Book Review: "The Cubicle Next Door" by Siri Mitchell

To Blog or Not to Blog

Blogs are a great way to release stress. You can write about anything on your mind. People can read about your emotions, your fears, your love life but still have no idea who the real you is.

Jackie is a civilian who works at the US Air Force Academy. She is forced to share her office, now divided by a cubicle, with Joe, a former pilot and new teacher. She lives with her grandmother and writes in her blog her feelings for Joe (with codes names of course) that she would never actually say out loud. When her blog becomes famous, EVERYONE seems to be reading it and trying to guess who the author is, including Joe. Jackie has to struggle with her feelings for him and to keep him from guessing that the blog is really about him.

I really liked this book. I really admired Jackie and felt for her. You understand why she acts and feels the way she does. It was refreshing to read a chick lit book where the main character isn't such a girly-girl who shops and is boy crazy. Believe it or not, there are some of us out there that are like that!

Joe sometimes got on my nerves. I'll admit he is a good guy and one of the nicest male leads I've read in a while. But sometimes he was just so....arrrghhh! The scene that stands out most is when he asks Jackie to go to the Bollywood movie with him. But then in the theater all he does is keep complaining and talking during the movie AND he eats all her popcorn. He also seems a little unsympathetic when Jackie is slow to reacting to his affections due to her history. But like I said he is a good guy and I did like him and he was good for Jackie.

Otherwise I really enjoyed this book. It gave great insight to the military/civilian life. I also liked the comments in the blog. You get different perspectives from everyone (although the 15 year old know-it-all guy seemed a little unbelievable) that add a touch of real life and humor the the blogs. My favorite scene happened after Jackie wrote her "help me" post and the whole blogging world goes insane with worry about what happened to her. When I got to the end I had to flip back and read over stuff. I was caught off guard and pleasantly surprised. This is a great chick lit book and I'm looking forward to going back and reading the rest of Siri's books.

The Cubicle Next Door by Siri Mitchell is published by Harvest House (2006)