Is the next best thing ever really enough? (The Next Best Thing - Sarah Long)

Member Name: dippykitty

Product:	The Next Best Thing - Sarah Long
Date:	04/05/09 (61 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good mix of involving and irritating characters, plot isn't as dull as it sounds

Disadvantages: It drags on a bit

***The Plot***
Jane is a freelance translator who juggles deadlines with taking care of daughter Liberty and the home that she shares with her and partner Will. On one of her escapist trips to the cinema, she bumps into Rupert, who is also beginning to wonder whether life is really as good as he can hope for. He is engaged to Lydia, who coincidentally is an old friend of Jane's. As Jane and Rupert's paths continue to cross, will either of them realise that settling for the next best thing isn't always the best option?

The plot probably sounds dull from my quick description of it, but the author does manage to make a fairly good book out of it. At almost 400 pages, it is slightly too long for me and does tend to drag on a bit.

***The Characters***
Jane is a likeable character and I felt quite sorry for her as Will clearly made no effort to pull his weight. He also had a very high opinion of himself and was generally quite an annoying and unlikeable character. I think a lot of female readers would be able to emphasise with Jane as she struggles to balance her home-work life and draw clear boundaries between the two.

Rupert is another quite likeable character. He is pretty much the polar opposite of Will. Lydia is similar to Will in that she is selfish and always puts herself first. Both characters quickly get irritating and I was glad to see that things occurred in the way that they did at the end of the book as I felt that both got their comeuppance, albeit in different ways.

***Writing Style***
It is written in the third person, but there are still plenty of insights into the thoughts of the four main characters. Because of this, it is quite easy to get a handle on them and feel involved or annoyed at them.

***Overall Thoughts***
This is definitely a chick lit book so I would only recommend it if you enjoy reading in this genre. For me, the book is realistic, which you don't always find in chick lit novels. Jane's work-at-home set-up seems realistic in its chaos. Although I don't have children, I do work from home and I'm all too aware of how distracting that can be! Without putting too many stereotypes on the table, I'm sure that selfish gold-diggers like Lydia definitely do exist also.

Summary: Pretty good book