Since I’ve read over 500 books, it’s fair to say I’ve come across a lot of wonderful characters. I figured I’d narrow it down and pick my top 5 and the give honourable mentions to 5 others that just missed out. (This is going to be so fun. For me, anyway.) Look out for my Top 5 Male Characters Ever coming soon, too (then who knows what else - book covers, pets, children… lemme know what you’d like to know)!

1. Stephanie Plum, from Janet Evanovich’s “Plum” series.
Stephanie Plum is new to me, but from the first page of One for the Money I decided I wanted to be her when I grow up. I mean she’s a bounty hunter, for crying out loud. If that’s not the best job ever then I do not know what is. She lives in Jersey, with her hamster Rex (I love Rex) and has the funniest family ever (the ever-sprightly Grandma Mazur, her mom who likes to make the sign of the cross regularly, and her dad who likes to keep his head down and his mouth shout). She has a sidekick in Lula and men flock to her. Morelli, Ranger and (from what it seems) Diesel, too. I like Ranger best. I’ll tell you why in my Male Characters post. If I could be anybody for the day I’d be Stephanie Plum, although hopefully I won’t get shot at, and my car won’t blow up.

2. Becky Bloomwood, from Sophie Kinsella’s “Shopaholic” series.
Becky Bloomwood was the first Chick Lit character who I ever really wanted to be. I love her. I mean, seriously. I want her life. The shopping included. Despite her shopaholic tendencies, I never tire of reading the Shopaholic books and I’ve read each book multiple times. I wasn’t a fan of the Isla Fisher version of Ms Bloomwood, mind, I don’t imagine Becky like that at all (THE RED HAIR being a major major drawback). Plus if I was Becky I’d get to wear that t-shirt from Shopaholic & Baby (hence why I really didn’t like Isla Fisher’s red-headed-ness).

Oh, yeah, and I’d get to be married to Luke Brandon.

3. Abigail Wood, from Gemma Burgess’s novel “A Girl Like You”.
Abigail is on this list for one reason only (no, not for Robert, though I do admit, he has a certain charm). No, Abigail is the kind of Chick Lit character I wish more Chick Lit authors would write. She’s ballsy, she speaks her mind and I just plain old love her down to the ground. She’s someone who if you met her in real life, she’d tell you how it is and how it’s going to be. Sass (from The Dating Detox) was exactly the same, but it’s Abigail who won out. Just thinking about the lovely Abigail makes me want to read the book again. That’s some good work there!

4. Scarlett O’Brien, from Ali McNamara’s novel “From Notting Hill With Love… Actually”.
I fell in love with Scarlett O’Brien from the first page of Ali McNamara’s debut novel last year, her love for the movies was the major thing. I’m a big movie fan, though I don’t watch many these days because I just don’t have the concentration unless it’s something I really want to see. But Scarlett’s love for the movies is so much more than that. It encapsulates her, it’s how she lives her life, hoping to be involved in her very own movie scenes, trying to make it so she can get herself into situations from her favourite movies. I can’t wait to meet her again in Ali’s sequel to the novel, which will be out at some point in the future.

5. Katy Carter, from Ruth Saberton’s novel “Katy Carter Wants A Hero”.
Another heroine who will be back soon in a sequel (woohoo!) is the brilliant Katy Carter. Katy Carter reminded me hugely of Becky B. She’s so warm, so funny and her friends mean the world to her. She’s the kind of character who stands out - or she did to me anyway. Even now I still laugh at the way she dealt with Pinchy the lobster. It still makes me smile remembering the bathtub scene. That’s the kind of character who stands out and Katy Carter is such a character. I can’t wait to see her let loose in New York (despite the fact the bells are clanging since Becky B. also ventured to New York in her second novel…). Either way, long live Katy Carter!

Honourable mentions: Isabel Spellman (from Lisa Lutz’s “Spellman Family” novels), Sophy (from Liz Young’s “Asking For Trouble), Maeve Connolly (from Kerry Reich’s “The Good Luck Girl”), Meg Stiles (from Paige Toon’s “Johnny Be Good” and upcoming “Baby Be Mine”), Holly Colshannon (from Sarah Mason’s “Playing James”).

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