Hope in a Jar
A Novel
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3.8 • 198 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Twenty years ago, Allie Denty was the pretty one and her best friend Olivia Pelham was the smart one. Throughout high school, they were inseparable…until a vicious rumor about Olivia— a rumor too close to the truth—ended their friendship.
Now, on the eve of their twentieth high school reunion, Allie, a temp worker, finds herself suddenly single, a little chubby, and feeling old. Olivia, a cool and successful magazine beauty editor in New York, realizes she's lonely, and is finally ready to face her demons.
Sometimes hope lives in the future; sometimes it comes from the past; and sometimes, when every stupid thing goes wrong, it comes from a prettily packaged jar filled with scented cream and promises.
Beth Harbison has done it again. A hilarious and touching novel about friendship, Love's Baby Soft perfume, Watermelon Lip Smackers, bad run-ins with Sun-In, and the healing power of "Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific." Hope in a Jar: we all need it.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Harbison (Secrets of a Shoe Addict) pushes a thin plot to its word-count limits in her latest confection, the tale of two former friends who reconnect at their 20th high school reunion. When Allie Denty tall, blonde and, these days, just a bit heavy discovers her boyfriend in the sack with another woman, her primary coping mechanism involves a credit card and the Sephora counter. Allie figures that some Dior lashes will help her feel more confident at her reunion an event that the lovely, formerly mousy Olivia Pelham has no intention of attending until her mother shows up on her doorstep, licking her wounds from a breakup with husband number five. At the reunion, Allie and Olivia have an awkward meeting and go their separate ways until Allie learns that a mutual friend plans to marry a cosmetically enhanced Mean Girl from their class. It's "life makeover" time for both women, as they get in touch with their true feelings about beauty, careers and, most importantly, love. Like the face cream from which it takes its title, this is slick, light and indulgent.
Customer Reviews
Fun Read
Any woman who grew up in the late 70s will appreciate this story. It's like taking a little trip down memory lane.
Awful.
*Spoiler*
This book was almost painful to read. This was one of the most predictable books I've ever read. The predictability combined with the weight watchers commercial, and cheesy "positive" self talk was too much. And why did she have the character raped by her step father? It had almost nothing to do with the story. Some girl over hears her telling her friend in the bathroom, spreads it all over school and they stop being best friends because she thinks her friend told everyone. And then it's never talked about again, it's not used to develop the character, it's not even really pertinent to the story. It was a lazy way for the author to create conflict, she honestly could've come up with something less horrible. The rape of children isn't something to use because an author is too lazy to come up with a better conflict. Maybe it sounds overboard on my part, but it was so lame I had to write a review which I never do.
Great books
All of these books are highly entertaining. My only complaint is that they aren't longer. They should be for the price. But really good.