หัวใจบ๊อก ๆ ไม่ล็อคสเป็ค

by Elizabeth Young, Liz Young, ญาณิน (Translator)

อิซาเบลหรืออิซซี่เชื่อว่ารักครั้ง ล่าสุดของเธอกับแฟนหนุ่มจะสมบูรณ์แบบกว่าครั้งไหนๆที่ผ่านมา แต่สุดท้ายเธอก็จับได้ว่าพ่อตัวดีหนีไปมีอะไรกุ๊กกิ๋กกับแฟนเก่า เมื่อเจออย่างนี้ อิซซี่จึงประกาศกร้าวแน่วแน่ว่าไม่มีผู้ชายที่ไหนจะดีและรักเธอมากไปกว่า เจ้าเฮนรี่ สุนัขตัวโตผู้ซื่อสัตย์อีกแล้ว

แต่เกมปาร์ตี้ละครฆาตรกรรมที่เพื่อนๆชวนอิซซี่ไปร่วมเล่นก็พาเธอให้พบกับ นิค เทรนท์สัตวแพทย์ หนุ่มหล่อปากดีจอมยียวนกวนประสาทที่บังอาจมาดูถูกเฮนรี่สุดที่รักของเธอเข้า แค่เจอหน้าก็เขม่นกันแล้วอย่างนี้ แล้วเกมจะไปรอดหรือนี่ เมื่อทั้งสองสวมบทบาทเป็นคู่รักกัน

และ ใครจะรู้ว่าคนที่ไม่ถูกชะตาจะพาความรักมาทักทายเธอได้อีกครั้ง กว่าจะรู้ตัว หัวใจของเธอก็โดนเสน่ห์ล้นเหลือของเขาก่อกวนเข้าให้จนได้...แบบนี้นโยบายของ อิซซี่ที่ตั้งใจอยู่เป็นโสดกับน้องหมาไปตลอดชีวิตก็ถึงคราวสั่นคลอนซะแล้ว

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Dogs, Humor, Contemporary Romance

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.
This author also writes under Liz Young.
Elizabeth Young started writing after holding a variety of jobs that included modeling for TV commercials in Cyprus and working for the Sultan's Armed Forces in Oman. She has two daughters and lives in Surrey with her husband who never once told her to forget writing and get a "proper" job.

Elizabeth Young is a Chick lit and contemporary romance writer. Her novel Asking for Trouble was the basis for the movie The Wedding Date, directed by Clare Kilner, starring Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney.

Reviews

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up used in the only bookstore in Midway, UT for some desperation vacation reading. While mildly adequate, and with characters that were sort of interesting, there's little sense of story or plot when all is said. And it is particularly ill-served by the cover copy. I mean "After her most recent disaster with the King of the Unrepentant Jerks" sounds like it should be one of the opening events of the book, right? But no, it doesn't happen until nearly the half-way point. Oh, and I wouldn't characterize him as King of anything and he wasn't really that much of a jerk. I can sympathize with the cover copy writer a little bit on this (see lack of story above), but it's very distracting to be looking for an event that keeps on not happening.

I liked Izzy and one or two of her friends enough that I made it through the whole book despite being tempted to simply stop a time or two. The characters are mildly engaging. Keep your expectations low enough and you have a quick read that meanders a lot.

A note about steamy: This is the lowest steam content that I've actually flagged. There's some explicit sexual description, but it's blink-and-it's-gone short.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've loved Elizabeth Young's other books and couldn't wait to read this one (our entire library system has one copy so it's quite in demand). However, I almost didn't get through the first half - she has many chapters devoted to a murder mystery party which I found dull and silly. But I perservered and the second half was much more the charming read that I expect from her. Worth reading, but definitely not my favorite of hers.

[Stephany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in 3 days and it was seriously one of the best chick-lit books I've read in a very long time. Elizabeth Young is an author who creates believable characters, hilarious dialogue, and fun storylines.

This story was set in England (I believe) and had some English slang that I wasn't too familiar with. Still, it made the story come to life and seem a lot more real than many other books set in England I have read. I could totally picture all the scenes and all the characters.

The main character was a girl named Izzy. At the beginning of the story, she was dating a guy named Leo who was a bit of a "prat". Most of the first half of the book was about a murder mystery party Izzy's friend, Felicity, organized. This is where she met Nick (predictably, I knew she would end up with him.) Leo had to cancel on the party because he forgot he had to make an appearance at his ex-wife's house.

As the story goes on, Izzy finds out Leo cheated on her and wins a trip to Barbados with a friend from a ball she attended, where she saw Nick again and had a steamy encounter in the kitchen in the morning. While she was in Barbados, Felicity, who was watching her dog, lost him during a bad storm.

The book was much less about any type of inner struggle Izzy has and more about a romantic story, which is my only problem I have with this story. We didn't learn so much about the character herself and how she learns to live life more for her and more fully.

Still, this was a great, easy read and I really enjoyed the story.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm normally a fan of Elizabeth Young's novels. That being said, I bought A Girl's Best Friend years ago when it was published in 2003 and finally read it last week. I was unimpressed by this book. The first third of the novel is extremely confusing. There are too many characters to keep track of. Then, just as the reader starts to remember everyone's names and understand each character's role in the story, the author puts the characters into a scenario where they are involved in a dinner murder mystery play and each character has a role in the mystery which involves having a name for their role. The reader is then forced to try to remember each character and the name of their role in the murder mystery plot. On top of all that confusion, there is the fact that Ms. Young uses a lot of British sayings and terms throughout the book that (as an American), I did not know. This was distracting as I would stumble over the Britishisms trying to learn what they meant instead of being able to read the book without pause. Overall the book is not a bad read, but it doesn't really take off until the middle of when the murder mystery dinner is over and the actual plotline starts. Overall, I'd recommend skipping A Girl's Best Friend and reading one of the author's other novels.

[Olly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Karena lagi seneng banget dengan karya penulis satu ini, maka sempet-sempetin baca judul yang ini. Reviewnya bagus soalnya.
Isabel - Izzy- dengan anjing setianya -Henry- serta hubungannya dengan Leo-duda beranak dua, yang tak bisa lepas dari rutinitas keluarganya, membuat Izzy merasa tersisih.
Izzy percaya bahwa Dog better than men, namun Henry juga yang membuatnya menemukan Nick, cowok yang membuatnya sebal.
Cerita awalnya sih agak boring, tentang pesta kostum konyol yang dihadiri Izzy dan Nick, interaksi Izzy dengan geng nya yang tak kalah meriah dan heboh, pokoknya bakal loncat-loncat deh bacanya.
Tetapi saat christmas eve, baru deh ceritanya mulai mengalun bagus, karakter-karakternya mulai jelas.
Endingnya luar biasa dengan alur yang tidak biasa.
Terus terang emang suka cerita model gini, yang diakhiri dengan married and baby....

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, I just loved this fun chick lit novel! At first, it was a little overwhelmingly English, but as soon as it got going, I started to really like it and become accustomed to the cadence and vocabulary. It had some truly hilarious parts - like the way the main couple first met as children and it even had parts where I cried (partly because I was home alone with my dog, and it involved some dog-stress!). All in all, it was great fun and a fast and enjoyable read. I will definitely add Elizabeth Young to my list of authors to look out for!

[Iben · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my eleventy billionth re-read of this one. When I need an old favourite, Liz Young delivers. It's a vibe and a flashback in time.

[Riley K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this story. The plot was amazing, the subplots were fantastical. The characters were beautifully written and showed so much growth.

The chemistry between Nick and Izzy was hot. You just knew the minute they met that they sizzled. Especially when he made fun of her beloved Henry. Henry is the most amazing dog ever. Ultimately it's Henry that helps Nick and Izzy realize their feelings for one another. Will they get it together by the time the book ends? Read it and you will find out.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though A Girl's Best Friend is far from being the best British Chick-Lit it is enjoyable. I wanted an easy, breezy read and that's what I got. The characters are likable but I didn't love them (well, except for Henry the dog). I didn't really care too much what happened to them. There were some mildly humorous moments and some touching ones. Nothing spectacular but a decent summer read.

[Viv · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really did like this! Perfectly whacky vibes and very astute writing. I‘d say yes to a Murder Mystery weekend in the English countryside with this group any day! Granted, the remarks about weight felt rather of the time, and the romance wasn’t depicted in an excessively tender manner, but it did have it’s poignant moments and distinct undercurrent. I wish more authors would keep me on my toes the way Elizabeth Young does.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It paled in comparison to the other title I had just read by this author. There were so many characters that I had a tough time keeping them straight, and the storyline didn’t really have any surprises. It was still a feel-good read, though, and interesting insights into relationships in general, so worth the read!!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the first half the story lacked much plot but the characters were interesting enough to move forward. Loved that this was a fun, flirty story and thought it was perfect for a long weekend especially if it’s over the year-end holiday.

[Josefa Wann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute but confusing, especially the first part. Hard to know who's who. The dialogue and words are very English and hard to know the meaning of some words.

[Ren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never finished this. I just couldn't get into it. Maybe I just had too many other things going on.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love,

One of my favorite books ever! I have read so many times I can’t even count.
A great story of friends, relationships and love.

[Colette O'meara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was an enjoyable and entertaining read. It took time for the plot to develop but overall I enjoyed reading it.

[Huê · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/3.5

[LC Cardadeiro · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF- boring, don’t like the writing style

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit hard to get into - lots of characters and hard to keep them all straight, and a writing style that wasn’t my favorite. However, a cute story and ultimately an ok read.

[Carrie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it's just because I love dogs so much but I really enjoyed this one, liked both the people and Izzy's dog.

[Patti K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quicker read than the last one. Part of that was the fact that it wasn't as overwhelmingly populated with British slang. I think it was also shorter. I liked the basic plot of the story and really enjoyed it with one exception: the "murder mystery party". I felt that part dragged on a bit too long and was too detailed - it is a confusing sort of thing to read a story within a story where the author needs to make sure you're aware who all the participants are in the main story. That sort of thing is really best left to visual arts, where there is an added level of appreciation that allows the viewer to implicitly understand things like when the characters are acting and when they're themselves. That part of the story moved very slowly because it was a constant explanation. There were probably a whole host of other plot devices that could have thrown the characters together. Anyway, it didn't prevent me from enjoying the story overall, it just made that part move slower than the rest (though, still appreciably faster than trying to wade through the first 50 pages of Brit slang). It will be worth reading more of her books, especially now that I know she doesn't always make one feel like they are reading in a foreign language.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just okay for me. The story is about Isabel and her relationships with men. The book is titled "A Girl's Best Friend," because of Isabel's relationship with her dog Henry. There's this small part in the beginning that describes a poster Isabel's friend made for her that lists why a dog is better than a man. And then it was rarely if ever brought up again.

If you are going to name a book after this close relationship between an owner and her pet, shouldn't it be more present in the book? I know it is chick lit and maybe I shouldn't be so picky, but I thought it was such shallow attempt and the book could have been better if the author brought up "man versus dog" comparision up more.

Anyways, the rest of the book was good though. I actually liked the love story between Nick and Isabel.

[Delly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, as I'm writing this review, it's been 6 years that I've read this book, and I'm still moved by it.
I was 13 back then and still not a books addict (what a shame) but then my hands ended up on this book.

This book was like my friend for a few days, I was reading it every night and it was just so good. It's the kind of book that you don't wanna put down. You just keep reading and reading until you (sadly) fall asleep.

I have to be honest, I don't remember of the whole story but all I'm sure of is that this book is real amazing.

I still can see me, desperately looking for tissues while I was reading the end. Wonderful ending by the way.

Now, all I want is to read it again.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This chick lit book is fun and wonderfully British. Some of the British slang actually slowed me down when I first began reading the book (trying to figure out what the characters were actually saying), but it was fun. It's an easy read and relatively light, but with just enough believable substance. I enjoyed the fact that I could actually see this story happening...it wasn't too far fetched. It also probably helped that one of the characters actually reminded me of my husband. :) There were even a few mentions of rugby thrown in there. :)

[Di · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this because it was effectively free at a book sale, and I liked the cover (I'm a sucker for books with dogs). That said, this is a chick list book through and through-- the only unique part about it is how long it takes to introduce the love interest mentioned on the back cover synopsis, especially as a love interest instead of just another guy. The dog as well is more of a vehicle than a character, so that was a little disappointing.

While enjoyable, I'm glad I didn't pay for this one!

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in England, this book is worth reading if you are a true blue dog lover. It is predictable right up until it makes you gasp, then it's less predictable until it makes you gasp again, and becomes more predictable. The main character of this story is 30 and thinks she has things pretty well under control. RIGHT up until the moment she doesn't. I can't say much without spoilers, but this is a quick little read that reminds you change can be great, renews your faith in good friends and hoping for a brighter future.

[Krysten · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the second half of the book, but more than once through the first half, I wasn't sure I would finish it. The characters are fun and likable, but chunks of the first half of the book could have been cut out and I wouldn't have felt like I missed anything important. Most of the first half is about the murder mystery party, and just felt like it drug on a bit too long. I kept waiting to get to the part where her ex actually becomes her ex and her new romance starts up, but you don't really get there until your half way through the book.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the worst book...but i wont read it again thats for sure. the book has potential to be really good but it just didnt hit it head on. first of all it was so slow ( i actully debated if i should stop reading it). The very begining was good for the book and so was the end (last quarter of it) but everything else in the middle seemed "out of place" per say. I see what she was doing by setting up for the end but i think there would have been a better route to take for it.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't judge this against its genre because I don't tend to read in its genre. But this book was deeper and kinder than I expected, with a likeable heroine and a believable romance. I read it over a very long period, mostly during long down times in hospital waiting rooms, and it held up well. That's saying quite a lot.