Member Reviews
Alright, here goes... the good, the bad, and the ugly:
The good:
It was the first time I read a book where our main character not only loves fashion, but is also not vilified for it. Seriously, think about all the times we've been promised a book set in the glamorous world of fashion, only for our protagonist to absolutely detest it (looking at you, The Devil Wears Prada). Annie not only loved fashion, but you could tell the author actually put some effort into creating this character and her love for fashion, instead of settling for a Chanel-obsessed stereotype (now looking at you, The Fashion Orphans & The Chase). Even if Annie wanted to dress someone "parisian chic" in Missoni, the overall fashion-lover vibes were there and I really appreciated it.
The bad:
Annie also had a shopping problem, one that was never properly addressed or explored. She seemed quite reckless, and I think seeing the fallout of her actions in a darker turn of events would have benefitted the book, as it already dealt with some pretty heavy stuff. She was also quite judgmental, and even fully referred to Ed as a project or investment. Uuum....
The ugly:
Connor's entire characterisation. Having a gay best friend wasn't enough, noooo, she had to kiss him on the lips and also give him shit for not being out publicly? The entire thing was just very homophobic, and every scene with Connor present made me want to dnf this book.
Overall, I did enjoy this book and it was a quick plane read, even if I wasn't happy with every single aspect of it. I have to admit though, that all the Roddy stuff made me tear up every single time.
I blitzed through this book over the weekend as I just could not get enough. Light and witty I enjoyed every second. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to like this book, but it didn't quite pan out that way. Annie was not very likable IMO and I had a hard time empathizing with her. She complains a good bit and makes some pretty rash decisions that surprised me as a mom and responsible adult. She takes clothes/fashion more seriously than she takes her children's poor behavior. A sweet relationship with Ed, but left much to be desired. Annie was shallow and flippant - she lived in denial of the truth. I would not recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I could not finish this book. I stopped about a third of the through and read a couple excellent books. They convinced me there was no way I return to A Personal Shopper. Annie Valentine was annoying and her obsession with fashion made her seem shallow. Her reasons for doing what she did and what she said she wanted were never clear. The lists of the outfits and how much each item cost at the beginning of chapters were intolerable and I stopped reading them a few chapters in.
I rarely never finish a book but A Personal Shopper was terrible and I didn't care enough about the characters or plot to keep reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
A wonderful romance. Seems to have been originally published in 2007 and that this might be a re-release with a new cover. The new cover has my vote of approval!
Loved how each chapter begins with a description of what a particular person is wearing; down to the designer and cost. Very appropriate for the book. The description isn't necessarily of the next character. (In my humble opinion) I liked this small add to the book enough to bump the rating to 4 stars.
So this romance isn't that different than many other romances. The readers can clearly see that Mr. Right is right in front of Annie's face and she isn't noticing him. But it is all quite enjoyable along the way.
Thank you to NetGalley, Carmen Reid the author and the publisher Boldwood Books for providing an advance review copy of The Personal Shopper in exchange for an honest review.
I wish I had enjoyed this more, however I found myself annoyed with the main character & her way of approaching financial difficulties. It felt as though there was a lot fo emphasis on her endeavours without much care for the stability of the children, which sucked.
Overall, I think this book wasn't meant for me; I wasn't the target audience & had the main character approached her adult responsibilities as an adult, I would have enjoyed reading about her little quirks far more but, that's on me.
This was a fun, quirky and chucklesome read. teh writing style was good, the characters were good and the story was cute. If you need a lighthearted read this is for you.
Thank you NetGalley, Carmen Reid and Boldwood Books for the copy of The Personnel Shopper. This is my personal review.
I was so excited to read a laugh-out-loud romance comedy. I needed a fun book to read.
This was a book I read and waited for the laugh out loud parts but never got those- I did get a couple chuckles but nothing else.
I was trying to like Annie Valentine a little bit as I was reading but just could not deal with her as a person. Her judging others they way she did just got on my nerves.
I really like the cover. Initially, I liked Anna. She is a hustler and trying to,provide for her family. But as the story wore on, she grated on my nerves. She made decisions that weren’t very sound. In the end, she ends up with someone based on their location and property. I found her to be vacuous and superficial.
This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Boldwood Books and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
Quirky read with charming characters. The twist on Roddy was a nice touch. I throughly enjoyed this one.
Oh, this was a quick read! And not only because I've read this book for a third time, I guess, but because it is a light - hearted, easy novel, just what I needed at the moment.
It's funny how your persepctive and your opinions change :) I've reviewed this book already many, many years ago, pointing out things that didn't bother me this time - it must be the fact that I'm getting older, wiser and nicer :)
There are some changes in the story, of course, you have to have it fitting the present times. I only don't understand why they changed the name of Annie's daughter - for me she's going to be Lana for always, Lauren somehow didn't work for me.
Annie was annoying, really, with all her "babes" and "darlings" but that's they way she is - like it or not. Other than that, she's like a natural force, not taking no for an answer, being able to solve all your wardrobe problems - she for sure knows her fashion. Probably too much focused on her clothes for my liking, but oh my, that's her job. I liked her no - nonsense approach and the fact that, actually, she had normal problems, just like we have, with job, children, money, family..., exploring the relationship between Annie and her children, showing the struggles she has to face as a single mother - so the fact that she was not a whinge-y, all woe is me-y character is only a good thing.
The pace was very quick in this novel, jumping from one scene to another and actually not focusing deeply on the things, but it made for an easy read and it's not always depth that you need - sometimes you need a breath of fresh air, some action and not thinking too hard, and this is "The Personal Shopper" for you. It was filled with some truly funny scenes, even if they felt a bit too forced, and some poignant ones, with the author finding the happy medium. I enjoyed this book and I'm going to re-read the whole Personal Shopper series asap.
Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The Personal Shopper by Carmen Reid is a blend of shopping and romance that will appeal to fans of the Shopaholic series or Crazy Rich Asians. The story revolves around Annie Valentine, a personal shopper in a high-end London store. She's known for finding the perfect gowns of her selective clientele. On the other hand, she's juggling other business endeavors and struggling to make ends meet so that she can send her two kids to private school. With all this going on, does she have time to think about love?
Here is a lovely excerpt from Chapter 1:
"Annie shopped for her customers, for her friends and for herself with the ruthless zeal of a Wall Street stockbroker on her last day of probation.
Nothing was too much trouble for this gold standard professional: she scoured every glossy, down-lit corner of The Store for the perfect item and she knew every department’s designer collections right down to its ‘diffusion’ thongs.
‘Just for you, mind!’ this bustling, tireless, working wonder could track down a coat direct from the atelier and charm grumpy, Italian bootmakers into parting with the last size 41 available in that style. She could even, in a wardrobe emergency, cut a deal with the tiny out-of-town boutique that had the only other one of those dresses in your size."
Overall, The Personal Shopper is a fashion-focused book about an ordinary single mother who is trying to make the most out of her life. One highlight of this book is the personal shopping aspect. I found the descriptions of Annie's job to be fascinating. It reminded me of the books of Sophie Kinsella and Kevin Kwan. I did take off 1 star, because I felt like the romance was understated, even though the synopsis makes it seems like it is a bigger part of the book. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of books about shopping, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in February!