But “Heartburn” falls short. The lead character is interesting, but lacks the depth of Bridget Jones (who is fairly shallow). Her situation is complicated by the fact that she is hugely pregnant, but so little is made of it that you keep forgetting all about that as you’re reading.

Check out “Open House” by Elizabeth Berg or “Skinny Dip” by Carl Hiaasen if you’re in the mood for a funny breakup book. Nora is obviously meant for Hollywood.

Still, that doesn’t make it bad. If you’ve ever had a best friend and especially if that friendship has ever grown apart or come to an abrupt halt, this story will resonate with you. And it’s light enough to make for a good beach read.

Her housekeeper urges her to join the local Penny Pinchers club that meets at a local library to swap coupons and share Costco memberships.

This would make a fine beach book as it’s very superficial and predictable, but still fun to read. The characters are clever and funny and it’s a quick read. Who knows, maybe you’ll even pick up a few tips on how to save some money.

The only drawbacks are that it’s a touch formulaic and lacking in emotional depth. This is a great beach book for the upcoming summer season, you won’t be sobbing in the sand and just might snicker a few times.

Just make sure and tell your husband that it’s fiction.

But hey, it’s chick lit, what did you expect?

Does it work for the beach? Sure! Will it make you smile at least once? Probably.  Will it remind you of Bridget Jones? At least once or twice (in a good way).

So give it a whirl, if you’re chick lit inclined. It’s only a few hours of your life and you needed the distraction anyway.

If you’re looking for a chick lit novel with a bit more depth, I’d recommend “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” (read my review) or “The Elegant Gathering of White Snows” (read my review).

And as usual, Berg tells the story well and keeps out of the way.

I didn’t love it as much as “Open House“, my personal favorite Berg novel, but it was a good read and a fast one. If you like Elizabeth Berg, you’d also enjoy “An Elegant Gathering of White Snows” by Kris Radish.

There’s nothing terribly objectionable about this book (which is saying something anymore). Still, if I was looking to get a teen girl a book that she’s guarenteed to love, I’d go more towards “The Hunger Games” (my review). Or, for really young girls, the Bone graphic novels.

At the crux of the plot is a female director called in to a movie shoot that’s had a million kinds of bad luck. And our hero is a special forces consultant called in to help out the movie star get his stunts right.

There are some laugh out loud moments, many of which surround the references to comic book shops and Wonder Woman underwear – but you’ll have to read it to get in on the joke!

There’s a cute little kid (isn’t that a prereq anymore?), a psychotic killer, helicopters, stolen jade and a one-eyed alligator. It’s sort of like “Romancing the Stone” in book form.

You’re not going to learn anything from reading “Don’t Look Down” but it probably won’t make you stupider