A Good Girl Comes Undone

by Polly Williams

She's on a roll. A glamorous job at a glossy magazine. A home of her own. A cute live-in boyfriend. Annie Rafferty has worked damn hard for all of it. If demands are made, she delivers. If people need her, she's there. And if she suspects something is missing? Well, she ignores it. But cracks start to appear. Her boyfriend quits his job and leaves Annie paying the bills. Work descends into a handbags-at-dawn struggle for survival, and there's a new exec in the office - rude, opinionated but strangely attractive - questioning exactly what she's trying to prove. As Annie discovers her true desires, her meticulously planned life begins to unravel and darker, unexpected forces pull things in a shocking new direction ...

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Νικολέττα]

Ελαφρύ ανάγνωσμα και σε πολλά σημεία γίνεται βαρετό.

[Chloe]

Annie Rafferty is a woman who has it all. She’s just got the job of Deputy Editor at Glo! Magazine, has just bought a big house with long-term boyfriend Nick and life is all rosy.

But soon Annie’s world is about to come crashing down around her when Nick resigns from his job, leaving her with the bills, a depressed sister and nagging parents who don’t think she should have to be the bread-winner.

But Annie soon discovers who she really is, and ends up going in a totally different direction…


As soon as I started this book, I knew that I was going to really enjoy it. It was much more along the style of her fantastic debut which I just couldn’t put down with likeable characters, a great story and a brilliant first person narrative which just draws you into the story immediately and without taking too much time to warm up and really get going. Williams narrative is very engaging, a friendly voice which is fun and easy to read, without being too ridiculous in any aspect. As was the case in her previous novels, we are also introduced to the other 2 main characters within the first chapter, given a really good outline of the main character herself and a stonking first chapter which makes a great start to the book.

Williams has a knack for writing great characters which are realistic, funny and endearing to the reader. She knows what demographic are going to be reading her books, which is generally going to be woman aged between 18-40 years old, and thus makes her characters appeal well to the this range. The main character of Annie is a career-girl, proud of her job and proud of working her way through the ranks, loves her boyfriend and their brand new house, and also loves her family. She’s got it all, and despite this, she’s a lovely character who isn’t at all unlikeable. She talks about her job at length in a funny humourous way, and you can really visualise her workplace and the characters there as well. The other characters are also well written, from her out-of-work boyfriend Nick who seems to resent Annie for having a job she loves, to her hopelessly in love sister Georgia who crashes at Annie’s house after her latest love crisis.

The book goes along at a great pace, throwing you in at the deep end with Annie and Nick, and then moving along as their life continues and their roles chop and change. Williams has grasped human emotion fantastically in this book, from Annie’s exasperation at Nick’s lack of motivation through to Nick’s annoyance at being nagged to get a job, and even to Annie and Georgia’s parents, particularly their father who wants the best for his girls and will speak his mind to Nick about not having a job! She’s created a great balance of humour within the story, mainly based around the offices of Glo! and Annie’s job there, and also love, sorrow and confusion. Williams explores these throughout the book in a gentle way which is in keeping with the storyline, and never too heavy either.

The book is a great read, and I just wanted to keep reading it to find out what was going to happen to Annie and how things were all going to turn out. Williams has this talent of making you want to read on, engrossing you with the story and the characters, giving you twists and turns along the way as well to keep things fresh. Her narrative is a joy to read, with great descriptive writing, yet very realistic narrative as well, endearing you to the main character fantastically well, so you feel you almost know her! I loved the story, although it sounds like it may not be the happiest, it is an uplifting book which is a fun and fantastic read for anyone who loves a great story of change, love and finding yourself somewhere you didn’t expect.

[Fefi]

Resistendo all'impulso di cancellare l' e-book dopo una ventina di pagine,sono finalmente arrivata alla fine di questa storia!
Una noia mortale, non so che altro scrivere.
Gli unici libri che mi sono piaciuti un po' di più della Williams,sono Vita bassa e tacchi a spillo e La moglie peggiore del mondo,che almeno hanno un senso.

[Eleanor Norman]

Very disappointing read. Kind of slow and not at all interesting. The main characters and love interest are just not suited.

[Anna-lena Schmitz]

A book to read if you have nothing to do, but nothing more really. The characters are really great, but unfortuantly, the whole story is a little predictable and is really long.

Nice read, but nothing more!

[Jule]

Not much to say about the book.
It was a decent read, but the ending has been a bit too rushed and I expected a bit more from the book in general.

[Kathryn]

Very good, and quite funny in places. But I wasn't sure I liked the ending.

[Ioannafo]

Μπορείς να αγοράσεις το βιβλίο από το affiliate link μου εδώ https://mikk.ro/C8p6 και να βοηθήσεις το κανάλι μου τόσο εδώ όσο και στο YouTube [ https://www.youtube.com/user/ioannafo...] ! Ευχαριστώ εκ των προτέρων, σημαίνει πολλά για μένα! Ας προχωρήσουμε στην κριτική!

ΩΡΕΣ ΑΝΑΓΝΩΣΗΣ: 8 ΩΡΕΣ

Αλήθεια, η ιστορία ήταν προβλέψιμη. Ηξερα την ώρα που διάβαζα κάτι που και καλά είναι "easter egg" τι θα προκύψει στην συνέχεια. Και όντως συνέβαινε.

Οι χαρακτήρες μου άρεσαν, μου άρεσε ο τρόπος που παρουσιάζονταν και το γεγονός πως αρκετοί από αυτούς είχαν βάθος και ουσία και έμεναν σταθεροί στην πορεία του βιβλίου.

Ωστόσο οι αναχρονιστικές ιδέες στο τι σημαίνει η σχέση μεταξύ άντρας και γυναίκα, οι ιδέες του τι είναι ρομαντικό και τι abusive, κάποιες στιγμές με ενόχλησαν.

Τέλος, ο τρόπος που παρουσιάστηκε ο θάνατος στο βιβλίο ήταν πολύ παρωχημένος και ίσως αχρείαστος πραγματικά. Πιο έντονη ήταν η μετακόμιση των γονιών παρά ο θάνατος. Και το γράφω γιατί δεν θα είναι καν spoiler, αν το διαβάσετε θα ξέρετε ότι έρχεται!

Πάντως, επειδή κάθε βιβλίο μας δίνει κάτι και το πιστεύω ακράδαντα αυτό, από το συγκεκριμένο κρατάω την φράση: Την ζωή για να την ζούμε πρέπει να νιώθουμε ζωντανοί! Ακόμη, η ομορφιά δεν είναι πάντα το παν - καθώς καμιά φορά αυτή η ίδια η ομορφιά μπορεί να γυρνάει μπούμερανγκ με απίστευτα υψηλές προσδοκίες από τους άλλους. Και τέλος, σε καμία σχέση καμία στιγμή δεν πρέπει να πάψουμε να παραμένουμε ανεξάρτητοι και ανεξάρτητες!

[Isa]

Hmmmmmm a lot of things to love about this book.

1) Unreal amounts of blatant sexism (as a person who doubts the need for third-wave feminism first world countries, this is a STATEMENT)
2) Crazy amounts of punctuation errors (about every 20-30 pages? Sure, dfeinitely) and occasional grammatical/spelling errors (I know I can't write areview without making spelling errors but this is a stupid review and not a supposedly edited and then published book. I seriesouly think someone skimmed this thing and just gave it the go-ahead and here we are)
3) Were we supposed to...... ACTUALLY like Don? Oh of course, his forcefulness was supposed to be charming wasn't it
4) For about 50 pages the apparent only aceptable form of greeting was "Hi _____! How's tricks?" WHat the hell is tricks. Why are we asking how it is all the time. What does it MEAN????
5) This book was cursed from the get-go for me after coming out of a book where I absolutley adored the writing style this just felt like I was being dragged through hell

The more and more I comment about this thing the more and more I feel myself disliking it
Referring to this as a thing is sounding more and more appropriate

[Kennedy]

Hit a little too close to home for my liking. I particularly connected with Annie and Georgia, as I am the responsible older sister, who always takes care of my George. Seeing Georgia come into her own makes me realize my own sister is doing the same.
Relationships are tricky and this novel shows that no matter how much you love someone, they still might not be the one, on top of circumstances that might be unforeseen?

I personally hated Don. He was unappealing and Annie's questioning of him should have been just enough to propel the Nick plot. I don't think they should have ended up "together" and he DEFINITELY shouldn't have bought the house. Oh, and when she said he reminded her of her father.... oh boy... I mean same, but c'mon girl. Your father was present. Anyway, Don is gross and also I hate the name Don.

Anyway, I connected with this book entirely too much for what it was, so I'm definitely rating it higher than it should be for personal reasons. The typos were killer and highly annoying. It almost read like someone printed a fanfiction. Which is possible? Idk anything about Williams.

[Rona Nimmo]

A good girl comes undone by Polly Williams

Annie has a glamorous job in a glossy job her life is perfect. Own home lovely partner works hard . Her bosses demand she delivers but Annie is starting to have doubts and in stressful times she just papers over them . Her life then starts to fall apart, her boyfriend leaves his job to find himself, there is a power struggle at wok and someone want her job. The icing on the cake there is a new executive at the who is Rudd and opinionated but there is definitely chemistry between them. Is this the life Annie really wants or are there other forces at work ? Follow the unfolding twists in Annie’s life.

Great well written ,worth the read . 4.5/5

[Kate]

I bought this book a few years ago as I was working in magazines at the time and thought it would be fun to see it through someone else's eyes. I finally got round to reading it - as the cover would suggest, it's a lightweight read but pleasantly enjoyable. The office politics rang true enough! However, not a memorable book so I wouldn't recommend it over any other book.

[Fradalla]

Le brave ragazze non scrivono libri orrendi.

Brutto libro. La protagonista è urticante, una donnetta che avrei preso a schiaffi dall'inzio alla fine del libro. Lo stile non è scorrevole, la trama poca, lo humor inesistente. Serioso e mai leggero. Mi chiedo come mai la Kinsella l'abbia recensita bene

[Jessica Jones]

Actually enjoyed this book more than I thought I would after reading some of the reviews.
However I did feel I lost the flow of the story around the middle. It did pick up the pace again and I did become engrossed. The ending was slightly rushed though.

[Melissa Milisha]

It's a good book for anyone who's been wanting to break off from the rules, bur can't. Few of the dialogues, metaphors, descriptions were relatable to me even though I am not aware even of F of fashion.
Like the cover suggest, wincingly funny, smart and importantly, HONEST.

[Hannah Porter]

Listened to it on audiobook so maybe would have been different if I’d read it but I was bored!! Yes I finished it but there was nothing to keep me desperately listening to find out what happened! I liked the main character and her sister but apart from that… boring!

[Mary]

OK girlie read. A little predictable but helped get me out of my Reading slump!

[Sadie Jury]

It just never seemed to get where I thought it was going...

[Fabulous Book Fiend]

Review: this was a classic chick-lit story about a young woman on a journey of self-discovery with some fabulous mis-haps and friendship along the way, and of course a love interest or two. It was an easy read and very predictable but neither of these things made it any less enjoyable. There were plentry of twists and turns in the story to keep the reader guessing all the way through as to what was going to happen. There was also the wonderful aspect of having several stories going on at once, adding more depth to this novel and making it even more enjoyable. I really enjoyed the story about Annie's challenges at work, and her challenges within her love-life. I found the story involving the challenges within her family rather Difficult and therefore not as enjoyable, even bringing me to tears at one point, but nevertheless adding another dimension to this well-written tale.

I liked Annie as a character initially although I did loose some respect for her because of her inability to say no and to ignore things when things were going wrong. She certainly redeems herself towards to end of this novel and I am aching to find out what has become of her. I strongly disliked Nick from the start if the novel but this shows how well written he was, that I found myself shouting at him sometimes because of his actions or words. I didn't like many members of Annie's family either, and I found new character Don fairly hard to take too. The interactions that Annie had with some of her work colleagues were seriously funny and had me laughing out loud, I think this particular part of the storyline was my favourite.

There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader occupied and although the majority of the novel is set in London, Annie travels to New York, her parents move from the Cotswolds to Brighton and so there are plenty of 'scene changes' too, all of which are well-described, so much so that I wanted, myself, to sink down into Annie's new sofa when it was delivered. This would make the perfect addition to your beach bag, and is another great novel from this wonderful author. An easy read but with plenty to keep your attention, this is definitely a book which I would have loved to have a sequel to, I definitely need to know what happens next...

[Debbie]

A quote from Red magazine said it was like sex and the city, which I love, but set in London, which I love even more. The cover is really pretty so instantly caught my eye, and as I’d never read anything by Polly Williams before I thought this would be a great starting choice. I finished it in 2 days, which is pretty impressive seeming as I was trying to revise all hours of the day too.

The characters were likeable, and the main few introduced in the first chapter which is a nice feature. Annie, the career-minded lead is a journalist for a woman’s magazine; dream job, great boyfriend, lovely family and a nice new house. But then everything starts falling apart, except her house. Annie was relatable and funny, a great leading character.

The story goes at a great pace, so it never gets boring – it also means you can never put it down! You hear about Annie’s relationship with Nick, her recently unemployed boyfriend; her relationship with her sister Georgina, her lovely friends and some of her not so lovely co-workers, as well as the new man in town, or at least in publishing.

I was a bit upset by the ending, in that I just wanted to know more about Annie and how all the changes in her life had affected her and how it all worked out for her in the end. I guess we’ll never know and can let our own imaginations dream up what comes next. If you love chick-lit, this is an absolutely essential funny read!

[Marzena]

2,5*

If you're a book hoarder like me, you're very likely to have piles of books waiting to be read. If you happen to feel slight remorse about mentioned pile chances are high that by now you don't recognise half the books you've bought and reasons that drove you to spend money on it.

So that's my story behind Polly Williams' work on my shelf. It's not bad, it's not great, it's neutral. It feels unfinished for someone who doesn't like open endings. It's so, so easy to quickly forget it... which is why although I had my share of entertainment during our time, my bookshelf will become slightly less crowded.

[Amanda]

This was the first Polly Williams book I read, and I'd probably give it three and a half stars rather than four if I could, but it definitely gets points for being different from other books I've read.

It's basically a story of a young woman trying to figure out what she wants in her career, in her love life, and dealing with her family. Her boyfriend quits his job and she has to deal with being the breadwinner, as well as dealing with a vicious boss.

[Margherita Dolcevita]

Caruccio, senza infamia e senza lode, banalotto ma tutto sommato il come si arriva alla fine (scontata, appunto) è gradevole.
Forse un po' troppo lunga la parte introduttiva all'inizio, però ecco sottigliezze.
Nel genere un romanzo nella media, c'è di meglio ma c'è anche di molto peggio.

[Rachel]

One of those books that grips you hard and pulls you along but in the end leaves you a bit unsatisfied thinking what was it about that I enjoyed so much? It works as chicklit and I really enjoyed the trip but I doubt it's a place I'll keep going back to.

[Adlynnz]

this is a surprisingly easy and enjoyable read, considering the issues that are surrounding the protagonist of the story. as far as the ending goes, well, it is chic lit after all... so not many guesses what will happen.

[Charlotte]

I was really, really disappointed with this book. Was hoping it would be so much more but was bored and glad to finish it. I haven't read any of Polly Williams' books so not sure if it is was the story or the way she wrote it I didn't like.

[Rachael]

There were several continuity errors that I found distracting & annoying. eg A character is described as wearing pyjamas & a robe, then in mid paragraph, he adjusts the belt on his jeans. Annie is sent home from work, then talks about deciding to take the day off work.

[Ellie]

OK girlie read. A little predictable but helped get me out of my Reading slump!

[Kathryn]

Eh, it was alright. Predictable chick-lit. I bought this from Tesco to read at work inbetween serving people greasy chinese. Says it all.

[Chenice]

An easy read, perfect for the beach or a relaxing read. A good chick-lit.