Back in December I reviewed The Afterlife Club - a ghostly romantic comedy by author Jude Ryan. Jude's books are available as ebooks, and as a lover of my Kindle, this suited me perfectly! I enjoyed The Afterlife Club and so downloaded Jude's latest novel, About Face.
Twenty-something Clare Keefe is overworked. Not that it bothers her; in fact, she's practically dedicated her whole life to achieving success, and right now she has her sights set on gaining a major promotion at the London-based PR company where she works. Even though her boss is difficult to get along with, Clare puts up with her bitchy demands, knowing that someday soon her hard work and perseverance will pay off.
Wrong. Clare is fired, her dreams of co-running the successful agency ruined. Upset that her devotion to the agency didn't exactly get her where she wanted to be, she starts hunting for a new job. And when a vacancy at a celebrity hair salon catches her attention, Clare's willing to take it as a temporary stop-gap until she finds the job of her dreams in PR.
Working as an assistant isn't exactly Clare's dream role, but she's not giving up. Hiding her new job from her parents, Clare starts to enjoy working with the other staff at the salon, despite the often demanding customers. Yet when a gorgeous soap star enters the salon in need of service, Clare finds it hard to say no, her usual need to impress and achieve already taking over. Unfortunately it doesn't end well, and Clare is promptly fired. Again.
Meanwhile, best friend and flatmate Jess is spending more time with her new partner, leaving Clare alone. Jobless and unhappy, Clare must work out what she really wants for life. When faced with a family she's too busy to spend time with and a flatmate who seems to have a whole other aspect to her life that Clare has simply missed due to work, she's left to work out just where she's going to go next. Does career success really make her happy, or does something need to change?
I have to say, I enjoyed About Face more than The Afterlife Club. It seemed more fast-paced, more addictive, and so brilliantly written that I couldn't stop reading until I'd finished. Clare is likeable, despite her actions throughout the book. It seems that she has become a bit carried away with her career success, adamant that the only way she can become happy and fulfilled in life is by working her way to the top - however hard she slaves away. Clare displays some snobbish tendencies throughout the book - for example, looking down on the salon assistant job as though it's beneath her. But it's easy to tell that her ways are not deliberate - that she's merely become a little deluded, and towards the end of the book she realises just what she's missed in her life by taking her career a little too seriously. I felt sympathy for her rather than annoyance and couldn't wait to see what happened next, especially with the soap star at the salon! I don't want to go into too much detail as the book is highly enjoyable and I wouldn't want to spoil anything. But if you're looking for a fun chick-lit read with some great twists, About Face is perfect.
Rating: 5/5