EVERYTHING NICE
Ellen Shanman
Bantam Discovery
ISBN: 0-553-59147-7
August 2008
Chick Lit

In EVERYTHING NICE, Ellen Shanman shows how difficult life can be for a woman who doesn't follow the rules. Michaela "Mike" Edwards is an extremely beautiful advertising executive, and she is completely shocked when she is fired. Mike has never been a team player, but she's great at her work and she cannot believe that no one wants to work with her. Certain that she'll have a new job soon, Mike doesn't worry too much about her job loss at first. Three months later, Mike finally realizes no one wants to hire her. She doesn't have enough money for rent and has to move back in with her father! Moving back home might be bad enough, but her father suddenly has a live-in fiancée. The only sane person in her world is Gunther, her best friend. Handsome, witty, and intelligent, Gunther is the perfect friend, and he always makes Mike's day better. Everyone, even Gunther, is surprised when Mike reluctantly accepts a temporary position teaching Life Skills to sixth grade girls. No one believes Mike is diplomatic enough for the job. Although Mike has her reservations, she finds herself picking up a few life skills of her own as she learns to teach.

EVERYTHING NICE is by turns hilarious and heart-wrenching, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments to balance out Mike's hard times. In many ways, EVERYTHING NICE shows how a tomboy grows into womanhood, and the difficulties a woman who displays "masculine" behaviors can be misunderstood and mislabeled in our society. In addition, EVERYTHING NICE explores friendships between men and women, especially trying to answer the eternal question: Can a man and a woman really be "just" friends? EVERYTHING NICE made me laugh and cry, and I enjoyed every minute of it. This novel comes highly recommended!

Reviewed by Angela Etheridge
Rating: 4 ½