Always the Bridesmaid by Sarah Webb (Poolbeg, £6.99 )

Sarah Webb's new novel falls firmly into the "chick-lit" category from its title right through to its happy-ever-after ending. Dubliner Amy O'Sullivan is dreading her upcoming 30th birthday. She has split from her long time boyfriend and both her younger sister and her best friend have just announced their weddings. Worse still, they both want her to be bridesmaid. And if that isn't enough to make her feel like a total loser she's also bored with her job in a book shop and she's back living at home with her mum and dad. But she's got great girlfriends, a healthy social life and soon a man - rich, handsome and famous - appears on the horizon. Webb has clearly studied the chick-lit formula and it is all here; she does it well with some especially lively dialogue, strong female characters with whom her readers can happily identify and plenty of immediately recognisable local references.