Author- Meg Cabot
Published- May 23rd, 2006
William Morrow & Company
309 pages
Obtained from Bookmooch
What's an American girl with a big mouth, but an equally big heart, to do? Lizzie Nichols has a problem, and it isn't that she doesn't have the slightest idea what she's going to do with her life, or that she's blowing what should be her down payment on a cute little Manhattan apartment on a trip to London to visit her long-distance boyfriend, Andrew. What's the point of planning for the future when she's done it again? See, Lizzie can't keep her mouth shut. And it's not just that she can't keep her own secrets, she can't keep anything to herself. This time when she opens her big mouth, her good intentions get Andrew in major hot water. Now Lizzie's stuck in London with no boyfriend and no place to stay until the departure date written on her non-changeable airline ticket. Fortunately, Lizzie's best friend and college roommate is spending her summer in the south of France, catering weddings in a chateau. One call and Lizzie's on a train to Paris. Who cares if she speaks only rudimentary French? One glimpse of gorgeous Chateau Mirac -- not to mention gorgeous Luke, Chateau Mirac's owner -- and she's smitten. But while most caterers can be trusted to keep a secret, Lizzie's the exception. And no sooner has the first cork been popped than Luke hates her, the bride is in tears, and it looks like Chateau Mirac is in danger of becoming a lipo-recovery spa. As if things aren't bad enough, ex-boyfriend Andy shows up looking for "closure" (or at least a loan), threatening to ruin everything, especially Lizzie's chance at ever finding real love -- unless she can figure out a way to use that big mouth of hers to save the day.--GoodreadsI just finished up Queen of Babble this morning for the Meg-A-Readers Readathon, and I am happy to say that I am still completely in love with Meg Cabot's books! I was much in need of some fluff after reading some pretty emotion heavy books. Queen of Babble provided just that!
I'm not even going to critique the cover because I have seen so many different ones. The book I have is actually the UK version and an omnibus, so there isn't much cover art to speak of. I picked my favorite of the covers as the picture for my review.
Lizzie Nichols is an awesome character. She's fun and quirky, has a great sense of style, and actually uses her brain (but only on occasion!). She was never dull and always into some form of mischief. I liked how Mrs. Cabot added a unique quality to Lizzie by making her a vintage clothes addict. Most authors that write fluff, like Queen of Babble, don't usually add a quirk to their character and they usually fall pretty flat. Not Lizzie.
And then there is Luke. He was such a sweet guy and seemed totally down to earth. Plus, from the description of him, he sounds uber attractive. What girl doesn't want some hot guy as a love interest in books?! From the very beginning I was rooting for Luke and Lizzie. Even though I kinda guessed what would happen at the very end, I was still interested in the early stages of their relationship.
I love the changing settings Queen of Babble provided. I felt like I was traveling across Europe ( something I have been wanting to do for a LONG time) along with Lizzie. I could vividly picture the dank streets of London, or the the rolling hills and stately house at Mirac. Ahh, now if only I could actually be there.
I only had two complaints about the book. One complaint being the fact that the synopsis, in my opinion, gives away way to much of the story. It pretty much describes the whole storyline, with just a few major pieces missing. Yeah, not good!
The other complaint being the fact that the story followed the pretty typical chick-lit story line. Girl dates Boy. Girl finds out Boy is a jerk-wad. Girl runs off and winds up meeting a new, attractive Boy. Girl falls for Boy but can't have him. Boy breaks up with girlfriend because he loves Girl. Girl and Boy live happily ever after. Sounds familiar, right? I think the book could have been improved just by adding a few scandalous twists. Just my thoughts.
Overall, I really enjoyed Queen of Babble. It was funny, romantic, and pretty much the cute fluffy read that I was craving.
I will be giving Queen of Babble 3 stars.
