Wanted: Chick Lit Recommendations (Preferably of the British Variety)
May 24th, 2010 | Categories: Entertainment | 11 CommentsEven though it’s practically June, I’ve finally decided to make good on one of my goals for 2010 and start reading more fiction. I attempted reading a YA novel to start off with, but I think I’m starting to grow out of the YA genre. There are some exceptions, of course; Sarah Dessen will always be by far and away my favorite author and there are some YA novels that I will always hold near and dear to my heart. Still, I’ve begun to turn my attention from YA authors to that of chick lit, specifically British chick lit1.
I know the genre of chick lit is not always seen as a respectable one in the field of literature and more often than not it is described as brainless/mindless reading. I’ll agree that there might be some merit to the arguments against chick lit; chick lits aren’t going to be novels that are taught in high school English classes anytime soon. Still, it’s one of my favorite genres, if not my favorite. After a long and harrowing day at class/work, the last thing I’m going to want to read is a hefty, brainpower-intensive tome like War and Peace or Anna Karenina. Rather, I’m going to want to curl up on the couch with a relaxing read that I know I will enjoy.
There’s something about British (and Irish, too) chick lit, though, that places it a cut above chick lits from authors of other nationalities. I’m not quite sure why, but there’s something I find completely fascinating about tales of these women in their twenties and thirties, living in London (or Dublin, as in some of the books by Marian Keyes, a favorite of mine2) and juggling work commitments, friendship/family dramas and of course ongoing conflicts with various misters Right and Wrong. Maybe it’s the culturally dry humor that’s rampant throughout these novels, or my own personal fascination with glamorous-sounding city life of a twentysomething woman in London. Whatever it is, I am always on the lookout for a British (or Irish) author whose novels fall under the genre of chick lit.
My go-to chick lit authors are Keyes, Sophie Kinsella and Harriet Evans. These three have never, ever let me down, and I love them for it. It was Evans’ novel “Going Home” that broke my reading “drought” of over nearly a year, which was no small feat considering I’d stopped reading almost every book I had begun in an attempt to start reading again after about 30 pages.
Both Keyes and Kinsella have novels out that I have yet to read, which I am very excited about; they are definitely next on my to-read list. I’ve also got some of Evans’ novels to catch up on as I’ve fallen a little behind in keeping up with her newest books. But once I’ve read all of those, I’m at a loss at where to turn to next for a good British chick lit. So, anyone have any recommendations?
- Some might say that this is slightly ironic as my work-in-progress novel is deeply rooted in YA. Still, they say write what you know, and I most definitely do know YA. As of right now, the same cannot be said for chick lit! [↩]
- Keyes is Irish, not British. Dublin is not a British city but I still love Keyes’ work (some of her books are also set in London, or both London and Dublin). [↩]
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Hi, I'm Manda. I'm a college student studying communications and languages. I like to read, shop, bake, and travel. I have a tendency to listen to my favorite songs on repeat for hours on end. Sometimes I catch myself thinking in a language other than English. 
I say bah humbug to the whole chick-lit not being good reading material. I read lots of historical fiction but I’d get bored of reading if I didn’t switch to chick-lit every so often because historical is so heavy going most of the time. Chick-lit provides much needed relief while still making sure you’re keeping up with the reading. Anyway, back on topic:
Lisa Jewell is good, all her books are set in London. She’s not brilliant in her research (cultural references are sometimes wrong) but her style’s interesting and the characters readable. I’d recommend Ralph’s Party, Thirty-nothing and Vince & Joy most.
Freya North is also good but quite a bit different, she uses more colourful language and includes vivid sex scenes. Love Rules is my favourite so far, it takes a while to get into but there’s a reason for that, and it’s quite hard to read once you reach that reason. It makes you think.
I’d also recommend Sheila O’Flannagan though I’ve only read one of hers. You might want to look at the work of Adele Parks and Cecelia Ahern too, personally I only found them average but others love them.
I was browsing around Harriet Evans’ website and found this statement:
Right on! I definitely agree with you saying bah humbug to those who criticize chick lit.
I don’t want to seem overly picky, but if a book is set in Dublin it cannot be considered British. Dublin is not part of Britain, it’s part of the Republic of Ireland.
Noted. I’ll edit my post so that this is reflected. :)
(As an aside: not all of Keyes’ work is set in Dublin; some of it is set in Dublin, others London and some both Dublin and Ireland. Obviously that doesn’t make referring to Dublin as British factually correct, though.)
I recommend Jill Mansell :) She writes good chick lit, can’t think of a favourite book right now (as I have read most of hers in Dutch).
I also really like Candace Bushnell’s One fifth avenue, it has a bit of intrigue in it that’s really good :)
Unfortunately I have no recommendations for you in terms of chick lit – but all the reasons you just stated are the precise reasons I want to start reading chick lit! Especially Keyes. But all her books are rather pricey over here, and they’re always out at the library! I hope you find something new and decent to read, then post it so I can put it on my to-read list :)
cecelia ahern, the writer of PS I Love you and many others
of the ones i’ve read my favorite is where rainbows end… it’s beautiful… but, they are almost unreal love stories honestly (i’m lucky but not everyone is)… that’s why i love these books, and i wish i could get more of them here…
good luck, and pass on your recommendations
I’d definitely recommend Jane Green. I haven’t read any of her newer books in the last couple of years, but that’s mainly because I’m favoring medical thrillers and serial killer novels at the moment. But, at the height of my Brit chick-lit days, Jane was my go-to author. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read Jemima J, and I still go back to it when I want an easy beach read. As an English woman living in the U.S., Jane’s books always transport me back to my homeland. Bookends and Straight Talking are fabulous reads too.
I’ve read three of Green’s books, actually: Bookends, Straight Talking and Babyville. I loved Bookends, Straight Talking was pretty good, but Babyville… far from enjoyable (I suspect my memory of Babyville is why I haven’t read anything else by Green). I’ve never read Jemima J though, but I’ve always heard amazing things about that one – I’ll have to go check it out!
[...] Reading… wonderful, funny and clever books by Marian Keyes. I just finished up Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married and now I’m onto Last Chance Saloon. Once I finish the complete works of Keyes (I’ve got them all) I’ll start making my way through some of the recommendations I’ve received. [...]
[...] that have changed my world. I don’t read life-changing books at a regular rate by any means; my book of choice is usually one in the chick lit category. But that’s not to say that I haven’t come across a life-changing book or two (or that [...]