Nell Dixon originally caught my attention with her book
Crystal Clear. Her others, including Animal Instincts and Blue Remembered Heels,
proved to be equally enjoyable, so I was expecting her latest novel, Just Look
at Me Now, to be just as pleasing. And enjoyable it was.
Released last month, Just Look at Me now focuses on the life of Tia Carpenter, a girl who decides to reinvent herself after a disastrous time at high school. The synopsis seemed quite similar to that of Ilana Fox's novel The Making of Mia. Having really enjoyed this (The Making of Mia is one of my personal chick-lit favourites) I was rather excited to get my hands on Just Look at Me Now. Whereas the initial plots share similarities, both books are extremely different and Just Look at Me Now was just as great as I had imagined.
Tia Carpenter has a fabulous job as a beauty expert for London's Platinum magazine. If that's not enough, she has recently gained the attention of Josh Banks: her high school crush. Life seems to be going swimmingly. That is, until Juliet Gold arrives on the scene. Juliet, who's been relocated to the London offices, is someone Tia REALLY doesn't want to meet - because Juliet also attended high school with Josh and Tia. And Tia isn't exactly the same person as she was back then.
In fact, Tia Carpenter was the overweight, unfashionable Barbara Baker, with crooked teeth and bad hair, making her a prime target for the school bullies - including Juliet. Juliet made Barbara's life miserable, so when 'Big Barb' left school, she reinvented herself as Tia Carpenter, with a new wardrobe, cosmetic dentistry and a weight loss regime.
And it all seemed to be going so well...
Josh Banks is desperate to get close to Tia, but Juliet has set her sights on him - and what Juliet wants, Juliet gets. When her efforts to seduce Josh are not paying off and she's faced with the obstacle known as Tia, it's time to get competitive. She'll resort to anything, including threatening Tia with her job. Tia has to keep her new relationship with Josh, who has found out about Tia's former life as Big Barb, as quiet as possible.
But being discovered with Josh is not her main worry. If Juliet was to discover the truth about Tia's past, Tia's whole world could come crashing down...
Just Look at Me Now is a fantastic read, and the characters are funny and likeable (besides Juliet, of course. And we've all come across a person like Juliet Gold at some point in our lives!) Juliet still remains a bully; focused on herself and complete with an air of entitlement. Tia is a wonderful character to get to know, and all the way through, I was wondering what Juliet was going to do next, and whether or not Tia's secret identity was going to be found out.
This is yet another wonderful gem from Little Black Dress with a great plot and great characters. Nell Dixon's books are always pleasing and Just Look at Me Now did not disappoint. Will be waiting for what Nell has to offer next!
Rating: 5/5
Try this if you liked: The Making of Mia by Ilana Fox
You can read an extract of Just Look at Me Now over at Nell Dixon's website.
