I Never Fancied Him Anyway (edition 2009)

After reading the rather depressing classic, The House of Mirth, I needed something light and I Never Fancied Him Anyway was just the thing. Set in Dublin, I Never Fancied Him Anyway follows Cassandra as she tries to avoid falling for her best friend’s crush although her never-before-wrong psychic abilities tell her he’s the one. Complicating matters, she is offered a position as a talk show psychic working for her crush. This situation is made even more awkward when Cassandra realizes that her psychic powers take a vacation whenever her crush is around!

Although the situation has much potential for horribly embarrassing situations, there aren’t too many cringe worthy moments. I was glad, because being embarrassed for the protagonist is not a sensation I enjoy. The protagonist’s psychic powers were quite well done. They were never over-the-top or hokey and they obeyed believable rules. They weren’t just a plot device to stir up her love life; they were really a part of who she was. The ethical dilemmas she faces trying to decide what predictions to share added a little something which helped differentiate this book from all the other chick-flick plots out there.

The characters were by far my favorite part of this book. While some of them could be viewed as stereotypes (a spoiled rich girl, an environmentalist and feminist angry best friend), I would say that the author used stereotypes as a scaffold to which more depth was added. Every character had a unique voice, even bit characters who just wrote letters to our protagonist’s advice column. And each of these unique voices felt very real, perhaps in part because of pop culture references sprinkled throughout the dialog.

As an American, I also derived a certain enjoyment from the Dubliner accents and the clearly European words used throughout. Like the protagonist’s psychic abilities, it just added a little something to make this book stand out for me. It also helped that this book was precisely what I was in the mood for when I read it, so I would particularly recommend it if you’re also in the mood for a light, fun read. ( )

A perfect summer read, this light-hearted chick-lit/romance novel features Cassie, a Dublin psychic who answers letters from the lovelorn at a gossipy newspaper. Cassie can see the future (but not winning lottery numbers) and she sees the image of the man who is her true love, only to find he is dating her best friend. To make matters worse, her gift of sight completely blanks out when he's around which interferes with her budding television career. Cassie is a fun heroine, someone you feel like you'd like to get to know, though her drama-queen best friend Charlene gets a little tiresome sometimes. Not to judge a book by its cover but I do think this book gets my vote for worst cover ever. The girl on the cover looks entirely too young to be Cassie, plus the angle of her arms and the coloring make it look like it is some big man-hand reaching for her with a butterfly perched on it. ( )

I Never Fancied Him Anyway is a very cute and uplifiting love story. Cassie is a very lovable character that always has the best at heart. As a very outgoing person is consistently trying to help everyone around her, but at a loss when it comes to herself. Chick Lit has never been my style, but I found this be an enjoyable read. The characters are likeable and quirky. A opportunity for you at the cost of someone elses happiness is a hard decision to make. Even if you are risking your own happiness. Reports have been made that Wendy Finerman, the producer of "The Devil Wears Prada" and "P.S. I Love You" , will be creating a film based on this book. I will definetly be in line to watch this movie; with this book and the producer of these two wonderful movies I believe this promises to be memorable. ( )