felt real to me in a way very few characters do, Reading about all the times she contorted herself to please other people was an emotional journey, Im looking forward to reading more Michele Gorman books Perfectly fun little chicklit! This book started out a little slow but quickly recovered and turned very interesting! I know nothing about trading, buying and selling or insider information etc.
but you don't really need to know anything, It was written so that you would enjoy it either way, and I did! What jerks Carol worked with! Wow I don't think I could have stood it like she did.
What a trooper.
The author did a great job with character development, The jerks were certainly jerks and at first Carol was the perfect little doormat, I loved the way Carol's character changed midway, It was done very well and very believable, I loved the new Carol that stood up for herself!
The only part of the book I didn't really care for was the quick romance at the end with Robert.
It seemed to fast for me and didn't make sense, but that was because we didn't get a chance to know him.
Everything else about the book I liked!
I especially love the online dating and the cheating parts! All done to perfection!
This was my first book by this author but I am looking forward to reading more by Michele, she's my "style".
Oh, too many relatable moments here to note, Living up to everyone else's idea of perfection is exhausting, And Carol's life explodes trying to do so, I swear I almost had a panic
attack okay, not really trying to juggle all her tasks and peoplepleasing, Michele Gorman has quickly become one of those Chick Lit authors whose books I really look forward to, I enjoy everything she writes, and was quite excited to receive her new book Perfect Girl to review, Perfect Girl is actually a prequel to her Christmas novella Christmas Carol which I read last year and I would definitely recommend you read this one first, because of obvious spoilers in the novella.
But, thankfully, I didn't know Perfect Girl was a prequel until afterwards so I was blissfully ignorant and I still kind of am because I am just not sure what happened at the end of Christmas Carol.
Be warned, mind, Perfect Girl is one of those novels that makes you want to tear your hair out in frustration.
There were many, many times whilst reading Perfect Girl where I wanted to deck one or three of the characters.
Because, you see, Carol's family and friends all take advantage of her, Not only does she have a job where she's treated poorly, and workshour days, but on top of that she has to plan her sister's wedding and take random trips to visit country estates in the countrysides she has to go on dates for her best friend Harriet because Harriet is utterly useless at dating and couldn't pick a good guy if he smacked her in the face and she has to pick her mum's holiday cottage because she's a "researcher" and her mum is useless with computers.
And the cherry on the cake, Carol's boyfriend is a douche who can't even remember his own anniversary, It's enough to make any girl crazy, but I was SO desperate for Carol to just tell them all where to get off.
I've never had such a visceral reaction to a novel before, but it made me literally shake with anger,
Gorman really did a stellar job of ramping up pressure on Carol, She faces it everywhere in her life, There's literally not one part of Carol's life where someone doesn't want something from her and I could feel the pressure rising and feel her about to blow mostly because I was about to, to and it takes quite an author to get that tension flowing.
I really appreciated the fact that Carol was incapable of saying no, and it just made me so angry and sad that her family would take advantage like that, without realising their actions.
When it all blew up, I was ready and waiting for it with relish, I loved seeing Carol stick up for herself, and put people in their place, and not take no crap! That's what she should have done all along, and I respected and admired her for sticking up for herself.
It was a moment that had me clenching my fist in appreciation,
Probably my only issue with the novel was the fact Gorman didn't go there with Zack and Carol, I loved Zack from the first scene he was in, and I just would have liked the story to have gone there, properly.
Because Zack was probably the only person who wasn't demanding stuff from Carol, Apart from that I loved the novel, It made me so mad, but I really appreciated feeling something so visceral whilst reading, it's rare that that happens and Gorman pulled it off with aplomb.
I loved that Carol had a job as an analyst in a bank, I've never read about that job before, and it was super interesting and nice to see that you can be a Chick Lit heroine and have a kickass job at the same time.
And I liked that despite the rampant sexism in her workplace, that no woman should put up with, Carol did because she loved her job and she didn't let the bullies push her out of doing a job she loved.
She's a real heroine for the ages and I loved her story, The cover for this novel is so apt, showing a girl on a tightrope juggling balls and I will warn you once more: This book will make you mad, but Carol is more than worth getting mad for!sitelinkThis review was originally posted on Girls Love To Read Well, to say I'm disappointed doesn't quite cover it.
The book back describing Cinderella meets Falling Down had me really excited, A romcom with dark humor is where my mind was when I was reading about it on my kindle, And honestly, though it was an accidental borrow, I was excited to read it,
But what I read as compared to what I was told the book was, . . entirely two different things.
Cinderella, I understood, Carol is Cindy, running around doing everything for everyone else, . . getting walked all over by her sexist coworkers, being treated horrible by her boyfriend ignored not beaten, . . and it was just too depressing, . . I had to stop bybecause romcoms should have tension, but not so much I want to cry,
To me, this book is far from RomCom, It was total ChickLit. And I hate that authors/agents don't label these things hetter, . . because I didn't want to read ChickLit, I wanted cutesy romcom,
Sadly, this has to be moved to my DNF shelf, Maybe one day I'll read it, . . if I'm in that mood, . . because it was well written and it's probably a great story, Just not for me during this month's theme,
A SEPTEMBER OF ROMCOMS BOOK Didn't make the cut, . . time to move on. first posted on my blog: sitelink blogspo
Carol appears to be the perfect girl to the outside world, but behind closed doors things are quite different to what they seem.
She has a great job as a business analyst within the banking world, but her hours are ridiculous and her boss treats her in the most condescending way.
After Carol has created a new programme for the bank to use and she gets no credit for it, she comes close to having had enough.
At the same time, though, there are lots of other things demanding Carol's attention, She's helping her sister Marley with the planning of her wedding, she's trying to be understanding about her boyfriend Ben's busy work schedule, her parents need her help to find the perfect holiday getaway cottage, and her best friend Harriet needs some help with picking out the right men on an Internet dating website.
Carol finds herself trying to please everyone around her, but there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day.
When will Carol finally start thinking about herself and what will it take to get to that point
If you're looking for an enjoyable chick lit novel, Michele Gorman's work won't disappoint and this definitely counts for her latest release, 'Perfect Girl.
' I already knew the main character Carol from the Christmas novella 'Christmas Carol' and I loved getting to know more about Carol, her friends and family, and her life.
The novel can definitely be read as a standalone and I would actually recommend reading 'Perfect Girl' before checking out 'Christmas Carol.
' Carol is a great protagonist which I think many readers, including myself, will be able to relate to, Sometimes we think too much about others and lose ourselves in the process and it was fascinating to join Carol and see how she dealt with everything going on in her life.
The book is filled with great characters, such as Carol's best friend Harriet and her eccentric work colleagues, and has an entertaining plot line which I never got bored with.
Personally, the book didn't have the ending I was hoping for, but it didn't ruin the reading experience in any way.
Michele Gorman's writing is wonderful her stories are a real joy to read and I definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a pleasant chick lit read to sit down with on a rainy afternoon.
'Perfect Girl' is a funny, heartfelt, thoroughly enjoyable novel with an entertaining mix of characters and a captivating plot line I already look forward to Michele Gorman's next release! Whats It About
Carol is perfect perfect in everyone elses eyes, except her own.
Everyone expects a piece of her, and yet there are no more pieces to give, As a matter of fact, Carol is stretched so thin, she feels she is no longer “Carol shaped”,
Her mother expects her to find the perfect getaway for herself and Carols Dad, her sister expects her to plan the wedding of the century for her, complete with silk hair flowers, her boyfriend is too busy for her, her best friend expects her to go on surrogate blind dates for her, and her sexist/demeaning boss wont give her any credit for her accomplishments.
Carol is close to falling apart,
Perfect Girl is a BritishEnglish romantic comedy about a woman who learns to stand up for herself, and that it is ok to not be “perfect”.
My Thoughts
I would like to thank Notting Hill Press for providing me with an advanced release copy of Perfect Girl for review.
For starters, I find British English so charming, I was enchanted by Author Michele Gormans characters, and the setting of Perfect Girl, Michele Gorman has a talent for world building, and I have yet to read a book by her that I havent loved.
In Perfect Girl, the reader gets to witness the lead protagonist, who was once a bit of a pushover, develop a backbone, and tell everyone off.
You cant help but think, “YOU GO GIRL!” : I love a “feel good” book where you root for the main character, throughout.
My favorite scene was when Carol was on a surrogate date for Harriet, and her date asked her if she uses rohypnol for fun.
Yes, rohypnol, the date rape drug! What in the WHAT!!!!! Nearly died of laughter! The parade of men she dates after this one are just as “charming”.
Believe it or not, it gets worse before it gets better, and I enjoyed every hilarious second of these dates, :
I highly recommend this novel to lovers of chick lit/romcoms with relatable situations and characters!
Full review: sitelink wordpress. com/ .