Bloody bastard chicklit with crap endings - sick of it, recommend a good one please!

[RachelRoyce]

Adele Parks 'The state we're in' is the last one I read. I will not be reading anything else she has written, ever. Grrrrr. That's the 3rd book I've read this week with an absolutely shite ending
I won't give anything away but the ending was just wrong. The two others I read just ended in a splat rather than a bang.

Is there no new, well written chick lit (oh how I hate that term)? I read good 'normal' fiction but I'm on holiday and I just want feel good happiness. I like Jill Mansell, Cathy Kelly and Fiona Walker. I have wifi and my kindle, best recommendations here please. Thanks!

I'd recommend Dorothy Koomson, I've read all of her books and the only one that I didn't enjoy was The Cupid Effect. Liane Moriarty's good too.

Jennifer Crusie is good, not all of hers, but most of them. I recommend Welcome to Temptation, Bet Me, Fast Women and Agnes and the Hitman. I also like quite a lot of Susan Elizabeth Phillip's books, especially Ain't she Sweet and First Lady.

I love Adele Parks' earlier stuff, Jane Green (esp the early stuff set in London before she moved to the states!) and Jennifer Weiner. Also like Marian Keyes as many have said upthread. The only thing is that these books do deal with issues like drug addiction, and depression, in a very real way that isn't found in some more typical "chick lit".

It always me laugh that every thread there has ever been with 'chick lit' in the title inevitably attracts at least one or two posters seeking to boost their ego by sneering at what other people choose to read. Always, like night-time follows sunset. And they always recommend 'better' books in the sincere belief that anyone who reads chick lit has never read any other genre and needs to be educated.

Does that explain it alternative? Or do I need to use smaller words?

I don't know. What IS chicklit when it is at home?

I knew this was going to be about Adele Parks, 'The state we're in'

I finished it last night and had it been a paper copy rather than kindle, I'd happily have torn it to shreds. The ending was so fucking shite I kept flicking in the hope of finding an 'alternative ending. Dire

Liane moriarty is excellent, I've read a few Diane chamberlain which I've enjoyed.

YY bitter chocolate!
It's like starting a post saying 'Could you give me recommendations for a good chocolate cake please'
Poster coming on...'I don't eat chocolate cake and so have nothing to contribute to this thread. I do know you should be eating kale and quinoa and not chocolate cake. And stop asking for good recipes for Chocolate cake.'

Alternative - well good chick lit has big words like 'judgemental, ignorant, arrogant' and little ones like 'toss and pot'.

Wicks - I feel your pain! It was diabolical!

I just looked for a couple of definitions and found phrases like "genre fiction which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often humorously and lightheartedly" and "usually having a romantic or sentimental theme".

I'd say that sounds about right actually. It is romantic or sentimental fiction, and to add another level it is normally written not to be too intellectually challenging. Though I mean that in a good way.

Alternative - well good chick lit has big words like 'judgemental, ignorant, arrogant' and little ones like 'toss and pot

Each to their own.

It's like starting a post saying blah de blah

It was you saying you are sick of the crap endings and that you hate the term!

Firstly, I just want to thank Prima and others on this thread for the Liane Moriarty recommendation - I've just read What Alice Forgot based on the recommendation above and thoroughly enjoyed it; I'll be reading The Husband's Secret next.

My view is that "chick lit" is written for its entertainment value rather than aiming to be profound commentary on the human condition, usually with a romance somewhere in the plot. Like any other genre of books it can be done well or badly. For example, I agree with others on Rachel's Holiday being excellent - well written, funny, great romance but actually dealing in a non- superficial way with a much darker issue (drug abuse). Marian Keyes was a recovering alcoholic when she wrote it, so knew what she was talking about.

In my view it takes considerable skill to write lighthearted entertainment well - look how many authors try and fail to imitate Georgette Heyer, whose books were largely treated as the chick lit of their time. Many well respected writers now are not ashamed to cite her as an influence.

Yes, that sounds about right to me. And also, yes to the not intellectually challenging too, the whole point of chicklit - for me anyway - is that it is easy, quickly read, enjoyable. If I want to think about or discuss a book e.g. at book club, I would never pick chicklit, it just doesn't have the substance.

Chicklit is like the sitcom of books, fun to watch but not going to challenge or educate. That doesn't make it a less worthwhile genre in my opinion though.

Hey op, what was the chick lit you did like, then people can suggest similar? I think it's a wide genre, like most genres.

I hated that bloody Parkes book so much I started a thread about it. That's publisher's note - farkin hell I nearly photocopied the ending and stuck it to local lamp posts.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/adult_fiction/2302918-So-many-books-where-the-whole-plot-is-utterly-predictable

I hated it so much I went to a search for the thread

Its not really chicklit (i dont know how to categorise it) but jodi taylors books are very good. Female lead, bit of romance, bit of comedy. I think the first one is Just One Damn Thing After Another. Nice and light but still well written, perfect for a holiday i reckon

I love all of her books!

I like , for a non arduous bit interesting book:

Sophie hannah
Jane fallon
Harlan Coben

And for difficult but worth it

Anne Tyler
Margaret Atwood
Lucretia grindle

I still hate the term. It's used as a derogatory/dismissive term and often people look down their noses at it as a genre.
I complained about the crap endings of the ones I'd read recently, citing other good chicklit that I'd read (with accompanying good endings) and asking for recommendations for some more. I didn't ask for sneery comments and judgement. I knew there would plenty of mnetters out there who could help. I'm not sure what the point of you posting was other than to be snidey and perhaps make yourself feel superior for not reading it.

I completely agree Justahardworkingmum - I don't think it can be an easy genre to write for at all.

And whoever recommended it - I read the Yorkshire Pudding Club and enjoyed it, thanks On to Liane Moriarty next.

I like jo Carnegie she makes my commute bearable

Nouef - YY the publisher's note made my blood boil. Almost want to ruin it for as many people as possible so they don't even start reading the ruddy thing in the first place.

Have you tried Cally Taylor? She's written two chicklit novels, quite good: Heaven can wait, which is also a ghost story (although not very scary) and Home for Christmas

I've just finished reading The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell. I don't know whether you would class that as chick-lit. It's written by a woman, and I don't know what her other novels are like, but I really liked it. It dealt with some serious issues (hoarding and mental health problems amongst others). The ending was a good one. Worth reading.

You might like to try Brooklyn by Colm Toibin, or his more recent novel Nora Webster. Not chick-lit, by any stretch, but very accessible, easy to read and he seems to be able to write very well about women :) Satisfying novels.

It was so self important, like this is such an amazing twist in an ADELE PARKES book like its a thing and she's really popular and we all talk about her books and wait with bated breath for the next one.
I appear to be inordinately furious about it

Who's that bloke that writes good stuff? Jonathan Coe - try him.

LOL! Noeuf! You mean you don't spend all your time talking about ADELE PARKS books? I'm sure my friends and I would have not a word to say to each other if it wasn't for ADELE PARKS. Thank feck she started writing, the silence was getting awkward.