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Cheating at Solitaire #1
Cheating at Solitaire
Self-help guru Julia James has made a successful living as an advocate for the single life, until just as her latest book is about to hit the bookstores, gossip linking her to a gorgeous actor hits the tabloids, ruining her credibility. A first novel. Original.
272 pages, Paperback
First published December 6, 2005
21 people are currently reading
4,015 people want to read
About the author
Ally Carter
49Ìýbooks17.6kÌýfollowersAlly Carter writes books about sneaky people and movies about Christmas. She is the New York Times Best-selling author of the Gallagher Girls, Heist Society, and Embassy Row series for teens as well as WINTERBORNE HOME FOR VENGEANCE AND VALOR for younger readers. Her books have been published all over the world, in over twenty languages.
She encourages you to visit her online at allycarter.com and embassyrowbooks.com.
She encourages you to visit her online at allycarter.com and embassyrowbooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
July 15, 2016
"All I ever said was that marriage doesn't have to be everyone's cup of tea. Maybe tea's not available in your area. Maybe you haven't found a flavor you like. Some people like coffee. Some like pop. Some"—Julia felt her voice beginning to crack�"just try to avoid caffeine."
This book was such a quick & fun read :)
But I have my problems with it:
1. The writing style: the book is short, but I feel like the author tried to "drag" it more and more with the "humorous & funny" sentences.
It's a funny book I'll not deny that, but when you hear the same joke over & over & over again, it becomes lame.When something happens, we don't get an explanation to it immediately, which bothers me a lot.
2. The characters: I liked them all, even the side characters, but no one of them have a depth.
Like I don't understand why Julia is so desperate to stay single for the rest of her life even to write books about it :/. Why does Lance want to be an actor, we don't know.
So 3.75/5 stars :).
February 4, 2010
I enjoyed reading this book. It was very funny, and I thought it was original as well. I was definitely not bored. :)
This book is about an author who writes books for single women about how to successfully be a single woman. She is not anti-marriage, just pro-living life to the fullest even if you weren't able to be married. She shares a cab ride and goes shopping with an aspiring actor, and the paparazzi take pictures of them together and a nonexistent relationship is invented. This makes the actor a hot item, and she (Julia) feels that her credibility has been destroyed.
There were maybe three swear words (like the b-word), and a single woman does have a single man as her house guest for a while, but there is no hanky panky. Also included (and of course this was on the only page my husband read) was talk of a stripper, in that an old woman confuses a young man with a stripper. There are no details as to whether any stripping happens; it is not center stage.
This book has a lot of good advice for life, whether single or not. If you can't be happy with yourself, then you're not going to be happy with anyone. Each chapter begins with tips from Julia's latest novel on how to be happy and single, and I enjoyed reading those tips.
It was also interesting to read the issues that inevitably come up when you have been single for a long time and living alone and then try to make room for someone else in your life. Like Julia's thought to herself about how there was no room for a gallon of milk in her fridge, and there had never been a full gallon in there before. (Single people buy pints or half gallons, I guess.) :)
The main characters and the supporting characters are fleshed out and believable. And even while you know that in this genre the two love interests will of course end up together, I did enjoy the journey reading along waiting for that to happen.
Also possibly objectionable content: there is discussion of romance novel (you know the kind . . . all the covers are pretty much exactly the same). The novels are treated lightly, humorously, which I think is too lightly, because those kinds of novels are filth. :)
So, this book is funny, and while I'll probably read the sequel, I probably won't ever read it again.
This book is about an author who writes books for single women about how to successfully be a single woman. She is not anti-marriage, just pro-living life to the fullest even if you weren't able to be married. She shares a cab ride and goes shopping with an aspiring actor, and the paparazzi take pictures of them together and a nonexistent relationship is invented. This makes the actor a hot item, and she (Julia) feels that her credibility has been destroyed.
There were maybe three swear words (like the b-word), and a single woman does have a single man as her house guest for a while, but there is no hanky panky. Also included (and of course this was on the only page my husband read) was talk of a stripper, in that an old woman confuses a young man with a stripper. There are no details as to whether any stripping happens; it is not center stage.
This book has a lot of good advice for life, whether single or not. If you can't be happy with yourself, then you're not going to be happy with anyone. Each chapter begins with tips from Julia's latest novel on how to be happy and single, and I enjoyed reading those tips.
It was also interesting to read the issues that inevitably come up when you have been single for a long time and living alone and then try to make room for someone else in your life. Like Julia's thought to herself about how there was no room for a gallon of milk in her fridge, and there had never been a full gallon in there before. (Single people buy pints or half gallons, I guess.) :)
The main characters and the supporting characters are fleshed out and believable. And even while you know that in this genre the two love interests will of course end up together, I did enjoy the journey reading along waiting for that to happen.
Also possibly objectionable content: there is discussion of romance novel (you know the kind . . . all the covers are pretty much exactly the same). The novels are treated lightly, humorously, which I think is too lightly, because those kinds of novels are filth. :)
So, this book is funny, and while I'll probably read the sequel, I probably won't ever read it again.
August 28, 2009
Ally Carter, Cheating at Solitaire (Berkley, 2005)
Here's something I never expected to see: a chick lit novel that remembers the “lit� half of the equation. Young adult novelist Ally Carter, best known for the Gallagher Girls series of novels, actually started her career with an adult novel, Cheating at Solitaire. And while I'm willing to admit my reading in chick lit has not been nearly as extensive as it has been in other genres, I've certainly read my share of the stuff, and this is the best chick lit novel I have read to date.
Plot: Julia James is a wildly successful self-help author who's made her living saying that society's perceptions that women must be married in order to be happy are silly, and counseling single women on how to lead a fulfilling single life. (At no point does she say that she's against marriage, though, which becomes a big point later in the book.) Lance Collins is a chronically out-of-work actor who tries something outrageous in order to talk to his agent, Richard Stone. Thanks to a torrential downpour, Julia and Lance end up sharing a cab, and Stone, seeing the two of them together, gets dollar signs in his eyes; how much would Collins' stock go up if he were on the cover of every tabloid in America with the Queen of Single Women? The two of them end up being tabbed an item, and Julia is worried her stock with her readers will plummet. When sales of her books double the next day, she realizes things are getting way, way out of hand, but how to go about rectifying all this? And what's she going to do with Lance?
Sure, it's your basic chick lit premise, but Carter wears it well, straying from the formula (as so few books of this type do) to offer commentary about everything from interior design reality shows to alcoholism, and even more, this is a book that's actually, honestly, genuinely funny, rather than sticking to the sarcasm and deadpan that marks so many of the books in the genre I've read. The final couple of chapters were something of a letdown; I'm assuming they were suggested by either Carter's agent or her publisher, and not faulting her for them. Other than that, I'll say it again: the best chick lit novel I've ever read. *** ½
Here's something I never expected to see: a chick lit novel that remembers the “lit� half of the equation. Young adult novelist Ally Carter, best known for the Gallagher Girls series of novels, actually started her career with an adult novel, Cheating at Solitaire. And while I'm willing to admit my reading in chick lit has not been nearly as extensive as it has been in other genres, I've certainly read my share of the stuff, and this is the best chick lit novel I have read to date.
Plot: Julia James is a wildly successful self-help author who's made her living saying that society's perceptions that women must be married in order to be happy are silly, and counseling single women on how to lead a fulfilling single life. (At no point does she say that she's against marriage, though, which becomes a big point later in the book.) Lance Collins is a chronically out-of-work actor who tries something outrageous in order to talk to his agent, Richard Stone. Thanks to a torrential downpour, Julia and Lance end up sharing a cab, and Stone, seeing the two of them together, gets dollar signs in his eyes; how much would Collins' stock go up if he were on the cover of every tabloid in America with the Queen of Single Women? The two of them end up being tabbed an item, and Julia is worried her stock with her readers will plummet. When sales of her books double the next day, she realizes things are getting way, way out of hand, but how to go about rectifying all this? And what's she going to do with Lance?
Sure, it's your basic chick lit premise, but Carter wears it well, straying from the formula (as so few books of this type do) to offer commentary about everything from interior design reality shows to alcoholism, and even more, this is a book that's actually, honestly, genuinely funny, rather than sticking to the sarcasm and deadpan that marks so many of the books in the genre I've read. The final couple of chapters were something of a letdown; I'm assuming they were suggested by either Carter's agent or her publisher, and not faulting her for them. Other than that, I'll say it again: the best chick lit novel I've ever read. *** ½
December 22, 2021
Yet another author who can do no wrong in my book. HA! GET IT! IN MY BOOK! LOL! :)
December 5, 2011
To me Ally Carter was always just the author to The Gallagher Girls and Heist Society , it wasn't till at the start of the year that I got a 2011 calendar Chick Lit - that featured excerpts from Chick Lit books, that I discovered that she had dabbled in the art of writing for the adult audience and I just had to get my hand on a copy, and the day that I finally did and have read it has come .
"Life's best adventures are as close as your nearest bookshelf Tour Europe with the Count of Monte Cristo. Dance a ball with Mr. Darcy. Hunt down bad guys with Stephanie Plum . Amazing things can happen when you read".
When I first read the title Cheating at Solitare, I thought it was about that but as I turned the pages - it was something more . Julia James , is a self-help guru who has spent the past years proclaiming herself as the Single women role model to single ladies all around the globe. When an accidental meeting between Julia and a wannabe actor Lance Collins occurs , it seems that the paparazzi snapped a picture of the two of them together and the very next day - splashed all over the tabloids is the heading "Julia James and Lance Collins - A Couple". This is bad news for Julia as for starters there's nothing going on but for all her fans - they now see Julia as a hypocrite. Forced to flee home , Julia heads home but Lance follows suit and now the two must work out their dilemma as stories and rumours between the two spiral out of control. As Lance's reputation grows , it has the opposite effect on Julia as her planned life is spiralling out of control. When a manuscript from Julia's past comes to light , it seems that her days as an author are over . Can Julia redeem herself in the writing world or is it time to start a new page in her life ? As romance sparks between Lance and Julie , are they destined to be together or will fate throw another spanner in the paths ? Is this true love or a fleeting moment in time ?
A fun , light-hearted story with humour and the benefits of having close girlfriends to have your backs and a novel that will show us how to identify who your true friends are.
"Life's best adventures are as close as your nearest bookshelf Tour Europe with the Count of Monte Cristo. Dance a ball with Mr. Darcy. Hunt down bad guys with Stephanie Plum . Amazing things can happen when you read".
When I first read the title Cheating at Solitare, I thought it was about that but as I turned the pages - it was something more . Julia James , is a self-help guru who has spent the past years proclaiming herself as the Single women role model to single ladies all around the globe. When an accidental meeting between Julia and a wannabe actor Lance Collins occurs , it seems that the paparazzi snapped a picture of the two of them together and the very next day - splashed all over the tabloids is the heading "Julia James and Lance Collins - A Couple". This is bad news for Julia as for starters there's nothing going on but for all her fans - they now see Julia as a hypocrite. Forced to flee home , Julia heads home but Lance follows suit and now the two must work out their dilemma as stories and rumours between the two spiral out of control. As Lance's reputation grows , it has the opposite effect on Julia as her planned life is spiralling out of control. When a manuscript from Julia's past comes to light , it seems that her days as an author are over . Can Julia redeem herself in the writing world or is it time to start a new page in her life ? As romance sparks between Lance and Julie , are they destined to be together or will fate throw another spanner in the paths ? Is this true love or a fleeting moment in time ?
A fun , light-hearted story with humour and the benefits of having close girlfriends to have your backs and a novel that will show us how to identify who your true friends are.
December 31, 2021
Oh, Ally Carter. Sweet, sweet Ally Carter. I have to write this review with a disclaimer. Buckle up friends, I just read War and Peace, but THIS will be my longest review.
**Disclaimer:**
I love Ally Carter. I will read anything she writes. In the trudge of dark, awful, traumatic books I like to read, Ally Carter shows up with fun, snappy, quick, books that have sarcastic characters and I love it. A bunch of teenage girls being trained as spies? Yes. Fantastic. Gimme that young feminist energy. An ART HEIST to steal back art lost/stolen in WW2 by a girl kicked out of every boarding school and her rich, hot, BFF whose first name she doesn't know (I still stan Hale)? Yeah, absolutely. Shoot that into my veins. I love it. 12 year old me would have planned an entirely different future if I had these books (yes, crime would have been involved). *End of disclaimer.*
I could keep going. I did say this would be my longest review, but it's not. (I don't think...) But you get the point. It was a fine book. For early Ally Carter, it's what I would expect. It didn't turn me off her. I'll still read anything she writes, and I definitely think she's grown a lot as a writer. I might run through Heist Society again this year (I did last year) just for funsies.
**Disclaimer:**
I love Ally Carter. I will read anything she writes. In the trudge of dark, awful, traumatic books I like to read, Ally Carter shows up with fun, snappy, quick, books that have sarcastic characters and I love it. A bunch of teenage girls being trained as spies? Yes. Fantastic. Gimme that young feminist energy. An ART HEIST to steal back art lost/stolen in WW2 by a girl kicked out of every boarding school and her rich, hot, BFF whose first name she doesn't know (I still stan Hale)? Yeah, absolutely. Shoot that into my veins. I love it. 12 year old me would have planned an entirely different future if I had these books (yes, crime would have been involved). *End of disclaimer.*
I could keep going. I did say this would be my longest review, but it's not. (I don't think...) But you get the point. It was a fine book. For early Ally Carter, it's what I would expect. It didn't turn me off her. I'll still read anything she writes, and I definitely think she's grown a lot as a writer. I might run through Heist Society again this year (I did last year) just for funsies.
September 14, 2024
I can’t believe it took me this long to finally read Ally’s debut novel but I devoured the entire thing during my flight and absolutely loved it.
It was so interesting to see Ally’s voice in a different type of book, but it was still so uniquely her coming out through this set of characters and I really enjoyed getting to know them. I can’t wait to read the next one.
It was so interesting to see Ally’s voice in a different type of book, but it was still so uniquely her coming out through this set of characters and I really enjoyed getting to know them. I can’t wait to read the next one.
September 3, 2015
Okay, so I go to dear ol Courtney's house to return her book, despite the fact that Courtney is long gone to Cali, and lo and behold, I emerge moments later with another of Ally Carter's books. The one that is hardest to find in libraries, her noble debut, a book I've vaguely wanted to reread for months now: Cheating at Solitaire. The funny, fresh, ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS book that somehow manages to be sweet and never cheesy, cooky but real, clever and funny but not fluffy, and romantic but more centrally about the journey of our protagonist. I love this book so much. I have a rolling riot every time I read it, and more than that, I am Consumed with need for the next one from the moment I read the last word of this one. (It really ends Waaaay too openly for me ). I love all the characters in this book and it's just way too much fun for words. Julia is a great protagonist. Lance is great bc he's great, but not over-the-top. The innuendo humor is stuff I can get behind. Nina and Caroline are winners in general. Ro-Ro and the Georgias, who can even sum them up as well as Nina can? They are just perfect for this book, match the tone perfectly (as well as character development muahahaha).
Also, I of course loved all the stuff that almost, if this hadn't been Carter's first book, read like allusions to her other stuff. i.e. "If you see anything strange, radio back to base, and I'll tell you whether or not to abort." Abort? Emergency exits? Central control? What's next, Julia wondered, code names and tubes of lipstick that double as rocket launchers?'
Why, yes, Julia, that is what came next, just not in your corner of this universe. (I have decided ages ago that I don't care what Ally Carter writes or how it contradicts, I believe all her books take part in the same universe. That is the kind of person I am. Cheating at Solitaire is never boring for a second, but imagining Cammie busting them up makes it even more fun. (wait, don't Cammie's grandparents live in Oklahoma? Pardon me, I need to go write a crossover RIGHT NOW.)
or
"Justin, isn't it?" "Jason" "Oh, right"
and who have we seen use that trick before? Oh, right. Zach. Lance is such a hunk.
Anyway, not-allusions aside, I love this book and I'm probably lucky the second one is in Sandy bc I'd stay up all night reading it and never get my real homework done :)
.............June 15-16 2012.......................
I have not laughed this hard while reading a book since the last . And that is saying something. My mom thought I'd lost it. SO funny.
Also, I of course loved all the stuff that almost, if this hadn't been Carter's first book, read like allusions to her other stuff. i.e. "If you see anything strange, radio back to base, and I'll tell you whether or not to abort." Abort? Emergency exits? Central control? What's next, Julia wondered, code names and tubes of lipstick that double as rocket launchers?'
Why, yes, Julia, that is what came next, just not in your corner of this universe. (I have decided ages ago that I don't care what Ally Carter writes or how it contradicts, I believe all her books take part in the same universe. That is the kind of person I am. Cheating at Solitaire is never boring for a second, but imagining Cammie busting them up makes it even more fun. (wait, don't Cammie's grandparents live in Oklahoma? Pardon me, I need to go write a crossover RIGHT NOW.)
or
"Justin, isn't it?" "Jason" "Oh, right"
and who have we seen use that trick before? Oh, right. Zach. Lance is such a hunk.
Anyway, not-allusions aside, I love this book and I'm probably lucky the second one is in Sandy bc I'd stay up all night reading it and never get my real homework done :)
.............June 15-16 2012.......................
I have not laughed this hard while reading a book since the last . And that is saying something. My mom thought I'd lost it. SO funny.
August 15, 2011
I had relatively mild expectations for this book--Carter's other books have been entertaining and worth the read. Sadly this book isn't. It fell down in far too many areas; the characters were two dimensional, their motivations (when they had any) were contrived, there was hardly any character growth,and there were multiple times I had to flip between pages wondering if I had missed a chunk of dialogue because I was SO lost (and it wasn't even between POV shifts, just between paragraphs). The whole thing needed much more intensive editing.
Once I finished the book I felt sad that I had devoted that much time to a poorly written novel. I don't feel like I require too much from books like this, but apparently I needed more than Carter had to give in this particular novel. And I'll never know what happens next because my library doesn't carry the second book in the series (and even if it did, who's to say if I would put forth the effort to track it down and read it?).
Once I finished the book I felt sad that I had devoted that much time to a poorly written novel. I don't feel like I require too much from books like this, but apparently I needed more than Carter had to give in this particular novel. And I'll never know what happens next because my library doesn't carry the second book in the series (and even if it did, who's to say if I would put forth the effort to track it down and read it?).
September 26, 2008
This was a cute book. I couldn't put it down and read it in one day.
Moral Note: It does say the S word at the very beginning and I wasn't going to read it more if it still had swearing but, the author didn't throw more swear words in till the very end when I then had to see what happened. So, besides the S word is says the B word and heck and dang.
Moral Note: It does say the S word at the very beginning and I wasn't going to read it more if it still had swearing but, the author didn't throw more swear words in till the very end when I then had to see what happened. So, besides the S word is says the B word and heck and dang.
September 26, 2009
There's something refreshing about Ally Carter's voice--I find myself truly liking the characters and at least smiling periodically, if not laughing out loud.
It's not great literature, but it's a fun, quick little romance. And clean.
It's not great literature, but it's a fun, quick little romance. And clean.
January 19, 2014
Not revolutionary, but funny and cute. Suffers from the common problem of 'debut author with over-romanticised view of the life of successful authors' but if you're willing to suspend your disbelief, it's a good read.
June 10, 2010
Although this book targeted adults, I actually liked it less than her spy-girls series - which I thought was very fun.
February 19, 2022
What a fun read. I know there is a sequel, but I've got my closure with the first book. Since it seems the series was dropped.
I read the book in one sitting, staying up till 3.00AM. As some reviews pointed out, the characters motivations are not really fleshed out, but if I'm honest I did not noticed that much, but only after finishing the book. I really don't know why Julia chose to be single.
It's an easy read with a happy ending so I highly recommend it, if you can get it from a library or buy it somehow. Why? Explained bellow.
I read the book in one sitting, staying up till 3.00AM. As some reviews pointed out, the characters motivations are not really fleshed out, but if I'm honest I did not noticed that much, but only after finishing the book. I really don't know why Julia chose to be single.
It's an easy read with a happy ending so I highly recommend it, if you can get it from a library or buy it somehow. Why? Explained bellow.
February 6, 2020
I love Ally Carter, which is why I dug into the archives and hunted down the rom-com that is Cheating at Solitaire. It’s supposed to be a cute, fluffy story right? Well, as a single girl who hung her identity on that status for too long, this book turned out to be more than I bargained for. I feel attacked, in a good way. Thank you, Ally Carter, for driving home the reminder that I may be an expert at solitaire, but it’s never too late to learn a new game.
Masterful storytelling containing a powerful truth. I loved it.
Masterful storytelling containing a powerful truth. I loved it.
November 7, 2019
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January 17, 2024
I love everything Ally Carter has ever written! She has a wonderful sense of humor that is easily captured in every character she writes and every book has this sense of urgency, whether they are teen spies or just trying to get back the original manuscripts of their secret novels. I haven’t read this book in forever and I’m so glad I decided to pick it up again! And I forgot how quickly it ends! I’ll need to pick up the second book next!
December 10, 2018
This book was great. It was a little ludicrous and a lot hilarious, and it was exactly what I needed. I had a great time with it and the reflection of Julia James to Ally Carter’s writing history is kind of fabulous. I’ll probably pick up the sequel because I’m a completionist and I’ve read all of her other books 😂
June 13, 2021
Yeah, this just wasn’t very good. Super dated, scattered plot, little character depth. I enjoyed this little discussion there was about letting people enjoy being single and not being afraid of change, but it couldn’t be saved.
This was my first completed read for the Romanceathon, accomplishing the challenge of a book outside your comfort zone.
This was my first completed read for the Romanceathon, accomplishing the challenge of a book outside your comfort zone.
July 10, 2023
This was the only book I hadn't read from Ally Carter (along with its sequel) so when I found them available in a secondhand bookstore I bought them without even reading the blurb.
I started reading and I had no idea what the plot would be like!!
As always Ally Carter never disappoints so of course I'm already reading the sequel at this moment!!!
I started reading and I had no idea what the plot would be like!!
As always Ally Carter never disappoints so of course I'm already reading the sequel at this moment!!!
May 28, 2019
Cute rom-com. Definitely different from her other books and not one of my favorites but for a chick flick in book form with a good cast of characters, it’s fun. It’d be neat to learn how Julia’s sister Caroline changes after the book.
October 4, 2019
the premise is quirky and fun but I wanted it to be better. It also doesn't really have a good enough cliff hanger for me to read the next one. Plus I went and read the reviews for the next book and didn't like what I saw.
November 14, 2018
3.5 stars. Interested to read some of Carter’s early work - reckon she nailed the chick lit romance genre. Love her voice. She’s one of my fav YA authors.
January 9, 2019
Interesting, funny, and very entertaining; I quite enjoyed this book.
January 16, 2020
Great story. Great book. No swearing or sex. Ally Carter is a great writer. A good growing up story for adults.
May 7, 2020
Fun book with some quirky characters as well as a cute romance. I thoroughly enjoy this book.
August 29, 2022
Fun heart warning light read
September 6, 2022
Not a fan of Carter's adult writing. It almost seems like an entirely different person wrote the Gallagher Girls and Embassy Row series.
August 5, 2023
This is book 1 in a series. There is no mention of sex but there are a couple of swear words. Cleverly written, I enjoy her style. I am looking forward to reading book 2.
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