Best Lines From The Dr Pepper Prophecies

Today I'm pleased to have Jennifer Gilby Roberts as Wednesday's Guest. She is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the release of her novel, The Dr Pepper Prophecies, and there are all kinds of fun and prizes to be had. I reviewed the book last October, and I am happy to help her celebrate the anniversary. I thought it was a novel idea - pardon the pun - to celebrate the release date of a book, so I was glad to be invited to the party. No party would be complete without refreshments, so let's all grab a Dr. Pepper and visit with Jennifer.

If you don't want to drink a Dr Pepper, you can have a piece of Dr Pepper cake instead. Or both. (smile)

Image Courtesy of Amy Johnson at her blog She Wears Many Hats where you can find a recipe for the cake.

Hi, Maryann, and thanks for the lovely review you did for my book, and how nice of you to serve us all some Dr Pepper and that amazing cake. 

When I wrote The Dr Pepper Prophecies, what I wanted most was to make people laugh. You can’t always manage that, because everyone has a slightly different sense of humour.  But many reviewers have commented that particularly scenes and lines in the book made them smile and sometimes howl with laughter. So, I think I achieved my goal. 

When Maryann reviewed it, she said, “I wanted to highlight the many funny moments and cute phrasing that made me smile.  Had I done so, I would have highlighted half of the book.”  Even in the more serious bits, some lines have managed to strike a chord with readers.  I’d like to share some of the best lines from the book:

The one most highlighted by readers:
“Chocolate is God’s way of saying sorry to women for giving them men.”
 
The one that captures the essence of the quarter-life crisis:
“I don’t know what I want,' I say despondently.  'I only know that I don’t have it.”

The one that reveals the problem with the chick flick fantasy:
“Sometimes I think how much nicer it would be if my life were a movie.  Although, I’d prefer it to last longer than two hours.”
 
The one about the difficulties of explaining where babies come from:
“A thought occurs to me. ‘I don’t suppose your mother went in for safe sex lectures, did she?’ I ask. I remember my mother trying to explain it to me.  The memory continues to surface no matter how hard I try to suppress it.  She began by explaining that babies start as seeds and every woman had a special place inside her to plant them in – sort of like a grow bag.  It went downhill from there.”

The one that one reviewer felt was deeply philosophical:
“There are too many hills in my life.”

The one Maryann liked the best:
“I've slipped into denial now.  I've always liked denial.  The sky is always blue and there's never a queue at the post office.”

If you’ve already read The Dr Pepper Prophecies, do you have a favourite line?  If you haven’t, read on for a giveaway!
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To celebrate The Dr Pepper Prophecies’ one-year anniversary since publication, Jennifer Gilby Roberts is giving away one paperback and five ebook copies!  Enter on Rafflecopter.  You can also find out about her other great celebration offers, giveaways, and extras on her blog.
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About the Book

25-year-old Mel Parker has a few tiny problems:
·    Her job is terrible
·    She's been dumped yet again
·    Her ex is now her boss
·    Her parents think she's a loser compared to her perfect younger sister
·    All her efforts to improve her life seem doomed to failure
·    Her best friend, Will, is in grave danger of being stolen away by his evil girlfriend
·    There just isn’t enough chocolate in the world to make up for the above.
So what do you do when you've pretty much given up on your own life? Help others, of course!

After all, what's the worst that can happen?
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Buy for Kindle or in paperback on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and other Amazon sites.  The paperback is also available from Barnes & Noble.

Book Review - The Dr Pepper Prophecies by Jennifer Gilby Roberts

I know, it isn't Sunday, it's Friday, so I shouldn't be posting a book review. However, my normal blogging routine has been shot to heck for a while, so why not keep the broken routine going? Plus, I feel all daring and unconventional after reading the Dr Pepper Prophecies by Jennifer Gilby Roberts. The central character in this story, Melanie Parker is as unconventional as they get, and I enjoyed the romp with her as she tried to get a a new job, a new relationship with her family, a new boyfriend, and a new life.

We meet her at that start of her story when she declares that she doesn't get the storyline of "When Harry Met Sally." After all, "How can two people be good friends for that long and not realise that they're meant for each other? How?"

That is actually the premise of Melanie's story, too, as she tries to figure out if the reason she can't find someone to love is because of her best friend, Will. Of course, with that set up, we pretty much know where the story is going. This is a chick-flick on paper after all. Well, not actually paper because it is a digital book, but you know what I mean.

This funny story is just what I needed right now, and even though Melanie is a bit trying at times, I really enjoyed the read. It is written in a smart, clever style, and I wanted to highlight the many funny moments and cute phrasing that made me smile. Had I done so, I would have highlighted half of the book. Here is just one:

I've slipped into denial now. I've always liked denial. The sky is always blue and there's never a queue at the post office.

The supporting characters, Will, Beth, Matt, Julie, and Cynthia are well-defined and quirky in their own right. The way their lives intertwine and get tangled up is so very real in some places and so utterly absurd in others, I couldn't help but laugh with them.

Even though there were a few minor editing problems, that was not enough to detract from the story, and I would highly recommend this book if you want a quick, fun read. I've already gotten one of her other books and look forward to the next.

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Jennifer Gilby Roberts loves writing contemporary romantic comedy (chick lit) and was inspired to write The Dr Pepper Prophecies after laughing herself silly at Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella. Roberts has written two novels, four novellas and a variety of short stories.

She has a degree in physics and a postgraduate certificate in computing, so writing fiction was inevitable really. She was born and grew up in Surrey/Greater London, but now lives in Richmond, North Yorkshire with her husband, small daughter, two middle-aged cats and a lot of dust bunnies.

Her job right now is taking care of her younger daughter, but previously she worked many thrilling jobs in administration, including one in an insurance claims office (wholly unrelated to the one in The Dr Pepper Prophecies)

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FTC Disclaimer: The author sent me the book with a request for a review to which I responded with my own disclaimer that I would read the book with no promise of a review. So there were no expectations on either side of this arrangement. The only quibble I had with the author was why the title? Nobody in the story even drinks a Dr Pepper. I'm not even sure they have that brand of soft drink in England. The author does explain at the very end of the note at the very end of the book, so if you want to know the "why" you will have to read every single word of the afterward.