Product Description

25 stories from the hottest female writers on the scene

Too tired to doll up and head out for a night on the town? (It happens to the best of us.) Just dip into this year's must-read collection for a Girls' Night Out to remember and indulge in tales of reunions and weddings, sisters and friends, endings and beginnings . . . No waiting in line, no wardrobe malfunctions, no jockeying for position as you try to catch the bartender's eye. With a lineup of fantastic writers like Meg Cabot (The Boy Next Door), Emily Giffin (Something Borrowed), Kristin Gore (Sammy's Hill0, Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus (The Nanny Diaries), Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez (The Dirty Girls Social Club) and Lolly Winston (Good Grief), you'll be hanging with the VIPS all night long!

Net proceeds to benefit War Child and No Strings

Other fabulous writers featured: Jessica Adams, Cecelia Ahern, Maggie Alderson, Tilly Bagshawe, Elizabeth Buchan, Laura Caldwell, Lynda Curnyn, Kathleen DeMarco, Nicki Earls, Imogen Edwards-Jones, Robyn Harding, Lauren Henderson, Marian Keyes, Chris Manby, Carole Matthews, Anna Maxted, Lynn Messina, Sarah Mlynowski, Pamela Ribon.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #483678 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The 25 stories in this anthology (following Girl's Night In) come from the shiniest names in chick lit, and most seem dedicated to making frustrated singles feel like their lives are very, very normal. The hilarious "Ladies' Night at Underwood Pet Hospital" by Nicki Earls features a local TV news anchor trying to meet the guy next door by being "completely charming" in her nightly broadcast and "sending him a telepathic message that went, 'Watch my news... watch my news...' " Chris Manby's offering, "Saving Amsterdam," is a sexy European exercise in getting over "the Bastard Ex." Lauren Henderson's "Last Waltz" is an introspective slow dance of miscommunication and insecurity between lovers at the fair. Tales from the wed side can also be found, like editor Mlynowski's "A Little Bit Broken" ("I am the kind of woman whose husband cheats on her at a bachelor party") and Lolly Winston's "Only Some People," an incongruous story about a middle-aged couple (with nary a Cosmopolitan in sight). Though uneven, fans of the genre won't be disappointed, and the net proceeds go to charities overseas. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The second Red Dress Ink fiction anthology features today's hottest chick-lit writers, including Marian Keyes, Anna Maxted, Laura Caldwell, and The Nanny Diaries (2002) authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus Meg Cabot's offering is the epistolary (twenty-first-century style, of course) "Reunion," in which two friends reluctant to attend their 10-year high-school reunion find unexpected motivation. Nina, the heroine of Emily Giffin's romantic "A Thing of Beauty," listens to her manicurist-numerologist, makes three drastic changes in her life, and meets a man who intrigues her but appears to be unavailable. She soon learns appearances can be deceiving. Kristin Gore's clever, funny "Stray" features a lonely, quirky narrator who decides to pick up a hitchhiker. Cecelia Ahern's "The End" tells a breakup story without a happy ending backward. Girls' Night Out is a riveting collection definitely worth a night in. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

A series of great short stories to make any girl smile
I bought this collection of short stories to put in our guest room, when a girlfriend was coming over for the weekend. She loved it so much, she took it home with her and returned it with her next visit. I didn't love every story, but the great thing about short stories is that you don't have to. There are more than enough great reads contained within to make this a worthwhile purchase. There is a story for every woman.

Perfect for your next girls' night in
Girls' Night Out is a collaboration effort from some of the biggest names in chick lit with proceeds to benefit War Child, an organization dedicated to easing the suffering of children around the world. The editors of this book have long-since had a similar effort organized in England with many British chick lit authors contributing, and this is the second effort in the American version of the series. The previous novel, Girls' Night In, was released in 2004 and included many of the same authors.

If you like chick lit, this is your chance to get samplings from many of your favorite authors in one convenient package and to help out a good cause while you're at it.

A couple of my favorite stories in the anthology are:

A Thing of Beauty by Emily Giffin

In this story, by-the-books actuary Kate stops living her ordinary life when her numerologist/manicurist Betty suggests that she needs to make some changes. On Betty's advice, Kate cuts off her long hair, breaks up with her long-time boyfriend, and quits her respectable job as an actuary. Instead, she takes a job at a flower shop, and decides to rethink her previously well-ordered life.

I thought this story was fun and lighthearted while at the same time reminding you to take stock of your life and make sure you're living it the way you want to. Kate takes a chance, and winds up with valuable experiences that she'd never have had if she'd just kept living her ordinary life without thinking there might be something more out there for her. Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors and her books Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and Baby Proof are definitely worth checking out if you have never read her work before.

A Little Bit Broken by Sarah Mlynowski

When her husband of six month confesses to her that he's had an affair, Jessie has no idea how to react. The idea that someone she trusted and thought she knew so well could treat her so badly doesn't sit well with her and she has to make a decision about whether or not she can forgive this indiscretion.

This story is probably my favorite in the entire anthology because it resonates with truth from start to finish. It's difficult to know whether or not you can put back together something that may be irreparably broken and the fact that their marriage is so new makes it especially difficult in this story. Mlynowski is also one of the editors of the book and I'd never heard of her before I picked it up. I'll be sure to check out her work in the future.

Overall, Girls' Night Out is a great way to get a little something from some of your favorite chick lit authors who might not put out work as often as you'd like them to, and also a great way to get an introduction to some new ones. Another story I really liked was by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, titled The Corruption of Father Scott, and involves a television producer who is tasked with finding the sexiest Catholic priest in the country to become the next Dr. Phil. I'd never heard of Valdes-Rodriguez before but I enjoyed the story so much I went out and bought one of her books.

Girls' Night Out has got stories that range from humorous and lighthearted to somber and thought-provoking. It would definitely be perfect for your next night in.

I never knew it existed
I was actually searching for Sophie Kinsella books when this little gem popped up. Most of the stories are awesome!