Shannon Olson

I don't have too much to say about this book. I loved, loved, loved Welcome to my Planet, whereas this book didn't have as great an effect on me. I liked that there were serious themes and issues (i.e. the death of a good friend to cancer), thereby showing that chick lit isn't all light fluff. I didn't like that there was zero discussion of Shannon's work, besides mentioning that she did have an office job of some sort. Full-time work consumes enough of one's time that it should be worthy of show more at least a little mental space.

I could relate to a lot of the issues Shannon goes through with her mother! Especially the difficulty of maintaining a relationship with any emotional significance if you decide to pull back and stop telling your mother everything. show less

Felt like quick, amusing reading through most of it, which is a good set up for the end. It gets better the more I think about it.

29-year old Shanny grew up watching the "Love Boat" on tv and believed that her life would be as neatly accomplished as the one hour show. She has spent the better part of 4 years in therapy trying to find out why her life is not so perfect. Unable to fully commit to her boyfirend Michael, her dull job, graduate school or her thesis, Shanny spends an inordinate amount of time whinig to her mother, whom she has always called 'Flo', and not making any solid decisions about a direction for her show more life. Maybe this was supposed to the the American version of "Bridget Jones" but it fell rather flat for me. Shanny can be very funny at times but she never seems to take anything very seriously. I am really not sure what made her so dissatisfied with her life. show less

This is one of the first chick lit books I read and it remains a favourite. I could really relate to Shannon's experience and her voice really spoke to me. It felt like a friend was confiding in me all the little details of her daily life, and I was more than happy to listen.