hiltzmoore's review
4.0
Well done chick lit - the character is written well, so that the changes that she goes through seem legit, but she still stays true to the character as well. Pretty predictable, but that's okay in some cases. I think we all know people that are similar to Frede and her friends, so the antics were pretty funny to read.
whorriorr's review against another edition
4.0
Do you want to know what Scarlett O'Hara would be like during modern day? A shallow, self-obsessed southern belle whose whole life revolves around what the appropriate thing to do was? Well, then this is the book for you. TDITJL is definitely not a classic like GWTW, but it is a fun, female-empowering, revenge novel that can be pretty enrapturing. Frede isn't nearly as selfish as Scarlett so there are strong themes of friendship and acceptance as well as themes self-empowerment and going out of your comfort zone. I love a story about revenge as much as the next girl and I have a fascination with how strict some societies can be. It is interesting to see how much weight a reputation holds for some people.
stinsylinson's review against another edition
2.0
This was just not my kind of book at all. The story was actually pretty good, but something about the way it was told grated on my every last nerve.
jlange64's review against another edition
4.0
At first I had real trouble getting into this audiobook. The ultra southern accent and uppity character were almost too much for me, and I live in Texas (though was not born and raised here)! Plus, the portrayal of the Junior League at first was just too far from my own experience and the characters were hard to connect with. But this book really grew on me. After all is said and done, I must even admit that the narrator did a great job with the accents and all the different voices. Once I got to like the main character more, her voice didn't bother me as much. Really cute story about the ultimate southern society lady having to face reality.
aschembra76's review
4.0
What can I say? I pretty much loved this book. As a member of the Junior League (though not in Texas) this story had me laughing out loud and rooting for Frede. The Junior League of Willow Creek, Texas is described in exactly the way I imagined the Junior League to be. Exclusive and snobby with back-stabbing women who had nothing better to do all day than sip tea and think up ways to one-up another. Thankfully, my Junior League Chapter is nothing like that.
Frede Ware is the Queen of JLWC. The legacy member and the future President. Her League life is perfect... perfect committee choice, perfect husband, home and style. It all falls apart one day when her perfect husband disappears taking all her money with him. What comes next is a great lesson in self-discovery. Frede, in exchange for his free services and while trying to maintain her dignity in spite of the humiliating betrayal of her husband, agrees to get Nikki Grout, the so-wrong-for-the-JLWC wife of her attorney neighbor, Howard, into the JLWC. Little does Frede know, she will learn more about herself than she ever thought she could.
I can see why the AJLI dislikes this book. It does not cast the JL in a good light... at first. The exclusivity, the stereo typical woman, the snobbishness. But, by the end of the story, the ladies of the League come together to help Frede get her dignity back.
A must-read for any Junior League member!!
Frede Ware is the Queen of JLWC. The legacy member and the future President. Her League life is perfect... perfect committee choice, perfect husband, home and style. It all falls apart one day when her perfect husband disappears taking all her money with him. What comes next is a great lesson in self-discovery. Frede, in exchange for his free services and while trying to maintain her dignity in spite of the humiliating betrayal of her husband, agrees to get Nikki Grout, the so-wrong-for-the-JLWC wife of her attorney neighbor, Howard, into the JLWC. Little does Frede know, she will learn more about herself than she ever thought she could.
I can see why the AJLI dislikes this book. It does not cast the JL in a good light... at first. The exclusivity, the stereo typical woman, the snobbishness. But, by the end of the story, the ladies of the League come together to help Frede get her dignity back.
A must-read for any Junior League member!!
emilyppolk's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
gloria_l's review against another edition
2.0
Definitely a very fluffy book. It was entertaining in some parts but mostly it's about as interesting has a bag of cotton balls. The main character was tolerable at best. The plot flimsy and poorly developed. Overall it was a pretty "meh" book.
ntharpta1's review against another edition
4.0
Nothing amazing but a lot cuter and more enjoyable than I expected.
sharonfalduto's review against another edition
The Fabulous Fredericka Ware, a Junior Leaguer in an exclusive Texas enclave, discovers that her husband has left her, and stolen her money. She hires the town's tackiest but most successful lawyer to track him down and get her money back. In exchange, she takes on the seemingly impossible task of turning his trailer park wife into a Junior League member. Of course she learns lessons about not judging people along the way. Some of the scenes in the book felt as if, well, "I've seen this movie before," but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the read.