guess this reflexion at least was spot on.

Note for later: some books are both entertaining and life-changing. They are very rare and to be cherished. Some books are only entertaining. That doesn't make them less precious - so many books out there are not even that. So stop the drama-guilt-trip about reading chic-lit and enjoy.