By the Time you Read This a novel by Lola Jaye (By the Time You Read This - Lola Jaye)

Member Name: brittle1906

Product:	By the Time You Read This - Lola Jaye
Date:	02/08/09 (80 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Typical chick lit novel

Disadvantages: Weak characters.

Review of "By The Time You Read This" a novel by Lola Jaye.
The Book

I am reviewing the paperback version of this novel, the first from the pen of Lola Jaye.
The book is published by Harper Collins under ISBN number 0007266553 . The book contains 321 pages and bears the jacket price of £6.99.
The cover is eye catching and modern, a very feminine floral design which fits well with the contemporary fiction/chick lit genre of the novel.

The Plot
Twelve year old Lois Bates is devastated when her mother decides to re-marry. Lois and her mother have been alone since Lois was five years old, following the untimely death of Lois' father, Kevin.
Kevin Bates passed away from an illness, which the book never actual touches upon at the age of 30.


Lois cannot understand that her mother wishes to marry again and feels that her comfortable life with her mother is in jeopardy. Lois life is perfectly organised to her liking, she lives next door to her best friend Carla, with whom she enjoys a very close relationship. In fact Carla's whole family, parents and older brother are more like an extension of her own family. The advent of a step father doesn't suit Lois at all, especially as he is a bingo caller, a job which she views with the scathing criticism many readers will recognise as typical teenage logic!

Lois is approached at the wedding by her paternal aunt who gives her a package from her late father. The package turns out to be Kevin Bates last act of fatherhood, a Manual of life. Kevin has written the Manual rules, only to read each new entry on Lois' birthday, the manual is private between Lois and her father and no forward peeping. The manual contains entries from Lois 12th birthday until her 30th, the age at which her father died.

Kevin Bates wrote the manual when he knew that he was dying in the hope that he could help and advise his only child through growing up, even though he was not going to be around. Once completed, he had passed it to his sister to give to Lois when she reached 12.
The plot winds through Lois' life until her thirtieth birthday, taking the reader through her growing pains, relationships and life with input via the Manual, from Lois' father.
More I will not say here for fear of spoiling the plot for others!

The Author, Publisher Details and Price
**Author**

"By the time You Read This" is, as I have previously stated the first book from Lola Jaye.
Ms Jaye was born in London. She completed a BSC Degree in Psychology at The University of East London and then went on to complete a Masters in Psychotherapy and Counseling at Regents College. She is currently employed by the NHS as a counsellor in North West London.
More information about Lola and her reasons for writing this novel, can be found on her website. www.lolajaye.com

**Publisher details**
Harper Collins
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London
W6 8JB
www.harpercollins.co.uk

**Price and Availability**
My copy was given to me by my daughter, who bought it for the princely sum of £1 in Asda's summer sale! The jacket price is £6.99 and copies can be obtained from www.amazon.co.uk for £4.99 (new) or 0.01p (used).

My Thoughts and Conclusion
Although marketed as an adults novel, I really feel this style of writing is more suited to the teenage market! That said, it is written in a very easy going, conversational style which will, I am sure, appeal to lovers of Chick Lit.


The subject matter is emotional, a girl's growing pains as she reaches adulthood is a tried and trusted novelists formula. Lola Jaye's characters are somewhat sketchy in my opinion, I felt she could have developed them a little more in order to make a more rounded novel. I quite enjoyed the book, I probably wouldn't read it again however as the genre is not one I usually select. All in all, as first novels go, Ms Jaye has produced a very readable book, it is not one for me personally, but if you enjoy Chick Lit, do give this a try.
Thank you for reading.


©brittle1906 August 2009
N.B.
Also published on other review sites under the same name.

Summary: So-so chick lilt novel. Ideal for whiling away a rainy afternoon!