bridget jones’ married sister

When Bridget Jones’ Diary came out I bought (and enjoyed) the book. But over the years, Bridget spawned a trend, dubbed “chick-lit”, which I found rather distressing. The books (e.g. Confessions of a Shopaholic) all have a heroine that is usually self-centered and dumb, faces a challenge, meets a mysterious man who seems like a complete asshole, but turns out to be her savior when he gets her out of a thorny situation she somehow managed to get into. Boy saves girl, and happy ending follows.
In this New York Times article, Tamar Lewin reviews the latest addition to the trend, Allison Pearson’s I Don’t Know How She Does It.