Ms. Taken Identity

Forget the pink slippers that adorn the cover and the cute title that screams out 'Chick Lit'...Begley has taken this genre to another level by giving us the man's perspective in a genre normally dominated by whimsical 20 something females. It makes sense, since Begley is a man and he has given us a refreshing, unique voice in Mitch, the books protagonist, who finds chick lit somewhat beneath him but when his own book is rejected over and over again, why not try something that will make him some money. How hard could it be to write this dribble? What follows is Mitch's journey finding out who he really is and what he really wants and becoming more accepting of those he once looked down on. With wonderful pop culture references a long the way, a cast of fun characters and a spot on male perspective, this was an absolute joy to read. A true breath of fresh air in an otherwise often predictable genre.

Fully prepared to stick with the tried-and-true NYT bestseller when searching for my vaca read, I decided to go off the reservation and give someone new a shot. I chose Ms. Taken Identity for two reasons- 1) the title and cover were great (yes, I am a somewhat shallow (but don't mistake that for stupid)chick who loves my cute covers) and 2) Dan Begley. Wait...what tha? A guy? Writing chick lit? BLASPHEMY! Yet I'm oddly intrigued. And he kept me intrigued, page after page- laughing and sometimes crying alongside this flawed (read real)guy, with his faulty logic and ultimate redemption. I'm not going to repeat the plot. You can read the back cover or some of the other reviews. They say it much more eloquently than I could. But Mitch Samuels is a character, gender aside, anyone can relate to and root for. I've never had more fun inside the head of a guy, seeing what makes him tick and finally answering that haunting question: my ex-boyfriend really did sleep with that other girl the weekend we broke up! I'd recommend Ms. Taken Identity to anyone and think it'd be especially great for book clubs. Can't wait to see what Begley has in store for us next!

Ms. Taken Identity Well written, funny, well developed characters.....thoroughly enjoyable read! Wasn't sure if Ms. Taken was my type of book. Started off a little shakey, but once the characters started to develop the story just took off! I was pleasantly surprised! It became one of those books I didn't want to put down. (This feeling is usually reserved for murder mysteries or popular vampire stories) I laughed out loud at parts, cried during some, and became very close to the characters. I was very sad when the book was finished. I wanted to keep reading about the characters and their lives....I guess I really just wanted to keep them in my life a little longer. Also, being a native of St. Louis, I really enjoyed being so familiar with the various famous St. Louis locations described throughout the book. I will anxiously be waiting for Dan Begley's next creation!!!

Excellent book from a great new author. I have read many chic-lit books and this is much smarter than most. The premise of a guy writing a chic lit novel is a great idea and works perfectly. At first you are wondering how you are going to like this guy, but all will be rooting for Mitch by the end of the novel. Fast-paced writing, great supporting characters, and a great new setting in the city of St. Louis make this a must read. Funny at times and heartbreaking at others, it is a great read. Other favorite chic lit authors: Liza Palmer, Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella, Jennifer Weiner, Emily Giffin

I must admit, I'm very picky when it comes to chick lit; for every excellent story, there seems to be 100 "Babysitting for the Very Vuitton." What attracted me to Ms. Taken Identity wasn't the cute cover or even the plot, it was that it was written by a guy. And that, admittedly, is 100% why I chose to read it. Ms. Taken Identity is about Mitch, a college professor and PhD student working on his epic novel. After being rejected by every publishing company, he has a moment of inspiration and a chance meeting. Seeing the popularity of chick lit books, specifically those done by the fictional author Katharine Longwell, he decides that it can't be that hard - that he, himself, should try to write his own novel. This is made even better when Katharine herself agrees to review the book after randomly meeting Mitch at a cafe. The only problem? Mitch told Katharine that his female cousin wrote the book - not him. And so starts a series of lies that spiral around until, of course, the end. To get into the female mindset, Mitch reads magazines, watches Oprah, and joins a dance class under the pseudonym Jason. There, Mitch meets, and naturally falls in love with, Marie - a hairdresser who is more than the stereotypical girl Mitch is writing about. She's also his roommate's sister. And thus sets up the tale of Mitch - a slightly pretentious 27 year old who learns that sometimes you have to look past everything, every hang up, to see who you really are. And what you really want. I must admit - I really liked Ms. Taken Identity. At 272 pages, it's an incredibly easy and short read (I got through it in two days). Full of pop culture references, the book absorbs you and messes with each emotion. Dan Begley does a fantastic job of telling a guy's story that will appeal to girls. The book, somewhat autobiographical (to the point that he, too couldn't sell is book so he decided to write a chick lit novel) sheds some light on why guys do what they do and think what they think. And, like every other girl, each decision still frustrated me. There were parts that I wanted to smack Mitch for being so stupid, but his decisions were so real - because it's what a guy would do in each situation. And that one element made it incredibly interesting. What I liked most about the book was what it said about chick lit. There's one passage that specifically got to me: In regards to the genre, Katharine states: "Even those stories that merely entertain us have the power to touch us and delight us, and that goes a long way toward making us more human." Even I felt punched in the stomach there. Because it's true - like Mitch I was jaded by the genre for a while; it was too girly, to fanciful for me. But it still tells stories - ones that people truly love to hear. So what if every character ends up with the perfect person in the end, that's fun to read! And just as the realization hit me, it hit Mitch as well. It was fun watching Mitch work through his novel, his lies and