Sarra Manning

You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning took me by surprise. I didn’t just love it, I LOVED it. It isn’t just gonna make my 2011 favorites shelf – it’ll make the favorites shelf, period.

There are so many wonderful things about the book that I’m not even sure where to start. Basically, the book takes a piece of Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie (another favorite of mine), another of Bridget Jones (especially since the book is set in London)…and then a little something all its show more own and made a book that I couldn’t put down. I read this 550 page chunkster in one sitting, y’all!

In her recent past, Neve was scary overweight. Like 350+ pounds scary. She has lost a lot of weight and, at the start of the book, is around a size 16. However – it is proving even more difficult for her to see herself differently than it was to lose all those pounds. She still looks in the mirror and sees only saggy/bulgey/gross.

Ever since she was a college gal, her heart has belonged to a guy named William, who is currently in the USA on a 3 year teaching contract. Since she doesn’t have any dating/sexytimes experience, she decides she needs a fake boyfriend to take on a trial run so she’ll be ready for William when he comes home. (Or as she calls it, the first pancake that everyone throws out.) Gorgeous, seemingly-out-of-her-league Max, who works with her sister, ends up becoming the guy through a comedy of errors (really really cringe-worthy and embarrassing errors). Before long, it was hard to see Max as a fake anything (hard for Neve AND hard for me). He is a semi-apologetic man whore, but is otherwise a decent human being.

So, both Max and Neve are very layered and complex characters. Sarra Manning knocked the characterization out of the park; the side characters are also well-developed. This is definitely gonna be one of those books I constantly end up rereading because I’ll want to ‘visit’ the characters.

The plot is also constantly entertaining – Neve and Max together is magic and fireworks. Part of the magic comes from the fact that things aren’t all rosy: they constantly butt heads and have to overcome terribly awkward situations. I promise you – promise you – that you won’t be able to get enough of them.

The book hasn’t been published in the USA, but I was able to get it for next to nothing used on Amazon. Definitely well worth it. I can’t recommend this book highly enough – I loved absolutely everything about it and plan on reading Sarra’s other adult novel very soon! show less

More of 4.5/5 I hated it as much as I loved it... I'm not sure what to think about it.

Favorite Quote:

"I was a heartless, ungrateful wench of a girl who promised everyone who came into contact with me a one-way ticket to pain and hurt. I didn't know how to love and I didn't deserve to be loved back."

I don’t like to read about mean girls, somehow the author always find a way to twist my mind and make me like them by proving that deep down they are good and kind-hearted, that there’s a show more reason why they became such cruel creatures, that it’s their defense mechanism against the world so that no one will ever know what’s in their hearts, that they are in pain and their only outlet is to bully.

I’d been a victim of bullying back in middle school and I couldn’t get myself to forgive the persons responsible of my misery, for all what they’ve done to me, because no matter their home’s problems, it didn’t give them the right to look down and to mentally torture me and the others: weaker, helpless and poor persons.

And so, I was enable at times to sympathize with Isabel, she acted like is a deep-down-to-the-core bitch, the queen bee of her private school, where she terrorized the girls and ruled as she liked.

Her life’s home of course is a terrible mess. After her mother’s death (which she held herself responsible for) her relationship with her father and little brother deteriorate, so she’s barely at home, always getting wasted at parties or spending time with her BFFs hooking up with boys. But then, she meets Atticus Smith at a party, who kissed her (while being both very drunk) thinking she was the girl he met and fell for not long ago. After clearing the misunderstanding, they however start to see each other, they exchanged their iPods then got involved sexually; the problem is Isabel lied about her age telling him she’s 18 just because he’s 20. What started like a little lie soon became a cobweb of lies impossible to get out of, it was too late to tell him the truth, not when she’s falling for him, and not when everything is fugly at home. But when the least she expected it, Isabel got caught up by her own lies and now she’ll have to deal with it and face the truth.

Sarra Manning sure knows how to make you love and hate a character in one page. Her writing is so realistic, so strong, she really masters the art of painting her characters’ feelings and to make you feel like they are real-life persons that you met before and here’s their story. It was unbelievable how strongly I felt towards the book; I loved it, I hated it, it made me want to scream, it made me want to cry, I wanted to slap Isabel and I wanted to hug her too… I’m still confused right now how to rate the book, what to clearly think about it.

One thing’s for sure, it’ll take me some time to read another Manning’s novel. I’m not yet ready to live a further experience any time soon. show less

Who is being rescued here? Blossom the dog, or Will and Margot, her owners?

As the book begins Margot is in her mid-30s and has just split up with George. He wasn't the one but she was hopeful that he might still be someone she could settle down and have children with. She's watched her friends do this but when will it be her turn? She decides to adopt a rescue dog and she finds herself drawn to Blossom, a nervous Staffy with who knows what kind of past. Will is a troubled man, totally show more eligible but has no faith in himself. He also wants to adopt Blossom and so he and Margot agree to co-pawrent(!). It's an interesting concept and perhaps one that would suit a lot of people but you have to be able to get on with your co-pawrent, and Margot and Will butt heads quite a lot.

The story is told in alternating chapters from both human viewpoints and through this device we see how each character sees the other as well as being privy to their own inner thoughts. I felt this really made each of them three-dimensional and made me like them even more. It brought out the fact that what we show to other people isn't always indicative of our real self.

Blossom is an absolute delight. She's quite a little madam at times and knows exactly how to manipulate her two owners and often play them off against each other, the little minx. Even Blossom, though, has a back story which only sometimes she feels able to face.

I thought Rescue Me was a book with a story that creeps up on you and slowly wraps you in a warm embrace. I came to care about the main characters and also really enjoyed the supporting cast of Margot's friends and Will's family. It's a gorgeous, original read, totally heart-warming and full of all the things I love in a book. show less

Grace Reeves has always known that she wanted to work in fashion, but her big dreams have been replaced by bitter reality. At 23 years old, all she has to show for herself is an unfinished degree, a terrible job that barely pays enough to live on, an abusive boss, and a mountain of credit card debt. In short, Grace is stuck and can't seem to find a way to change things. But that all changes when a wealthy older man named Vaughn presents her with a shocking offer: He wants her to become his show more mistress. He will give her a monthly sum and an additional clothing allowance; in return, she must be at his beck and call, accompanying him to various social events and making herself available...in every way. At first Grace is shocked and repulsed, but eventually she rationalizes that she can't turn down so much money, especially when she already finds Vaughn attractive. But as they embark on their "arrangement," Grace and Vaughn both find themselves changing in ways they never thought possible.

I finished this book several days ago, but I still find myself processing it, which is not something that usually happens to me with chick lit! At first glance, this is a Cinderella story, but it's a very dark, complex take on that idea. I'm still not sure how I feel about Grace and Vaughn's relationship. It can certainly be seen as unhealthy or even abusive: Vaughn is very controlling, and while he is never physically violent with Grace, he tends to treat her as an object he's bought and paid for. On the other hand, as we learn later in the novel, Vaughn does have reasons for being the way he is. Both he and Grace are very flawed characters who have extremely low self-worth. I admire what Manning did here, which was take two damaged, unlovable people and show them learning to love each other. This is definitely not a feel-good romance, but it feels more realistic than many books in the genre. It's also a very addictive read! So I'd definitely recommend it as a thought-provoking look at love and romance, but be aware that many aspects of this novel are uncomfortable, to say the least. show less