Sooz's journal: Review of Build A Man by Talli Roland

Thanks everyone for all the great comments about The Dating Game launch party. Makes me want to do it all over again...we'll see, come Spring!

Today, I have a great chick lit book review for you, a book I read 2-3 months ago.

Here's the blurb, then my review.

'Slave to the rich and the rude, cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland longs for the day she's a high-flying tabloid reporter. When she meets Jeremy Ritchie -- the hang-dog man determined to be Britain's Most Eligible Bachelor by making himself over from head to toe and everything in between -- Serenity knows she's got a story no editor could resist.

With London's biggest tabloid on board and her very own column tracking Jeremy's progress from dud to dude, Serenity is determined to be a success. But when Jeremy's surgery goes drastically wrong and she's ordered to cover all the car-crash goriness, Serenity must decide how far she really will go for her dream job.'

I was drawn to this book by the cover initially and the title. When I read the product description, I thought I have to read this, sounds fun. Well, I was right. I have to confess, initially I didn't like the main character, Serenity. I thought her irresponsible and selfish. However, you can't not like her moving forward. She learns her lessons the hard way. I really didn't like her boyfriend, who was the most patronising git ever. I liked the fact that eventually Serenity re-evaluated what was important to her. I also wanted to slap both reporters, who were obviously complete bitches. Jeremy was lovely and it was so obvious he didn't need plastic surgery. There was some sadness and also a couple of moral messages sewn into the novel and it was all the better for it. Serenity's determination to get what she really wanted, once she understood what that actually was, was heartening to see. The portrayal of the botox bitches made me laugh, as well as the mother with her daughter towards the end. Although this is a humourous novel, I think inadvertently or cleverly or both, it highlights the darker side of cosmetic surgery. All in all a very fun read. I already have 2 more of Talli Roland's books on my reading list.

The next book in the series, Construct A Couple, is now available.