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English as a Second Language
In this wickedly funny first novel - think Legally Blonde in Oxford - a young New York woman exchanges her corporate job for a year of books, blokes, beers, and new best friends in graduate school in England.
Alexandra Brennan is fed up with her dead end New York City job - and even more fed up of running into her smug ex-boyfriend. So when he crosses the line by telling her that she'll never get into graduate school in the United Kingdom, that's precisely what she does.
Armed with imported cigarettes and extra strength coffee, Alex leaves home and crosses the Atlantic to face all that Great Britain and grad school have to offer, including ill-considered romantic interludes, a red-headed nemesis with intellectual pretensions and ulterior motives, a preponderance of eighties music, and more books than she can possibly read in a year. What she discovers, however, is that instead of running away from home - she may have actually found it.
Alexandra Brennan is fed up with her dead end New York City job - and even more fed up of running into her smug ex-boyfriend. So when he crosses the line by telling her that she'll never get into graduate school in the United Kingdom, that's precisely what she does.
Armed with imported cigarettes and extra strength coffee, Alex leaves home and crosses the Atlantic to face all that Great Britain and grad school have to offer, including ill-considered romantic interludes, a red-headed nemesis with intellectual pretensions and ulterior motives, a preponderance of eighties music, and more books than she can possibly read in a year. What she discovers, however, is that instead of running away from home - she may have actually found it.
277 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
22 people are currently reading
955 people want to read
About the author
Megan Crane
64 books682 followersUSA Today bestselling, multi-award-nominated, and critically-acclaimed author Megan Crane has written more than 150 books and shows no sign of slowing down. She publishes contemporary romance and paranormal romance as Megan Crane (and briefly M.M. Crane) with an extensive backlist of women’s fiction, rom-coms, chick lit, and young adult novels—among other things. She’s also won a large and loyal fanbase as Caitlin Crews with Harlequin Presents, Harlequin Dare, Harlequin Historical, and contemporary cowboy books. And for Midwestern small town coziness, found families, romance, and some paranormal scariness thrown in, Megan partners with Nicole Helm to publish as Hazel Beck.
Megan has a Masters and Ph.D. in English Literature, has taught creative writing classes in places like UCLA Extension’s prestigious Writers’ Program, and is always available to give workshops (or her opinion). She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her comic book artist husband, though, at any given time, she is likely to either be huddled in a coffee shop somewhere or off traveling the world. Preferably both.
You can find out more than you ever wanted to know about her at www.megancrane.com
Megan has a Masters and Ph.D. in English Literature, has taught creative writing classes in places like UCLA Extension’s prestigious Writers’ Program, and is always available to give workshops (or her opinion). She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her comic book artist husband, though, at any given time, she is likely to either be huddled in a coffee shop somewhere or off traveling the world. Preferably both.
You can find out more than you ever wanted to know about her at www.megancrane.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
August 4, 2008
Although this was Crane's debut novel, I picked this one up after thoroughly enjoying Everyone Else's Girl. However, this book was a disappointment. It contained none of the wit, humor or insight of Everyone Else's Girl. All the characters seemed to do was drink. None of the characters were particularly compelling, and I couldn't bring myself to care about any of them or what happened to them. Nothing really seemed to happen in this book and there was really no conclusion to speak of.
August 5, 2013
I don't normally review books, but I had to put in my two cents on why I couldn't finish this book.
Simply put, it's terribly written. By page 20, you've been introduced to about 10 characters and the only defining characteristics are Cristina is Spanish and Evan is the ex. I honestly don't know who is important or how she knows so-and-so but I really don't care.
She's at some school, its never named... I can't help but wonder if this is because Megan Crane wanted to create some ideal English school that fulfills stereotypes instead of actually researching for her novel.
But the thing that got me was the writing style. Ex A from page 22: "it was not until the second week that I remembered the reason I was in England in the first place: that whole masters degree thing"
What editor allows that to be published? I've seen better fanfiction. She keeps referring to herself as "Happy Graduate School Girl" and after the third time, I just wanted to shake Crane and tell her to stop, we got it. Alex wants to make a new life.
Alex is spoiled, annoying, immature for a 26 year old and too reliant on others. I couldn't stand to read more about her.
Simply put, it's terribly written. By page 20, you've been introduced to about 10 characters and the only defining characteristics are Cristina is Spanish and Evan is the ex. I honestly don't know who is important or how she knows so-and-so but I really don't care.
She's at some school, its never named... I can't help but wonder if this is because Megan Crane wanted to create some ideal English school that fulfills stereotypes instead of actually researching for her novel.
But the thing that got me was the writing style. Ex A from page 22: "it was not until the second week that I remembered the reason I was in England in the first place: that whole masters degree thing"
What editor allows that to be published? I've seen better fanfiction. She keeps referring to herself as "Happy Graduate School Girl" and after the third time, I just wanted to shake Crane and tell her to stop, we got it. Alex wants to make a new life.
Alex is spoiled, annoying, immature for a 26 year old and too reliant on others. I couldn't stand to read more about her.
December 19, 2016
This is the type of book to read when looking for something light you can breeze through without really using your brain. It honestly read like a fanfiction story, and I mean that as a compliment. Sure, it contained some annoying flaws, but it's not a terrible read.
September 5, 2011
For me, picking up books to read can go several ways. There are the books that I love and adore and written by authors whom I love and adore. On the opposite end, there are books that look interesting, but when I get past a certain point, there’s the growing realization that the book is not what I’ve expected. And then there’s books like this, where I initially really like it, but subsequent rereads give me a noticeably bad taste. Such is the case with English as a Second Language.
Aside from the fact that this features almost every irksome detail in chick (including both a gay and married best friend), I just hate how everything’s presented in this. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to sympathize with Alex, as she just comes off as a whiny, immature bitch who’s assured that her problems are not due to anything she’s done, she just has a tendency to attract clingy, whiny, uncreative people. The whole set-up of the book is based around Alex’s quarter-life crisis over an ex-boyfriend who keeps trying to make her jealous. (The only time I felt sympathetic toward her was her realization of “Oh, God what have I gotten myself into?” when she arrives in England.)
Anyone who does not automatically befriend Alex with cigarettes and alcohol are promptly labeled as hateful trolls who are beneath her. This is really egregious with the other two American characters. Alex is charming and witty in her American-ness and wins over three Brits and her Spanish roommate. Suzanne and George are mean-spirited, stick-up-their-asses, ginger trolls who are out to ruin Alex’s fun. George’s subplot involves his relationship with another student, whom Alex and her friends quickly label as the “VULTURE.” Suzanne has no characterization beyond the Clingy Jealous Girl who automatically picks Alex out for competition in both romance and academia. (Which is hysterical, because Suzanne actually calls Alex out on her bullshit, and yet, we’re supposed to still revile Suzanne for doing this.) Even every other woman who shows up in the book is supposed to hate Alex. Alex’s female professor hates her and is out to humiliate Alex in every class; however, professor Sean is a combination of the Brooding Byronic Hero Trinity (Heathcliff! Rochester! DARCY! *swoon*) and is potential love interest. (Nevermind that he’s also kind of an asshole.) Not to mention, Alex pegs Sean’s unnamed love interest as unattractive, but that’s probably okay, because attractive British woman are unattractive by American standards. (..I…I don’t even.)
(Side tangent: I hate the attitude toward British culture in this. If someone uses a British colloquialism or wants tea, OMG THEY ARE TRYING TOO HARD TO BE BRITISH. Because some Americans don’t prefer tea to coffee. Or use British slang. But again, Alex just loves giving someone the V and using the phrase ‘pissed.’ Also, Brits can't appreciate good American rock'n'roll; instead, they listen to POP MUSIC. The horror.)
The problem this book has is that it’s got an unsympathetic lead character. Am I supposed to sympathize with Alex because she had a bad break-up (after admitting she lead the guy on)? Her quarter-life romantic crisis? The fact that she throws herself further into academia and manages to bs her way into a doctorate program? There’s a point near the end of the book where Alex goes “OMG I am such an immature bitch! And at my age! I need to start treating people better.” Aaand then she turns around and keeps making fun of George, without any inclination of feeling bad about it later.
Has Alex maybe wizened up earlier in the book and not remained a troll, I would have liked this a little bit more. Sure, it’s standard chick lit, but at least I don’t feel like reaching in and bitchslapping the heroine. The point of most chick lit is to make the main character a little sympathetic, so we can root for her. Being a wiseass is fine, but not to the point where everyone else is beneath her.
Aside from the fact that this features almost every irksome detail in chick (including both a gay and married best friend), I just hate how everything’s presented in this. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to sympathize with Alex, as she just comes off as a whiny, immature bitch who’s assured that her problems are not due to anything she’s done, she just has a tendency to attract clingy, whiny, uncreative people. The whole set-up of the book is based around Alex’s quarter-life crisis over an ex-boyfriend who keeps trying to make her jealous. (The only time I felt sympathetic toward her was her realization of “Oh, God what have I gotten myself into?” when she arrives in England.)
Anyone who does not automatically befriend Alex with cigarettes and alcohol are promptly labeled as hateful trolls who are beneath her. This is really egregious with the other two American characters. Alex is charming and witty in her American-ness and wins over three Brits and her Spanish roommate. Suzanne and George are mean-spirited, stick-up-their-asses, ginger trolls who are out to ruin Alex’s fun. George’s subplot involves his relationship with another student, whom Alex and her friends quickly label as the “VULTURE.” Suzanne has no characterization beyond the Clingy Jealous Girl who automatically picks Alex out for competition in both romance and academia. (Which is hysterical, because Suzanne actually calls Alex out on her bullshit, and yet, we’re supposed to still revile Suzanne for doing this.) Even every other woman who shows up in the book is supposed to hate Alex. Alex’s female professor hates her and is out to humiliate Alex in every class; however, professor Sean is a combination of the Brooding Byronic Hero Trinity (Heathcliff! Rochester! DARCY! *swoon*) and is potential love interest. (Nevermind that he’s also kind of an asshole.) Not to mention, Alex pegs Sean’s unnamed love interest as unattractive, but that’s probably okay, because attractive British woman are unattractive by American standards. (..I…I don’t even.)
(Side tangent: I hate the attitude toward British culture in this. If someone uses a British colloquialism or wants tea, OMG THEY ARE TRYING TOO HARD TO BE BRITISH. Because some Americans don’t prefer tea to coffee. Or use British slang. But again, Alex just loves giving someone the V and using the phrase ‘pissed.’ Also, Brits can't appreciate good American rock'n'roll; instead, they listen to POP MUSIC. The horror.)
The problem this book has is that it’s got an unsympathetic lead character. Am I supposed to sympathize with Alex because she had a bad break-up (after admitting she lead the guy on)? Her quarter-life romantic crisis? The fact that she throws herself further into academia and manages to bs her way into a doctorate program? There’s a point near the end of the book where Alex goes “OMG I am such an immature bitch! And at my age! I need to start treating people better.” Aaand then she turns around and keeps making fun of George, without any inclination of feeling bad about it later.
Has Alex maybe wizened up earlier in the book and not remained a troll, I would have liked this a little bit more. Sure, it’s standard chick lit, but at least I don’t feel like reaching in and bitchslapping the heroine. The point of most chick lit is to make the main character a little sympathetic, so we can root for her. Being a wiseass is fine, but not to the point where everyone else is beneath her.
April 30, 2009
I fell in love with this book! I found this book randomly at a used bookstore and was intrigued by the summary of the story, so thought "why not?" Megan Cranes writing style and vivid descriptions pulls you into the story, and you really feel connected to the characters. I adored the character of Alex. She reminds me so much of myself (and I was rooting for her and Toby the entire time!!!). The book's about a young women who packs up her life in New York to go to graduate school in England. There she discovers great friends,a love of drinking into the wee hours, and what she has been missing and searching for in her life all along. It's one of those "packing up your old life and getting away from it all to discover the real you and the real purpose of your life.......LOVED IT!!!!
July 16, 2009
As I have stated before, I have an embarrassing love for "chick lit" if you can even call it that. But this was TERRIBLE, even by "chick lit" standards. I am really glad I read this book last, and all of Megan Crane's other books first or I probably would not have read any of the others. This book was pretty much about a girl who goes to England to go to Grad School and gets drunk and makes a mess of things for a year while her father foots the bill. I was not charmed, impressed, or sold.
Plus, it took me two days to read this book which really should tell you something. If I had enjoyed it, I could have read it in a few hours.
Couldn't be bothered. Suckity suck.
Plus, it took me two days to read this book which really should tell you something. If I had enjoyed it, I could have read it in a few hours.
Couldn't be bothered. Suckity suck.
April 21, 2023
Hilarious!! Alex Brennan, a snarky New Yorker, decides on a whim…influenced by a not so bright ex…to go to grad school in England! What comes next is a hysterical journey filled with drinking, smoking, maniacal paper writing and revising, midnight stakeouts, petty fights, and hopeless crushes!! I love this book and can’t wait to read it again!!
February 16, 2017
What you do at graduate school?
You drink a lot apparently.
Like some of the other reviewers, when reading this novel, I got so tired of reading sentences like, "Let's go to the pub" or something about a hangover after drinking all night. In fact, I just opened my book to a random page and this is what I found, "We clanked plastic glasses and downed our shots on the count of three.". I don't think 5 pages ever went by without at least one of the characters drinking, talking about going to the pub, or having a hangover. To me, it just seems that if you're going to graduate school, you're serious about it but all the characters who were students in this book all seemed like they were in their first semester of their first year of college. It just seemed like they couldn't have been very good students if they were out drinking every night. I don't know much about the signs of alcoholism but I believe these characters were on their way to become alcoholics if they weren't there already.
But if you take away all the endless pages about drinking alcohol, the story of Alex was an okay one. Alex goes to graduate school in England when an ex-boyfriend doesn't think she could do it. When she gets there she meets Cristina, Melanie, Toby, Jason, evil Suzanne, and hot professor Sean. The drinking and loads of paper writing start. The ending was pretty predictable. The book had some good parts to it but it's just not the best chick-lit I've ever read. It had the potential to be really good if Megan Crane had toned down the drinking and focused more on Alex's growth as a person and maybe more about her classes.
But I only paid $3.99 for it at a Borders outlet store (back when Borders was still around), so I didn't have to pay full price for a book that I wasn't crazy about.
You drink a lot apparently.
Like some of the other reviewers, when reading this novel, I got so tired of reading sentences like, "Let's go to the pub" or something about a hangover after drinking all night. In fact, I just opened my book to a random page and this is what I found, "We clanked plastic glasses and downed our shots on the count of three.". I don't think 5 pages ever went by without at least one of the characters drinking, talking about going to the pub, or having a hangover. To me, it just seems that if you're going to graduate school, you're serious about it but all the characters who were students in this book all seemed like they were in their first semester of their first year of college. It just seemed like they couldn't have been very good students if they were out drinking every night. I don't know much about the signs of alcoholism but I believe these characters were on their way to become alcoholics if they weren't there already.
But if you take away all the endless pages about drinking alcohol, the story of Alex was an okay one. Alex goes to graduate school in England when an ex-boyfriend doesn't think she could do it. When she gets there she meets Cristina, Melanie, Toby, Jason, evil Suzanne, and hot professor Sean. The drinking and loads of paper writing start. The ending was pretty predictable. The book had some good parts to it but it's just not the best chick-lit I've ever read. It had the potential to be really good if Megan Crane had toned down the drinking and focused more on Alex's growth as a person and maybe more about her classes.
But I only paid $3.99 for it at a Borders outlet store (back when Borders was still around), so I didn't have to pay full price for a book that I wasn't crazy about.
July 31, 2011
God, this book was horrible. It was so dumb and lame, luckily, it was one of those that you can finish in a day though. Girls' ex boyfriend doesn't think she can go to grad school in the UK, so she defies hum and goes! Granted, it's not Oxford, etc (they actually don't give the name of a specific school, just that it's not in London, so who cares anyway) but she takes daddy's money and goes for an English degree. It's a miracle anything gets done as all it seems she does all year is drink and smoke and party. It's like, what are you, 18??!?!? But I guess no one in this book had a job or any responsibility outside of school (how first year of them) so who cares. It seemed like every ones drunk all the time, it's a miracle no one died. One thing I did like is it was a very multi-cultural cast. American, Brit, Spanish, German, etc. I liked that! Messages get crossed, crushes on teachers (I told you it was so high school/first year) and Girl ends up staying on for her Phd! Because daddy is paying and it's not like she has anything else to do. Blah. Don't bother. I could recc a better mindless chicklit for you any day.
August 22, 2016
After reading about 60 pages of this book, I came online to add it to my currently reading list and then had the most brilliant idea to check out reviews about it from other readers. Most of them pretty awful, and the best were just meh. But I actually really enjoyed it. I had no idea what was up when I borrowed this book from my library. I wasn't sure whether it was romance novel or coming-of-age type of thing. I just liked the cover. But it turned out to be one those blessedly easy reads, especially when one is also attempting to read Memoirs of a Geisha (which I'm only really doing because I only just watched the movie, loved the music, makeup and fan dancing!)
September 20, 2008
What I learned from this book. That it was crap! lol
Oh and that if I'd checked amazon I would have discovered that yes it looks like it has raving reviews but there are also many people who like me considered it a horrible boring book.
I did not like it at all. Was bored out of my mind. Maybe because it is soo shallow, unbelievable. I did not get a click with any of the characters. its all about drinking , pubs and a crush. (And don't get me wrong, I love to go and drink in pubs ;) )
Nah Very disappointing
Oh and that if I'd checked amazon I would have discovered that yes it looks like it has raving reviews but there are also many people who like me considered it a horrible boring book.
I did not like it at all. Was bored out of my mind. Maybe because it is soo shallow, unbelievable. I did not get a click with any of the characters. its all about drinking , pubs and a crush. (And don't get me wrong, I love to go and drink in pubs ;) )
Nah Very disappointing
January 11, 2015
I identified with the heroine who applied to graduate school in England to show her ex-boyfriend she could do it, but I must admit that if I didn't enjoy novels with university settings I might have got tired of these characters. None of them was particularly appealing, and the resolution was quite predictable.
January 22, 2015
This a fluff book that makes me very glad I am older and not worried about this sort of thing any more. It also makes me very grateful that I have a library to get books from, so that I don't have to feel guilty about paying money for them. That said, it is funny and accurate - if you're into younger adult (not young adult) angst.
October 30, 2010
"English as a Second Language" was a soft fluffy easy read, but thoroughly enjoyable with well developed characters!
August 18, 2012
So far so good! Funny chicklit - picked it up at the library because it takes place in the UK. The "friendly" tension between Alex and Toby makes me want a cute British guy!
June 19, 2020
This book was so fucking funny to me. Laugh out loud embarassing to read in public. I love Megan Crane's sense of humor. I feel like Megan and the MC are my kind of girl!
January 4, 2015
Shallow, extremely immature 26-year-olds do a little (not much) growing up right before the end of the book. Should have stopped reading at page 12, but didn't have anything else in my suitcase.
February 29, 2016
I liked it. It was an easy read and slightly humourous. It was a little like Bridget Jones' Diary crossed with the Shopaholic style of writing.
May 2, 2019
“I’m pretty sure adulthood is all about knowing the lines.”
“On the contrary, Adulthood is knowing that a fully realized character is always more important than the lines.”
English as a Second Language is a standalone novel by Megan Crane. In this book we meet Alexandra ‘Alex’ Brennan. She’s a twenty something year old woman in the middle of an existential crisis (her words). After her latest breakup she applies to graduate school in England on a whim because the ex basically said she wouldn’t ever do it. This is a pretty funny book, but I wouldn’t call it lighthearted. Alex has a chip on her shoulder and she doesn’t know what she wants. I really liked the themes of this book: accepting people for who they are, forgoing illusions to reality, and finding yourself. Definitely a fun, interesting read. (Shoutout to the Miss Only Sexy in Britain girls!)
Bookstagram: @hopeless.book.romantic
“On the contrary, Adulthood is knowing that a fully realized character is always more important than the lines.”
English as a Second Language is a standalone novel by Megan Crane. In this book we meet Alexandra ‘Alex’ Brennan. She’s a twenty something year old woman in the middle of an existential crisis (her words). After her latest breakup she applies to graduate school in England on a whim because the ex basically said she wouldn’t ever do it. This is a pretty funny book, but I wouldn’t call it lighthearted. Alex has a chip on her shoulder and she doesn’t know what she wants. I really liked the themes of this book: accepting people for who they are, forgoing illusions to reality, and finding yourself. Definitely a fun, interesting read. (Shoutout to the Miss Only Sexy in Britain girls!)
Bookstagram: @hopeless.book.romantic
December 24, 2017
The story is about Alexandra Brennan, who decides to leave the US and her dead-end job there to study her Master’s in English Literature in the UK-- All because her ex-boyfriend said she didn’t have it in her. She makes new friends, adopts a nocturnal lifestyle that involves hanging out at the pub, sleepwalks through classes during the day, draws a motley crew of friends and acquaintances toward her with whom she experiences several misadventures, only to discover that she has found home. What sets this book apart is the author’s AMAZING sense of humour. Each sentence is hilarious. The writing style is light and irreverent. I can’t wait to read her other titles “Names my sisters call me”, “Frenemies”, and “Everyone else’s girl”.
April 1, 2021
I have read several of this author's books and enjoyed them. I really didn't enjoy this book at all. Maybe it's that I'm older reading this one than when I read her other books but the main character was just a mess and boring and crazy. I didn't feel any bond with her at all and her directionless and drunk life. I really read this book quickly so I could go onto my next book as I didn't like this book at all. I really don't care about PHd programs or papers written or every night getting bombed at the pub or at home. I didn't enjoy her journey to find herself and direction or realize she likes one of her friends. Really I was just over her and this book. I would have skipped this book had I known what I was getting into. I don't recommend this book at all.
March 23, 2024
I picked this up at a book swap and immediately got drawn into the story despite the character’s haphazard reasons for studying in England.
I will say that having studied in London during university, it pulled me back to that experience wholeheartedly. But I was really surprised by the excessive drinking and especially the constant smoking — until I thought to look at the copyright date and realized that it was nearly 20 years old. And the pieces fell into place.
I will say that having studied in London during university, it pulled me back to that experience wholeheartedly. But I was really surprised by the excessive drinking and especially the constant smoking — until I thought to look at the copyright date and realized that it was nearly 20 years old. And the pieces fell into place.
June 1, 2018
I normally don’t review, but something had to be said here. This book doesn’t read well, and struggles to keep up with the endless characters you’re introduced to. It’s very dry and I felt as though I had to take notes to remember anything. I like a good “teen” read every now and again, but I wouldn’t recommend.
May 1, 2010
if ever there was a chick lit book that would inspire me to revise my "crummy chick lit" tag, this is it. i really enjoyed this book a lot! it kind of turned the conventions of chick lit on their heads, while remaning a fun & frothy book that i polished off in three hours.
the main character, alexandra, is a 26-year-old paralegal living in new york city. her job is hardly her passion in life, but it pays the bills. she takes up with a somewhat humorless stick in the mud named evan, & after they split up, she tells him that she's thinking about applying to grad school at oxford. he openly laughs at her, which only makes her want to go to england even more. oxford was a fanciful suggestion, owing to lackluster undergraduate grads, but alex applies to some lesser-known english grad schools (for a master's in english) & is accepted. so off she goes, to student housing & hunky brooding professors.
cristina is a spanish student in alex's house & they become fast friends. she also connects with melanie, the english woman across the hall. she shares a wall with a fellow american, george, who is no fun & a total killjoy. another american, redheaded suzanne, decides to befriend alex, though alex finds suzanne a little too intense & self-revealing. alex quickly befriends two english men in her literature classes, james & toby, & nurses a crush on her foxy but snide professor, sean. she also keeps up with all the news back in new york, with best gay pal michael & serious grown-up...whose name eludes me. they're not completely crucial to the plot--they just add a little flavor & exposition from time to time.
alex & her friends spend A LOT of time down at the pub. it's intense. my boyfriend is in grad school, & if he spent this much time drinking, he would have failed out by now. it kind of stretches credulity that these students can drink to excess every single night but still get through their work. but let's put that aside. everyone has a little romantic intrigue brewing. james has a girlfriend up in scotland. suzanne has her sights set on toby. cristina is enamored with a dark-haired physics student. even george has a girlfriend named fiona, whom his housemates call "the vulture" behind his back. alex has her teacher crush, & summarily gets drunk & goes off a tangent against post-modernism at a faculty event, hence embarrassing herself in front of him. because this is chick lit, you know the plot is going to turn on alex getting involved with someone or another. i knew it wasn't really going to be the teacher, because he was always smirking & making alex feel dumb & thankfully this isn't the kind of chick lit where the protagonist actually throws herself into a relationship with someone who made her feel inferior. so i figured she'd end up with toby, but there was the issue of suzanne standing in the way, & i was very concerned that that particular plotline was going to be solved via some awful display of girl jealousy & fighting over a not-so-awesome-seeming dude. i mean, he & alex got along really well as friends, but he was open about not having such a great track record in treating girlfriends respectfully & he didn't seem like such a fantastic prize.
animosity does develop between suzanne & alex, & because alex won me over as a reader, i was all primed & ready to perceive of suzanne as the bad guy in the situation. she decides that she & toby are a couple after one kiss, & basically warns alex to stay away from him. when things fall apart because toby didn't really want to date her, suzanne blames alex (who had nothing to do with it) rather than toby. plus she's the kind of irritating person who spills their entire emotional life out for you even if you never gave any indication that you wanted to know. people like that bug the shit out of both alex & me. & while there is no love lost between suzanne & alex & they have quite a few heated confrontations with one another, alex starts to realize that there is some truth to some of the hurtful things suzanne says. she realizes she does hold people at an arm's length, she does look down on people who try to get close to her, she never asks for help, etc. she's everything that suzanne is not, but to a fault. she begins re-considering some of the inter-personal choices she has made for her life & trying to take responsibility for having better relationships with people--such as her father. she also realizes that her little romantic fixation on her teacher was just a way for her to amuse herself without worrying about getting hurt. this is what i liked about this book: there was some real emotional growth in the protagonist, who realized that she was imperfect, but it didn't slow down the story.
but then i was like, "uh oh, here's where she realizes she's in love with toby, right?" but no! instead, the author threw me for a loop by having alex turn down toby's offer to be her boyfriend on the grounds that he's too young & immature & doesn't know how to have an equitable relationship with a woman. instead, they decide to just hang out...& give in to their attraction to each other, sure, but not in some big unreal stars-in-their-eyes lovelorn way. awesome!
this book was super-fun & also smart. A+++!
the main character, alexandra, is a 26-year-old paralegal living in new york city. her job is hardly her passion in life, but it pays the bills. she takes up with a somewhat humorless stick in the mud named evan, & after they split up, she tells him that she's thinking about applying to grad school at oxford. he openly laughs at her, which only makes her want to go to england even more. oxford was a fanciful suggestion, owing to lackluster undergraduate grads, but alex applies to some lesser-known english grad schools (for a master's in english) & is accepted. so off she goes, to student housing & hunky brooding professors.
cristina is a spanish student in alex's house & they become fast friends. she also connects with melanie, the english woman across the hall. she shares a wall with a fellow american, george, who is no fun & a total killjoy. another american, redheaded suzanne, decides to befriend alex, though alex finds suzanne a little too intense & self-revealing. alex quickly befriends two english men in her literature classes, james & toby, & nurses a crush on her foxy but snide professor, sean. she also keeps up with all the news back in new york, with best gay pal michael & serious grown-up...whose name eludes me. they're not completely crucial to the plot--they just add a little flavor & exposition from time to time.
alex & her friends spend A LOT of time down at the pub. it's intense. my boyfriend is in grad school, & if he spent this much time drinking, he would have failed out by now. it kind of stretches credulity that these students can drink to excess every single night but still get through their work. but let's put that aside. everyone has a little romantic intrigue brewing. james has a girlfriend up in scotland. suzanne has her sights set on toby. cristina is enamored with a dark-haired physics student. even george has a girlfriend named fiona, whom his housemates call "the vulture" behind his back. alex has her teacher crush, & summarily gets drunk & goes off a tangent against post-modernism at a faculty event, hence embarrassing herself in front of him. because this is chick lit, you know the plot is going to turn on alex getting involved with someone or another. i knew it wasn't really going to be the teacher, because he was always smirking & making alex feel dumb & thankfully this isn't the kind of chick lit where the protagonist actually throws herself into a relationship with someone who made her feel inferior. so i figured she'd end up with toby, but there was the issue of suzanne standing in the way, & i was very concerned that that particular plotline was going to be solved via some awful display of girl jealousy & fighting over a not-so-awesome-seeming dude. i mean, he & alex got along really well as friends, but he was open about not having such a great track record in treating girlfriends respectfully & he didn't seem like such a fantastic prize.
animosity does develop between suzanne & alex, & because alex won me over as a reader, i was all primed & ready to perceive of suzanne as the bad guy in the situation. she decides that she & toby are a couple after one kiss, & basically warns alex to stay away from him. when things fall apart because toby didn't really want to date her, suzanne blames alex (who had nothing to do with it) rather than toby. plus she's the kind of irritating person who spills their entire emotional life out for you even if you never gave any indication that you wanted to know. people like that bug the shit out of both alex & me. & while there is no love lost between suzanne & alex & they have quite a few heated confrontations with one another, alex starts to realize that there is some truth to some of the hurtful things suzanne says. she realizes she does hold people at an arm's length, she does look down on people who try to get close to her, she never asks for help, etc. she's everything that suzanne is not, but to a fault. she begins re-considering some of the inter-personal choices she has made for her life & trying to take responsibility for having better relationships with people--such as her father. she also realizes that her little romantic fixation on her teacher was just a way for her to amuse herself without worrying about getting hurt. this is what i liked about this book: there was some real emotional growth in the protagonist, who realized that she was imperfect, but it didn't slow down the story.
but then i was like, "uh oh, here's where she realizes she's in love with toby, right?" but no! instead, the author threw me for a loop by having alex turn down toby's offer to be her boyfriend on the grounds that he's too young & immature & doesn't know how to have an equitable relationship with a woman. instead, they decide to just hang out...& give in to their attraction to each other, sure, but not in some big unreal stars-in-their-eyes lovelorn way. awesome!
this book was super-fun & also smart. A+++!
January 17, 2019
Mildly entertaining but not hilarious. If you want to relive your drunken college days then you may enjoy it more. I found it a bit annoying that a 27 yr old is trying to grow into an adult...really? Whiney and condescending to Britain.
August 5, 2020
2.5 stars---The drinking hijinks wear thin after awhile, and Crane's characterizations of the graduate school friends are rather flat and one-dimensional. Kind of boring, but the graduate school setting was different and added a small amount of intellectual flair to an otherwise trite novel.
September 3, 2025
It shouldn’t have taken me that long to finish this book. But I just wasn’t that interested or rather the book wasn’t that interesting. I made myself sit down and finish it last night because I wanted to start another.
September 20, 2019
British chick-lit
June 15, 2020
No le daría nada si pudiera. 0.2(?)
Okay, le di la oportunidad pero no ha mejorado nada de nada y se hace más y más tedioso cada vez.
Sorry, but I can't.
Okay, le di la oportunidad pero no ha mejorado nada de nada y se hace más y más tedioso cada vez.
Sorry, but I can't.
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