Chelsea does not come across as shy in any way, despite what she might try to tell you. Nor is she someone who tries to withhold details. She is, after all, the girl who made a point of telling her first grade classmates all about her parents' sex-life upon discovering the, um, ins and outs of it. And yet, unlike some other books in this vein, My Horizontal Life doesn't come across as an "over-share". You almost feel you know the girl, that she's an old friend you've known for years, and is therefore someone with whom you would often discuss such things in a frank and open manner. Skidmarked underwear? No biggie, everyone's been there. Embarrassing parents? Forget about it. You've cut your own fringe and it's gone wrong? Ok, let's do some damage control. The possibility of waxing a phrase into your bikini line? Let's talk wording.
There is little in the way of political correctness in this book, as the blacks, the gays, the religious and the height-challenged all get disapproved of in turn, mainly by her old dad who comes out with some killer lines. This book had me laughing out loud, for what it said but just as much for the way it said it. It's the kind of tale that has you snorting, hooting and cackling, and therefore probably shouldn't be read out in public. It's also an easy read that I flew through, but because it's broken down into different episodes (and by "different episodes", I mainly mean "different men") it's also easy to put down and pick up again later without losing the plot. Even if you're not a fan of vaguely pornographic dialogue you will enjoy this if you like to nosy into other people's lives, and appreciate succinct observations about life in the 21st century. As a guide, I'd liken it to [[A Certain Age]] or [[Save Karyn]], and it also reminded me in a good way of the Jennifer Belle novels [[''Going Down]] '' and [[High Maintenance]]. I like books I can relate to, and characters that react and say exactly what I would in the same situation, and this delivers on both counts. The fact that this is "real" as opposed to fiction just makes it all the more special.
Thank you to the lovely people at Random House for sending this fab book.