The Perfectly True Tales of a Perfect Size 12

by Robin Gold

Delilah White’s perfect New York life is about to take a tumble . . . but change is good, right? Right?!? Delilah White, television’s semi-famous (to her own shock) and completely endearing Domestic Diva, likes herself just the way she a perfect size twelve. When her boss announces that she’s taking an early retirement, Delilah finds herself pitted against her rival, the statuesque Margo Hart, for one of the most coveted promotions in television. As the office politics are heating up, Delilah jumps at the opportunity for a long weekend at her friend’s family estate in the Catskills, only to have Margo make a surprise appearance and start stirring up trouble. Armed only with a pink polka dot bikini and her sometimes overactive imagination, Delilah must balance her budding romance (with a man who just might be otherwise committed) and a sudden meltdown at the office. As one disaster follows another, it takes all of Delilah’s charm, ingenuity, and spirit to come out on top.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Humor, New York, Adult

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2007

Reviews

[Lain · Rating 2 out of 5]

I looked forward to this book as a Meg Cabot-type chick lit tale, a la Heather Wells. Instead, I found a poorly written, snooze-inducing 260 pages.

The author uses a very heavy hand to write her story of Delilah White, Martha Stewart wannabe, and her quest to best rival Margot Hart for the plum producer's spot on Domestic Bliss. The constant flipping forward and backward in time, coupled with the hackneyed plot and bouncing-pinball point-of-view, made for a book I had trouble finishing.

Oh, and a side note to the author -- "gonna" ain't a word.

[Cindy (BKind2Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mind candy - not taxing but fun. The main characters were great but the others were a little too stereotyped. I thought that the overall novel was okay but this is not great literature. The romance between Delilah & Jack was cute - I liked the date and the interactions were fun. Even though I find the rushed romances in this type of book contrived, this actually did not come off that way. There was chemistry but no deep love/marriage talk (as should be)

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun easy read with likable and despicable characters. Enjoyable summer read as the story takes place over the fourth of July holiday! Sit back and enjoy in a day!

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book had a very slow and boring plot and didn't tell you how the main character did after the issues.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, easy read. The content was light and kept you motivated to continue. It's a great summer afternoon read.

[Doris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, I could have written this book. But it was a bit of fun.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting. I thought that the characters didn't ask questions when they should have and left too much unsaid. The plot was interesting though.

[Barbara Cryer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bah...feeding someone drinks who does not drink is NOT a fun plot point.

[Megan Masters · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this about ten years ago in high school and remembering liking it so much. In my reread….. very stereotypical and poor plot and just not how I remembered. 2 stars for the nostalgia of it.

[Cindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh! So poorly written; I think I could have done better. I could not finish it.

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Finally finished it - it's nothing short of drivel. Really and truly. The writer is juvinile, her style is that as well. My favorite? A psychic in the book starts chanting "Tatum ergo sacrumentum..." - idiot! Apparently, the author didn't do her homework and see that the Tatum Ergo is a very sacred hymn of adoration. Really, don't read it - no wonder she hasn't written since.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I'm not done with it yet, but I need to add more......
This book is painful - plain and simple. I remember learning in English lit that authors write what they know. Clearly, this one (hailing from Illinois, mind you) knows NOTHING about NY business women who hold high ranking and glamorous jobs. "Oh gosh" and "gee" are not part of anything we would say. Period. She currently lives in NY, perhaps she should taste the flavor a bit? The Leave It To Beaver family setting sounds more like the author's fantasy world than anything else. What bothers me particulary is the family "maid" (which is a term not used anymore) is dressed in a traditional black/white uniform and is Spanish. Why is she Spanish? Why depict that? I find that offensive and I'm surprised it even went to press.

Truly, this was written by a juvenile, at least in the style of writing. Delilah's (the main character) thoughts that are expressed throughout the book sound like they're from an 18-21 year old rather than a smart, sophisticated, thirty-something producer of a television show. Even the very first line of the author's acknolwedgements "it sounds like a load of crap...." made me wonder if she was 15 years old.

When I'm done, I plan to give it away - something I never do with my books.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I put this book down last year and decided to try it again. So far, it's a typical summer-type read, easy; but I'm finding it a bit hokey. From the "perfect family" aspect with a glorious estate in the Catskill Mountains (mind you, the parents act quite June and Ward Cleaver-ish ["there's my dumpling!!!...']) to the main character saying things like "oh gosh" and "crikey" - unless you're Steve Irwin, people in NYC do not say things like this.

But I'll finish, if nothing else, out of morbid curiousity.

[Lynnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun

Eccentric charming billionaires throwing a 4th of July bash to pass all others is the primary setting for this tale of attraction and misunderstandings. Mean work rivals and finding one’s bliss.

[Lorna · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you want something brainless, this is an easy read. But the writing is quite irritating. The inner monologues are not believable and the character's use of language is not consistent throughout the book. Sometimes they sound like women trying to be sophisticated Manhattanites, other times it's like a 12 year old 'like oh my gawd!'. I also found the premise to very unrealistic. And although the title makes you think it's about a larger sized woman and her struggles in a size 4 world, the storyline hardly ever touches on this. And it's funny that the author mentions that she's a perfect size 10.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wanted to be more than it was. I am a fan of Meg Cabot as I told my sister on numerous occassions this is a wannabe Meg Cabot style book. The "chick lit" genre if you will but it was just below par.

It was a quick read and I sort of cared about the characters but there was not enough... I'm not sure. It was not as engaging as a Meg Cabot novel such as "Size 12 is Not Fat". This book fell a little flat and felt a might bit choppy as it mixed flashbacks with the present.

It was entertaining for what it was. At it's heart, the book is about change. But the dressing made the message a little cloudy and at times ridiculous.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was expecting this to be as light-hearted and enjoyable as a Meg Cabot book, but the voice of the narrator drove me crazy – and this isn’t an audiobook I’m talking about. The narration was in the third person but with a lot of odd, self-deprecating comments that felt really disjointed. I felt the book would have been a lot more enjoyable had it been written in the first person. I also felt like Robin Gold was trying too hard to make the protagonist likeable, and the effect felt cheesy and commercialized.

Apparently I was smart to put it down early, as a slew of bad reviews on Good Reads have slammed it for being boring, stupid, and obnoxious.

[Christin · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG I was ROLLING! This book is the most hilarious thing I've read in a long time. Such a great and easy read (read it in two days) and so fun! My favorite part goes something like this:
Sofia is at a family party. Her cell phone is on vibrate in her purse. Cell phone rings. Consuela (family housekeeper/second mom) says, "Do you have a sex toy in your purse?!" Sofia replies, "NO, I do not!!! Get your mind out of the gutter!!"
Result: Me laughing out loud hysterically!!
Seriously, it was great. Go read it!!
FYI: they like to drop the *F* bomb quite a bit, so if you're bothered by that, this book is not for you.
Can't wait for the second book!!

[Pam Masters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deliah is a size 12, and doesn't care what others think, which in the day and age is refreshing to find in a story. It's also refreshing since she works in TV.

When her boss announces her retirement at the end of the summer, work becomes chaotic. The chaos blows in one weekend, during the 4th of July. While at a Sophia's family's party, Deliah realizes that she needs to put her foot down where her "friend" Margo is concerned. While doing that, Deliah finds herself falling for Jack, Sophia's cousin. What's a girl to do?

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book from the bargin bin at Borders and judged it by it's title and cover and was glad I wasn't disappointed. It's a fun tale of friendship and people that try to balance work and fun. Characters were believable and easy to picture the story as it was happening. Could easily see it being made into a cute tv movie. Quick fast read which was exactly what I needed as I get back into reading for pleasure again.

[Audry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and entertaining book. It reads like a first book for the author, but was fun and easy to read. I enjoyed it, although I felt like there could be more plot and character development. IT was a very quick read and things moved fast, which was good at the end and did help keep it interesting. The ending was cute, not terribly surprising, and a bit corny, but it was a good book. A nice, short, for-fun read.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy breezy fun read. It took me only a few days to finish this. It was funny and goofy. The chapters were short which I like. I had fun reading this book and adored Deliah White and pitied Margo Hart. We all had a Margo Hart In our lives and can relate to whom we thought was our friend. I’m glad I ignored all the bad reviews. If you are looking for a fun easy funny book read this you won’t regret it. Better yet form your own opinion after you read it.

[Brena Chan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn't the first reader who came to this hoping for a Meg Cabot style book.

Unfortunately, the writing is terrible. The present tense was off-putting. Further, there is so much telling instead of showing. I don't want to hear the mindless drivel of the main character. Stop telling me every single one of her thoughts and lets see what she's actually like IN ACTION.

Ugh. DO NOT RECOMMEND. Go read Meg Cabot =)

[lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a fun story. the main theme was two assistant producers vieing for the producers spot..one of these women was doing very unkind things inorder to "win" the position...there was also a nice romance thrown in...all in all this was worth the read...try it if you are looking for light and meaningless!!

[Stephanie T · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a light puff of a story that would have been fine as superficial chick lit if I hadn't been so annoyed by the title. I don't see where the protagonist's size has much to do with the plot, and I resent the fact that the book may have been titled the way it is just to lure in women readers. This may be overly picky of me, but I feel like I was a little mislead.

[Roxanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh man, was this dumb. Extremely fluffy chick lit. I was bothered by some of the obvious stereotyping in the book (the maid's name is Consuela and she's a motherly Hispanic woman? really?), and it was way overwritten, with the POV jumping from the head of one character to another. But it was just the sort of stupid read I needed this week.

[Taj · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picked up the book hoping it would be somewhat like a Meg Cabot read. Turned out to be a bad move. Didn't enjoy it and found myself skimming through pages. Was shallow and didn't delve into the characters much. The ending was abrupt. What happened to Margo, Preston, Agnes? Pity for I thought it had the potential to be developed.

[Danielle Calabria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was never boring and I was immediately into it from Page 1. This is a very light and enjoyable read. I am hoping that there is sequel b/c you want to know what happens to the characters. Can you tell that I liked it? :o)

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was a fun, fast and light read. Delilah and Sofia are great characters. The housekeeper, Consuela was great! The random bits of Spanish were a fun surprise. Great ending and overall good book!

[Lenore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great quick read for a weekend or a day at the beach. I liked the fast pace of the book and it was something I didn't have to think too hard about. It was a little superficial, but sometimes, I like to read stuff I don't need to analyze.

[Carissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute story about a girl, a guy, a career, a long weekend, and a wicked friend. It was a little predictable and I can do without the F word. It was alright, but I don't know if I would recommend it.

[Indy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main characters are really interesting. They are well written, their dialogue is great, and they seem real. The supporting cast, however, is made of just awful caricatures. Seriously, Consuela the Mexican maid that says "loco in the cabeza!" No. Just no.