It's weird. My take on it is that they are part of a drive by authors to make novels with a female point-of-view -- I have heard it said that up until recently most books in Western literature, whether written by men or women, whether using a male main character or a female main character, made use of a POV that was either male or supposedly "neutral" (actually just a less obvious male). "Chick" books have female main characters and the corresponding POV, so you'd think it would be a step forward.
But it's not. The women portrayed in these books are still conforming to female stereotypes in Western civilization: they are primarily concerned with material goods (chocolate, shoes) and with obtaining men. Rarely is the main character in one of these books an intellectual or a loner; instead she worries about her appearance. When she's not chasing men, she's concerning herself with children or family members, secretly a soft nurturing type inside her sassy shell.
Well, like >>1, none of these chick books really speak to me either. Guess we should write our own or something.