 Loved it |
| Reviewer: www.bookshipper.blogspot.com/, Montreal, Quebec |
The Cougar Club has everything that I love in a chick lit book, particularly the fact that this book is written about women who are over the "young" age of 40 something and are looking for younger men! Gasp!!!!! I loved it!!!! Its about time we reverse the roles here and this book basically describes my life to a "T". Yes, people, there are no guys my age left (or at least it feels that way) and actually, one of the only men I have ever loved was 10 years younger than I - so, I had a lot invested in reading this novel.
First of all, the characters are smart and witty and interesting. No wimpy little "poor me" characteres here and led by Kate - they are about to go on an interesting and kind of scary trek into the world of dating younger men.
The writing, although very smart, is also funny and down to earth. I found myself shaking my head at so many of the descriptions in the book and particularly at the reflections made by the women as they try to naviguate their way through romance and men of all ages.
I also like that the overall message is positive and optimistic - never give up on love (although I have, personally, wanted to do this many times). I loved, this chick lit book and I suggest you get to know The Cougar Club.
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A fantastic read for women of all ages
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| Reviewer: Nelaine Sanchez, Miami, FL USA |
Three best friends, Kat, Carla and Elise, are back together in the same town after many years apart. They are now in their mid-40's and are each at a turning point in life:
Kat just recently lost her job in Manhattan because her superiors have decided younger employees are the way to go and upon finding her much younger boyfriend having some cyber fun, she has decided he's got to go too. So she packs up and heads back home to St. Louis and her two BFF's.
Carla is the town's news anchorwoman... a celebrity of sorts. She's hot at 40, and she knows it, not to mention she's going out with the young Sportscaster at her station. But she suddenly finds herself in a déjà vu moment, when a younger woman is a threat to her job... just like she did once upon a time to her predecessor.
Then there's Elise - whose life seems to be the most stable. She's been married for years, her children are grown and gone from home and now she finds herself in a rut. Her marriage and sex life sucks and her husband is quite possibly cheating on her.
Their unofficial "Cougar Club" is what they'll need in order to see, get through and move forward from these not-so-great moments in life.
This was a fun and quick read that had it's funny and light moments but also had some moments that were thought-provoking. I love the idea of a cougar. Why? Well because I've never felt that age should define a person. Plus I give kudos to any woman who at 45 can still live and look like they are in their late 20's, early 30's. You go girlfriend!
Ms. McBride's writing is hip and fun. She really brought these woman to life - made you feel as if you could know someone like them in real life. The issues and struggles they face were realistic and most women over 30 can definitely relate. I truly enjoyed this story about friendship, love, and just life in general.
I loved the Club's motto:
True friendship never dies, the only way to live is real, and you're never too old to follow your heart.
I think that is so true and certainly something every woman, no matter the age, should live by.
This was a wonderful treat to read and I definitely recommend it. |
navigateing the minefield of men and life makeovers at middle age.
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| Reviewer: Julie A. Earhart, St. Louis, mo United States |
Meet Kat, Elise, and Carla---the three fabulous women who star in author Susan McBride's new series, The Cougar Club. With this new book, McBride leaps from Maggie the hard-boiled detective; Andie, the dropout debutant; and the three high school debs to ahem, women of a certain age. Closer to forty-five to be precise. McBride's trademark style of humor and sarcasm makes the leap effortlessly, providing readers of all ages a guaranteed laugh.
When Kat loses her Manhattan advertising, she realizes she has also had enough of her boyfriend/boy-toy, Roger. She packs her stuff and heads back home to St. Louis. The Gateway City is just what Kat needs to soothe her soul. Not only is it "home," it's where her two best friends have stayed.
There's local newswoman Carla, the face of St. Louis, who is being nudged out of her anchor chair by a blond bimbo, in much the way Carla forced out her predecessor. To round out the trio is dermatologist Elise, who everyone thinks has the perfect marriage, the perfect husband, and the perfect kids. However, poor Elise is suffering from a less-than-perfect sex life with the only man whom she's ever slipped between the sheets.
While Kat tries to decide what to do with the rest of her life, she helps Elise and Carla navigates the minefield of men and life makeovers at middle age.
The Cougar Club is not only a celebration of women but of friendship and life and, finally, getting what you want out of life. There are three surprises waiting for the three friends and for the readers that will leave them with an OMG-I can't-wait-for-the next-book longing.
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fun tale
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| Reviewer: Harriet Klausner, |
Forty-five year old New Accounts advertising team leader Kat Maguire is downsized after fifteen loyal years at her firm; when she finds her twenty-eight years old lover Roger having cyber sex she downsizes him. She decides to go home to St. Louis where her family and two BFFs live.
Her buddy Carla Moss is a successful news anchor, but the station seems to be grooming a bimbo replacement. She also has personal problems as her beloved mom is losing her grip on realty.
Dermatologist Dr. Lisie Randolph has been successful at work, with raising her kids and apparently in marriage. However, the empty nest syndrome is hammering at her while her spouse whom she married in college ignores her.
These three middle age women in terrific shape physically, but a bit down mentally unto they re-forge their friendship and go on the prowl as cougars hunting young male meat. However, each knows deep inside their soul they really seek love, commitment and the meaning of life.
This is a fun tale of three women seeking their groove as middle age has each wondering if that is all there is to life while attempting to hang onto their dwindling youth. The characters are solid including the support cast of each of the lead females and the rotating point of view enhances understanding what each wants. Although somewhat unlikely perhaps even over the top of the Arch, fans will root for the Cougar Club members to get what they want.
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A Well-Written, Humorous Novel!
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| Reviewer: Marilyn W., Chicago, IL USA |
McBride has done a wonderful job on this novel, crafting it with wit, sophistication and heart. The three heroines of the story (Kat, Elise and Carla) are very different from each other, but they're each struggling with their lives as forty-somethings and they're at a place where they need to reevaluate what's working and not in their relationships and careers.
I think any woman who's lived long enough to deal with aging beyond thirty and society's expectations and misperceptions of what our lives "should" look like, will greatly enjoy this humorously written novel and will appreciate the insights and character growth of these three friends.
A delightful and fun book! |
More about friendship than cougars, so don't be alarmed
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| Reviewer: Megan Snider, Maryland |
After decades apart, high school best friends Kat, Elise and Carla are reunited in their hometown of St. Louis after Kat loses her position at a New York City-based advertising agency. Now in their mid-forties, the three ladies who comprise their unofficial "Cougar Club" share their trials and triumphs over a glass (or two) of champagne -- and teach each other, and the reader, that age really is just a number.
THE COUGAR CLUB lets us alternate seeing the world from each woman's perspective which, when done well, works great for me. I'm happy to report McBride made Elise, Kat and Carla individual women and successfully blended their unique, sometimes snarky "voices" with that of the omnipresent, all-knowing narrator. It was easy to flit back and forth between each friend as she struggled with the myriad of issues doing a number on her energy and self-confidence, though I liked Kat's sections best.
Where does all the talk of "cougars" come in? Both Kat and Carla have their respective "boy toys," which isn't really a fair term for them. Kat was in a committed relationship with a man almost twenty years her junior and, though it didn't work out, it was a real relationship -- despite the chiding of her family. Carla's trysts, on the otherhand, come off the most "cougarish" of them all... and I can't say I was entirely comfortable with that! But they didn't offend me on a deep level. It was just a tad awkward.
The novel was less about "cougars," a term which makes some cringe, and more about friendships -- developing them, keeping them, learning from them. At the heart of this book are three women who care for each other and try to protect each other as they all search for that big, elusive love. Even if, you know, he's young enough to be her son. (Or at least a much younger nephew.) THE COUGAR CLUB is a quick read sure to please lovers of women's fiction with some genuinely hilarious and poignant moments. |
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