The Time of My Life

April 15, 2013
Lucy Silchester has spent the last two years and 11 months ruining her life. Actually, she's spent most of her life ruining her life. Now her life wants to meet with her. Ahern deftly turns this potentially contrived premise into a hilarious quest for true happiness--and perhaps true love. Lucy learned early to never let on that everything is anything but perfect. Her family is, of course, perfect: Her mother wears Chanel suits to lunch, her father is an impossible-to-please high court judge. So, when her relationship with Perfect Boyfriend Blake ended, and when she lost her job the same day, it seemed like a good idea to tell a few lies. Nearly three years later, the lies have built walls between Lucy and her family and friends. Even Mr. Pan, her hermaphroditic cat, is a secret. Reluctantly, Lucy meets with her life, who turns out to be a disheveled man with bloodshot eyes, bad breath and a wrinkled suit. Life insists that Lucy stop telling lies and start paying attention to, well, her life. Soon, he's following her around and arranging truth-telling opportunities. He begins to grow on her. Meanwhile, life's receptionist gives Lucy the number for a carpet cleaning service, and as her call is forwarded, she ends up talking to the quite charming Don Lockwood. Surprisingly, she tells Don the truth, and their calls continue. Maybe she could fall for Don, but she's still pining for Blake, and life has a lot more lies for her to confront. Highly addictive, fast-paced and chock-full of both quirky characters and clever banter. This book is a delight.

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May 15, 2013
Ahern has cornered the market on chick lit with a magical twist, and her latest revolves around a young woman whose own Life, mysteriously personified by a disheveled young man, intervenes to get her to shape up and stop making a complete mess of her existence. Lucy Silchester hasn't been honest with her friends, or herself, since her boyfriend, Blake, dumped her. Lucy can't seem to escape Blake, now the star of his own travel show, or the suspicion that he's hooked up with a pretty production assistant. Lucy's wealthy, judgmental family stages an intervention with her Life, who is none too happy with how Lucy has been operating the past few years. Lucy is equally unimpressed with her Life when she meets him and decides she wants nothing to do with him, until a secret she's been keeping from her coworkers and boss puts her in a dangerous situation. Reluctantly, Lucy agrees to let Life keep her company and help her face the hard truths about herself she's been avoiding. Another whimsical, heartwarming tale from Ahern.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)