Star Book Review: In Office Hours by Lucy Kellaway

     In Office Hours was a great book full of juicy gossip and serious scandal. Lucy Kellaway’s writing was clad full of all the kinds of details meant for watercooler banter - quite literally, as this novel took place inside a fictional 9-5 office environment in London. IOH wove together two stories about two British women, Stella and Bella, who were on opposite ends of the corporate ladder but who found themselves walking in the same shoes, when each one embarked on a love affair with a coworker that brought nonstop drama into both their personal and work lives. Caught up in romance and debauchery, Stella and Bella rode a rollercoaster with fate and what seemed like everlasting excitement quickly turned into turmoil and disappointment.



Working Girl illustration by Bella Pilar



British author, Lucy Kellaway did a fabulous job exploring the inner thoughts of two very different women and the feelings they are left with after entering an illicit love affair. They differed in everything from their ranks in the corporate world to their roles in family life and marital status and even differed in the men they went after. However, their differences almost evaporated when both were met with a personal and public humiliation as they were outed for their forbidden relationships at the workplace and at home. Having narrated the story in first-person, by alternating between the each woman's voice, In Office Hours truly allowed the reader to hear two very separate perspectives on what it means to be and feel like "the other woman".

****4 STARS ****

This is one of the few books I sincerely hope to see a movie made of in the next few years. Stella and Bella and the scandal that surrounds them would be more than ideal for the big screen. I’m thinking a gorgeous yet believably established woman, like Kelly Rutherford-type for Stella and for young yet naive mom, Bella, a pretty Leighton Meister-type. (I’m a huge Gossip Girl fan if you couldn’t tell.)

**What book would you like to see at the movies? And who would star in it?

Chick Lit Chatter: The Latest in Chick Lit Book Blogs

I have been a little out of the Chick Lit digital scene for some time now and am only now starting to catch up. Adding a few new books to my shelf (i.e. Emily Giffin’s You Belong to Me and Jennifer Weiner’s The Next Best Thing) and perusing the latest reviews on line, I stumbled across some new, new-to-me and updated, chick lit-focused web sites! Check them out or let me know what you think of the “new” sites. What’s your favorite site? 

Chloe’s Chick Lit Reviews

 

Chloe is one of the latest bloggers I’ve come across to add to my elongated list of chick lit chatters. Can’t decide which chick lit book to read next? Check out Chloe’s Chick Lit Release Dates page. Chloe’s Chick Lit houses quite a complete chronology of chick lit books published by year and month. Your local library doesn’t have a copy of the latest chick lit book you want? Click on the pretty covers on Chloe’s list to link to purchase on Amazon. Reading chick lit is never more than a click away.

Chick Lit Teens

Chick Lit really encompasses a broad range of topics and so too, I feel, should the blogs that represent it. I love how Chick Lit Teens incorporates a section called “Chick Chat” (so catchy!) for just this purpose, full of Guest blogs, Interviews and all your chick lit questions and answers.

Chick Lit and Wine

Syrah and Chardonnay (love the names!) invite you to relish in all things chick lit on their site (and they even pair each review with a different glass of bubbly. (I love blogs that really set themselves apart with a different and fun aspect.)

Chick Lit Reviews and News (formerly Chick Lit Reviews)

  

This oldie but a goodie lands on my list as its recently changed its web address (a very brave thing to do, I might add, in the www). Chick Lit Reviews and News (as it is now called) has always been one of my fave, go-to sites for all things chick lit. One of the things that I feel has always set this site apart is its ability to keep up every day with at least two posts on its site, making sure there is a constant flow of information about chick lit; and two, its unique perspective offered from two women, representing both the US and British markets of chick lit. CLRAN really sets the bar high for bloggers everywhere as it continues to showcase chick lit around the clock and around the world!

For all new authors, check out Women’s Fiction Writers:

From soon to be published author, herself, Amy Sue Nathan, offers a place to showcase only new chick lit authors. She invites all new Women’s Fiction authors to send her an email and maybe you will be the next women’s fiction author featured on her blog! Like her motto suggests, no bs, just strictly new women’s authors and their experiences on the rise to book-dom. (and she’s not just talking about a higher pair of heels.)

 **Come back Next Friday when I explore the artists behind some of my favorite cover art. Here are some of the titles whose covers were so appealing I just couldn’t resist adding them to my own shelf: