BreakupBabe    by Rebecca Agiewich Order:  USA  Can Ballantine, 2006 (2006) Paperback, e-Book Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Belle Dessler Rachel is living her dream. She's almost-engaged to the perfect man ('Handsome. Jewish. Smart. Loaded, too'), and she's set to start a new high-paying job at the same high-tech company for which he works. Life just can't get any better than that. But it can get worse ... much worse. Within a month of starting her new job, Rachel's boyfriend dumps her. She learns he's been cheating on her (with her boss's boss's boss, to add insult to injury), and lying about it, too. Immediately, Rachel goes into a downward spiral. She spends the next few weeks groveling and generally doing everything in her power to get her boyfriend back, but nothing works. The harder she tries, the more she succeeds in humiliating herself. Then one day, while house-sitting for her friends, Rachel decides to release pent-up emotions by writing about her horrible heartache. Instead of choosing a private medium like a hand-written journal, she decides to pour out her deepest, most personal feelings on a public forum - the BreakupBabe blog, to be exact. Rachel doesn't expect BreakupBabe to be so successful, or so cathartic. As she begins to date, her love life makes it to the computer screen. With the support of her fans and her friends, and with her alter-egos - Needy Girl and Sensible Girl - guiding her every move, Rachel begins to put the past behind her. BreakupBabe is the novelization of Rebecca Agiewich's blog by the same name. In her introduction, the author tells us that 'the framework of this story ... is based on real events.' She also makes it clear that 'the end result is a work of fiction that should in no way be confused with the real events or people in my life.' Not being familiar with Rebecca's blog, or with the author herself, I couldn't help but wonder just how much of it was based on truth. From the detailed descriptions of hitting rock-bottom while pining after her ex-boyfriend, to Rachel's often painfully funny dating fiascos, BreakupBabe reads like a melancholy peek at someone's innermost thoughts mixed with the sweet charm of Bridget Jones's Diary. Although there is nothing really earth-shattering or spectacular about the plot, BreakupBabe is a perfect beach read. It's a light novel, with genuine, snappy dialogue and an authentic voice sure to please fans of the chick-lit genre. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Romance books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews