Here I Go Again by Jen Lancaster, 2013

A quick-paced, funny book that kept me engaged, Here I Go Again centers about Lissy Ryder, the uber popular girl in high school who wielded her power ruthlessly.

Twenty years later, reality still has not set in for Lissy as she continues through adulthood self-centered and unaware of those around her.

Lissy is in for a rude-awakening during her 20th year high school reunion where she realizes that those whom she tormented are now highly successful while she is jobless, living with her parents.

New age healer Deva, formerly Debbie in high school, offers Lissy a chance to go back to her high school days to redeem her Mean Girl behavior, which she does, but with surprising ripple effects.

Having reformed her bullying behavior, Melissa is now a successful business woman.  However, she soon realizes that her other classmates, including best friend Nicole, who had found great success previously, are now failures.

Melissa now needs to decide whether she should sacrifice her adult successes for others, and go back in time again to re-enact her Mean Girl ways. 

Filled with interesting twists on how Lissy's parents' lives evolve based on her behavior, and how she treats her slightly geeky neighbor Brian, Here I Go Again contains poignant scenes that keep the reader interested.

Lancaster is a very funny author with quick wit and I plan to read her other books. 

One particular witticism that I enjoyed involves Lissy discovering that her high school crush and love of her life is still single after all these years...but has just gotten married days ago.  Her reaction: Joy.

As in, Joy being the name of the woman he has married.

baby proof by Emily Giffin, 2006

Emily Giffin has a knack for capturing people's true motives, thoughts and feelings.  As a result, her writing is always readable, if not making for the most compelling stories. 

Her stories do tend to have a unique twist where the situation itself is not unique (e.g. someone in a marriage does not want a child), but the perspective is.

In the case of baby proof, Claudia Parr, the wife, is the one who is not interested in having her child, while her husband Ben desires one.

The story starts off with a divorce where Claudia and Ben are unable to settle their differences over having a child.

Claudia moves in with her best friend and former roommate Jacqueline, who is stuck in a relationship with a married man she is convinced will be leave his wife and family for her.

The move back with Jacqueline is a welcomed solution for Claudia's situation, but in a way, she feels like she is taking a step back in life and moving back home.  Something that I have done before. 

(At the same time though, for me, it was also comforting to know that I had some place to go to while I started up a new life again.)

Claudia's support network includes her sisters Daphne, who is desperate to have a child with her husband, but unable to; and Maura, who has two children, but a philandering husband.

Life after Ben proves difficult, but Claudia manages to move on and starts dating a fellow co-worker Richard.  Ultimately though, Claudia comes to term with what is really important to her and there are happy endings (the Disney kind) for all the characters.

Babyville by Jane Green, 2003

I always enjoy books by English authors so that I can read the cultural references to my fiance, who sometimes gets homesick for all things British. 

Babyville was not the most compelling book I have read, but it held my interest.

The novel tells the story of three women at different baby-stages in their lives:
1) Julia, desperate to have a baby to save her relationship
2) Maeve, single with no interest in settling down or having a baby
3) Sam, happily married until her baby is born

Broken up into three distinct sections which focus on each women, the book reads like three mini-stories and may have been more interesting if the stories and women's lives were more woven together.

Instead, with this format, we only get a glimpse of the women's lives and how they predictably all reach their happy endings.