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I Do (but I Don't)

Review

I Do (but I Don't)



Cara Lockwood's debut novel, I DO (BUT I DON'T), is the story of a
wedding planner and her adventures with (what else?) weddings. This
is a typical chick-lit book that follows the trend with writing
that is very fluffy and very light, and lots of action from start
to finish.

I DO (BUT I DON'T) is told in the first person narrated by the
wedding planner, Lauren Crandell. She is the perfect wedding
planner, as she's highly organized, extremely neat, and very anal
about her job. Unfortunately, her shock of big, wild curly hair
does not fit into this description of neat and tidy, and is
probably the most noticeable feature on her body. On a good day it
is wild and unruly. On a bad day it may look like a bird's nest ---
literally. The reader is made aware of Lauren's hair problem, as
she is inside Lauren's head throughout the book. She rambles on
about life in general, about her job, her boss, her hair (of
course), and the many psycho brides and other interesting family
members she encounters during the preparations for that big
day.

Lauren works for a consulting firm called Forever Wedding, sharing
a suite with the owner, Gennifer Douglas, or "G" as she is called,
and G's stuck-up spoiled cat Whiskers. What Lauren goes through
with Whiskers alone could make for a hilarious book. Scenes in
which Lauren is dealing with problems such as cat poop under the
desk helps add to the humor. (Whiskers has a knack for showing her
hatred for Lauren by constantly using the floor under her desk as a
litter box).

Early in the story, Lauren finds herself working a series of
weddings where ambulances and firemen are called in as rescuers.
During the start of one wedding on a beach where the bridegroom is
attempting to parachute to his lovely bride waiting on the sand,
the parachuting attempt goes awry and the rescue crew is summoned.
It is at this event that Lauren meets the most gorgeous man on the
planet, Nick Corona. Her thoughts run wild as she envisions him in
all sorts of positions and places, but the wedding must go on and
she is pulled back into reality.

Lauren meets him again at yet another wedding, and on another
occasion they bump into each other in a bar. She soon figures out
that he is the groom in the wedding that she is working on, which
is bound to become the "wedding from hell" if judged by the bride's
behavior.

Life goes on, and Lauren continues to work on Darla and Nick's
wedding. At the same time, she finds Nick coming on to her at every
opportune moment, and she is torn between whether to follow his
lead or tell him to buzz off. Losing her client would be disastrous
if she was to blame, and she is constantly worried that she'll be
fired. But what should she do with Nick? How could she say "no" to
him? She's strongly attracted to him and finds him totally
irresistible.

I DO (BUT I DON'T) was a pleasant book to read, although at times
the narrator's chattiness may be a bit irritating. The plot line
did keep me in suspense, and I wanted to finish the book to find
out how it ended. There were a lot of funny scenes and I enjoyed
Lockwood's writing style, and though there was not anything special
about it, it was a fun light summer read.

Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton (Ratmammy@lofton.org) on January 22, 2011

I Do (but I Don't)
by Cara Lockwood

  • Publication Date: June 1, 2003
  • Genres: Fiction
  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Downtown Press
  • ISBN-10: 0743457536
  • ISBN-13: 9780743457538