She soon realizes a whole lot of over-thirty female viewers do as well, so she sets out to give these women what they want; a chiseled, trophy buck in his twenties sitting on the anchor desk next to a woman…
Just.
Like.
Them.
With nothing to lose she does the unthinkable; along with three female managers who happen to be her best friends she brings out the casting couch and turns it into a sleeper sofa. Doesn't matter that the men have no television experience. As long as they look good. And there’s a hint of romance in every newscast.
Ratings skyrocket as a result, but Sydney and her female cohorts discover something else along the way…
True love is not always age appropriate."
Rating: 4/5
You can buy Boss Girl as an eBook now.
I read and loved Nic Tatano's debut novel Wing Girl last year, it's refreshing to have a men in the women's fiction market, and one who writes so brilliantly for women too. I was thrilled to see that he was bringing the series back with 'Boss Girl' last month, and another is coming in May entitled 'It Girl'. Nic Tatano is clearly an upcoming voice in the market, and with his brilliant covers courtesy of Harper Impulse and his fantastic stories as well. Boss Girl was a book that surprised me a little, it wasn't what I was expecting from it at all but I enjoyed it nonetheless, although I can forsee that this topic matter isn't going to be for everyone!
Sydney is an upcoming TV executive, and she is very good at her job. She gets the ratings up for the TV channel she works for and they turn a blind eye to what she gets up to in her own time. Sydney realises the way to get a new market to watch their show is by giving the demographic exactly what they want - a hunky young man presenting alongside an older, more experienced female co-anchor. Sydney, together with her 3 best friends who also happen to be executives at the channel, start up a new side to their business - a casting couch with a difference. As the TV ratings begin to rise, Sydney knows she's got it right but there's trouble lurking around the corner...
Straight up, this book is full of sex. If you don't like reading about such topics, or don't like occasionally vivid sex scenes, then this is probably one eBook that you aren't going to want to read. The book also challenges a lot of people's perceptions. The premise of the story revolves around 4 female executives sleeping with potential male anchors for their TV channel to see if they are good in bed and if so, they get the job. Also, the female anchor they choose gets to sleep with the male co-star whenever they feel the need. There's a lot of loose morals going on here, and I was pretty shocked with the amount of bed-hopping and man-swapping that goes on in this book. While I was shocked, I didn't find it too distasteful but it certainly made me think about exactly how much of this book could be based on reality...
One of Tatano's strengths is how brilliantly he writes a strong female lead. Sydney Hack is fantastic, she's not afraid to go after the men that she wants for the TV show, and isn't afraid to "trial them" either. She sees no wrong in what she's doing, and will defend her job and decision to the end, if that's what it takes. But for me, what makes this book so great was the presence of another 3 very strong women, Sydney's fellow executives: Jillian, Neely and Rica. Each of them brings something to the table,whether it's attitude, personality or stunning looks, and they use it to their advantage. The women are honest - they know what they want and how to get it - and also want to be incredibly in their careers too. I liked them all, although Sydney was my favourite.
For some, the idea of the book just won't appeal. At first, I found it a bit uncomfortable, knowing that the couples slipped off upstairs to have sex in the loft whenever they fancied, how they all swapped partners and positively encouraged each other to do so, and how they rated the men's potential on how good they were in bed. It seemed wrong in some way, yet I have to agree that it made for entertaining reading at times! The male characters in the book were great too, they were treated as bits of meat pretty much, and they knew it. They seemed to have no objections either... why would they!? Shawn was my favourite by a long way, he seemed to have the most going for him outside of the bedroom, but the men aren't the focus of their story at the end of the day.
As well as being a book about sex in the workplace, and using it to get ahead, it's a fascinating insight into the life of a working news channel. I really enjoyed the ins and outs we get to see of Sydney and her fellow executives doing their jobs and managing a successful TV station, using the new set-up of an older female anchor and young male co-star to their advantage, and turning world perceptions on its head. Tatano's writing is on the money, fun and fresh, and really easy to read. His characters jump out of the page into your mind, and everything comes alive as you're reading. The storyline was interesting, and I liked the twists and turns along the way, a lot of them quite unexpected - I certainly didn't know whether Sydney and co would have a happy ending at the end! I'm really excited to read Nic's next book It Girl and hope it'll be another fantastic read, this one certainly was!
Thanks for the kind words, Chloe, appreciate the review!
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