We posted earlier this week about some site changes we were implementing and our changes meant we had a free day to fill. Chloe and I decided that we would use that day to highlight some classic chick lit reads. Reads that every chick lit lover should read/should have already read. We hope you like the new feature and if you have any suggestions, let us know! We will also be alternating our Chick Lit Classics with Editor Articles – articles written by myself and Chloe about all things books! Our first Chick Lit Classic is… THE CALIFORNIA CLUB BY BELINDA JONES!

Chloe and I are huge Belinda Jones fans and I myself have read the majority of her books. I read The California Club a couple of years ago and I absolutely adored it. When Chloe suggested this for our first ever Chick Lit Classic, I knew we’d hit a winner and I fully agreed. The book has a rather cracking plot and a fantastic set of characters. I actually must re-read it at some point so I can review it fully! So if you haven’t already read The California Club, we very much suggest you rush out immediately and buy it!

When Lara Richards jets off to glamorous California, the last thing she’s expecting is to find her old friend Helen transformed from a clipboard-clasping frump into a shimmering surf goddess. The secret of her blissful new life? The mysterious California Club. So the offer of guest membership – one wish, guaranteed to come true by the end of their stay is one Lara and her friends can’t resist. Could this be Lara’s chance to win her best friend Elliot’s heart after ten years of longing? Or does the fact that he’s travelling with his brand new fiancee mean that Lara will have to come up with a new dream…?

I absolutely adore Martina Reilly’s books and have most of them on my shelf either already read or to currently read and I anxiously await any new book she may have. Her next book A Moment Like Forever has had a release date bump and instead of being released in October, it will now be out on 1st July. I cannot wait for it to come out and I think it sounds fantastic. I quite like the cover although the font colours leave a lot to be desired! Here is the synopsis:

Andrea and Lexi thought they would be best friends for ever. Through thick and thin, growing pains and wild nights out, they were inseparable. But it was their biggest adventure that was to tear them apart: travelling through Australia, Andrea and Lexi are involved in a catastrophic accident. Andrea is left scarred but her best friend is nowhere to be found. What happened to Lexi?

Two years later, Andy’s scar means she’s too scared to go out into the real world. Instead, she spends her time with her grumpy cat Baz and her hopeless boss Alistair. And Lexi still hasn’t been in touch. When Andy’s sister needs somewhere to stay, bringing her boyfriend and all their dramas with them, Andy realises she’s been hiding for too long. Just because she’s keeping some home truths buried doesn’t mean they’ll stay that way . . .

Sadie Drew thinks she’s the world’s worst wife. She doesn’t keep her home spotless, she’s a tad unorganised when it comes to paperwork and bills, and she’s not exactly fond of her mother-in-law either. However, she loves being a mum and wife to her husband Tom, and everything seems just okay as it is. That is until Tom gets a promotion at works and starts to change towards Sadie. Suddenly, he’s not happy with the Sadie of old and wants his wife to change so she mixes in better with the other high-flying wives and makes him look good. Sadie’s devastated, and desperately wants to make Tom fall in love with her all over again. A chance meeting with Enid at the park might just be the answer to all of Sadie’s problems…

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I read and adored Louise Douglas’ second book Missing You a few weeks ago, and Louise got in contact with me to say thanks for the review and to offer us a chance to run a competition! Of course, I accepted and so here we are… a chance to win your own SIGNED copy of Missing You and a little extra present in there from Louise too!

If you fancy the chance of bagging yourself one of these lovely prizes, then just leave us a comment making sure you fill in the email box on the comments field. The competition is open until Saturday 13th March at midnight, so make sure you get your entries in. Good luck!

This competition is open to UK residents ONLY. Winner will be chosen at random using random.org.

Sinead Moriarty’s sixth book Pieces Of My Heart is due out on 5th August 2010 and Penguin have released the cover for it! I’ve enjoyed previous books from Sinead Moriarty so I do look forward to this one. I really do love the cover, too. You can also read the first chapter online on Sinead’s website! Here’s the synopsis for Pieces of my Heart:

The modern woman is a Jill of all trades – wife, lover, mother, daughter, friend, fixer, boss . . . it’s never-ending. Ava is juggling a life that seems to have too many pieces. First, there are daughters Sarah and Ali, two chalk-and-cheese sisters heading into adulthood and testing every limit. Her husband Paul seems more interested in work than home – which might explain why her sex life is practically on life support. That certainly can’t be said about her Viagra-popping dad, a loveable rogue who is heading into old age and also testing every limit.

She would envy her best friend Sally, sassy single woman-about-town, if she didn’t know that behind her polished exterior Sally is as vulnerable as a kitten. Somewhere in there is Ava herself, trying to do her best for all of them but lately feeling like she’s running on empty. But when a crisis threatens everything she holds dear, Ava realizes that there is no such thing as empty. She just has to dig deeper than ever before and figure out a way to hold on to the pieces of her heart . . .

When I picked up Rebecca Farnworth’s book Valentine last year, I certainly didn’t expect such an amazing debut! I absolutely adored the book, and it is definitely one of my chick-lit favourites of the year. Rebecca is also famous for being Katie Price’s ghost-writer, but now she’s writing superb novels under her own name, I can’t wait for more of her work! Rebecca was kind enough to give us an author interview, and even tells us a bit about her next book A Funny Thing Called Love due out this summer! Read on…

1. Tell us about your latest book in a sentence.

It’s the often comic story about the life and loves of an aspiring actress called Valentine Fleming who longs to make it in her profession but is finding it tough getting a break.
2. Did you base the character of Valentine on anyone? Why do you think readers like her character so much?

Valentine is not based on anyone, though I had a hard time convincing my sister of that, who just happens to be an actress! I think Valentine Fleming is a woman many readers will identify with. She is passionate, funny, feisty and warm. At times she is impulsive and can jump to the wrong conclusions. She makes mistakes but I think she gets the important things right. She is not too good to be true – her battles with her love life, weight and career are things that so many women go through. She’s also a wonderfully loyal friend.

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