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Everything Nice
In this smart, sexy, wickedly funny new novel, the acclaimed author of Right Before Your Eyes introduces an unforgettable and irresistibly real a woman who is forced to reinvent herself— and discovers that the biggest risk is not taking one at all.
Michaela “Mike” Edwards doesn’t do sugar and spice. But when mishandled office politics get her unexpectedly fired, the young advertising hotshot finds herself doing the moving back in with her widowed father, unraveling her complex feelings for an Aussie journalist named Gunther, and rethinking her entire life. She could never have guessed that fate would land her in a classroom teaching “life skills” to sixth-grade girls who desperately need her. But with a best friend rapidly becoming something more, and a family she’s just discovering, Mike is about to learn that going places in life doesn’t have to mean going it alone.
Michaela “Mike” Edwards doesn’t do sugar and spice. But when mishandled office politics get her unexpectedly fired, the young advertising hotshot finds herself doing the moving back in with her widowed father, unraveling her complex feelings for an Aussie journalist named Gunther, and rethinking her entire life. She could never have guessed that fate would land her in a classroom teaching “life skills” to sixth-grade girls who desperately need her. But with a best friend rapidly becoming something more, and a family she’s just discovering, Mike is about to learn that going places in life doesn’t have to mean going it alone.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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246 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
July 8, 2008
Welllll, I started off not liking the book so much but had to finish it as part of my duties of Summer Book Club Reader for Metro New York. The main character is a woman named Mike (short for Michaela) who was raised by her father (her mom died when she was four years old) and acts like a man. She treats men the way certain men treat women. She's bossy. She's rude. She's in advertising. And she has a great guy as her best friend who OBVIOUSLY wants something more but she's too blind to see it. Then she gets fired and finds herself living back at home with her father and teaching little girls "life skills" at a private academy. The end of the book actually wasn't too bad in a sort of chic-lit kind of way. I mean, I could pretty much guess how it was going to end. No big plot twists here, but it was sweet, and showed character change, which was nice. Worth a read if you want some fun summer reading.
September 13, 2008
I liked this better than the other reviewers apparently. I thought this book was really, really well done.
1) Mike Edwards is never de-tomboyed. Unlike many tomboy character romances, she never ends up in lipstick and heels at the end. She just learns how to have adult emotions.
That to me was the best part of it. I also liked how much you really dislike Mike at the beginning. You know why her coworkers hated her and then Shanman sprinkles in bits of Mike's past to make her sympathetic, but not before you think how much you would have to work with her. It made the reader go through the emotion shift with Mike, rather than just reading about it.
You do have to suspend belief long enough for Mike to become a teacher.
1) Mike Edwards is never de-tomboyed. Unlike many tomboy character romances, she never ends up in lipstick and heels at the end. She just learns how to have adult emotions.
That to me was the best part of it. I also liked how much you really dislike Mike at the beginning. You know why her coworkers hated her and then Shanman sprinkles in bits of Mike's past to make her sympathetic, but not before you think how much you would have to work with her. It made the reader go through the emotion shift with Mike, rather than just reading about it.
You do have to suspend belief long enough for Mike to become a teacher.
June 5, 2017
This started out a veryyyy slow read for me. At first, I didn't think I could relate with Mike (the main character). She seemed so untouchable in the beginning. But as the book progressed and as she was exposed to uncomfortable situations, she became more and more human. That was when I was gripped! She became a lot more relatable. The tough as nails character shone for me, but at the same time she is fragile. Following her journey in finding who she really is, was truly gripping.
And who could forget the hunky Gunther!!!
And who could forget the hunky Gunther!!!
February 20, 2019
EDIT: Did not read any further. Original review below.
Unfortunately, the ploy the author used to make the MC unlikeable to showcase later character grow and such, back-fired. The first few chapters did not appeal me to the MC or the potential of the story, so I failed on multiple occasions to pick it up and continue reading.
If I hadn't read other reviews, I wouldn't even recognise that the MC may go through growth and that the start of the novel was an attempt to lay the groundwork for later.
And to be long-winded and frank, Mike comes off as sexist and a bit Mary-Sue. She describes herself as not like other girls in her interests and understandings, but in the same breath boasts of her beauty and wide skill set, the same things she used to undermine others but also establish herself as "SpECial". I won't be reading from this author again, and this will forever be on my tried-no-finish list, which only has a few.
ORIGINAL:
This is an early review. I've only read two chapters, so not much of the book. 2 stars are filled with the hope of better. But... Here are my thoughts so far:
1. Mike is so unlikeable, and as several people have pointed out, a JERK. Like she is degrading to others in her thoughts and honestly, I hate her as an MC.
2. I feel objectified as an Australian. This author's writing style is odd. Not only her description of Gunther is weird, but the way she frames the thoughts and self-description of Mike is also weird. Weird is all I can think to describe it.
3. I hope that this improves as I read. I think I'll give it to her getting to working in the school or whatever, but I'm really struggling to finish this book. I consume books normally very fast and willingly, not so much with this one. I don't even want an amazing book.
4. Normally 3 stars and above is good enough for me. I don't mind mind-numbing fluff. This book, however, makes me feel icky. And I'm only two chapters in. Will edit once I finish it (if I finish it).
Unfortunately, the ploy the author used to make the MC unlikeable to showcase later character grow and such, back-fired. The first few chapters did not appeal me to the MC or the potential of the story, so I failed on multiple occasions to pick it up and continue reading.
If I hadn't read other reviews, I wouldn't even recognise that the MC may go through growth and that the start of the novel was an attempt to lay the groundwork for later.
And to be long-winded and frank, Mike comes off as sexist and a bit Mary-Sue. She describes herself as not like other girls in her interests and understandings, but in the same breath boasts of her beauty and wide skill set, the same things she used to undermine others but also establish herself as "SpECial". I won't be reading from this author again, and this will forever be on my tried-no-finish list, which only has a few.
ORIGINAL:
This is an early review. I've only read two chapters, so not much of the book. 2 stars are filled with the hope of better. But... Here are my thoughts so far:
1. Mike is so unlikeable, and as several people have pointed out, a JERK. Like she is degrading to others in her thoughts and honestly, I hate her as an MC.
2. I feel objectified as an Australian. This author's writing style is odd. Not only her description of Gunther is weird, but the way she frames the thoughts and self-description of Mike is also weird. Weird is all I can think to describe it.
3. I hope that this improves as I read. I think I'll give it to her getting to working in the school or whatever, but I'm really struggling to finish this book. I consume books normally very fast and willingly, not so much with this one. I don't even want an amazing book.
4. Normally 3 stars and above is good enough for me. I don't mind mind-numbing fluff. This book, however, makes me feel icky. And I'm only two chapters in. Will edit once I finish it (if I finish it).
December 18, 2022
This book took me by surprise. I thought it would be a light and fun chick lit-style story, but it proved to be deeper and even more enjoyable. I found the growth and struggle of Michaela (Mike) believable and moving. As the reader you sort of see her growth before she does. And the fact that she slips back into old patterns came across as very human. The inclusion of two strong older woman characters was really fabulous. I both laughed and cried with this book and would highly recommend it.
April 23, 2023
This book took me by surprise. I thought it would be a light and fun chick lit-style story, but it proved to be deeper and even more enjoyable. I found the growth and struggle of Michaela (Mike) believable and moving. As the reader you sort of see her growth before she does. And the fact that she slips back into old patterns came across as very human. The inclusion of two strong older woman characters was really fabulous. I both laughed and cried with this book and would highly recommend it.
November 30, 2020
Engaging story, but I didn't like the main character AT ALL. Mike has a massive chip on her shoulder and doesn't like any other women, because she has never gotten to know any other women. Because her mother died when she was very young. That reasoning didn't work for me. I think you can be raised without a mother and still get to know other girls and recognize that they aren't all vapid stereotypes.
November 18, 2023
4 star
RTC
RTC
February 5, 2025
An easy guilty pleasure read. I enjoyed it!
April 2, 2015
Annyira régóta vártam már valami igazán jó kis chick-litre, ami kicsit szakít a szabályokkal, de azért mégis fiatal nőknek, nőkről szól anélkül, hogy ismételné az unalmas sablonokat. S íme az Everything niceban pont ez van benne. A helszín New York, de nem a csillogós része, hanem az, hogy igenis élnek ott rendes emberek, a főszereplő szingli, de nem ezen aggódik naphosszat, ugyanis egészen más egzisztenciális problémái vannak. Mike érdekes karakter, eleinte talán unszimpatikus is lehetne, főleg ha belegondolunk, valóban más nők hogy látják őt: szép, tehetséges mindenféle külön rásegítés nélkül és még véletlenül se akar beilleszkedni a többi nő közé. Úgyhogy nem csoda, bukását a munkatársai kárörömmel figyelik. De ugyanakkor pont azért, mert neveléséből hiányzik minden nőies, érzelmes, hisz özvegy apa nevelte fel, aki maga se egy érzelmileg túlságosan eleresztett egyén, kislányokhoz meg pláne nem értett. Teljesen hihető az, hogy az életnek ennyire földbe kell döngölnie ahhoz, hogy talpra álljon, átértékelje az életét és kicsit nyitottabb legyen és elfogadja, ha segítenek neki, s ő is elismerje, hogy vannak dolgok, amikért érdemes kockáztatni. Ráadásnak pedig ott van Gunther az ausztrál srác, akit az első leírástól kezdve Hugh Jackmannek képzeltem el és hát ez pont elég ahhoz, hogy szorítsak neki, Mike észrevegye végre, hogy ő nem csak jó haver, hanem szeretne több is lenni és elfogadja a lányt olyannak, amilyen, csak lényeg, hogy megtegye már ő azt a lépést.
Ellen Shanman az első oldaltól kezdve megfogott pörgős, könnyű prózájával, hihető karaktereivel és nagyon penge humorával. Ráadásul úgy tud meghatóan is írni, hogy abszolút nem csöpögős és ciki az egész, hanem hihető és szívbemarkoló. Úgyhogy meg is rendeltem másik regényét, a Right before your eyest, ami ennél korábbi írás, de állítólag pont ennyire jó.
Eredetileg: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/20...
Ellen Shanman az első oldaltól kezdve megfogott pörgős, könnyű prózájával, hihető karaktereivel és nagyon penge humorával. Ráadásul úgy tud meghatóan is írni, hogy abszolút nem csöpögős és ciki az egész, hanem hihető és szívbemarkoló. Úgyhogy meg is rendeltem másik regényét, a Right before your eyest, ami ennél korábbi írás, de állítólag pont ennyire jó.
Eredetileg: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/20...
June 26, 2011
God, I haven't read an american book in like forever! This book was about a girl who acts like a Dude and doesn't have like any girl friends. Her mentor and boss gets fired from the ad agency they work at and she gets fired with him. Because she has been such a bitch all these years and her boss is like a total outcast now, she can't seem to get any work anywhere. Her new step mother gets her a job teaching some like home ec type class at the school she used to work at and she ends up changing it and teaching the girls how to act and get by in New York City, which I thought was kind of different and good. There is also some storyline where her best friend, who of course, is a Dude from Australia (yay!) and he is like in love with her but she doesn't know it. Of course, they get together in the end and the Girl learns a valuable lesson on not being a bitch.
Probably my least favourite part of the book was that this girl seems all tough and bitchy, but then she relies too much on her boss and mentor. If she was so strong willed and independent, she would have relied on no one. Also, she was a total bitch and treated people like shit (and of course was so beautiful at the same time and therefore still always got what she wanted) and then when she finally didn't get everything, she was like all pissed. That was kind of annoying. I did like her interaction with the kids a lot though.
Grade: C
Probably my least favourite part of the book was that this girl seems all tough and bitchy, but then she relies too much on her boss and mentor. If she was so strong willed and independent, she would have relied on no one. Also, she was a total bitch and treated people like shit (and of course was so beautiful at the same time and therefore still always got what she wanted) and then when she finally didn't get everything, she was like all pissed. That was kind of annoying. I did like her interaction with the kids a lot though.
Grade: C
February 19, 2016
Shanman does a splendid job of making Michaela “Mike” Edwards both likable and unlikable on the same page! Mike is not a tomboy per se; she's just not a girly girl...doesn't hang out in the bathroom and go to hair-braiding parties, etc. Probably because her mom died when she was so little she can't remember her, and her dad just couldn't deal with it, as she is pretty much the embodiment of her mother. She's an all-star marketer, but she doesn't care what anyone thinks...which bites her when the one person at work who backs her is fired. Now she's out on the street and the marketing world isn't speaking to her, mostly because of her crass ways and association with her fired boss. Desperate after 6 months of searching, she moves back in with her dad who's getting married! Who knew he was even dating? Deja (the fiancee) worked at a school, so she refers Mike over there. Instead of getting a marketing position, however, Mike ends up teaching life skills to a class of 11 sixth-grade girls. She shakes it up in the classroom and in her life as well, recovering from a nasty relationship and trying desperately not to fall for her best friend, Gunther.
Not sure why, but I kept picturing Mark Stanley (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4440305) as Gunther, except with an Australian accent.
In the end, Mike doesn't need to turn into a fairy princess to get the guy; she can be herself! Funny. No plot twists or anything, just a quick read. Happily ever after and all that jazz.
Not sure why, but I kept picturing Mark Stanley (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4440305) as Gunther, except with an Australian accent.
In the end, Mike doesn't need to turn into a fairy princess to get the guy; she can be herself! Funny. No plot twists or anything, just a quick read. Happily ever after and all that jazz.
December 27, 2008
Mike Edwards may look like a girl (and like a girl everyone wants to sleep with) but she was raised by her widowed father, a surgeon, to be a tough, no nonsense guy. Actually, it seems a bit like she was raised by wolves--she's intelligent and a highly talented advertising professional but she avoids social niceties such as tact and kindness like the plague.
However, karma bites when Mike loses her job and after many months of unsuccessful job searching (where her past lack of social skills has pretty much blacklisted her), she is forced to move back home to live with her dad and his newly acquired fiance, Deja. Through Deja, Mike stumbles onto a job teaching "life skills" to junior high girls at a private school--a job that challenges her in ways she didn't think possible.
Through it all, Mike's best friend, Gunther, an Aussie journalist who works for the Australian version of the Associated Press, buys her drinks, cheers her on, and waits patiently to see if she will ever stop taking him for granted.
Though this novel had all the trappings of chick lit, it managed to twist things around in such a way that it felt fresh and fun. Also, Shanman's writing is witty and sharp; I found myself laughing out loud and sharing paragraphs with people around me as I read.
However, karma bites when Mike loses her job and after many months of unsuccessful job searching (where her past lack of social skills has pretty much blacklisted her), she is forced to move back home to live with her dad and his newly acquired fiance, Deja. Through Deja, Mike stumbles onto a job teaching "life skills" to junior high girls at a private school--a job that challenges her in ways she didn't think possible.
Through it all, Mike's best friend, Gunther, an Aussie journalist who works for the Australian version of the Associated Press, buys her drinks, cheers her on, and waits patiently to see if she will ever stop taking him for granted.
Though this novel had all the trappings of chick lit, it managed to twist things around in such a way that it felt fresh and fun. Also, Shanman's writing is witty and sharp; I found myself laughing out loud and sharing paragraphs with people around me as I read.
October 17, 2008
I wanted to like this book, but in the end, I didn't very much. When it opens, the heroine is on top of the world, working at an ad agency. Then her boss gets fired, and she's canned too, because nobody likes her. She's terrible at making friends. Turns out she was raised by her widowed father who didn't know how to cope with his own emotions, much less hers, and has turned her into "one of the guys" who doesn't know how to be different. She winds up having to move home, gets a job as a substitute "life skills" teacher in a girls school (she doesn't know how to connect with little girls either--they terrify her), and eventually figures out how to become a person again. My problem with the story was that it took her too dang long. The heroine was a jerk, and I sort of understood that she was clueless about her jerkhood, and needed help, but it was just really hard for me to sympathize when she kept doing the same stupid things over and over again. Especially when it came to the guy who was crazy about her. It was an okay read, but I just couldn't warm up to the heroine.
October 22, 2017
I love chic lit set in New York that features a protagonist who works on Madison Avenue. I also love chic lit set in New York that features a protagonist who works as a teacher in a private school. So when I came across this book on Amazon, I figured, "What's not to like about a character who lives in New York and is fired from her job as a copywriter and then becomes a teacher?"
There were so many things I didn't like about this book. I don't think Mike could really be such a great copywriter if she didn't "understand women at all." And Gunther? So we were just to believe that sense he's an Aussie he's "automatically manly" and hot? And then the charter school. I was distracted about how many things the author got wrong about 12 year old girls, Spelman graduates turned Charter School Principal, and as they say in advertising, much, more more.
There were so many things I didn't like about this book. I don't think Mike could really be such a great copywriter if she didn't "understand women at all." And Gunther? So we were just to believe that sense he's an Aussie he's "automatically manly" and hot? And then the charter school. I was distracted about how many things the author got wrong about 12 year old girls, Spelman graduates turned Charter School Principal, and as they say in advertising, much, more more.
December 5, 2008
Found this on our public library's online reviews: MADreads. Fun, read it in an evening. Smart, gorgeous young ad agency star gets fired and falls apart. Moves in with dad who raised her — or rather ignored her; too distraught over wife's death to notice he was raising a child with no compassion or social skills. All that changes when she takes a temp job at a charter school teaching life skills to little girls. Quite amusing and will make you think about and discuss the question of what life skills modern girls need. Still, hard to feel too bad for tall, gorgeous babes ... even if they don't really take advantage of their advantages.
August 27, 2014
Probably more like 2 1/2 stars, but I am being generous. Please, Goodreads, grant us 1/2 stars...how hard could that be?
This was a basically good story, though rather unrealistic in many details. The heroine is fired from her advertising job, has to live with her father and his fiancée, and, with no experience or credentials, somehow lucks into a job teaching at a charter school...ONE period a day, a class of ELEVEN sixth grade girls. Um...as a retired middle school teacher, this was quite a bit more than I could swallow. She makes up her curriculum as she goes along. Sure.
The writing, however, was good, and the story held my interest. I will give Ellen Shanman another try.
This was a basically good story, though rather unrealistic in many details. The heroine is fired from her advertising job, has to live with her father and his fiancée, and, with no experience or credentials, somehow lucks into a job teaching at a charter school...ONE period a day, a class of ELEVEN sixth grade girls. Um...as a retired middle school teacher, this was quite a bit more than I could swallow. She makes up her curriculum as she goes along. Sure.
The writing, however, was good, and the story held my interest. I will give Ellen Shanman another try.
September 18, 2008
I don't know if this would have attracted my attention right away if I was just browsing around. However, a friend brought it over for me to read and I really enjoyed it.
I like the fact that the "tomboy" chick never really gets feminized, like in so many books. I think the big thing is how her character does change by the end of the book and finally realizes that it's okay even for tomboyish women to have emotions and be more compassionate!
I like the fact that the "tomboy" chick never really gets feminized, like in so many books. I think the big thing is how her character does change by the end of the book and finally realizes that it's okay even for tomboyish women to have emotions and be more compassionate!
March 22, 2009
A great read about a very different female protagonist, one who outwardly seems to have it all, but inwardly cannot cope with any relationship or sharing, and has to learn how to do so before she loses the one friend she can't afford to. Along the way she also learns how to deal with other females and children, and how to reach out to others without thinking less of herself.
A very different kind of chick lit but a very moving and well-written one that I highly recommend.
A very different kind of chick lit but a very moving and well-written one that I highly recommend.
June 13, 2016
This packs a lot of emotion, humor, and plot in a small space and all with an overall believable bent. Meet Mike, whose surgeon dad raises her solo from the time she is four, after his wife dies. Missing some of the more traditionally feminine input and guidance, Mike is a 31-year-old barracuda who communicates like a male while looking like a model. Life dumps her on her head and this book is about how she adjusts to that.
August 29, 2010
I laughed out loud so many times through this book. I loved how the relationships shifted and changed for all the characters in this book. Each character was believable and so full of life. I felt a little let down with the ending of the book. I don't know why, I just felt like there should have been more said between Gunther and Mike.
But, all-in-all, a great read!!
But, all-in-all, a great read!!
Read
July 2, 2012Didn't read this book. The author's other book I started, Right Before Your Eyes, was a trashy book. Lots of sex, drinking, and foul words. I looked through this one, and it's more of the same words. Sad. So many better books to read to waste any time on this kind.
I put 'read' on my shelf, because I was not going to read it, nor was I reading it now.
I put 'read' on my shelf, because I was not going to read it, nor was I reading it now.
June 11, 2013
I actually got emotional reading this one. It was like it was super great writing but I had tears from the conversations in this book. I don't know any New Yorkers but I do know that if you talk to your boss the way Mike did, you wouldn't have a job here in Ohio so that was the only thing I felt a bit crazy about it. The total lack of respect was a push over.
October 24, 2008
This book was alright. I tried it because it was different from my usual reading. It took me 'til I was half way through to really get into it. At that point, I couldn't put it down. I think I would try another book by her.
August 18, 2009
Gosh, on so many levels I could so relate with the main character in this quick, easy, guilty pleasure of a summer read. Sure, it's about a woman and relationships, it's predictable, even. But I enjoyed it.
April 29, 2009
Woo Lordy....something stinks. I think it's the plot of this hunk of dung. I can get into chick lit, but this one was just too much to bear.
To be fair, I stopped at 100 pages beccause I was getting ill with boredom.
To be fair, I stopped at 100 pages beccause I was getting ill with boredom.
April 30, 2010
I loved this book! Read nearly the whole thing on a flight from the mid-west to the west coast. It was very genuine and struck a chord in me. I found myself crying and laughing out loud (which is kind of awkward in the middle seat of an airplane...)
March 20, 2013
Even though I found the main character to be highly dis-likeable in many ways, her humor and knowing she ends up teaching 6th grade girls kept me hooked. This character and her emotional evolution is very real.
Currently reading
August 18, 2008This is a good book so far! Keep you psted thought!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews