But that's where the similarities end. In "Life A La Mode", author Linda Lenhoff takes the seemingly ordinary - painting wall trim, cubicle furnishings, a bug in the ladies room, origami - and looks at it in a new light, with wit and specialness.
It seems most chicklit books are about a lonely young woman trying to find that special someone. Life A La Mode is, too, only that special someone for Holly is herself. Much like Carrie Pilby in Caren Lissner's book of the same title, the story is about a person's unique and special interpretations of the quirkiness around her. And learning to accept herself, her situation and be happy.
If you are hoping to read yet another "Single-girl-meets-guy/gets-guy" story, you'll be disappointed in "Life A La Mode". If you want to read a book where the heroine helps you discover the specialness of ordinary life (and you like good writing and dry humor), then I highly recommend this book.
And that is the basics of the novel. The heroine chronicles her adventures and struggles with friends, family and men. Story development is notably missing. There is no hook, no specific point to the novel. Have I missed something? The ending gave me the impression that the author had illustrated the heroine's inability to accept changes in her life. But was that the plot? Or was the story centered on her relationship with her father? Or was it centered on her relationship with her sister? Or her ex-husband? Or her timid co-worker? There were times in which I had no idea what the novel was really about.
However, Life a la Mode is not a bad book. It's quite readable and it managed to keep me interested until the end. It brings nothing new to the chick-lit genre though. All in all, despite the loose ends, I recommend Life a la Mode.