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Review: Breaking the Rules by Cat Lavoie (guest post)
Breaking the Rules
written by Cat Lavoie
published by Marching Ink LLC
find it here: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Goodreads
Why did I pick this book: I was asked by the publisher, Marching Ink LLC, to review Cat Lavoie’s new book and I happily accepted the opportunity! (I was provided a copy for review purposes.)
Did I enjoy this book: I did enjoy this book. It was a quick read and I didn’t want to put my Kindle down. I read every free chance I had and finished the book in a day. It was a typical chick lit read that was fun.
Some parts of Breaking the Rules kind of reminded me of the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella and Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger.
The characters were likable. I loved Roxy. She seemed like your average girl…not the super skinny, flawless beauty that so many heroines are depicted as. She loved to cook and eat! Her fiance, Ethan, on the other hand, seemed rather controlling and borderline abusive. I did not like him at all. Ollie was a great best friend for Roxy. They were perfect together. Lucas, the celebrity chef, was a nice extra character as was Greta, Roxy’s bitchy boss. Roxy’s sisters, Steffi and Izzie, were a trip. The three girls together made a great family…very different from one another but loved each other completely.
The story was kind of twisted in the end but it fits the story and the characters in a good way.
Would I recommend it: If you like chick lit, then, yes, I would recommend this book to you!
Will I read it again: I probably will not.
About the book – from the publisher: When twenty-seven year old Roxy Rule’s best friend and roommate accepts a glamorous new job overseas, she expects their relationship to continue as it’s always been—carefree and easy—until they share a heart-stopping kiss.
While Ollie escapes to jolly ole England to live out his dream and save the planet with green architecture, Roxy is stuck in New York City working for a boss who makes her want to stab herself with a letter opener. She can’t bear to think about her own big-city dream of being a chef anymore. Over the years, her passion for food has only resulted in extra pounds and a staggering credit card balance for fancy kitchen equipment that she barely has time to use. Still, Roxy’s sure that nothing can come between two lifelong best friends—not even mild jealousy over a thriving career or a silly little kiss that meant nothing. In fact, it was such a meaningless and forgettable kiss that it’s not worth mentioning to her fiancé, not that he would even listen—all they do these days is argue about their upcoming wedding.
Roxy is faced with an unexpected family reunion when her younger sister Steffi arrives on her doorstep, six months into a pregnancy she refuses to discuss. When older sister Izzie—in the throes of a premature midlife crisis—joins them, she’s determined to crack the case of Steffi’s impending motherhood. With the Rule sisters living under the same roof again, Roxy’s quiet little apartment in the city is about to be anything but peaceful.
Roxy soon discovers that her seemingly idyllic relationship with Ollie started getting complicated way before he left for London. She must come to terms with her feelings for him, learn to stand up for herself and go after what she really wants.
Every Free Chance Book Reviews is pleased to welcome Cat Lavoie, author of Breaking the Rules, to the blog today. She has prepared the following guest post for all of you.
Chick Lit: It’s Not All About the Shoes
By: Cat Lavoie
“So you’re writing a book about girls who love shoes and stuff?” the inquisitive person in front of me (name withheld to protect the misguided) asked with a smirk when I mentioned that I was writing a chick lit novel. “And the cover is going to be pink, right?”
Well, he was right about the cover but totally wrong about the shoes. Even though my debut novel, BREAKING THE RULES, does mention designer heels at one point, it is definitely not about shoes. And he’s lucky I resisted the urge to slip one of mine off and throw it across the table at him.
Unfortunately, I’ve had variations of this conversation several times over the years. It’s difficult to describe my novel to somebody who’s never heard of chick lit—or who has, but thinks it’s all about shopping, sipping fancy cocktails with your girlfriends and, yes, shoes. Not that there’s anything wrong with that—I’ve read many novels with that exact subject matter and they’ve been thoroughly enjoyable. But chick lit is so much more than that. Behind the glitzy wardrobe and shopping sprees, there are real issues.
A chick lit novel is never going to be about shoes even if there’s a shoe on the cover and the word ‘shoe’ in the title—it’s going to be about the reasons that motivate a character to spend half her paycheck on stilettos. Maybe she’s miserable in her relationship and weekly shopping trips are her escape. Maybe splurging on something she can’t afford fills a void in her life. Maybe she’s desperately in love with the guy who works at the shoe store and she’s trying to muster up enough courage to speak to him longer than the time it takes to ask for a size seven and a half.
Every chick lit novel is different, just like every science fiction or romance novel is different. The basic elements are there but the stories can go in every direction. Chick lit can be dark and deal with issues like body image, self-esteem and abusive relationships. Chick lit can make you laugh and it can make you cry—and, often, it can make you do both.
To me, chick lit is about women who are on a journey of self-discovery. Maybe they feel trapped by an unfulfilling relationship or a stalling career—or both, like Roxy, the main character in BREAKING THE RULES.
I’m very proud to be a chick lit writer because I love these stories and—with the release of BREAKING THE RULES—I get to share a story that is very close to my heart.
About the author: Cat Lavoie was born in the small town of Jonquière in Québec, Canada. At the age of nineteen, she packed up her things (mostly books) and moved to the big city of Montreal where she currently lives with her tempestuous cat Abbie—who is both adorable and quite possibly evil.
An incurable Anglophile since her university days where she studied English Literature, she can often be found daydreaming about her next trip to London. Since she’s an expert at the art of procrastination, Cat is easily distracted by cooking and home improvement shows—even though she’s not particularly good at either.
Cat grew up watching soap operas and legal dramas and—had she not decided to be a claims analyst by day and write chick lit by night—she would have probably become a designer suit-wearing lawyer. Or a character on All My Children (which is what she really wanted to be when she was twelve).
Cat is not sure whether she’s a geek or a nerd—and is afraid she might be both. Breaking the Rules is her first novel.
Cat blogs about the writing life and posts adorable pictures of Abbie over at the Catenabi Chronicles.
5 Comments
by Samantha March
Thanks so much for reading Breaking the Rules!
by The Every Free Chance Reader
Thank you for the opportunity to do so! I really enjoyed it!
by Cat Lavoie
Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Chrissy! And thank you for the review! 🙂
by The Every Free Chance Reader
It was my pleasure! =)