Name and Address Withheld - Jane Sigaloff

Lizzie is an "agony-aunt" (like a Dear Abby, but in London). She falls head over heels for Matt, who just happens to be maried (though he doesn't tell her this at first). At about the same time, she starts receiving long letters from Rachel, a high-powered self-absorbed ad exec. who seems to be having a little marital trouble. Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out how this is all going to work itself out. Badly. Almost as badly as the way this story is written and told in general. Lizzie starts out likeable -- a no-nonsense woman with a career and some perspective. But, once she meets this guy she becomes wholly divorced from reality (no pun intended) and behaves like the stereo-typical wallowing pathetic loser of a co-dependent. I keep wanting to like these chick-lit books - they start light and fun and involve girlfriends and lots of chocolate (who wouldn't like that?), but in the end, I just end up depressed -- and truly hoping with everything in me that the women portrayed on the pages are really just figments of some writer's imagination, and not a true reflection of my entire female generation.