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The Out of Office Girl

3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 · rating details · 90 ratings · 21 reviews

From London ....

Alice Roberts is having a rubbish summer.

She's terrified of her boss, her career is stalling, and she's just been dumped - by text message. But things are about to change ...

to Italy

When her boss Olivia is taken ill, Alice is sent on the work trip of a lifetime: to a villa in Sicily, to edit the autobiography of Hollywood bad boy Luther Carson. But it's not...more

Paperback, 313 pages

Published July 5th 2012 by Headline Review (first published 2012)

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Jul 21, 2012 Kevin I Heart.. Chick Lit rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rating : 5/5

From London to Italy with love...

Alice Roberts is having a rubbish summer.
She's terrified of her boss, her career is stalling, and she's just been dumped - by text message. But things are about to change...

When her boss Olivia is taken ill, Alice is sent on the work trip of a lifetime: to a villa in Sicily, to edit the autobiography of Hollywood bad boy Luther Carson. But it's not all yachts, nightclubs and Camparis. Luther's arrogant agent Sam wants him to ditch the book. Luther him...more Rating : 5/5

From London to Italy with love...

Alice Roberts is having a rubbish summer.
She's terrified of her boss, her career is stalling, and she's just been dumped - by text message. But things are about to change...

When her boss Olivia is taken ill, Alice is sent on the work trip of a lifetime: to a villa in Sicily, to edit the autobiography of Hollywood bad boy Luther Carson. But it's not all yachts, nightclubs and Camparis. Luther's arrogant agent Sam wants him to ditch the book. Luther himself is gorgeous, charming and impossible to read. There only seems to be one way to get his attention, and it definitely involves mixing business with pleasure. Alice is out of the office, and into deep trouble...

I was over the moon when Nicola Doherty agreed to send me a copy of her delightful debut novel, The Out of Office Girl. Luckily, when it arrived in my post last week, I just polished off Lucy in the Sky and I started on it immediately. I can tell you this - I finished it in 3 days. Well, more of less. I found it really fun and it was a fabulous summer read!

The Out of Office Girl is about Alice Roberts, an editorial assistant to Olivia, who was so lovable, I warmed up to her immediately. Strangely, in a good way, she reminded me of Lindsey Kelk's Angela Clark of the I Heart series and the famous Becky Bloomwood. She was a heroine I would love to be friends with, she was humble, friendly and down-to-earth. Anyway, Alice gets the chance to represent her publishing house, and fly to Sicily to "pressure" the famous bad boy film star, Luther Carson, to finish his autobiography. But nothing ever goes according to plan, right? The book was such a pleasure to read, mainly because through Alice's eye - the book was written in Alice's perspective - Luther was literally a sex god who has taken form of a Hollywood Adonis, who was a catch to read about. Well, nobody's perfect, so expect some plans gone awry in the plot, which makes the book more interesting!

Sadly, most celebrities are not all how they seem. As the saying goes, "All that glitters isn't gold". So Luther was all handsome and charming, because he's a Hollywood star, it was really relatable when Alice was a bit starstruck by him. But he wasn't really honest at first, but as the book progresses, he finally opened up to Alice so talk about character progression! Aside from Luther, the other guy in the story was Sam, Luther's agent who was literally digging into my skin, as he was such an arrogant character. He was curt and unfriendly towards Alice but after a while, he was actually a good friend to Alice. Well, not that I intend to ruin it for you, but the book was a bit predictable but there were a few elements of surprise. Blokes aside, I really liked Marisa, the wife of one of Luther's friends in Sicily. She was the Jenny Lopez (Angela Clark's BFF) to Alice Roberts. She was so easy to like, a very friendly character to read about, in contrast to another female counterpart in the book.

I liked the flow of the book as it was very well-plotted. The entire book had about 311 pages, but the book was fun-filled and very addictive. Nicola's writing style was very easy to read, the perfect summer/beach read. I don't know about other readers, but I love books with a bit of fluff, which is light and very comfortable to pick up the plot. The setting of the book was perfect. Seriously, it was. Italian summer. The villa by the beach. The party on the yacht. Nicola described the Italian setting very well. So precisely written that I had to yearn myself from packing my luggage to a non-existent holiday in the Mediterranean.

All in all, I loved this delightful, light and fabulous rom-com about a girl pursuing her passion and what she wants in life - especially the romantic parts! - as it was really addictive. It was fun and delicious and light as a little macaron! Okay, bad simile. No one relates books to food, I'm such a tit, but I actually loved it. Look out, people. Nicola Doherty is a writer to look out for. The Out Of Office Girl could match up to Sophie Kinsella's. Just give her a little time. She'll be big! Follow the lovely Nicola on Twitter (@nicoladoherty_).(less)

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Mar 01, 2012 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, it felt like pure escapism and made me feel sunny and happy like I had actually been to Italy with Alice. Even the cover oozes summer, warmth and happiness. The celebrity factor made it even more interesting for me, to be able to enter the dream world of celebrities and luxury in the sun is just the type of thing I love to read about.

Alice was a lovely character, she is a likeable down-to-earth girl who I really felt I could relate to. Some of the disasters she faces...more

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Jul 03, 2012 Anica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit

3,5 stars

This book is nice. And I don't mean this in a bad kind of way. It IS nice. The bad thing though is that it is nothing more. Just nice. And to be honest, I expected something more than just a nice summer read.

In fact, this book is a bit blah during the whole middle part. When Alice, the heroine, tries to get her book from Luther and all, it is all just some random facts about showbiz and all. Don't get me wrong, I believe Nicola Doherty knows about the things she wrote about and I am su...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Leah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-2012, for-review

Nicola Doherty is a debut author this year, and who doesn’t love a debut author? I do. I love finding brand new authors, even more so when such authors are referred to as the new Sophie Kinsella. Sophie Kinsella is my absolute favourite author ever, so the idea of finding a new author just like her is both absurd, but brilliant. Absurd because, well, there’s no one quite like Sophie Kinsella, but brilliant, because Sophie Kinsella has one of the best writing styles ever, so it stands to reason t...more Nicola Doherty is a debut author this year, and who doesn’t love a debut author? I do. I love finding brand new authors, even more so when such authors are referred to as the new Sophie Kinsella. Sophie Kinsella is my absolute favourite author ever, so the idea of finding a new author just like her is both absurd, but brilliant. Absurd because, well, there’s no one quite like Sophie Kinsella, but brilliant, because Sophie Kinsella has one of the best writing styles ever, so it stands to reason there will be others who write like her. So when my proof copy of The Out of Office Girl heralded the arrival of a new Sophie Kinsella, I was sold, folks, sold. However, when I initially started reading the novel I was more worried that it was an almost carbon-copy of Johnny Be Good by Paige Toon, a favourite book of mine. The normal girl going to assist the celebrity in some way, the celebrity being ludicrously hot, the girl having a crush on the celebrity (obviously) and thinking it absolutely, utterly crazy that the celebrity would ever fall for their English selves. (Which we know is total crap and is usually a precursor to the celeb falling head over heels for the English girl.)

Despite my worry, however, The Out of Office Girl was not an almost carbon-copy of Johnny Be Good, it was just a little bit similar. (Plus Luther is no Johnny.) Instead, after a while, I was able to forget about the comparisons to Johnny Be Good, and was able to enjoy the novel for what it was, which is always a relief. Nicola Doherty does indeed have a very similar writing style to Sophie Kinsella, but I didn’t perhaps find the book as amusing as a Sophie Kinsella read. Nor did I find Alice to be a very Kinsella-esque heroine. Now that I’ve got all sorts of comparisons out of the way, let’s actually discuss the book at hand. (Hurrah, I hear you say.) I found The Out of Office Girl to be a very quick, enjoyable read for my afternoon off. As soon as I started it, I was pretty much hooked on Alice’s story, enjoying the way the book zipped along at quite a pace, as Alice finds herself jetting off to Sicily to work on Luther Carson’s autobiography after her boss, Olivia, takes ill. It’s the stuff of dreams (that never happen to normal folk, or, me, rather) and after we get past how hot Luther is, and Alice’s obvious crush on him and all that stuff, the novel is actually good.

The setting, Siciliy, is fabulous. I’ve never been to Italy, though I’d love to go eventually, and Siciliy sounds as if it would be a wonderful place to start. Doherty described it beautifully and since I already live in such a sunny place, I could just imagine I was there at the villa with everyone. I liked the easy relationship Alice seemed to have with Luther, once she got over being starstruck, and I loved meeting Marisa and Federico, two Sicilian natives, but most of all, I absolutely adored Sam. Oh, Sam. I admit, despite hating the totally obvious celebrity-loving thing and constantly berating cliched, predictable novels, I do love me an annoying sidekick where you know right from the very beginning that he’s not as bad as he seems and, really, he’s not just another typical American, but can actually be quite sweet etc. For some reason, despite seeing the real Sam from a mile off, it didn’t annoy me, because he was a brilliant character. What annoyed me, funnily enough, was Alice’s sniping about him. I wanted to protect him.

So, yes, I very much enjoyed The Out of Office Girl. Yes, it had its similarities to Kinsella/Toon etc, but I liked it. I will very much be reading Doherty’s second novel and although the book wasn’t perfect and I did have some gripes, it would be a book I’d recommend. One thing that does bother me is that the cover depicts a couple on a moped and since the book is set in Italy, which are pretty famous for their mopeds, surely Doherty could have inserted a moped in there somewhere? Silly, I know, but well, I am fussy. And it’s Italy, therefore mopeds are surely a given. But beside that, it’s a quick and sometimes amusing read (though not downright laugh out loud) and there are particular scenes I enjoyed that I will indeed remember and I’m hoping for very good things from Doherty’s second novel.(less)

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Sep 09, 2012 Lj Neame rated it 4 of 5 stars

Surprised me. Quite well written and a lot of fun if v predictable. As the love-to-hate-her movie star wannabe, trying to flog the vampire flick "Love's Last Bite", where she plays a "very important" supporting role, the heroine's bête noire was great and would have loved to see more of her. Much of the action takes place in Sicily, and was surprised by the ad at the end of the book promoting the company that flogs villa rentals, including the one that love interest Luther stays in. Are we to ex...more

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Aug 06, 2012 M.B. rated it 4 of 5 stars

All in all, this wasn't a bad read. It's very typical of the genre in that it was quite obvious who Alice was going to end up with. It's just the way in which the author gets there.

This particular journey was well written with characters that made me like (or dislike) them. My particular favourite character was Poppy. Every girl needs a friend like her.

The character of Luther made me think about celebrities and the obsession fans have of them. We put these people up on very high pedestals which...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Marinella rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit

La ragazza fuori ufficio è un libro frizzante, ricco di humor, caratterizzato da personaggi verosimili e accattivanti: la protagonista è carinissima, una vera "ragazza normale" con tutte le paturnie del caso; dialoga veramente con chi ha davanti e la scrittrice ci mostra efficacemente perché le persone decidono di aprirsi con lei o coinvolgerla nelle loro vite; niente è prevedibile, ma la storia si dipana naturalmente e in modo sensato (a parte forse il finale, che ho trovato un po' ovvio per la...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Best Books To Read rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit

Okay, let me clear something up. I am NOT a romantic person by nature (as my husband could probably confirm). However, when it comes to book the complete opposite applies. Although I read many genre's (including Crime & Thrillers) I love romance and comedy books. Sometimes for me the purpose of reading is to escape real life and to just believe that the ridiculous and sublime may just happen (even though the realist in me knows it wouldn't). Therefore, the synopsis of The Out Of Office Girl...more Okay, let me clear something up. I am NOT a romantic person by nature (as my husband could probably confirm). However, when it comes to book the complete opposite applies. Although I read many genre's (including Crime & Thrillers) I love romance and comedy books. Sometimes for me the purpose of reading is to escape real life and to just believe that the ridiculous and sublime may just happen (even though the realist in me knows it wouldn't). Therefore, the synopsis of The Out Of Office Girl sounded perfect to me. Alice Roberts is having an awful summer and when her boss is taken ill and she is given the chance to go to Italy to interview Hollywood bad boy Luther Carson she jumps at the chance.

As soon as I picked this book up and started reading I just adored Alice. She was a normal girl with a normal job who is thrown into the deep end and given the opportunity of a lifetime. I was hooked within a matter of pages! Alice flies over to Sicily and her job is to edit the autobiography of Luther along with his agent Sam and the publishing company's Ghost Writer. As soon as she lands we are given a glimpse into Luther's life and his bad boy antics seem just the start. Luther is an enjoyable read as well as some of the other characters such as Sam and Annabel.

Doherty does a great job of setting the scene in Italy and she made it sound extremely idyllic. The story itself takes a few funny turns as we see Alice get herself stuck in certain situations which she isn't quite sure how to get out of. The storyline towards the end is a little predictable but if I'm being honest I quite enjoyed the fact that things worked how they should have done. This book is certainly not intellectually challenging, but to be honest its not a factor for me when reading. I read this and felt much the same as I do when I watch Dirty Dancing. Yes its something that would never happen but when you are in the moment and enjoying it, it's good enough. I will certainly be looking out for future publications from Doherty and think that she has written in a similar way to Lindsey Kelk. If that's the case and she keeps the great storylines up then she is well on her way to drawing e lot of fans in.(less)

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Mar 01, 2013 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-vine

This is a light read about Alice who is sent to Sicily to work on the autobiography of Luther Carson, a Hollywood star. She is just a lowly assistant but suddenly finds herself out of her depth in a glamorous world. Many aspects of the story are rather unbelievable and Alice can be a tad annoying at times but she does meet some interesting characters, it is a fun read and it does make you want to jet off to Sicily away from the cold British winter!

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Mar 13, 2013 Khaleesibooks rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ad una prima lettura della trama, questo libro non sembra niente di particolarmente interessante. Una ragazza che per una serie di situazioni deve lavorare fianco a fianco con il suo attore preferito. Personalmente mi ha ricordato un’infinità di fanfiction simili lette in passato e presa da un raptus di nostalgia ho deciso di dargli una possibilità.

http://leatherandlibrarians.wordpress...

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Aug 28, 2012 Ricci rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book started off promising and was very funny and grabbed my attention but somewhere in the middle of the book it lacked focus and drive & I was starting to lose interest. The ending really brought the book back to life just disappointed with the middle of the book. But overall I've given it 3 Stars ***

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Jan 20, 2013 Nicole(i~heart~books!!!) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, action-packed-adventure, friendship, meh, romance

I liked this book. I did. But I feel that the romance between Sam and Alice is not developed. It just happened. And the story also seems.a.bit bland and boring in the middle of the book. I did enjoy the scenery the book depicted, Italy, so yeah:)

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Oct 13, 2012 Carla Caruso rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you want a feel-good, escapist, chick-lit read, this is it! Was great preparation for my trip to Sicily. Definitely a first-time author to watch.

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Jan 22, 2013 Kate Thornhill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this. Total escapism, couldn't put it down. Great holiday read. Looking forward to reading more from Nicola.

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Oct 08, 2012 Maureen Heraty rated it 4 of 5 stars

For any woman who feels the need to escape into a well-written romance ...

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Aug 18, 2012 Philippa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

Read it in one afternoon! A compelling and fun read :)

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May 04, 2012 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic-chick-lit, all-time-favorites

Slightly predictable but over all a great read!

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Jul 10, 2012 Evelyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very fab summer read! :)
Amazing debut novel! :)

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Oct 06, 2012 Mireya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Simply what I needed: an easy cheerful read.

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Jul 28, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved this story fun light hearted read.

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Jul 17, 2012 Talli Roland rated it 5 of 5 stars

A very fun summer read!

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About Nicola Doherty

I grew up in Monkstown, Co. Dublin and studied English at Trinity College, Dublin and at Oxford. I then moved to London where I got a job with a literary scout, and later as an editorial assistant at Hodder & Stoughton. I became an editor at Hodder, working on all manner of non-fiction including assisting on autobiographies by Graham Norton, Billie Piper and Russell Brand, among others.

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