Robin Gold's debut, The Perfectly True tales of a Perfect Size 12 isn't perfectly true at all - it's a novel and a very sweet and funny one it is too.
Delilah White is a producer on a Martha Stewart style homemaking show called Domestic Bliss. Her mentor and the show's executive producer, Agnes De Ville is leaving and the coveted executive producer position is going to either Delilah or another producer named Margo Hart.
But just for the weekend Delilah's not going to worry about that, instead she's going upstate to spend the 4th of July weekend with her best friend Sofia (who also works at Domestic Bliss) for Sofia's extremely rich family's Independence Day celebrations.
Delilah's having a wonderful time - she's relaxed, she's happy, she's met a gorgeous man - but then Margo turns up and Delilah learns that the competition for executive producer is much hotter, and meaner, than she'd anticipated...
I really loved this book. It's written in quite an unusual style. I can't really describe it except that there's a lot more "telling" than "showing", but because Robin Gold has such a great voice, it works (it also makes for a shorter, and possibly sweeter, book).
Delilah is a lovely character. She could have been too perfect, but somehow (and, again, I'm not sure how) Gold makes it work and within pages I was mad about her. It made me laugh out loud more than once (it features the best - if not the only - bouncy castle scene I've ever read) and the last page made me cry.
I have only one criticism. The title. Yes, Delilah is a "perfect size 12" (UK 16) but she's happy with that. She doesn't spend the book worrying about her weight or trying to diet, she's comfortable with who she is. So why mention it in the title?
Apart from that, The Perfectly True Tales of a Perfect Size 12 is a charming, old-fashioned and inspiring book. It's also the first book for a long time that I actually read while walking down the street!
Rating: 5/5
Like this? Try Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos
