Day 2 of adding reviews from my personal library. I have to admit something about this book….I love love love it. I have read it at least six times since this summer. It is hilarious. Not a typical rom-com type of hilarious because well …there’s a lot of sex scenes–too many for it to be a rom-com. But I laughed at the ways that Lara was being spiteful. And how he was always one step ahead of her. They keep each other on their toes. A complete perfect match! I love books like this! I am sad every time I finish the book. I have book depression. I don’t do this for many books.
Ok, I will stop ranting and tell ya about the actual book.
Tara Lauren is a Princeton grad with a MBA and JD, who wants to work in the glorious New York City. She didn’t account for how flippin expensive it is to live there. After her 200th job application, and almost as many interviews…ok a handful of entry level interviews, Lara is still looking for that first post college career job. In the mean time, she slips into Parker Hotels for their free breakfast and sometimes she borrows a room for the night. Desperate times call for desperate measures. A girl’s gotta eat.
Preston Parker is a cutthroat CEO of the prestigious Parker Hotels, a series of hotels that make the Waldolf look cheap. The premier five star hotel chain–#1 in the business. He has two major issues–1) someone is stealing from him, 2) he has to hire a new executive assistant asap since he keeps going through them faster than rushing water. First things first.
Preston Parker does something out of the ordinary for him; instead of firing someone for the theft, he hires them. The first week Lara is there, she wants to quit. But the salary is too good. There’s an office pool for when Lara will quit. Nothing ever goes according to plan. Preston is extremely particular about how the office runs. He comes in early and so should his right hand person. Lara’s life is turned completely upside down with this job.
But she’s had enough. No more. She has spent the last two years answering every text, email, and request from Mr. Preston Parker. No more. She missed moments in her friends and families’ lives. Her boyfriend broke up with her. And he even sabotaged her Tinder hook up when she shut her phone off for the date. Done. She had to resort to using BOB while Preston was giving her a run down of what he needed for the next day or to criticize her shortcomings. She imagined Preston the entire time.
Preston won’t let her quit. It’s in her contract that she can’t quit. Never trust white space and the fine print. Idiot. She tries to get fired. She picks up McDonald’s coffee instead of his favorite coffee bistro. She comes in late–in yoga pants. She shuts her phone off. She does everything she can but not do her job. She should. But she can’t it’s not in her. It would break her to completely shuck her responsibilities. Preston knows it. He has also been making comments to get under her skin and skirt.
Something changes. Preston needs her help with a personal matter. If she helps him, she can quit in 6 weeks after finding her replacement. The last six weeks is almost heaven. If her job was like this with Preston benefits she wouldn’t want to leave. A part of her doesn’t. But if she wants to run her own company some day she needs to do this.
In many ways this reminds me of the movie Two Weeks Notice with Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant except Preston isn’t an idiot. I never really like Grant’s character in that movie because he was completely and utter dependent upon Bullock’s character. The movie didn’t show what he was like before they met. The character seemed a bit flat until he met her. But Bullock’s character does have similarities to Lara…they both want to kill their boss. Both hate their jobs and how their job consumes every aspect of their lives.
Both make me laugh.
randaknightbooks.com 