Project Jennifer

by Jill Amy Rosenblatt

What's In A Name? Joan Benjamin, a plain and uptight secretary on Long Island, New York, is suffering an identity crisis brought on by a very bad week. Her ex-fiance just married someone else; she's lost her cushy overpaid job; and she's been kicked out of her apartment. All because of women named Jennifer! So when Joan learns that her parents almost named her Jennifer, she decides to transform herself into the Jennifer she might have been . . . It's Either Everything . . . Armed with all the pop psychology she can get her hands on-and with the help of a dear friend who can recite Cosmo-style stats by heart-Joan sets out to cultivate her inner a sexy, successful belle-of-the-ball who's completely in charge of her professional and private lives. Or Nothing At All. But "Project Jennifer" is not a rousing success right out of the gate-apparently, even Jennifers can have bad dates and wardrobe malfunctions-but soon Joan begins to feel transformed by her new self. In fact, her Jennifer persona might end up teaching her a few unexpected lessons about like how to say "yes" to things you want and "no" to things you don't, and that just being yourself is enough. Even if that self is named Joan . . . A clever, fun new twist on a story of a modern woman grappling with the very nature of who she is and why, Project Jennifer explores whether having the right name can really take you places . . . Jill Amy Rosenblatt lives on Long Island, New York. Project Jennifer is her first novel.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Writer, reader, wanna be artist. Proud owner of a short attention span and overactive imagination.

Author of the crime suspense thriller series, The Fixer (Katerina Mills).

The Naked Man (Book 1), The Killing Kind (Book 2), and The Last Romanov (Book 3) are all available in paperback and e-book formats wherever books are sold.

Currently working on The Good Criminal (Book 4), Shell Game (Book 5), and Requiem (Book 6).

Reviews

[Ali · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eugh. Joan was shallow and uninteresting, and most of the supporting characters were as lifeless as cardboard cutouts. I just couldn't read the book straight through; after the first 40 pages or so, I was fed up and bored and just skimmed the rest.

In comparison to the middle and beginning, I have to say I liked the ending. If more of the story had involved the characters who were introduced in the last quarter of its pages, or if Joan had grown and developed as a character a tad quicker, I would have had a different (more positive) experience with this book.

[Valerie · Rating 1 out of 5]

REally hard to get into. I skipped some of the book.

[Dena · Rating 3 out of 5]

how does a 'nice girl' become such an obnoxious, terrible human being in just 6 months??? I didn't care for her or her friends. Joan didn't need to be a Jennifer, she needed to grow the f up and be a responsible and respectable adult. I'm glad she finally found a change of scenery. I think it is exactly what she needed.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started out ho-hum and pretty stereotypical, but I laughed out loud a lot. By the end, I was actually admiring Joan, her growth and her choices. And I was still laughing out loud... a lot. Considering I picked up this book in the local library's book nook, I didn't have any expectations. It turned out to be quite enjoyable.

[Amanda Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witty writing that attacks real (or the lack thereof)relationship issues. I've been through a lot of what this character goes though, so it was nice to realize not all relationship decisions are sane & that often the hormones we have blind us & keep us from seeing the obvious truth. Deep thinking aside, the character is personable and often quite hilarious. Good chiclit for sure.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a pretty good book. Joan/Jennifer kinda got on my nerves sometimes while I was reading, but I enjoyed the book overall for the most part. I liked Carrie; I thought she was a great character. I was expecting a different ending than the one that happened, based on the plot for the rest of the book.

[Amanda Tm · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning and end were the best parts of this book. The main character tried to turn herself into someone she was not a "Jennifer". If not for a few funny parts, that happened when I was ready to think about another book choice,I would have stopped reading the book. The end has potential for another book that would probably be better than this one.

[Melissa Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book for my chick lit book club (definitely wouldn't have picked it up on my own), it was a very cute, witty, quick little read. The book as a whole was rather easy to relate to and I just loved Joanie (Carrie is was a hoot as well!).

[Jb62 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joan, the main character, was well written. I think the author wrote accurately about how many women feel at the start of relationships - and how we over think things. Joan was able to laugh at herself. She did have a bit of a dark side but luckily got back on track.

[Melissa Rhoads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a no-brainer, chick-lit book. Had some very funny lines and scenes, and the main character makes every mistake in the book, but I was entertained. The ending was a surprise and I would read what Joan/Jennifer does next. I think I'll change 2⭐️s to 3⭐️s.

[Katie Mcsweeney · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ending was solid - I actually loved it.

The rest was woeful. The writing was stiff and Joan said such stupid stupid things... for example when she tells us her mother warned her to always read under STROBE lighting.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Typical chick lit story.
Read the entire book only because I was desperate and had nothing left to read.
Hard to believe that the title character could be as dumb about relationships as she was.
Ending was better, as she came to her senses.

[Charlene McConnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hysterical!

[Ajgleck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it

[Rachelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very dry and almost boring to me, I thought it sounded good on my sister in laws coffee table but when reading it, it was almost a chore.

[Jennifer Everitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this once a few years ago and just couldn't get into it. But when I picked it up to read now I finished it off in not time.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book! Especially the twist at the end, which kept it from being just another chick lit title.

[michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

awful awful awful

[Denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book. Boring and trivial. The plot is solid but the characters were not relatable.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny... Loved it.

[Desiree · Rating 3 out of 5]

aside from needing a bit better of an edit/copyedit (for example, something rips a "whole" in a trash bag (ack) ), this was an amusing read.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

good chick read. really easy read. I think I identified with all the men she dated a little too much.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out very funny. Probably should have stopped reading when the main character really began to annoy me. She never redeemed herself to me.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the beginning and the end-but the ENORMOUS mistakes she made in the middle were a little hard to stomach. I would have liked a little more into the future, maybe an epilogue.

[Donna Weber ( Recuperating from Surgery) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had some very funny moments...enjoyable but not my my favorite...ending leaves you hanging or open to sequel...

[Shalaka · Rating 1 out of 5]

Writing was awful. The main character was not likable, and kind of a loser. Eventually she turns her life around but her attitude was irritating and overly sarcastic one liners were overused.

[Tonya · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out funny, but ended up being a bit too much for me. While I liked some of the characters, I kinda wanted to slap the heroine. It was, however, well written.