[.uk] Best Day of Someone Else's Life, The

Great book:
This book works on two levels: First, it's very funny. For example, I almost fell off my couch laughing during the scene when our heroine -- who's resorted to becoming a guinea pig at NIH in order to stay financially afloat as her frequent wedding attendance drains her bank account -- attempts to conceal that fact from the man of her dreams in a hospital lobby. Not aiding her effort is her battle against an itch caused by a recently applied experimental ointment. And the wedding-brawl scene (think Jets versus the Sharks in wedding gear) near the end successfully blends comedy with dramatic resolution. Second, the book succeeds in carrying us through the heroine's emotional journey (which coincides with her physical travel from wedding to wedding to wedding). The book's comedy doesn't make that journey feel less real. Indeed, at its core, the book is a thoughtful examination of love, commitment, and marriage -- and how hard it can be to combine all three in one relationship. In short, this a great debut for the author, and I highly recommend it.

A must-read for summer:
Order this well-priced paperback and throw it in your beach bag for summer! The main character, Vi, has many friends and excels at relationships of all kinds except the romantic kind. She hasn't yet found her "perfect someone" - perhaps partly due to her idealized views of love and marriage. The story from that point forward is not the formulaic one you might expect. Reichs keeps you engrossed and wanting more. Those familiar with Washington, DC, will recognize the city Reichs portrays so well - everything from the abundance of lawyers and overeducated single people to the city's inability to deal with snow. She names real places, such as the main characters' favorite Sunday night gathering spot. Other places are thinly veiled and given similar names (Dean & DeLuca = Darien & Dodd.) Anyone who has tried to order breakfast at Kramerbooks & Afterwords will laugh out loud at her description of that experience. Reichs gets the details right, and this sets the scene for a story that keeps your interest, with many laugh-out-loud funny passages. At the same time it addresses some serious questions about love, and views marriage through a thought-provoking lens. A truly impressive first novel.

poorly edited and offensive:
Although I did enjoy the book somewhat, I was distracted from the beginning by the amount of typographical and editing errors - more than I have ever seen in any other book. Then - I got to the bottom of page 349: "..she bolted from her barstool faster than a Frenchman from a battlefield." I stopped reading right there and then. If Kerry does manage to produce any more books I will not be reading them. Disgusting bigot.

ViViVooom Charms with Humor & Smarts:
Readers will fall in love with Vi Connelly and find themselves eager to see her again after making her acquaintance in this thoroughly amusing tale of a single girl on Serious Wedding Overload. Vi invites us to ride shotgun on this adventure, engaging us intimately with her wit, on her escapades, in her relationships, and -- thanks to the author's aptitude for dialogue -- an intelligence and honesty that feels entirely new in this genre. Whether single, married or somewhere inbetween, you'll surely rethink your perspective while laughing out loud as Vi hurtles through the calendar towards a love of her own. A *smashing* inaugural for Kerry Reichs and just in time for the beach.

Good story, but poorly edited:
I enjoyed the premise of the book, and the main characters (not the dozens of brides and grooms) were funny and relatable. However, I was appalled at the number of typos and the like in the book. I am, unfortunately, intensely bothered by that kind of thing from a professional author/publisher. It makes me hesitant to pick up another book from Avon Books or Kerry Reichs. The story, however, was entertaining, and, while not exactly "deep," is an enjoyable summer read.