Much like her columns, the first novel by hipster Globe and Mail columnist Leah McLaren will titillate some readers with its wit and candour and frustrate others with its giggly, airy quality. But in the tradition of bright, run-yourself-a-bath-and-enjoy romance writing, The Continuity Girl pushes all the right buttons.

The novel tells the story of Meredith Moore, a continuity girl who monitors the minutiae of the film biz, assessing whether props, costumes, and actors move through their scenes realistically. Meredith is also fanatically consistent outside of her job: she wears flat shoes, lives in a lacklustre Toronto condo, and gets neurotic about things like dirty dishes. All this changes when Meredith wakes up on her 35th birthday convinced that her family-planning window is about to slam shut. So begins her transcontinental quest for daddy material, in which she and best friend Mish party their way through England and Italy shopping for a sperm donor.

The story also meanders down a parallel subplot, in which Meredith searches for the father she’s never known (all the while searching for a shagable daddy-to-be). This makes for some weirdly Freudian moments, and it’s an odd addition to a funny and upbeat story.

McLaren’s writing teems with vivid detail and nicely drawn characters. Mish is the eccentric strobe light to Meredith’s straight edge, while Meredith’s mother Irma – a quirky poet with a healthy libido – keeps the mommy talk from getting too sepia-toned. McLaren’s “sperm bandit” tale riffs on a tried-and-true chick lit formula. There’s the original cast of characters – oddball Brits, obsequious gay friends, spacey gal pals, and a misunderstood Mr. Right – all brought together in a satisfyingly unproblematic ending.

McLaren takes on the formula with gusto. A more complex discussion of infertility, a less sugar-coated ending, or a heroine who was less adorable-on-the-inside, imperfect-on-the-outside, would have been refreshing. But there’s still a nice degree of originality here that makes the tale compelling.