Charlie All Night

Mira

Charlie All Night
Jennifer Crusie
1995

The Summary
"Dumped by her boyfriend and demoted from WBBB's prime-time spot, radio producer Allie McGuffey has nowhere to go but up. She plans to make her comeback by turning temporary DJ Charlie Tenniel into a household name. And if he's willing to help cure her breakup blues with a rebound fling, that's an added bonus.

"Charlie just wants to kick back, play good tunes and eat Chinese food. He's not interested in becoming famous. But he is interested in Allie. And after all, what harm is a little chemistry between friends?

"But suddenly their one-night stand has become a four-week addiction. Night after night on the airwaves, his voice seduces her…and all the other women in town. He's a hit. It looks as if Charlie's solved all Allie's problems…except one. What is she going to do when he leaves?"

The Good
I absolutely loved this book.

Charlie All Night is full of humor and heart.  Although I know Allie sets her eyes on Charlie for all the wrong reasons--and, on more than one occasion, I know their romance is set to blow up in their faces--I found their interactions both hilarious and heart-warming.  Allie and Charlie seem to get along well:  they fight and bicker like any couple, but they seem to harbor a genuine affection for one another.

It's wonderful to see how their relationship blossoms.  I mean, yeah, sure, they sort of turn everything into a mess (if it isn't Charlie accidentally publicizing their relationship over the air, then it's Allie saying just the wrong thing to get her boss on her tail), but it's just so funny how they manage to work together and, eventually, fall in love.

Personally, I enjoyed it and I had so much fun reading it.  I devoured it in an evening and I can't wait to read more from Jennifer Crusie.

The Bad
The main reason Charlie is visiting Allie's tiny town is because he's secretly investigating the radio station and everyone in it; however, that plot line sort of gets pushed to the wayside.  Readers aren't left hanging without any resolution, but it's kind of secondary to Allie and Charlie's relationship.  If you're more interested in what's going on in the back ground, I'm afraid the spotlight is only shined on it every once in a while.

The Ugly
Relationships can be ugly.

Between Allie dealing with the nuclear fallout from her last break up and Charlie adamantly insisting he's only staying in town four weeks, you know someone's heart is going to get broken.