Cyber Cinderella

I picked this novel up in the middle of July, when I was looking for a lighthearted, fun summer read. I was expecting the literary equivalent of cotton candy -- I thought that was what I wanted -- but "Cyber Cinderella" delivered much more. The romance is sprinkled with lots of humor and frustrated career girl angst, so it shares some qualities with traditional chick-lit. But there's also a mystery here, and some intense relationship dilemmas that take the reader on a deeper journey. I thought I had the story figured out by the middle, but the author had quite a few surprises up her sleeves. I enjoyed the wild ride.

Well this is not my usual type of book to read, so i was very surprised. This was a very good book and the ending is not your typical ending either. Very good! Look foward to another by this author!

I have been rereading classics lately and thought I'd get a break and read a fun, light "chick-lit." The topic of Cyber Cinderella compelled me to give it a whirl. Thirty-something Londoner Izobel Brannigan has a somewhat successful PR job and a boyfriend whose priorities are his daughter, drinking, his job and perhaps his girlfriend... in that order. But things get interesting for Izobel one day when she Googles herself and discovers that there is an izobelbrannigan.com, a website devoted to her. Who could have possibly opened a web page about her? And why do they make her life sound more interesting than it actually is? She along with her friend Maggie and gorgeous, albeit geeky IT guy Ivan try to find out if one of her ex-boyfriends is the web master. There are some fun twists throughout the novel. Like a reviewer here has written, who hasn't Googled oneself? I know I have! And I thought it would be fun to read about a woman who not only types her name on that Google box, but discovers a web site about her as though she were a celebrity. Even though there are some lagging spots in which I felt the novel was going nowhere, it was nevertheless a nice, fun read, like I wanted it to be. The ending is kind of predictable, but you expect that in a "chick-lit." Christina Hopkinson has a unique voice. She isn't in the same league as Marian Keyes, Jane Green and Clare Naylor, but her stuff is worth reading. I recommend Cyber Cinderella (the original UK publishing title is Izobel Brannigan.Com) if you're in the bargain for a lovely light read.

After hearing about googling one's name, thirtyish Izobel Brannigan tries it and shockingly finds a web site idolizing her as if she is a celebrity. Her older boyfriend George Grand, father of a six years old child, scoffs at her site as being inane, but she is enthralled by www.izobelbrannigan.com as whoever is hosting the webpage knows her intimately. She asks her friends, coworkers, and family, but everyone says not them. She finds herself fascinated by the description of Izobel and begins to emulate that person. When she ends her two year stale relationship with George, Izobel begins to panic that the real her has vanished, taken over by her web image while she also wonders if the designer is a cyber admirer or virtual stalker? This is a solid chick lit romance for the cyber age as Izobel gains her fifteen minutes of fame when an unknown person dedicates a webpage to her. The story line is driven by the lead protagonist's need to know who the designer is and a desire to live up to the image that the unknown author has developed about her. The site is a wake call as Izobel realizes her life has turned complacent and she was settling for boring George. CYBER CINDERELLA is an interesting approach to asking Peggy Lee's question Is that All There Is? Harriet Klausner