Good and Bad (Why does it feel like I've used this before?)

I managed, on a one hour train ride, to finish a good amount of books, and curiously, I noted that two of the fluff books were by Holly McQueen. Strangely, I liked one and hated the other.

Let's start with the negative:

The Fabulously Fashionable Life of Isable Bookbinder was terrible. Really awful. I only finished it because I wanted to be fair to the book and because I had nothing else to read (made myself bring only one book). It's not because the book is mindless fluff; I like reading such stuff too ok? It's because the titular character - Isabel Bookbinder is so annoying. She starts off by trying to get into a fashion graduate course without a portfolio, experience or even filling up the application forms. I don't know if it's because I'm a semi-anal Asian or something, but that attitude seriously annoys me. How do people expect to be likable and succeed by not doing anything? And why should I dislike the admissions officer for rejecting her?

Although this book is clearly modelled after the Shopaholic series, it somehow misses the humour inherent in the series and just annoys me. Becky Bloomwood nee Brandon might be ditzy and spend time hiding her purchases, but at least she's serious about what she likes and I don't know, in some way, I would like to spend time with her as a character. Maybe it's because Isabel keeps changing her career (apparently she wanted to be a novelist previously), yet feels "upset" when others doubt her choices, but somehow, I have little respect and liking for her.

So to recap: This novel annoys me. I don't want to recommend it, unless you feel that despite all my negative words, it's worth reading. In that case, since this IS fiction, I can't really disapprove or anything (and why would you care anyway?) because this is really all quite subjective.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed reading There Goes the Bride. All the characters are likable, even though they don't like each other. The plot of Polly calling off her wedding is really not that important, because I feel the main characters are Bella (her older sis) and Grace (her best friend) and their respective lives. It's a very clear romance-feel good kind of book, but it is entertaining.

Actually, my favourite character has got to be Grace. Her description of the Miranda's (the ever competitive mom's) were really entertaining, and she has such a good heart. But I suppose I empathised with Bella more, because I'm like her. And that's what I really like about the book - it has likeable characters(:

So weirdly, the negative review is longer than the positive review. I don't know why though.