Book Review - Remind Me Again Why I Need a Man? By Claudia Carroll

Remind Me Again Why I Need a Man?

By Claudia Carroll

I am gonna go ahead and admit it.  I read this book because I liked the cover art.  You throw some birds, a vintage lady and a snarky tag line in stalker-esque font and I will read a book on how to put together a refrigerator out of soda cans. I am bought by fancy packages (I am also bought by NEW FLAVOR tags put on candy bars and gum).

I am not saying this book is bad.  In fact, I really quite enjoyed it....until it ended and I was all like "is there a sequel? Is this part of a trilogy? Did someone rip out the last pages of this book because they wanted me to suffer?" I invested 374 pages worth of reading and then it just ended.  Stopped.  Ceased to tell the story.  Like Carroll just said "well, good job me, I've got everyone all warmed up for a happy ending and now I am gonna go ahead and stop writing because happy endings are for suckers and I am just gonna go on vacation and put a bird on the cover so people read the book."

Remind me again why I read this book?

I have so many questions:

1)  Does Amelia ever go back to the class?  Does she learn the end lesson and get herself a husband by the end of the year?  I mean, this book was published in 2007... it is now 2012 if a sequel were to come along I would think it would have happened by now.

2) What about all the crazy sub-plots of this book?  Carroll throws out all these hidden storylines such as:

•  Her one friend Rachael may totally be in love with the gay in her group, thus her reason for not committing to a long lasting healthy relationship.
• That same friend Rachael could potentially have the love of her life stalking her across the street... possible plot HAPPY ENDING ALERT.
• Her stable friend Caroline's husband is always away on trips.  Why do you want us to doubt him Carroll?  Why not just let her have the happy marriage and let it be.  HAPPY ENDING ALERT.

3) Why throw in the tv executive?  What was his purpose?  Some buy who has no chemistry with the main character who insults her and we are supposed to like him? 

My demand for Disney-esque happy endings really needs closure here. Luckily my short attention span will probably forget this book existed next week... until another book comes along with birds on it and I will be hesitant to buy it because of the sudden painful memory of my last bout with an unresolved bird book... unless it has a NEW tag on it.