16.8.11

Book Review: Working It Out by Nicola May

Ruby Matthews has a plan. Twelve jobs in twelve moths, until she finds the one of her dreams...
After an unexpected redundancy, Ruby begins to question her priorities. Inspired by a quote from Kahil 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 the men she meets see her dreams come true? Or will Ruby just end up back where she started?
Nicola May has written a really fun book, Working It Out had me entertained from start to finish. As someone who has tried many different jobs, I could completely identify with Ruby's desire to find her dream occupation. So Ruby's plan is to try a different job every month for 12 months. I loved reading on to find out what she would be doing next and it was certainly varied; from undertaker to sexual health clinic receptionist. She enters each job with enthusiasm and an open mind and the results are often surprising.
Whilst Ruby has a clear plan for her career, she doesn't seem so organised when it comes to her love life. There's gorgeous George, her neighbour who she could spend all day flirting with and Bentley the millionaire who is fun but not for the long term and several more men that she meets along the way. What's a girl to do when presented with so many decisions?
I really enjoyed Nicola May's writing style and I think the idea behind the book is very clever as there is so much that can be written about with each new job which makes the book really entertaining. I think the biggest strength of Working It Out is the characters created by the author; each one brings something different to the book and they were not perfect, especially Ruby which always makes them more believable.
I think a lot of readers will identify with this book and enjoy reading about Ruby's quest to find that perfect job. Nicola May's writing is fun and entertaining and I look forward to seeing what she does next.

If you want to find out more about Nicola May then check out her website here or you can follow her on Twitter where she is @nicolamay1

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

6 comments:

verity said...

Oh I like the sound of this - needed some new things to look out for at the library

Ellie said...

I'm please Nicola's book is doing so well, she's proving that you can be self published and still sell through traditional means.

Dot said...

Verity- I think you would like this one, really entertaining!

Ellie- She's done well hasn't she? I thought it was really good!

Jess said...

This sounds like such a fun book heard a lot of positive reviews glad you enjoyed it :)

Elle said...

This looks great! Yet another to add to the to-be-read list methinks.

Dot said...

Jessica- thank you, I really enjoyed it!

Elle- Glad to be adding to your pile!

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