Book Review: The Making of Mia by Ilana Fox; Read by Patience Tomlinson

         

          Last year, Novelicious – another fabulous website dedicated to all things chick lit – did a feature on British author, Ilana Fox, as her second novel, Spotlight, was about to be released. They gave out 20 copies of her book, featured her in their Novel News column, showcased the unveiling of her new web site and best of all, readers heard from Ilana Fox, firsthand, and got a look-see at her Writing Room, “where the writerly magic happens”. At any rate, ever since I saw the first of these features, I have wanted to obtain a copy of (any of) Ilana Fox’s novels, but once again, being a U.S. resident, this has been made difficult at best and at times, impossible. Of course, my best resource when I fail to find a book locally is almost always Amazon and sure enough, after patiently waiting (about a year), Amazon’s audio web site, Audible.com finally came out with her first release, The Making of Mia, read by Patience Tomlinson – and it was most definitely worth the wait.

The Making of Mia was an absolutely adorable debut from British chick lit author, Ilana Fox. This is the tale of one woman’s journey from ugly duckling to beautiful swan and the struggle between good and evil that evolves on the way. Jo Hill dreams of working and writing in fashion magazines, but the problem is she doesn’t seem to look the part. She’s practically obese compared to the skeletally thin workers at Gloss who look more like the models on the cover than the writers behind-the-stories. Despite her appearance, she is able to score a fab job as the personal assistant (PA) to Joshua Garnett, one of the (if not The) most powerful persons in the world of publishing. Sadly, her career ends all too soon after a mix-up has Jo sending Joshua’s wife a pair of naughty knickers meant for his lover’s birthday. Joshua reprimands her in front of the entire Gloss staff, horrifying and embarrassing Jo, to say the very least. She flees to Miami where she undergoes a major makeover and later, re-emerges in the world of fashion magazines.

          In her “new” self, Jo takes on the name Mia Blackwood and the role of Hollywood heartthrob, Gable Blackwell’s little sister, her new bff. Mia Blackwood becomes more prosperous and successful than Jo could have dreamed, turning all kinds of heads with hardly any effort at all - trouble is, no one knows her as Jo Hill anymore. Mia realizes she must get back to focusing on the what brought about her desire for change in the first place and continues on her elaborate scheme to exact revenge on former boss, Joshua Garnett. Although Mia knows what an arrogant, cheating, lying and overall despicable man Joshua is, he still manages to convince the rest of the magazine world of his power and should he recognize Mia as Jo, her plan will crumble before it can even begin. Will Mia get her man? Will she find her place in the world as Mia Blackwell or Jo Hill? Listen to the unabridged audio, beautifully read by narrator Patience Tomlinson. Recommended to anyone who enjoys a fabulously written, fantastically orchestrated and articulated, modern fairy tale. A plus.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

***Read more about Ilana Fox and her latest books at www.ilanafox.com. You can also follow her on Goodreads or Twitter (@ilana)***