Diary of a South Beach Party Girl by Gwen Cooper; Simon & Schuster
Diary of a South Beach Party Girl is the epitome of a beach read. First of all, it takes place in Miami, so it’s the perfect setting to make you feel glamorous and exotic, even if you’re simply sitting on the grass in your backyard. The book follows the story of Rachel Baum, a girl who moves to South Beach and gets swept up in the club scene. While the descriptions of the various clubs she goes to can get a little repetitive, you’ll be intrigued with this completely foreign world and feel like you’re there. ** **** * **

The Manny by Holly Peterson; Bantam Dell Publishing Group
The Manny is about a wealthy New York mom who hires a “manny” (a male nanny) to take care of her 10-year-old son. Despite its title, the book is really about the mother, Jamie Whitfield, and her struggles with her job and failing marriage. Any mom juggling kids and a career will relate to Jamie’s character, even if they don’t have a hunky manny to flirt with. I was surprised that the mother-manny relationship seemed to take a backseat in the book, but once I got over that I found it well-written and enjoyable and the ending was surprisingly realistic (which I liked, but you may disagree). ** *** ** ***