Author: Meggin Cabot (Meg Cabot or Patricia Cabot)
Rating: ★★★★★
I’m back! I’m sorry for being dreadfully neglectful of this blog since I’m so busy with my daytime job, my online book business, my thesis, and of course my social life. Anyway, I finally found the time to sit down and write a review for one of my favorite books, The Boy Next Door. Actually I’ve also read the first two books of The Women’s Murder Club series by James Patterson but I’m only doing a review for this book.
Meg Cabot is one of my favorite contemporary chic lit authors. Undeniably, she really does great books and great plots. She spun one around me with this book, aptly entitled The Boy Next Door (don’t you just hate it when the title of the book has nothing to do with the plot?). I actually read this first as an e-book but when I saw it in the bookstore, I just had to buy it. Nevermind that my money must last me for two weeks. It is really a funny and relaxing book and I had to have one because I know I’m going to reread it over and over and over again.
The story is told in a different way, actually, and it’s part of its charm. The whole story is presented in e-mail exchanges between the different characters. While some may find it confusing (as I did at first), I immediately got into the groove and found it all very amusing and pleasurable to read. Even the titles of the e-mail letters are funny. All the characters have their own quirks and lovable in their own way. The twist of the story is not too heavy so you’ll find yourself enjoying it, especially after a long day at work.
The story revolves around Melissa Fuller who finds herself suddenly taking care of her neighbor’s pets when she goes into a comatose. It was seriously interfering with her job so she contacted the only remaining relative of her neighbor, Max Friedlander, the famous photographer who was apparently… not very respectful of ladies, if you know what I mean. Max Friedlander, however, was hanging out with the supermodel of every guy’s wet dreams, Vivica and he begged John, a friend who owed him a favor, to pretend to be him to get Mel off his back.
John, who was expecting the payback to be worse, agreed with reservations. And then he goes and falls in love with Melissa while pretending to be Max. And well. You have to read the book to find out how everything comes together. And whatever caused the comatose in the first place?
Thumbs up to Meg Cabot for such a great book!
