Poor Poppy!

She just wants to save the world -- one liver at a time. Poppy didn't take her vow to bring health and well-being to the masses lightly. But the obstacles she faces are bringing her down. Unbelievers, scoffers and meddlers thwart her every move. Her father flakes out and does something totally unexpected.

Dr. Frankenhunk, the handsome plastic surgeon next door, tries all of Poppy's patience and good will. He actually parks his spiffy sports car in front of her organic and peaceful side of their shared office space. The man has nerve; fortunately, she's there to point it out.

Even Lily and Morgan, her spa buddies, won't leave Poppy alone. They actually suggest conversation limits for certain social occasions. A completely maladjusted patient manages to confuse the situation even further. What's a poor-green-goo-for-dinner loving, just-trying-to-make-everyone-healthy-chiropractor to do?

Everything you want Chick-Lit to be, served with a healthy dose of cleverness. Adorable, fluffy fun. I'd love to hang with Poppy. Well, maybe not for dinner.

This is the sixth book of Kristin's that I have read, and I wasn't disappointed. From the backcover copy:

"The third novel in the Spa Girls Series focuses on Silicon Valley chiropractor Poppy Clayton, who is as calm, cool and adjusted as they come. Or is she? Known for her bad fashion sense, a love for all things natural and the inability to get a second date, Poppy is beginning to wonder if she might be misaligned herself. Her route to self discovery will be an unnatural one - a plastic surgeon, a dilapidated house in Santa Cruz, a flirtatious client, and a blind date from the dark side."

One thing I appreciated about this book is that even thought it's the third installment in the series, you don't need to have read the prior two books (though you'll love them if you do) to fully appreciate this one.

In Calm, Cool & Adjusted, Poppy Clayton is losing her spa girls. One is married with a baby on the way and the other has a wedding date set. Feeling a bit like the girl who is always the bridesmaid, Poppy delights in the fact that she is different. As a chiropractor and alternative medicine guru, she focuses all her time and attention on making people well, whether or not they want to hear about her cures. At the same time her spa girls think she's taking it to a new extreme and are concerned about her.

They give her an ultimatum: find a normal date for the wedding and its showers or they will find one for her. Poppy is beautiful but doesn't see it, so rarely makes it past the first date with a guy. There's always something wrong with them, whether liver function or personality. Poppy takes the challenge on...and picks the cosmetic surgeon who's office is next door to hers. Sparks fly every time they are together. Add in a patient who might want to be more and a set-up courtesy of her spa girls, and Poppy feels like her non-existent love life is spiraling out of control.

Then there's her father who has suddenly left her the run down childhood home. I found myself laughing (like I expect in one of Kristin's books) but also cringing as a point would hit close to home.

Miles run: 0

Laps in the pool: 0

Desperation level: OFF THE SCALE!

Kirsten Billerbeck, one of the first "Christian chick-lit" authors, scores another hit with her latest release in the Spa Girl Series: Cool, Calm, and Adjusted. A story about life, love, and the pursuit of whole grain oats, wheat shakes and maybe even a date, this novel is a lively tale about a middle-aged woman dealing with scars from the past, despairing because all her friends are getting married and leaving her behind, and wondering if she truly has traversed over that thin line separating health enthusiast from full blown "nature freak".

Poppy Clayton is in charge of her world. A chiropractor in one of the least natural places on the face of the earth, Silicon Valley, she preaches the message of healthy living and eating, waste not want not, and no woman should depend on a man for fulfillment and success. She'd like to think she's in touch with the way God would have all of us live: a frugal existence with no preservatives, flowing with positive energy and system cleansing foods; however¸ her friends are worried that she's tip-toeing the edge between natural, spiritual living and fanaticism.

To prove she's capable of living a normal, "eat McDonalds' French fries and chocolate every now and then" life, they've assigned her a task: find someone normal to bring to her best friend Morgan's wedding, so she won't spend the entire time evaluating guests' gastric functions and eating habits. Their punishment, should she prove unequal to the task: set her up with a date of their choosing.

So, the race is on: should Poppy take the charming, attractive, but utterly self-absorbed, (in her enlightened opinion, anyway), plastic surgeon Dr. Curran - who she grudgingly shares office space with, by the way - or the entrancing, retired millionaire Simon Jennings, one of her patients who's been offering to sweep her off her feet for the past year or so?

What to do; what to do?

Throw in unresolved conflicts with her father and step-mother, as well as buried grief over her mother's death, and the desperation level for Poppy is nearing critical levels. She wants to live with the confidence that she's Poppy - her own person, defined by no one's rules - but as the wedding draws nearer and the desperation levels escalate, she wonders if perhaps "normal" is impossible for her, and she's just going to end up as "that weird lady living alone with all of her cats". This isn't just natural enzymes, positive energy and good chi - this is the rest of Poppy's life.

Calm, Cool, & Adjusted is another one of the great "chick-lit" tomes I've run across lately. As a character, Poppy is a firecracker - witty, sarcastic, and maybe even a little oblivious to her own strangeness. However, she is also mildly tragic as well, because one can easily picture this happening in anyone's life. I found this novel especially enjoyable because we're living in an age when being a "Christian" requires you to do certain "things" or act in a certain "way", and I'm sure everyone feels very keenly the conflicts of being ourselves within today's "Christian culture".

Calm, Cool, & Adjusted is a winner that is funny, endearing, and a little sad, all at once. Health fanatics and junk food eaters alike, pull out either a Snickers or Nature Trail bar, and curl up with this novel today.

Poppy Clayton knows who she is and it has nothing to do with what she wears, or does it? Just because she cares about the environment and refuses to buy new clothes doesn't necessarily mean she is clinging to unfinished business in her past. And the fact that she never goes on a second date probably means she is selective, not that she can't get the second date if she wanted to, right?

But, when her father dumps a house on her that should be condemned and her antithesis showers her with attention, Poppy wonders if her friends are right and she's lost herself. While her desperation scale ramps up, so does her need to exert control even if the only thing she has control over is how many miles she can run over her lunch hour. The question is, can she find herself before she loses it completely?

In this third installment of the Spa Girls series, readers finally get to learn what makes Poppy tick. And what has always come across as a little eccentric now looks rather obsessive--which is good, because I've always related well with her friends, the Spa Girls, who sneak truffles behind her back. Who really has the self-control to always drink wheat grass in the face of organic chocolate?

Kristin Billerbeck has breathed life into another flawed but loveable character. As usual, once I started reading, I may as well wipe the calendar free of any other obligations, because putting the book down is not an option.

Armchair Interviews says: No one does chick lit like Kristin Billerbeck.

Another perfect title by Kristin Billerbeck, Calm, Cool & Adjusted sums up Poppy Clayton's life better than any title I could have come up with! Poppy lives for serenity and calmness, or as she calls it, energy. She could care less about looking cool, but that's not the kind of cool the author means. Poppy finds that special cool after thawing out, and I loved the character arc! It's what I live to read!

The adjusted word works very well in regards to defining not only her profession as a chiropractor, but it doubles up to describe her need to work things through and go with the flow, to stop being so [...] and overanalyzing everything and heal from the past. Get unstuck and show your love with your words and deeds, Poppy girl!

And the first line is my very favorite opening of all time... Desperation has a scent. Is that incredibly witty, or what?

Though I loved A Girl's Best Friend a lot (probably because I'm blonde, too, and Morgan was just a lovable character), I think I love this story the most! I totally adore Poppy and her quirks and defensiveness. Her obsessions are hilarious and the insightful comments about nutrition and exercise border on convicting at times. LOL!

Billerbeck has an amazing ability to be snarky and yet fun in her style. I love her wit and wisdom, and the faith portion is always gracefully woven into the story. I feel like I learned the most from this book in regards to God's timing, the value of friendship, and the need for inner healing to move on. Wonderful stuff!

Also, the tension is unbearable. Who will Poppy choose to be with, or will she decide to stay single? GAH! That had me going. Fortunately, the author chose the right ending or I would've screamed and it wouldn't have been pretty! Billerbeck knows how to get to a reader's heart and she pulls me in every time. I can't say enough good things about this story! Of all of Kristin's chick lit titles, this one grabbed my heart the most! Bravo!