Ms. Maxted does it again! This time the book is a bit grittier and a little more daring for the romantic comedy genre, but she pulls it off.
Aside from being a little predictable, the book handles tougher issues that this genre seems to overlook. And she doesn't handle it with a tooty-fruity, happy ending frame of thought, but with real feelings that her readers will definitely be able to relate to.
This book made me even cry a lttle and I thought this was the best of the three that I have read.

"Behaving...." was excellent! I truly enjoy Maxted's writing style. This book was hard to put down...i kept reading page after page to see what Holly would stumble into next. Issy and Claw...her sisters, added the extra spark to keep my attention. I hope to see another Maxted novel in the near future!

I have a soft spot for Anna Maxted. She is published by Regan Books in NYC and I was lucky enough to be contacted by them in regard to my first review of "Behaving Like Adults" and went to NYC for an interview ---- to make a long story short, I was really impressed with them and everything Anna Maxted.

So, that being said --- the minute I find out there is a new Maxted book coming out - I order the hard copy. Which is something I rarely do. I must confess - I am never disappointed. Her work is always powerful, insightful, smart, and really mature. She is not your usual "Chick Lit" novelist. She is above and beyond that criteria - she is wonderfully powerful. Her characters, storylines and subjects she covers are for true readers.

"Behaving Like Adults" focuses on 29 year old Holly who is struggling with a few areas in her life. After breaking up with her unfocused boyfriend, she turns to her friends and her business (matchmaking / dating service) for a fresh start. However, this has drastic and powerful consequences and that's where the heart and soul of this book meet. It's a wonderful book to really sink your teeth into and I loved every minute of it. Her best book to date! Without a doubt.

Single British Twenty-Something works in the media and has a tough time grasping which man is right for her, even when it is obvious to the most sedated reader. Sound like anyone you've read about before? Yes, the book is Bridget Jones-ish, but written with almost 100% complete sentences and not a single mention of calories consumed (I loved BJD, but wouldn't want to read a copycat version). Helen Bradshaw comes across as smarter than Bridget, even though she does frequently make foolish choices. Helen's father unexpectedly dies in the first chapter and the remainder of the book offers an honest and touching look at the sorrow, anger, regret and ultimate acceptance attendant upon this life-changing event. It also offers a realistic portrait of coping with a widowed mother, and of the balancing act that is being a daughter, friend, career woman, pet-owner, city-dwelling tenant/home-buyer and, of course, woman of dating age. Fast-moving, funny and poignant.

I have fallen in love with this book! The comic timing is precise and the story is infectious and enchanting. Anna Maxtet is -- without a doubt -- one of the funkiest and boldest new voices in contemporary fiction. Helen Bradshaw is a great heroine; Bridget Jones has got nothing on her!

After having lost her father to a heart attack, Helen's world crashes down. Well, her life has never been perfect anyway. After all, she has a menial job at a woman's magazine, drives an old Toyota, has had her share of bad boyfriends, lives with the roommate from hell, her mother is the mother of all drama queens, her friends always seem to be perfect, and her cat, Fatboy, is the only man in her life. While she tries to deal with her mother's grief, Tom -- a charming veterinarian -- sweeps Helen off her feet. But will he stick around after having witnessed Helen's embarrassing tequila incident? There are some memorable and incredibly funny moments in this novel. Getting Over It is one of those rare treasures that should be read again and again. I strongly recommend this title. Now roll along and get it!

When this novel begins the focus is on a hapless heroine's romantic tribulations. Sounds familiar right (a la Bridget Jones)? Wrong. The real thrust of this book starts after Helen, our Everywoman, suffers an extreme loss: that of her father. So right way you think the book is going to turn into a depressing tearjearker, but while there are more that a few sad moments, Getting Over It manages to maintain its humor ( for example there is an interesting scene between Helen, her love interest and a evil gas-passing fat cat). There were times that I was laughing out loud on the subway (prompting strange looks from riders) and there were times when I felt a tear could possibly squeeze itself out of this hard-hearted reader. Mostly I was glad Anna Maxted didn't pander to the pressure of producing just laughs or tears but found her own happy medium, making this book a definite read.

If you have a love life, don't bother; however, if you are still in search of a good one, go for it.

Before she penned Getting Over It and Running In Heels, Anna Maxtet wrote How to Have Him Begging for More. With a touch of ironic humor, Maxtet gives us a guide to turning your man into a love slave. Sensuous garments, dirty talk and tantric sex are among the things one must do to keep him wanting more. Maxtet's humor makes it a bit difficult to take this book seriously. However, it is much more entertaining than most books of this nature. I call it self-help for laughs, and I recommend that you read it!

I think *Running in Heels* should come with a disclaimer: you'll eventually love me, but at first, and many times in between, you'll probably want to throw me against the wall.

Anna Maxted is a wonderful writer, and I know I'll be a happy customer for many years. *Getting Over It* was one of the best books I've read all year. But with *Running in Heels*, I think I expected another comedic Brit chick character. To my initial dismay, Natalie is almost a complete opposite of Helen from *Getting Over It*.

Natalie Miller is a publicist for the London ballet, and for the most part, a success at both home and work. But dealing with the marriage of her best friend, Babs, the divorce of her parents seventeen years prior, her brother being their mother's favorite and a Type A personality pushes Nat over the edge. The first mistake is dating a coke fiend band manager named Chris. And then it all goes downhill from there...

There were many times I just wanted to put the book away. I love Maxted's writing style, but Nat was driving me up a wall! And that's when her friends and family let Nat know she was driving them up a wall, too. So I was happy to know I wasn't the only one!

I ended up really enjoying the book, but it won't be on my collector's shelf. I think I'll stick with *Getting Over It*.

i disagree with reviewers who found this book to be a disappointment. since i laughed myself silly over bridget jones, i have read a lot of "britchick" books, and most have been a big yawn. This one, plus some of marian keyes, are among the few i have enjoyed.

First, i laughed a lot, always a recommendation.
Second, despite how much i enjoyed Bridget Jones, i was pleased to meet a heroine who did not spend most of her time drinking and sitting in pubs. I thought the eating disorder was introduced very deftly, and was explored in a way both entertaining and meaningful at the same time.

Although i was in places annoyed at natalie for being too passive, on the whole i found her to be a sympathetic heroine, well worth sticking with. I also enjoyed the supporting characters.

What i liked best, however, was the "take a deep breath, step back, and look at your life" story. The point is not so much that natalie doesn't eat (hard for me, and probably for many, to understand) but that she doesn't even realize where her life is leading her until something forces her to step back. Having been through similar periods, i found maxted's insight rewarding. One reviewer said that taking up the Pilates exercise program is a major life change for natalie; but that misses the point, which is, that a step back and reevaluation is an important part of life.

When I read the Publishers Weekly review of this book, I felt disappointed. Months of waiting for a new Maxted book, and it gets panned by a critic. Apparently I'm one of the few people who liked this book. Helen Bradshaw, our (s)hero in "Getting Over It" was a much more likable character, someone we could easily be friends with. Natalie Miller (the first-person storyteller in RIH) is a continent of dysfunctional issues; anorexia (which eventually turns to a flirtation with bulimia), parental abandonment, and bordem that leads to ditching her boyfriend and dating a "bad boy". To make matters worse, Nat's best friend Babs gets married and (as a newly married couple usually does)finds she has less time to pursue her friendship with Nat. Working as PR rep for a London ballet company does nothing to help Nat see the error of her non-eating ways, either. Nat's father left them when Nat was a teenager, leaving her mother to coo and coddle her older brother Tony, but left Nat to wallow in the "I'll never be good enough" puddle. All this crazy factors help the reader to understand why Natalie is the way she is. Most people saw it as her being a whiner; I saw a girl with enormous issues that couldn't get out of her own way. I thought this novel was a very honest portrayl of a girl with body and abandonment issues, something too many girls are struggling with today (read "Reviving Ophelia"). WHy did I like it so much? Maxted's hilarious and brilliant humor is still present amidst the serious stuff- I still maintain she is one of the masters of funny similes and expressions. If you're hemming and hawing on whether or not to get this book, don't go by what the critics say. Read and decide for yourself. Defenitely not as great as "Getting Over It", but so what? I applaud Maxted on drifting into unchartered territory. Besides, she never promised to write "Getting Over It II", did she?