I'd heard a lot about Caprice Crane's debut novel - not least that Courtney Love shoplifted a copy - so my expectations were high.
Like many chick lit heroines, Heaven Albright has a brilliant PR career until that is she's unfairly dismissed. Procrastinating about starting her own agency, she takes a waitressing job in a trendy restaurant. Independent (and unsuccessful) record company owner Brady Gilbert leaves his psycho girlfriend and moves into the apartment next door to Heaven's. Of course they don't get on at all to begin with. Heaven doesn't think Brady's all there and Brady thinks she's crazy, but from the very beginning the reader knows they're made for each other (reminding me a little of When Harry Met Sally - and I imagine Heaven's surname is a nod in that direction).
Their friendship develops when Heaven invites herself along on Brady's trip to Seattle to try and sign a Next Big Thing band and also wangle a meeting with the head of Starbucks to interest them in his invention, Cinnamilk. Plus Heaven wants to go to a vigil for the anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death.
Things, of course, don't go according to plan, but one of the things I loved the most about this book was that it was all believable. Heaven and Brady have a couple of the misunderstandings required to sustain the plot - and they both make mistakes - but they're never stupid or far-fetched and you always feel that they care for each other. Like Harry and Sally, they may not be perfect, but they're perfect for each other.
Full of pop culture references and more than I ever needed to know about the disgusting things wait staff to rude customers, Stupid and Contagious is extremely funny, it made me cry and when I finished it I could happily have turned back to the first page and started it again. One of the best chick lit books I've ever read.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Like this? Try Time Off for Good Behavior by Lani Diane Rich
Like Megan Crane, Caprice Crane is another member of The5Spot blog
