Maria Murnane

Recovering from a terribly bad break-up and moving into a career where she dishes out advice to recipients of terrible dates wasn’t exactly what Waverly Bryson had planned on. Charging forward into a new career, new life and potentially new love Waverly’s determined to make it but isn’t quite sure where to start. Fortunately for her she has some amazing friends, a fabulous new boyfriend and a very mysterious neighbor with a penchant for knowing exactly what she needs & when she needs show more to hear it. Things can go only up unless her appearance on a very popular morning news show goes completely wrong, but Waverly is certain that’s not possible.

Hilarious. If I had to sum up It’s a Waverly Life in one word that would be the one; hilarious! Waverly Bryson reminded me of every chick lit character I’ve ever loved and hoped for. She’s a bit of Becky Bloomwood and Elle Woods rolled into one smashing character. Not only is she funny, quirky and at times a complete klutz but she’s also intelligent, thoughtful and entirely human. Waverly is the kind of character you can see yourself in completely, because who hasn’t said (or not said) entirely the wrong thing at the wrong time?

Besides being completely in love with Waverly’s character I also loved the story. In a way it reminded me a great deal of Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic because of the newspaper columnist aspect of Waverly’s job and the writing style of the book, but there were a number of other things that stood out. Waverly’s relationships with her two other girlfriends were fantastic! On numerous occasions they get together over drinks and the humor that follows is second to none. At one point in the story Waverly offends her best friend Andie and what I enjoyed about this was that it wasn’t the end of the relationship by any means. You certainly have time to worry about their friendship, but it’s honest and real. In addition to the friendship aspect of the story I loved the character of “Red”, her next door neighbor and her co-workers at the newspaper Ivy and Nick. All of these relationships make up an astounding cast of characters that bring the story to life.

Of course I can’t fail to mention Waverly’s romantic interest Jake McIntyre because he was delightful. There were a few times I had wished things would move a little faster with the two of them, but their varying locations (one in San Francisco and one in Atlanta) made that a bit difficult. Overall though I loved that things seemed to progress relatively naturally for the both of them, it made it that much more believable and hugely more romantic.

It’s a Waverly Life by Maria Murnane is by far one of the funniest and most enjoyable Chick Lit novels of 2011! Waverly Bryson and her cast of friends, family and co-workers are a laugh a minute but carry very real and believable experiences with them throughout the pages of this brilliant story. Though this is the second in the Waverly Bryson series it easily could be a stand alone novel, though after reading it I don’t know how you could resist picking up the first in the series Perfect on Paper. Maria Murnane is an author I’ll be anticipating great novels from in the future and I’m honestly hoping there’s another story in the works with her fabulous leading lady Waverly!

Originally reviewed and copyrighted at my site, Chick Lit Reviews and News. show less

I was gifted a copy of the book by the author but that in no way shapes my review. Trust me, if I don't like it, you'll know.

As someone who turns 40 next year, I totally get Daphne. Things she said I've said or thought and I completely get not being where you thought you'd be by a certain milestone. I think that's the sign of a good character. One that you read and say I know you, I am you! I see the book labeled as a romance and while sure, there are undertones of romance, I'd say it is show more more of a self-romance. Rediscovering who you are and why you are awesome when you haven't felt that way in a long time is probably the issue at the core of this book. I really enjoyed it and now I'm reading for a smoothie and the beach. Wonder if the island in the book is a real place? show less

I would describe this book as like reality, but funnier. It’s like a humorous, slightly snarky friend telling you about her day. And it’s awesome. I really liked the the characters seemed believable, both our heroine Waverly and her best friends, because of both their reactions and the things that happen to them. Waverly deals with everything from guy trouble to a distant father to career decisions, and all in a way I could relate to. Initially, I found Waverly a little bit annoying, show more because she’s not very self-confident. But she really grows throughout the novel and I like that in a character. This is also where the instant love interest happens, but in this book it was really just an instant crush, which isn’t so unbelievable after all. Overall, a solid opening to the series which got me firmly in like with Waverly.

This review first published on Doing Dewey. show less

Perfect on Paper is the story of Waverly (yes, like the cracker) Bryson, a woman who works in sports PR, but doesn’t like sports. That seems to be a metaphor for Waverly’s entire life; her fiancé left her a week before their wedding, and she still can’t seem to find the courage to tell people that he left her, and not the other way around. She confesses deep thoughts about her past to random strangers and always seems to be spilling food on herself when she meets cute guys.

In short, show more this is a hilarious look at ordinary life. Yes, Waverly seems to have the “it” job…but how many of us aren’t excited by our jobs? And how many girls have lied about who dumped who in a relationship (or at least considered it?) And don’t get me started on blind dates – Waverly’s experiences are priceless. The key to this book is that Waverly is like any other woman; who can’t relate to what she’s going through or sympathize with how she feels? Even though she lives a bit more of a glamorous lifestyle than the common woman, throughout the book, it is clear that she is just an ordinary girl trying to find love – and shouldn’t everyone love reading about that?

Murnane’s wit shines through the book – if I had to pick one reason to read the book, it would be the sheer hilarity that ensues. She also manages to write incredibly awkward scenes without making the reader cringe. One of the worst parts of reading a book like this is that when there is an embarrassing moment for the main character, I am tempted to skip ahead and just see how it ends because it makes me feel so awkward. Murnane somehow magically managed to write these events without the embarrassment passing on the the reader, an impressive feat.

In short, Perfect on Paper is well written, funny, smart, and is generally loveable. So what are you waiting for? Read this book! You won’t regret it.

From http://www.skrishnasbooks.com show less