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Essex Girls

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You can take the girl out of Essex …

You’ll be well jel over the adventures of three good-hearted, strong-willed, fake-baked Essex Girls. Fun, fresh and always ream, this novel Perfect for fans of TOWIE and the novels of Katie Price.

Jade did everything she could to fit in at university – toned down her tan, gave up on her favourite fake lashes, swapped designer dresses for jeans. And it seemed to make her boyfriend Tom happy. But obviously not quite happy enough.
When Jade finds Tom’s been cheating she heads home: to Essex. Reunited with her best mates Kelly and Lisa, even a night out at The Sugar Hut isn’t enough to put a smile back on her face. So they hatch a plan to get away from it all, to a place so ream it’s unreal – Marbella. Sun, sea, men, vajazzles: what could possibly go wrong?

A fun, fresh and always polished novel for the Essex Girl in all of us …

328 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2012

11 people are currently reading
97 people want to read

About the author

Laura Ziepe

6 books21 followers
Laura Ziepe was born in Essex and has lived there all her life. She had a small part in the first series of The Only Way is Essex but decided a life in front of the cameras wasn’t really for her; she much preferred the dramas she could dream up on her laptop! When she’s not writing, she loves to read, travel, cook and spend time at home Essex with her fiancé and two Chihuahuas, Dolly and Dusty.

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5 stars
40 (38%)
4 stars
30 (28%)
3 stars
23 (22%)
2 stars
6 (5%)
1 star
5 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Lil's Vintage World.
60 reviews
April 12, 2013
I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

Let me start off by discussing the blurb of the book. It says that this book is perfect for fans of TOWIE and Katie Price, Personally I hate both of these!! So if that is what is putting you off the book ignore it!!! This book is brilliant!

The book follows Jade and her two best friends Kelly and Lisa. Jade's boyfriend Tom cheats on her so her and single friend Kelly jet off to sunny Spain for a season to work and get over cheating ex boyfriends.

The character of Jade is brilliant, she is clever and witty and is simply a character you can't help but fall in love with. Kelly is more your typical 'Essex girl' with the make-up and extension and at times a little bit dumb but she brings a lot of humor to this book! Lisa is such a sweet girl, she has been with her boyfriend Jake since she was 16 and by the end of the book you just want to take her under your wing and protect her.

Being a chic-lit book the girls do meet lads a long the way, but unlike other books the ending was NOT predictable, it had me guessing right till the very end.

This book was fast passed, funny and highly addictive. I stayed up till 2am just to find out what happened at the end.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a fast paced, relaxed read which is heartwarming, and funny. This book is a perfect summer read!!!

I cannot wait for the squeal, 'Made in Essex' which is due out January 2014.
Profile Image for Jess.
15 reviews
April 5, 2024
Surprisingly enjoyable book. Read it multiple times and enjoyed it everytime. Reason 3*s is that, although it is a good book, the storyline is a tad basic and predictable.
Is a good book to start with if you're finding out what books you enjoy more :)
Profile Image for Bookevin.
942 reviews803 followers
January 30, 2013
Review originally on I Heart.. Chick Lit.
www.iheart-chicklit.blogspot.com

Essex. I've never come across this particular county before. Recently, I only discovered it from The First Last Kiss by Ali Harris - the book was set in some parts of Essex, mainly Leigh-On-Sea and Southend. Sorry to my lovely readers from Essex. But I do now! Thanks to Essex Girls!

I was so thrilled to have received a copy from Avon a few weeks back. I knew it would be a fun-going book with lovable characters. Something I really needed after reading The First Last Kiss twice, I knew I wanted something light and fluffy to get over the heartbreak of finishing the book so that was what Essex Girls did for me.

What I thought about it:
Since Laura Ziepe is a debut author, I didn't expect a lot from the book nor did I look down on it being a "trashy" novel because from the blurb, it promises fun - half of the book is set in Marbella, but also a book about friendship and celebrating life in style - the Essex way! The moment I started on the first chapter, I realised the book was really easy to read, the way Laura writes is simple, relatable and easy-going.

The book focuses on three girls, I say girls because it's what they are. The three of them are in their early twenties and should still be considered as "girls", am I right? Hence the title, Essex Girls. First up, Jade the protagonist in the book, I found her sweet, lovable and determined. Next is Kelly, Jade's best friend and a very talented beautician, but at times I found her a bit dim. Don't get me wrong, she's an amazing friend and super supportive as her presence in the book doesn't go unnoticed, but I just wish she wasn't so ditzy, as described in the book. Then lastly, there's Lisa. I didn't get to know much about Lisa because she was absent half of the book, if you read the book you'll know why, but I found her different, more sensible compared to Jade and Kelly.

The book is set in two places, Essex and Marbella. Not to forget a little bit of Bath, where Jade was staying at the early chapters. I really enjoyed reading about Marbella as it was described as "Spain's Essex" and often wondered how do they live that sort of lifestyle - drinking, partying, sunbathing, dancing and waking up with a hangover and no recollection of what happened the night before. But it was an experience, let me tell you. If you are from Essex, you'd find Essex Girls very relatable and enjoyable.

As I have mentioned, Laura's writing style is easy to follow, doesn't require much thought as it was a very entertaining book. Essex Girls is like the insider's guide to Marbella, I guess. You get the glimpse of what life at Marbella is, as you get the chance to read about what Marbs has to offer, from the super fun clubs to the dance clubs!

Verdict:
Essex Girls for me was really entertaining, the plot was a bit predictable but it was a fun read, something you could easily sink your teeth into. The pace of the book flowed pretty well for me, though the ending was rather short-lived. I would have liked for the ending to be more exciting, as the book was pretty short. I guess I wanted more it!

A very good debut by Laura Ziepe. It was such a fun-loving, feel-good and highly entertaining. I would definitely want to read the sequel, Made in Essex, which will be out in January 2014.

Rating : 4/5
Profile Image for Nikki Bywater.
406 reviews17 followers
May 21, 2013
Meet the Essex Girls:

Jade, had moved away from Essex three years ago to attend university in Bath. Jade had toned down her Essex look of fake-tan, eyelashes and extensions to please boyfriend Tom. But when she finds out Tom has been cheating, there is only one place for her to go, home to Essex and back to her two best friends.

Lisa has been in a long-term relationship since the age of sixteen with boyfriend Jake, but now aged twenty-one is she ready to come out of her comfort zone and see just what else the world has got to offer?

Kelly meets Billy and all is going really well, but Kelly is afraid to commit in case she gets hurt. Will she take a chance on love?

When Jade and Kelly decide to escape from their Essex lives and head to the glamour of Marbella for fun in the sun. The adventure begins. This is a very amusing and entertaining story from author Laura Ziepe, all we have come to know and love about Essex is included in this book capturing the essence of Essex. (Or some might say the stereotypes!) But it is all done in really good fun and if you are a fan of The Only Way is Essex, you will love this book or if you are looking for just a nice easy fun and humorous read, this book will have you laughing out loud. I really enjoyed reading it.

Laura Ziepe was born in Essex and worked for Media Company and as a receptionist for a law firm before launching her own business mycelebritydress.com in 2009, where customers can hire designer dresses as seen on celebrates and the red carpet. She was offered a place in the first series of The Only Way is Essex. Through her business she now hires dressers to many of the stars of TOWIE and other hit TV shows. Though she hates to admit it, she is rather a (stereo) typical Essex girl, loving shopping, pampering and hitting the gym – not to mention spoiling her two Chihuahuas, Dolly and Dusty.
Profile Image for Megan.
470 reviews184 followers
January 30, 2013
When Essex girl Jade discovers her boyfriend Tom has been cheating, she hopes to find comfort in the arms of her best friends Kelly and Lisa, but even a night out on the streets of Essex can’t cheer her up. Soon, the girls come up with a fabulous plan – escape from it all with a holiday – and what better place to go than Marbella?! This is just what they need – sun, sea, men and lots of tanning! What could go wrong?

This is such a FUN read! There is no other way to describe it! Throughout the story I constantly had a smile on my face, enjoying reading about the girls on their holidays, and I found myself laughing out loud at everything they got up to!

One of the things I liked most about this book is that the characters are so familiar. From page one I warmed instantly to the girls, and like me and my sister, if you watch TOWIE then whilst reading this book you will feel like you’ve known the characters for years! Personally, I felt as though the girls were close friends of mine, I related to them, I loved their personalities and their attitudes, and they had me hooked to the pages.

Essex girls is a light, easy read with bursts of sparkle on every page and plenty of laughs throughout. Essex girls is fun, it is fabulous and it reminds you how great it is to have best friends! This year ladies, leave the men at home, go on holiday with your girlfriends and take a copy of Essex Girls with you – It is the PERFECT beach read!
Profile Image for Kelsey.
3 reviews1 follower
June 1, 2013
When I stumbled upon this book, I was looking for something quite light and easy to read and Essex Girls provided just that.

First off I want to highlight it's very well written, it would be easy to read the biography of the author or even the title of this book and think otherwise, and on a separate note - nothing annoys me more when reading a book to find authors out of their depth, over-complicating sentences to show of their writing skills etc. Now don't go thinking it's not simple or dumbed down either, I found Ziepe has a great writing style and like many other people who have read this book I was amazed at how much I could relate to the characters. There's so much more depth to this story than 'a couple of Essex girls on holiday'.

Near finishing the book I was really starting to feel sad about not being able to follow the girls adventures anymore, I was so happy to find the opening chapter to the sequel at the back, I can't wait for the next book to come out and to see how the storys progress.
Profile Image for Kms.
25 reviews
February 12, 2013
This Isn't a bad book if you want something light to read and as it's Laura ziepes first book I'm not going to be too hard on her.

A few giggles to be had when you read about Kelly and the ditzy things she does but I felt I'd like to have read more about Sam and jade. (Suppose that's what the sequel will be for). Lisa was a great, solid character. More headstrong than the others and I felt I related to her character more than the others.

Couldn't stand adele (read it and I'm sure you'll feel the same) and you'll probably realise that you've met someone similar to her in real life that you probably didn't like!

The book was okay. A little on the superficial side but I suppose that's to be expected isn't it. I will read the sequel when it's out and I wish this author all the luck in the world with her writing :-)
Profile Image for Em.
119 reviews18 followers
November 14, 2017
Just won this book on a giveaway and I couldn't be more excited!
The genre is right up my alley :)
Can't wait to read and review it for you guys!
The author is super sweet to!
Thank you so much!
(to be reviewed)
Emma
X
Profile Image for Victoria.
150 reviews
April 24, 2014
This is a wonderful light read.

I read 'Made in Essex' first which ruined it slightly for me as I knew the outcome of some of the plots, however I still thoroughly enjoyed this book

Not to be taken too seriously and if you love TOWIE you will enjoy this
Profile Image for Elle B.
88 reviews4 followers
June 17, 2016
Had to stop reading it by a quarter of the way through as it was repetitive dross. "He said blah blah. She said blah blah. He thought blah blah. She thought blah blah."

Probably would be good for mindless reading on a beach or with plenty of alcohol.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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