Review: Girl From Mars by Julie Cohen

Fil (Philomena Desdemona Brown, daughter of two professors) is happy living with her best guy friend and hanging out with two more of her sci-fi obsessed friends. She's the main artist on her very favorite comic book, Girl From Mars, and is content with the way her life is going. When one of the four mates starts a serious relationship and pulls away from the group, the other three make a vow not to forsake each other for relationships. Meanwhile, at work there's a shake-up as well. Dan McKay, the grandson of Girl From Mars' creator and a hotshot Hollywood director in his own right, is brought in to breathe new life into the Girl From Mars storyline. Fil, who has a long standing attachment to the comic and who knows the history backwards and forwards, is highly resistant to any change in the timeless Girl. And while Fil and Dan face off over the direction of the comic, they also try to figure out the growing attraction between the two of them. But of course, Fil has made the no-relationship vow with her best friends and so she feels underhanded and disloyal for wanting so badly to be with Dan. Things get even more complicated when Fil's best friend admits to feelings for her.

This was a fun romp of a book. It was generally fairly predictable but it was enjoyable anyway. There is a lot of fascinating information about the writing, art, and production of comics. Fil is a conflicted but loyal character and while some of her decisions would inspire a thwack on the noggin' in real life, in general she's unusual and sympathetic. Plunking her firmly in a male dominated world makes her naivete about relationships completely believable. Even her inability to see the insularity of their small group seems in character for her. Her friends are less fleshed out, as is love interest and antagonist Dan McKay, but as the focus is more on Fil's self-realizations within the confines of her friendship and romantic relationship, backgrounding the secondary characters doesn't take away from the plot. Fil and Dan's relationship evolves slowly and naturally, adding to Fil's confusion and final understanding about herself. The ending to this book is slightly unexpected and perfect. Fans of chick lit will enjoy this unique and delightful novel.