I Never Fancied Him Anyway

August 24, 2009
Cassandra, a Dublin magazine columnist, has three best friends and an unlucky love life, a familiar setup that author Carroll (Remind Me Again Why I Need a Man
) shakes up with a whimsical device: her likable, humorous chick lit narrator is psychic—but no believer in the occult. Cassie's involuntary “flashes,” as she calls them, usually involve the love lives of strangers, but when she catches a glimpse of her own romantic future, Cassie's mystified to discover that her “fabulously wealthy” best friend Charlene is dating the man of her visions. Caught among fate, friendship and the rare possibility of fulfilling romance, Cassie struggles mightily with her desire and guilt, though readers will find the choice between unsympathetic Charlene—a disagreeable comic misfire—and dream guy a no-brainer. Carroll gives Cassie enough wit and charm to make up for a hackneyed media world setting and grating details—egregious puns (“a black belt in tongue-fu”), Manolo Blahniks, evil bosses—making this an exercise in pure (if predictable) chick lit fun.

September 1, 2009
Cassandra has a gift. Born with the ability to see glimpses of the future, Cassie settled into life as a successful psychic advice columnist for one of Irelands biggest papers. Although she has no problem seeing other peoples futures, she has a blind spot when it comes to her own, particularly when it comes to men. But with the help of her hilarious and diverse pack of friends and their complicated love lives, Cassie finds herself with a new career as a television psychic and a new man in her life, who happens to be dating her best friend. If only she had seen that coming. Carroll brings her characters to life with biting wit and honest humor, and the story is as funny as it is relatable. Although the tale of a famous psychic may not sound realistic, Carrolls lively and captivating novel is delightful and authentic.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)