Part of R&J's 2007 bookclub

What to do if Matthew, your secret lover of the past four years, finally decides to leave his wife Sophie (and their two daughters) and move into your flat, just when you're thinking that you might not want him anymore...

Plan A - stop shaving your armpits, and your bikini line; tell him you have a moustache that you wax every six weeks; stop having sex with him; pick holes in the way he dresses; don't brush you teeth, or your hair, or the stray hag-whisker that grows out of your chin; buy incontinence pads and leave them lying around.

Plan B - accidentally on purpose bump into his wife Sophie; give yourself a fake name and identity; befriend Sophie; actually begin to really like Sophie; snog Matthew's son (whose the same age as you by the way. You're not a paedophile); buy a cat and give it a fake name and identity; befriend Matthew's children. Watch your whole plan go absolutely horribly wrong.

Getting Rid of Matthew isn't as easy as it seems, but along the way, Helen will forge an unlikely friendship, find real love and realize that nothing ever goes exactly to plan...

A quick read, that I thoroughly enjoyed - albeit slightly unbelievable in parts!! Although that didn't detract from what was a very good story. Possibly a bit slow to start with, but difficult to put down as the story progressed.

Offered as a bookring:

fushmush - UK
Frenchnicola - UK
special1165 - UK
darkpunkangel - Canada
acountkel - US
ariesgirl29 - US
Goddess-Of-fire - US
SilverFlame - US
ladybug74 - US (has asked to be skipped)
spaceystacey - US
Mizuchy - Romania

then back to me!

PM me if you have a problem with this at any time.

- Once you receive the book can you journal it and PM the next person on the list for their address - hopefully this will avoid hold-ups later on.
- If you don't hear from the next participant within a few days, PM them again. If after a few more days you still haven't heard from them, PM me to let me know, and move on to the next person on the list.
- Don't feel pressurised to read it in a rush but if you need to keep hold of the book for longer than say 6 weeks, please journal to let us know.
- Journal again when you've read it to let us know what you think of it.
- And finally journal it when you post it on, which will help us plan what to read next.

And finally I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Received today. I have one ahead on of it, then i'll be straight on to it.

Hrmmm. Well I read half of this and then skimmed the rest. The pace wasn't fast enough for my liking.

Matthew was a totally unattractive character. I know he was supposed to be, but I can't see what Helen saw in him in the first place. Especially for four years.

Thanks for sharing, will PM the next in line.

Update (06/02/08): Posted today.

Arrived today - I've just started something else, but am on hols this weekend so should be able to get a bit of reading done.

I just finished this book on holiday over the weekend - good holiday reading. It was light, without being insignificant. Although I have to say I agree with fushmush that Matthew was pretty unpleasant - not someone I'd want to give up the rest of my life for.
But overall, a pretty good read.

I'm just about to PM special1165 to send it on its travels.

Update: to be put in the postbox in about half an hour! Bon voyage!

Recieved Getting Rid of Matthew Thursday 14 February, will start reading today.

Unable to get in to this book at the moment, have sent for next address.

Caught today
Thank you for including me
Will start soon!

This was a light and fluffy read. I enjoyed it. I have had the opportunity to read some great British Chick Lit and I haven’t found one that I didn’t like. This was about Helen, aka Eleanor. She is having an affair with a married man. She thinks she loves him and begs him to leave his wife and family for her. When he shows up on her door step one day with all of his stuff, she realizes she has made a big mistake. What she does about it and the people involved is pretty risky. I loved the humor and the fast pace read. I would definitely recommend this book!

Thank you for including me in this ring!
I already have the address of the next person in line.
Will be sending out in the next day or so.

Got in the mail over the weekend - am going to start it next. Thanks!

Off to goddess-of-fire - thanks for letting me join!

I really thought that I journaled this when I received it, but guess not. Sorry. :(

I liked the book, but I thought it was a little long, I felt like the story could have ended sooner.
Thanks for sharing!

Sent off to SilverFlame

Holy crap. I've had this book way too long. :S

PMing the next person in line so it can get on its long, long, long-overdue way!

Ang

Received in the post this a.m. Either it has taken 9 months to reach me or it was more recently mailed. LOL I will have to look at the envelope postmark. :-) There are many people on here who think that I have books for months and months without journalling them.

09/23/2009 the postmark on the envelope was September 14, 2009. So it traveled well in the post.

09/27/2009 Finished reading this one today before rising. Enjoyable, I like the characters of Sophie and Helen, but not so much the character of the boss. I would never be so brazen as to befriend the wife of my lover, what unless I was totally clueless, I would never have a lover with a wife.

09/28/2009 onward to the next reader in Romania.

Wonderful read, very entertaining but also very insightful.

Now safely back with me again, thank you all very much for taking such good care of it.