Review: Working It Out

Working It Out by Nicola May

Pages: 336
Published: March 2011
Publisher: Nowell Publishing
Genre: Fiction, Chick-lit

My Rating: 4/5

Summary (from nicolamay.com):

Ruby Matthews has a plan. Twelve jobs in twelve months, until she finds the one of her dreams.

After an unexpected redundancy, Ruby begins to question her priorities. Inspired by a quote from Kahlil Gibran about loving your work, she launches her mission to find the ideal job.

Her year of gainful (and sometimes painful!) employment includes nannying for clients in the South of France; dealing with embarrassing ailments in a Harley Street clinic; waiting tables in a buzzy Soho cafe; and meeting the celebs of years gone by in a home for retired actors. And even though love is no longer top of her list, relationships just seem to start happening along the way - which sees her handing out some P45s of her own!

But will any of the jobs, or men she meets, see her dreams come true? Or will Ruby just end up back where she started?

Review:

**NOTE: a signed copy of this book was provided by the author, Nicola May, but at no compensation to me. This review reflects my true thoughts and feeling about the book**

What an amazing concept... one that I wish I had thought of myself, before hubby and kids got in the way. How fun would it be to work at twelve different jobs in twelve months and then sit down at the end and discover where you were truly meant to be? That would be, in a word, AWESOME!

From page 1, word 1; I knew that Ruby and I were kindred spirits. I laughed when she laughed; cried when she cried; and yelled when she did - or at least should have. How she made it through some of the jobs - some of the days - she did, just boggles my mind.

As a main character, Ruby is fabulous. Chick-lit is a genre that appeals to so many but none more than young impressionable women. Having a main character that shows such diversity is fantastic. Ruby is strong, funny, caring, compassionate, humble, and most of all, a great friend. She really is someone that I would love to be.

The cast of characters in Working It Out were hilarious. Being a huge fan of British humour, I found myself laughing out loud (much to the strange looks of those around me) at many of the lines written ~ 'what's it like to shag a wrinkly' ~. From Gorgeous George, to Fi, to Margaret, right on down to strange, but loveable, Bert, all of the characters had a place in the book and each and every one of them was perfect for that role.

Overall, this was a very well written book with great characters and a unique story line. A must read for anyone who enjoys a laugh-out-loud chick-lit book!

Nicola May is a definite up-and-comer in this genre and I look forward to reading many more of her novels!