Event planner Isabel Serranti is having one of those days;
she's recently been dumped, she's mistaken for being
pregnant after weeks of binging on Cornettos and planning
Lady Boswell's upcoming Nordic Ice Feast is about to do her
in. As if things couldn't get much worse, Izzie has been
hired to coordinate the charity ball of the year at
Pantiles, her childhood home. While normally this would be
an exciting and welcome distraction from the train wreck of
her life, Izzie is loathe to take on the job if it means
she has to work in close proximity to her childhood bully,
Simon Monkwell.
The Monkwell family owns one of the most beautiful,
sprawling estates in the English countryside. That is until
Elizabeth, mistress of the household, suddenly dies. The
family struggles to keep everything together but their
estate has fallen into disrepair and they can't afford the
staff to maintain the house and grounds. The last few years
have been increasingly hard on the family as Simon took
over the estate and put the family on such a strict budget
they could barely afford to feed themselves. Things go from
bad to worse when Simon's company plans a hostile takeover
of another company in America. The media has made Simon out
to be a complete monster as his bullying didn't seem to end
after puberty. The deal threatens to fall through when a
rather unsavory article shows up in the papers, portraying
Simon as calculating and cruel.
The stress is almost too much for Izzie when her best
friend, Dom, suddenly starts acting strangely, hanging up
the phone when she enters the room and being vague about
his plans and whereabouts. Her sister won't return her
phone calls, and her parents are uncharacteristically
ambiguous on the phone when she mentions her new gig with
the Monkwells. The youngest son, Will, seems to be
developing a crush on Izzie, but she can't ignore the
butterflies in her stomach every time Simon enters the
room. Could this be love -- or just a really bad case of
indigestion?
PARTY GIRL is a dry, albeit quick read. Reminiscent of
Bridget Jones, Izzie too is concerned with her weight, her
job and finding Mr. Right. However, Izzie's escapades tend
to end more in groans than in laughter. Highlights of the
book include the descriptions of whimsical Aunt Winnie, the
rambunctious little boy, Harry, and the passel of dogs that
seem to be just as human as the main characters. I
recommend this book to readers who enjoy Bridget Jones-
esque plotlines or movies like The Wedding Planner.
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