26 June 2009

Book Review: Thanks for Nothing, Nick Maxwell by Debbie Carbin

Debbie Carbin - Thanks for NothingRachel Covington works as a Sales Rep for a holidays company, and is one of the top performers in her section. She knows that she's quite attractive and uses it to her advantage to get the men she wants, them dumps them when she's had enough.

But Rachel finds herself in a role reversal when she's realises she's fallen for Nick Maxwell, a colleague at her company. The two have a dalliance together and the result is Rachel's life changing forever...courtesty of the baby growing inside of her.

Will Rachel be able to give up her beloved single life to become a mother?



The book dives straight in with Rachel's first person narrative, giving the reader a great introduction to her.The first chapter really introduces us fully to Rachel, and gives a hint at the unfolding story to come. The narrative is very upbeat, and really easy to read, because it is written incredibly well - it feels like the character is speaking directly to you, and the writing is so friendly, it is a pleasure to read. The book carries on in this friendly, open narrative throughout the whole book. The style worked, but of course, there are a few bits about the book I didn't like!

Rachel, on the whole, is a likeable character - she's friendly, funny and is a pleasant lead character. However, she is incredibly arrogant about herself, and her looks in particular, and I found these self-loving parts a little awkward to read, and I just didn't feel comfortable with how great Rachel clearly thinks she is. It's a shame as she is likeable for the majority of the book, but these bits are so awful, it really lets her character down a lot. The other main character of the book is Hector, a mysterious man Rachel meets courtesy of Sainsburys and a mobile phone. The slowly unfolding story between these two is a lovely one, developing at a good, although sometimes frustrating, pace. Hector is almost the opposite of Rachel, a loving family man, very caring and isn't at all arrogant. But the two strke up a friendship and it slowly develops, with this storyline going on right up until the last page.

Hector was so likeable, and it was really his character and the storyline between he and Rachel that made me want to keep reading! Other characters in the story are Glenn and Sarah. Sarah is one of Rachel's best friends and mum to a young boy called Jake, and Glenn is her husband. There is another storyline involving this family in the book too, which is quite good but not that gripping. There is the odd twist and turn in the book which makes for reading, but nothing too amazing, its just a pleasant read.

One thing I did enjoy about the book was Rachel and her pregnancy. The author has clearly researched or taken from personal experience the shock of finding out you are pregnant, and the different emotion that you go through, right from the minute of realisation to the birth of the child. Rachel goes through the emotions the same as any woman does, and these are very well written. You feel things along with Rachel, and her honesty about it all is refreshing, and it doesn't skip through anything. It is these scenes which I feel added something to the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed Rachel's narrative throughout her pregnancy. Hector's involvement is also well dealt too, the author really did go to a great effort to make these scenes realistic and very enjoyable for the reader.

Thanks For Nothing... is a great read, and really falls straight into the chick-lit category. It's a fun read, which has a great friendly narrative throughout, with a set of pretty likeable characters (for the most part) and an interesting story which develops throughout the book, leaving you hanging right up until the end. It's well written, with good characters, and I feel the author is going to be pretty successful in the chick-lit genre! A very pleasant read, and one I would certainly recommend.

Rating: 4/5

chloesig

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