What I enjoyed about this book was the fact that the main character was closer to my age than a lot of protagonists tend to be. I could definitely relate to her life situations, and it was nice to read about a married woman as well.

Although the book started off well, I soon lost interest. The plot moved way too slowly, and the storyline wobbled quite a bit. For some reason, I thought started out as a mystery, but it wasn't a mystery. Then it seemed like a romance. Nope, wrong again. It was more of a slice of life story. The problem was that the life wasn't very interesting.

I think this book would do really well with certain readers who enjoy slice of life stories with happily-ever-after endings. However, for me, without more of a mystery or a romance, I found it kind of meh.

Lauren Clark is a solid writer, but I probably won't be reading any more of her books.

Stay Tuned - Lauren Clark Back in high school I had wanted to be a journalist (and maybe even a reporter) so this book stood out to me. It follows Melissa, a news producer who finds herself filling in as a news anchor. I felt that Melissa was likeable and I loved her friendship with Candace. The only character I had any problem with was Alyssa. I didn't feel like her slide into insanity was believable. I thought the ending was sweet but a little predictable. Overall I thought the book was good and I would recommend it to others.

When I signed up to read this book, I thought I was getting a chick lit. Something totally different from what I got but I can't say that I was bummed about not getting that chick lit read. This book is more women's fiction than chick lit but that was okay because I ended up liking all of the characters (even the guy that I kept saying, "He better not ask her out," "He better not try to get fresh with her" about).This book follows Melissa Moore as she rises from producer of a news show to the co-anchor of same said news show. It follows her as she battles jealous ex-anchors, tries to find out what's really going on with her absent husband and fights internal battles with herself about co workers. I can't imagine working at a place as fast paced as Melissa's newsroom but I enjoyed getting an inside look into the world of TV news.It was easy to follow along with everything that was going on in this book because Melissa had a voice that made me want to get to know her better. I cheered for her when she got the co-anchor job temporarily and loved when she got that make over. I really enjoyed the scenes between her and her best friend, the Dr. Phil lover and I wanted her to find out what was really going on with her husband, Chris and I wanted her to fix the problems there. I enjoyed getting to know Chris and I even enjoyed getting to know the people at the news station. From Rick to Drew to Joe and the guys, this book was filled to the brim was characters that made me laugh and made me want to keep turning the pages.Overall, it was an enjoyable read. It was a read that had me laughing and I'm totally glad that I read it. If you're in the mood for a light women's fiction book then I think you should give this one a go because Clark introduced some characters that leaped right off the pages and into your heart. You'll definitely enjoy this one.

Reviewing Stay Tuned was something of a last minute decision. I honestly hadn’t anticipated having time to do it but the more I read about Stay Tuned and Lauren Clark, the more determined I was to make time. I started Stay Tuned this week and picked it up whenever I had a spare moment – and, like with all good novels, very quickly I was making spare moments so I could read. Drinking 10 cups of tea an hour so I could sneak a few pages in while the kettle boiled, overcooking the pasta sauce by ten minutes so I could sneak another chapter or two in, that kind of thing. Well, perhaps not quite so bad but not far off.

Stay Tuned has a great central character who at one point is described as ‘a trooper’. We all know the type (and hands up if you are that type): never say no, would rather go without sleep than let someone down, put their own feelings on the backburner to keep everyone else happy. Melissa is a trooper but she’s also a talented anchor, loving wife and devoted mother who is realising that it’s time the people in her life stood up and noticed her. And not in a ‘aww, she’s so reliable and solid’ kind of way. Cue makeover, growth of a serious backbone and an admirable career growth spurt.

In the space of a few weeks Melissa takes on her workaholic husband, distant mother, demented ex-colleague and ladykiller coworker and faces up to her problems working hard to stick to the mantra ‘Believe in yourself’. Slowly but surely she begins to realise that other people do believe in her but need her to believe in herself as well.

If I had one tiny criticism (well, you know I’m picky), I think the ‘stalker’ scenario in the book could have been drawn out for another few chapters to add a level of tension or intrigue to the book. But is it a dealbreaker? Absolutely not. After all, it isn’t like Melissa and her husband Chris are lacking in drama to cope with!

Stay Tuned is an example of a feel good novel at its best. Lauren Clark’s previous experience in the news industry (see her interview and guest post) help make the details in the novel feel very real and very engaging. Melissa is a character who is easy to identify with and the result is you want to see her tackle things head on and succeed. Is it an ‘everything comes good in the end’ type tale? Is that one of the things that makes it a great read? Of course! Sometimes, especially in the dark winter nights, you need a little something with a happy ending you can see coming. Comfortably predictable is a great way to describe Stay Tuned and as such it’s just what the doctor ordered for your cheery and cozy ‘to be read’ pile.

Note: this book was supplied to me in exchange for my honest review. I did not receive any additional compensation. In fact, I liked the book so much I bought a copy after all!