samedi 4 août 2012

The Secret Shopper’s Revenge (Secret Shopper1) by Kate Harrison

Hello to all,

                  A new month begins and since i haven't given up  on the challenge i've entered it's also a new genre/subgenre to discover and in August the fates did things right because Chick lit is the topic for two of the challenges so " une pierre deux coups" with Romance and Me and reading romances challenge.

Now i first want to thanks a lot Birgit because without her generosity my participation this month would not have been possible.Chick lit is a genre i had not read prior this event and i didn't even own any chick lit book, not one. Months ago Birgit made a giveaway on her blog " The Book Garden" to give her used books about a specific genre, i was lucky to be chosen and received severals chick lit books to discover so thank you a lot Birgit.

Without waiting more here comes my first step in the Chick lit genre with my review of The Secret Shopper's Revenge by Kate Harrison.

Enjoy!

Publisher: Orion
Publication: 2008
ISBN:  978075289388
Genre: chick lit, friendship
Violence: none

Language: normal
sex: none
Public: 16+
Source: received from Birgit (The Book Garden)


Short description from goodread :

 New mum Emily wants revenge on the stick-thin assistants who laugh at her post-baby tummy and post-baby budget. But frumpiness has its advantages when you're wielding a secret camera - and sending the damning footage straight to head office. Store manager Sandie has a lifelong love of the world of retail - the glitz, the glamour, the stockroom. Then she's fitted up by an ambitious assistant and secret shopping is the only way to keep her one passion alive. Glamorous widow Grazia can't leave behind the high life, despite her chronically low bank balance. The more she's buying - and spying - the less time she has to mourn her husband or her fair-weather friends who've dumped her. They're Charlie's Shopping Angels, controlled by a mysterious figure who sends them assignments. But when they're sent to stitch up a doomed shop owned by Will, the angels begin to feel divided loyalties . . .



My opinion:
          First chick lit book for me and I’m not really sure where I stand. I loved the writing style of Kate Harrison that is really accessible and easy to love and it was mostly the reason that kept me reading at first.
I’m not really fond of alternated point of view, they have a tendency to make me loose focus on the story however for this one its use was important since we have in fact  3 separated stories intermingling in one bigger. 


The author offers us 3 different heroines with more in common that they thought before hand so the majority of readers can identify themselves with one or another or have a preference. There is a bit for every one.
Emily’s story shows how abuse even only verbal can destroy someone and that the one that angered me the most. I wanted to punch Duncan and shake Emily, it’s well written in a realistic manner but not my cup of tea.
Grazia’s story is one about letting go and accepting that no one is perfect. Windowed she must face the reality of her bank account, because her husband was a great artist yes but not a great accountant, living for his art he forgot reality and she must now endure the consequences. I enjoyed it a bit more than Emily’s because I could sympathize with her but not with her living style^^

The story I was more interested in is Sandie’s. I felt her injustice, her betrayal and wanted to fight with her perhaps because I see a bit of myself in her too loyal and too honest people are using her and it takes time for her to see that see is more than that, that she deserves more. Her story isn’t the longest one but for me it was the more complete.

It was a good book and chick lover should find this one really entertaining.


Score:  3/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:
This book enter in the Romance and Me Challenge

 



Book read for the 2012 TBR reading


1 commentaire:

  1. I have not read this one. I do read some chic lit- but it isn't my normal genre. This book sounds interesting and I did like your review- it was very helpful. Sounds like a good book for the beach.

    ~Jess

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