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Never Mind The Botox: Rachel

by Penny Avis (Goodreads Author), Joanna Berry (Goodreads Author)

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 22 ratings · 12 reviews

Never Mind the Botox is a series about four professional women all working on the sale of high-profile cosmetic surgery business the Beau Street Group. Each book reveals how the women cope with one of the most glamorous but challenging deals of their careers, and the dramatic impact it has on their personal lives. With a briefcase in one hand and a glass of wine in the oth...more

Paperback, 358 pages

Published January 16th 2012 by Matador

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May 01, 2012 Kirsty The Book Mogul rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this novel, it was something a bit different to what I normal read which was a refreshing change. I liked where the book was set and how there are three other books in the series and the main characters in those books appear in this book. Rachel's character came across as a strong, independent woman that didn't need any help from any man in her life. I found it entertaining reading about Rachel and Harry's relationship, it was very much a relationship where the man was in contro...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Kirsty (Book - Love - Bug) rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book in set of four books about four professional women all working on the same deal; the sale of a high profile cosmetic surgery business. I started this book with a little apprehension as it follows the same deal, I was concerned there would be too much repetition that would take away my enjoyment.

This second book focuses on Rachel who works for a prestigious accounting firm and is working to discover the valuation of the business, and any skeletons in the closet that might...more This is the second book in set of four books about four professional women all working on the same deal; the sale of a high profile cosmetic surgery business. I started this book with a little apprehension as it follows the same deal, I was concerned there would be too much repetition that would take away my enjoyment.

This second book focuses on Rachel who works for a prestigious accounting firm and is working to discover the valuation of the business, and any skeletons in the closet that might affect that.

Penny Avis (co-author) trained as an accountant and until 2009 was a high flying corporate finance partner at Deloitte. Once again, like for the first book, this has allowed Avis and Berry to create a realistic world and transaction which makes it all the more interesting to read.

This thing I love most about this series is they don't just focus on one aspect of the heroine's life (not just her shopping habit, her love-life dramas or her high-flying career). It incorporated all aspects of the working women creating wonderfully 3D characters. Real-life working women don't JUST go to work; they also go out and play. These books really focus on both sides of the career women and boy does it work for them! I felt the social side more with Rachel but it's certainly also prevalent in Alex as well. Despite seeing Luke for much less time than Dan (from Alex) - I loved him more!

I shouldn't have been concerned about the overlap following the same deal through four books. Yes, there are cross-overs but that certainly isn't a bad thing. After a while, it then branches off into new twists which you didn't uncover in the first book. There are quite a few overlaps with the legal and financial side of the deal but from reading the synopsis of the third and fourth book, it would seem that they split even further to discover other completely unseen before twists, turns and skeletons affecting the deal. I think it's a really unique and wonderful concept to allow the reader to discover the deal from a completely different angle each time. (less)

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Jan 12, 2012 Misty rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, recieved-for-review

I didn't realise when I agreed to review this book that it was the second in the series but thankfully the books can be read out of order so I didn't feel like I was missing anything when reading it, it's a quick, easy read although I did find it difficult to get into and it was a good 100 pages before I felt comfortable reading it. The story is good, and I like the idea that the four books follow four different women working on the same deal, so you see each aspect of it, but I felt none of the...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Hannah (Jaedia) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, chick-lit, fiction, received-for-review

3.5 stars.
Never Mind The Botox is such a fun read! It is a series of four books featuring four high-flying, career driven women and how a cosmetic company takeover affects each of them. Each book takes a look at a different woman and they can be read in any order as they do not follow on from each other. This one is about Rachel, the corporate financier and how she tries to keep straight in order to do better and get that director promotion she’s been waiting for but her boyfriend is selfish and...more 3.5 stars.
Never Mind The Botox is such a fun read! It is a series of four books featuring four high-flying, career driven women and how a cosmetic company takeover affects each of them. Each book takes a look at a different woman and they can be read in any order as they do not follow on from each other. This one is about Rachel, the corporate financier and how she tries to keep straight in order to do better and get that director promotion she’s been waiting for but her boyfriend is selfish and constantly convinces her to stay out drinking at all hours of the night and heading into work late due to or with a hangover. I like to think of Never Mind The Botox as being a chick lit with a soul. Instead of going over the woes of a love sick fashion slave it looks at the life of a career-driven woman and how her working life affects her personal life.

I was struck by how real a lot of the stuff in this book felt. You believe that these characters could exist, and as ridiculous as a lot of the going ons in Rachel’s life might seem, you can’t help but believe they could really happen. That being said it does contain a lot of humour. I was caught laughing at my book more times than I can count and that really is what I’m looking for in a good chick lit – a good sense of humour! There is also plenty going on to keep the story interesting, plenty of intrigue and deception, and it came with a rather nice feel-good ending. This book is a total breath of fresh air in the chick lit genre and I’ll definitely be tracking down the others in the series, of which online ‘Alex’ is available at present, and also keeping my eye out for the TV series which is currently in development!

Also, slightly unrelated but I find it important.. You know how some books have a really distinctive smell? I absolutely adore this book’s smell! Call me weird, but it kind of reminds me of guidebooks. Anyway.

Never Mind The Botox is definitely a must read for chick lit fans, and if, like me, you’re fussy with your chick lit, preferring them to come with a story, a bit of soul, and fun, this is the book for you.(less)

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Jan 12, 2012 Leah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, books-read-2012

After reading Alex, the first novel in Penny Avis and Joanna Berry’s Never Mind The Botox book series, I was intrigued by this new series. It revolves around 4 women – Alex, Rachel, Meredith and Stella – who are all involved in the sale of a cosmetic surgery clinic and as the deal moves along each woman has their own troubles to deal with. All the stories are different, but it all revolves around the sale of the Beau Street cosmetic surgery clinic. Clever, right? I liked the first book. The char...more After reading Alex, the first novel in Penny Avis and Joanna Berry’s Never Mind The Botox book series, I was intrigued by this new series. It revolves around 4 women – Alex, Rachel, Meredith and Stella – who are all involved in the sale of a cosmetic surgery clinic and as the deal moves along each woman has their own troubles to deal with. All the stories are different, but it all revolves around the sale of the Beau Street cosmetic surgery clinic. Clever, right? I liked the first book. The characterisation was weak (instead focusing more on the plot) but it was an enjoyable read so I was excited to read book two, to see what Rachel Altman’s story was. Sadly, though, I wasn’t a big fan. Which, perhaps, wasn’t helped by the fact that it took me almost two weeks to read it due to work commitments.

Rachel is the financier at Beau Street, making sure everything they’re saying is correct, that all their records are squeaky clean and that the sale to Equinox can go ahead. But when problems start to arise – both professionally and personally, Rachel is put to the test, particularly when it comes to her boozy boyfriend Harry. I don’t really know how or why ‘Rachel’ fell apart, but I just couldn’t get on with the book. I thought that, for a financier, Rachel was a bit dim. A bit stupid. A bit childish. First, where her job is concerned, she’s unable to keep her gob shut. She’s told not to tell anyone anything – not a hard thing, that’s how it goes with things like that, right? – but no, Rachel tells her family, her friends, her boyfriend all about the clients and what not. It came across as unprofessional. Then, when she finds something out about Beau Street, she keeps it to herself! She debates saying NOTHING! It made me want to bash my head in. The whole point of her company coming in is to be honest, open, to uncover secrets, yet all Rachel thinks of is herself and how it may affect her.

The novel was just all over the place. I finished it, but I can’t tell you how it ended, I can’t tell you what happened because I’ve forgotten already. It seems as if this novel was just a mish-mash of Rachel’s job and her bar-hopping ways. That’s it. Oh, except for Rachel’s brother Rowan’s incident. Which, by the way, you will see coming a mile off. Rachel’s reaction to what Rowan does is typical in how irritating it is. Much like the previous novel, the characterisation is weak. I didn’t “feel” Rachel, for lack of a better word. I just didn’t care for her and I found her to be really annoying. Her boyfriend, Harry, is the lowest of the low, he doesn’t care about her job, never listens to her, yet (as usual) she’s blind to it. I wondered why someone successful, clever (or supposedly so) like Rachel was doing with someone like Harry, frankly. There was just nothing I really liked. Nothing to hold on to and I just didn’t care at all, sadly. The only fascinating part of the book was the security guard, Fred, who dreamed of being a weather man. He made me smile. But that’s it. And what does it say when that is the only thing to smile about?(less)

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Feb 16, 2012 Kathryn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, books-i-have, chick-lit, fiction, for-review, got-in-2011, read-in-2011

The setting for this story was interesting, I don't know a lot about corporate finance and how businesses are sold, so it was a bit hard to understand some of that side of things, but it was all kind of explained throughout the story as Rachel talked about her job to friends throughout the book.

The main character, Rachel, seemed quite realistic in that she has quite a few flaws, for example staying out late when she has work the next day, I can totally relate to that! But I didn't feel like I go...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Jenno rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was a decent plane read. You can see plot coming from miles away so don't expect surprises. One thing I did appreciate is that the main character isn't typical chicklit- shes not exclusively the falling down ditz nor the overworked, humorless in need of a man type. So she felt real, which is maybe why it was a little dull.

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Jun 30, 2012 S. L Lewis rated it 4 of 5 stars

A good little read which high lights the woes of the career minded woman instead of the usual basic 'Chick Lit' themes.

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May 22, 2012 Charlie Wilson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Chicklit for thinking women. Funny, engaging - the ideal commute/on the beach read.

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Jan 24, 2012 Aileen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, more than the other one, it was funny at times, I would definetely recommend.

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Jan 04, 2013 Kirsten rated it 3 of 5 stars

Nice lite read.

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Jan 31, 2012 Kat rated it 5 of 5 stars

Never mind the botox is a series to watch out for, Its classy, fun and makes u want to beg for more. Loved it from start to finish. Cannot wait till next one :) The series gets better and better.

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Apr 14, 2013 Jullie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mar 28, 2013 Verónica Ricardo marked it as to-read

Mar 19, 2013 Ananda marked it as to-read

Shelves: chick-lit, part-of-a-series

Feb 27, 2013 Pamela Principe-Angeles marked it as to-read

Shelves: chik-lit

Jan 26, 2013 Erin marked it as to-read

Oct 15, 2012 Amelia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Aug 29, 2012 Tasha marked it as to-read

Jul 16, 2012 Anita marked it as to-read

Shelves: to-read-kindle

Jul 11, 2012 Tejal Thakkar marked it as to-read

May 22, 2012 Tanya Nath added it

May 13, 2012 Shazeena rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 10, 2012 Anne-Marie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Apr 17, 2012 Ashlee Hill added it

Shelves: did-not-finish

Jan 20, 2012 Emma Griffiths rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jan 13, 2012 Jolie Corral marked it as to-read

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Jan 07, 2012 Victoria Bryant marked it as to-read

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About Penny Avis

Penny Avis trained as an accountant and until 2009 was a corporate finance partner at Deloitte, specialising in consumer products and hostile takeovers. She led deals in everything from pregnancy testing kits to incontinence products, having previously survived the collapse of Arthur Andersen during the Enron crisis. After years of juggling a diary from hell with bringing up two young children - r...more

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