[.ca] Family Trust (ISBN 0452285534)

unreadable:
I'm joining "amyincanton" in the minority. Given the large number of books being written in this genre, I would put this one way at the bottom of the list. Saying the characters are "unrealistic" just doesn't give the flavor - after all, none of these books are really realistic, and if we can identify with the characters, we don't care. But here is mean "so far off the map that they aren't even realistic for a chick lit romance" and the plot too preposterous for suspension of disbelief. I was irrevocably turned off after two pages of reading about Becca's great life -- come ON, even Warren Buffet doesn't live that life, and at 31 or so, a highly successful banker/investment adviser/FEMALE is still going to have many bosses above her and much less power. And that kind of unrealism to that degree, is a real turn-off for me. (Plus, it made her unlikeable in her invinceability). I also agree that the idea that some rich guy today would marry at his mama's bidding is ludicrous, and if there were such a person, he would be a candidate for serious psychiatric counseling.

decent but nothing extrordinary:
I'm a big chick lit reader, and after reading a couple of reviews of this book i decided to get it. I guess my expectations were so high that i was slightly disappointed when i began reading. its hard to have a light and funny story when the first few chapters dive into explaining the contrasting personalites of the two people, and then into the tragic accident. there was not much chemistry or interaction between Becca and Edward. the shining star of the story was little Emily with her bright personality. Even though the book was a decent read, i wouldnt recommend this book as a must read but as a if you are bored and have nothing else, why not read. some books i definitely recommend are "Can you keep a Secret" by Sophie Kinsella, "Boy Meets Girl" & "Boy Next Door" by Meg Cabot. make sure you bring extra books because you will fly through these books.

Wimpy--And not just the male protagonist!:
Okay, I realize from the other reviews, that I am in the minority of people who really didn't like this book. To me, though, this book lacked passion, originality, a believable plot, and likeable characters (including the little four-year-old girl who needed a lot more discipline than she was getting). Without saying too much as to spoil the ending (but, honestly, was anyone REALLY surprised by the ending?), I just have to say that I just found the whole premise, including the love story, to be ludicrous! Who would list someone as guardian of their child without consulting that person first to make sure that your child would be left in capable, welcoming hands? Did Amy and Arthur really consider Becca and Edward as the parental types? What groom-to-be of such wealth would be such a doormat that he would just meekly go along with a forced wedding in which he didn't love the bride, and really was only expected to show up the day of the wedding? Also, with Edward's incredible wealth, I didn't buy for one moment that he and Becca would have had that much difficulty getting Emily into a preschool. And, I want to know what happens after the book ends (again not to give away the "surprise" ending) (...). This book was filled with unflattering stereotypes and occurrences that were neither plausible or interesting. For those other reviewers who applauded this book for being good "light reading," I think for my light reading, I'll stick to books by Sandra Brown or Linda Howard.

Don' t waste your time with this book:
I am all about mindless beach reads but this book was such a waste of time. The main characters are totally unbelievable. I was so bored with them - of course they will end up together, they had no conflict from the start! And obviously the author has little experience with children because no child happily replaces her dead parents with a couple of family friends. Don't waste your time on this book.

"Trust"-fund tot:
"Legally Blonde" author Amanda Brown's "Family Trust" is exactly the sort of ultra-light fluff that would be more fun as a movie. It's so light and frothy and predictable that it ultimately is a lot more annoying than entertaining, with the designer brand-names and cutesy kids. Becca Reinhart is a high-powered businesswoman. Edward Kirkland is an idling playboy with a shallow socialite girlfriend. The only thing they have in common (besides oodles of money and a disinclination to marry) is friendship with the adoring couple Amy and Arthur. Unfortunately, Amy and Arthur are killed in a tragic plane crash, leaving a four-year-old daughter behind. But because they were unmarried and made separately, their wills leave joint custody to Becca and Edward. Despite the fact that they don't even know each other, Becca and Edward do their best to be a surrogate mommy and daddy for little Emily. They have no experience, and have to deal with nosy child shrinks, a delighted "Bubbe," and their own growing attraction. "Family Trust" is your basic chick-lit with a precociously, sickeningly cute child thrown in, apparently because Becca and Edward would be disgusted by each other otherwise. You can basically tell within in the first few chapters just what is going to happen at the end. And the stretch of goofy plot developments, like Becca hunting down a nice Jewish man to marry quickly, don't make the trip any more fun. Brown's writing is amusing and breezy in many places with her spoofing of yuppie childrearing, but it lacks wit. In its place, she puts dozens of brand-names, chic New York locales, and drooling descriptions of the characters' clothes, hair and furniture. It's amusing in a way for a few chapters, but then the materialism starts to wear a bit thin -- enough about tiaras, Mozart classes, mohair cardigans, and no more about "jungle cat" fads. Becca and Edward are singularly flat characters -- they're both gorgeous single people with a soft spot for kids. Not much more to them than that. Emily herself is one of those obviously fake, idealized small children that populate such books. The one shining star is Becca's warm, flamboyantly-dressed mom, who comes across as the most real person in the whole book. Predictable and lighter than a feather, "Family Trust" is a basic point-A-to-point-B chick-lit novel, with forgettable characters and blah writing.