The first American chick lit I read was Otherwise Engaged: A Novel, by Suzanne Finnamore. While the story progresses from engagement to wedding, it’s not really about that so much as it is about relationships and life changes. It’s a bit more serious than, say, Bridget Jones’s Diary, but it’s also more real, and it’s also very, very funny. I loved this book, and I loved the narrator. Yes, she’s neurotic and a bit self-centered, but she’s so cool and fun. Every time I read it, I wish I lived in San Francisco so I could be friends with her. Some of the scenarios – like getting into a fight with her fiancé and wordlessly dividing their home into territories (including a neutral zone) – were so familiar I felt like I might have written this book in a previous life. This is essential chick lit – read it! 🙂