Lost & Found

Sam accidentally leaves her coveted diary behind in a New York Hotel while on business. Perhaps it was being rushed by her amorous boss, Richard, but her diary is never out of her sight. Enter Ben; a producer, also from London, who finds her diary and is fascinated by the daily drivel and occasional juicy tidbit. He's intrigued by her last entry, where Sam angrily details how Richard made a pass at her the previous night and confessed he wants to have an affair. Ben decides to return the diary, but manages to copy it first. Rather than post it in the mail, he wants to meet the woman from the diary, as he has become captivated by her. In London, Ben returns the diary, but manages to meet Sam's man-eater roommate, Gemma instead, who passes herself off as Sam. Within an hour Ben knows she's Gemma, yet still embarks on a relationship with her, despite his initial interest in Sam. When Sam and Ben finally meet, there is a spark, but Sam isn't willing to act on it, as she considers Ben to be one of Gemma's conquests. Plus, she's mortified at the possibility that Ben read her personal thoughts. When Ben arranges for a blind double date with Sam to prove that there are still some good men left, he finds himself more interested in Sam than his own date. Will Ben follow his heart and pursue Sam? Will Sam drop the icy exterior to open herself up to him? Will Richard keep his hands to himself? Chock full of British slang (that can often be difficult to decipher), it's a funny take on finding love in the 21st century. Sigaloff also penned the much better "Name and Address Withheld."

Perfect "chick lit" book -- it has everything you look for in that genre -- humor, strong female characters, quirkiness, and a great male character for the protagonist to fall in love with. Ben is definitely the best character. This book will appeal to every strong-willed, career woman with (slight) hangups/obsessions that is hoping some great guy will see through the surface to the "real" woman beneath. Contrary to other reviews, I thought it was entertaining. It's not Shakespeare, but if you are looking for Shakespeare you shouldn't be reading books in the "Chick Lit" category!

I just finished reading and Lost & Found made me smile from cheek to cheek. The main character, Sam, comes across as prissy but is the epitome of the strong, successful and intelligent woman of today, likeable enough. Enter Ben, a bit rugged but deeply caring and funny. He is definitely the best character in the book (Gemma too), hence exactly what Sam needs.My complaints are few: it was slow in the beginning (I only got interested after about pg. 115), sometimes it was too wordy (not necessary in this type of book), the lightness of Sam's dad's condition, and the predictions I had as I was reading. But it's ok because I read the book in a few hours, and it was worth it. I guess this makes me hopeless romantic; I could not put it down. If you want an entertaining, "Bridget Jones like" read, pick up Lost & Found and have a blast.

I've been an Anglo-phile all my life, so I loved reading about Bridget Jones and since then I've been reading about most of her colleagues and imitators: books about young quirky twenty-somethings searching for love in Britain. There are some very good ones (like Marian Keyes) and some fairly good ones (Carole Matthews, Clare Naylor), but I just read "Lost and Found" last week and I think it's one of the best. A busy British lawyer loses her diary, which leads to some sticky situations and eventually romance. This character's diary entries and antics are every bit as hilarious as those of Bridget. My only complaint is that I ploughed through it so quickly and I wanted to last longer. I haven't read this author's other novel yet, but I plan to give it a try.

Jane Sigaloff has done it again. If you've been waiting a year since Name & Address Withheld for number 2, you won't be disappointed. Romantic comedy for the 21st century this is real life with hope and humor. This girl's got it. Buy it. You won't regret it.