Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Fern Burns is a 42-year-old who lives in Key Largo and works at a swanky beach club where millionaires and billionaires come to relax and unwind. She's been keeping a diary every year since she was a child. During her forty-second year, she has a few adventures coming her way. I would have given this book a higher rating if this fictional diary had been written by someone who is 16-22, not 42. Fern is a bit happy-go-lucky, but more than that, she's completely shallow. Everything she thinks about the situations she writes about you could picture coming out of a sassy teen's mouth. For a woman who's embarking on middle age, I would have hoped she could see past many of the things that hang her up about other people, especially their physical attributes. And since Fern doesn't grow as a character (she's still pretty shallow by the last page) it's annoying that she gets to have a happy ending. All because she occasionally glances over at her copy of The Secret? Please. In terms of other characters in the novel, there really aren't any. Yes, Fern talks about her coworkers, family and flings, but because it's all tell and no show considering the diary format, everyone else that appears in the book are just stock characters. A diary entry at the beginning of the chapter moving into a regular narrative would give the reader a better way to get to know other characters in the protagonist's life. Overall, this book reminds me of sitting and listening to a friend tell a bunch of stories about people you don't know (and probably don't care about) and trying to stay awake for it all. Don't waste your time.