Пари и чувства

by Maggie Alderson

Има само едно по-лошо нещо от това приятелят ти да нама пари – да бъде безстрамно богат! Стела Фейн има свое правило за мъжете, които харесва: Накарай ги чакат! Но страхотният Джей се оказва изключение и бързо успява да преодолее нейната непреклонност. Макар той да изглежда идеален, скоро Стела осъзнава, че новият тузарски начин на живот застрашава журналистическата й кариера. А тя не би я жертвала заради никой мъж, колкото и богат и красив да е той.
Истина е, че парите движат света и диамантите са най-добрите приятели на жените, но те не правят пътя към любовта по-лек нито по-кратък. Дали Стела ще успее да се пребори за човека, когото обича, или блясъкът на успешната кариера ще разбие сърцето й? Първокласно четиво – забавно, секси, стилно. “Бест”

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Womens Fiction

286 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Maggie Alderson is a British-Australian author (that’s how I’m supposed to write it, but I’m not very good at talking about myself in the third person, so I’m going to can it).

I was born in London, brought up in rural Staffordshire, and educated at the University of St Andrews - and then at the University of Life, Sydney campus.

I spent many years covering the fashion shows in Paris, Milan, London etc which is the best people watching ever (I had to remind myself to look at the models…).

An obsessed bookworm since childhood, all I wanted to do from the age of six was write books. I also hoovered up every magazine and newspaper I could lay my hands on and by the time I was a teenager was determined to edit a magazine and be a newspaper columnist.

I have edited five magazines (including British ELLE) and my Style Notes column ran in the Good Weekend colour supplement for twelve years, as well as being syndicated to The Times.

My first novel Pants on Fire was published in 2000 and was a bestseller in the UK and Australia. I’ve written eight more novels since, which have been translated into many languages.

I’ve also published four collections of my columns and a children’s book called Evangeline, the Wish Keeper’s Helper, which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Award in Australia.

My latest novel is called The Scent of You and is the story of perfume blogger Polly, facing up to a crisis in her marriage – and her sense of who she is - told through a filter of her obsession with perfumes (and also featuring very well dressed, seriously damaged, red-hot men, which are my speciality).

The book was inspired by attending perfume events in London and realising just how many fascinating people there are in that world (and a fair few brilliant nutters).

You can read my heroine's blog fragrantcloud.net

Reviews

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably my favourite chick lit book of all time. Light and fluffy, yes, but I love the complex structure of Stella's family and the way she relates to her various parents, siblings, step siblings and semi-steps, as she calls them. Lots of hot guys after her of course, and completely implausible events, but I love it!

[Senaai · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn't like this book! I kept waiting for something to happen, for it to get better, but it just didn't.

Stella reeked of privilege, privilege, privilege. Oh you have to choose between the handsome billionaire, the handsome step-brother, and the handsome new journalist, and they are all super into you?! Oh, what a troubled life you lead!

I couldn't get on board with the main character. She was shallow and vain but with no awareness. I NEVER warmed to Jay - I always saw him as a self-entitled jerk, so I never rooted for them to get together.

The ending - Oh. My. God. Really?! REALLY?! They get freaking married?! After this character going on and on repeatedly about how she doesn't trust men and doesn't want to be married... so do that then! Don't change your morals and underlying character traits in the last 20 pages of the book because you want readers to get a HEA.

Honestly, I couldn't stand this book and am so grateful to be finished with it.

[Sabrina Kirkham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love an easy chick flick rom com book! Felt like I could relate to Stella as well with her complicated family.

[Lark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version. It was fun, and well read and Stella's three-pronged problem was interesting. I was disappointed, though, in one twist.

1. Stella won't leave her job for Jay because she values it and her integrity and she's looking forward to her new "section".
2. Solution; Stella LOSES her job (well, resigns when someone else is sacked and her section is pulled).
3. She reunites with Jay eventually. However... his right to tell her she has to leave her job is not resolved.
4. I'd have more respect for the story (and for Stella and Jay) if Stella kept the job and the section and still somehow made it work.

It's all a bit too much like having a man having to choose between his nagging wife and his sweet young girlfriend and resolving it by killing off the wife.

Deux ex Machina... much?

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book in my opinion is plot driven and I get that and that’s not inherently bad, but it doesn’t mean that the character development can be totally disregarded.
Firstly the character development and background of Jay was almost non existent - I don’t know much about him. I know the family business but what does he actually do? Who are his family really? But I could get past that, it was the ending that got me.
The first 3/4 of this book were great but it’s the last 1/4 that lets it down.
In the ending every single piece of character development (and there wasn’t much) of Stella was ignored and disregarded. The whole book she says she doesn’t want to get married - probably because of trust issues due to her fathers love life. But then she says yes to not only getting engaged but married to a guy 24 hours ago she wasn’t even dating? Without a single mention of dealing with her trust issues - like she had a realisation that not all men were her dad and poof all her trust issues were gone. Man I wish my issues disappeared that quick.

Next what the heck happened with her job and work ethic. It wasn’t just employment but it was her passion, part of her identity. She lost her job and then realised she was stupid for choosing a job over a guy. HONEY YOU WEREN’T CHOOSING A JOB YOU WERE CHOOSING A PASSION. She went from having a drive to report on real world issues (which was definitly just dropped in as a last minute addition) to happily giving it up to be with a guy. GIRL YOU DON’T NEED TO CHOSE BECAUSE A GUY WHO MAKES YOU IS LOW KEY TOXIC. They didn’t even try to attempt to see how her job and their marriage could potentially work - it was just a no - because she wasn’t at his beckon call!

And this toxic behaviour (along with the anger issues) seemed just thrown in in the last 1/4 of the book and just completely contradicted the the Jay we met in the first 3/4 - the one who liked Stella having a job, not knowing his identity.

And to wrap it all up, NONE OF THESE ISSUES WERE ADDRESSED, NEIGH SPOKEN OF BEFORE THEY GOT MARRIED. They just really swept it under the rug and thought we would forget them all by the marriage proposal - which was done in front of a huge audience as a side note (I would literally leave if I got proposed to like this).

So did Stellas trust issues, drive and passion to be a journalist, and Jays toxic traits completely evaporate by a symbolic wedding (also why symbolic - just make it legal I’m confused tbh).

Honestly the ending wasn’t that bad but I was so hyped to finished and it makes me rage cause it was a decent book covering with real life deeper issues that was just tried to wrap up in a neat little package. BUT LIFE ISN’T NEAT! I felt like it was a band-aid fix and rushed and like cmon guys just stop writing about ex step-sibling love that is never addressed and instead properly tie up loose ends!

Side note why the heck was the Alex plot line in there if it literally was never mentioned after like the first 1/4? Like so unnecessary .

Okay I’m done - Stella may have gotten over her trust issues from her dad but I sure as heck haven’t gotten over the trust issues I’ll have with every book after this ending just screwed me over, and I have to go deal with that.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is about a girl who has sworn off dating because her father is a philanderer and has had 6 wives. One night she meets a man through a mutual friend who turns out to be a billionaire. She doesn't realise it and he finds that endearing. Problem is that her father has had some bad dealings with the family and sworn her off him.

This is a no-brainer and very fluffy. You don't have to think too hard and it is fairly predictable. It would be a perfect holiday read. It was probably a 3.5 for me.

[aimee :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. First Romance novel i’ve read in a while and it had quite a good storyline. It was one of them books you could get lost in and just read for hours. Would definitely read another of Maggie’s

[Abbey Woodbury · Rating 2 out of 5]

Her father gave her underwear. For her wedding night. UNDERWEAR. i think that says if all.

[Bronwyn Rykiert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story of Stella Fein, newspaper journalist and daughter of a renowned achitect who she affectionately called HAM. Stella meets Jay Fisher at a launch she had been invited to in her capacity as a journalist - she had no idea who he was. After a particularly bad week at work she took off to join Jay in the US and they spent an idylic 5 weeks together before she was called home because of a crises at work. Jay did not want her to go and he gave her a choice - him or her job - she chose the job and was miserable for it. Thank goodness things turned out right with the help of her father.

I found it very easy to listen to.

[Larelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really love Alderson's writing style. She has a very easy but vivid story-telling technique, in a way that makes you feel very much a part of the plot.

It's a bit girly-girly romance in places, and a bit sexy in places (good descriptions of nice, manly bodies and the like).

Really liked Stella Fain as a character and with her very extended, messed up family, there was a wealth of characters to get to know and like.

A nice fairytale ending, but not in a traditional sense. I could see it coming, but I didn't really mind it at all. In fact, I loved it!

[Reene's Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

My next read

I really enjoyed reading this book, I found it quite funny and a little bit sexy.

It's quite a really girly book with heaps of funny moments and there were some parts of family drama which kept you on hold to keep reading and not put the book down.


" Cents and sensibility" by @maggiealderson

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

@reenes_library

#bookworm🐛📖 #booklover #bookreader #bookstagram #booklover #books #bookrecommendations

[LoLo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about Stella's family, especially her father's work in architecture, but I didn't care much for Jay, I felt he was a very flat character without much personality.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened on borrowbox

Stella is a journalist she wanted to report high adrenaline situations however got offered a job reporting "Luxury." Her dad is a successful architect who isn't so successful at love and is currently on his 6th wide whose pregnant. Stella is career driven and not interested in following in her fathers footsteps. Until Jay bowls her off her feet. Will they get their happily ever after? Or will Stella soon be on her 6th husband ?

I enjoyed reading "The scent of you." So naturally moved along to another Maggie Alderson book. I've now read most of them.

Although their are some deep and emotional subjects included in this book such as multiple marriages, divorce, single parenthood, death and family values which effect your future amongst other things. This is done really well because each of the wives and their children tackle a difficult subject but show how compromise can make all the difference.

However I felt this book let me down compared to other Maggie Alderson books. The characters are 2D and their is pretty much no character development. You trot along parallel to their lives but never do more than touch the surface.

Furthermore I found this book repetitive in parts which also meant you never really learnt much more about the characters. Just relearnt what you already knew.

A nice easy read when you don't need to think much but not one to get your teeth into .

[LISA MARKHAM · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't my usual type of book to read, but I was recommended to it by a friend. I do like a bit of chic lit now and again and was hoping this would be a snuggle-on-the-sofa read. But for me I was disappointed.

Stella was described as a high end brand journalist who didn't really care for the labels and would rather have been working on more serious journalism yet throughout the story she was described as owning many high end labels herself.

I liked the structure of the family and how it flowed through the story. When I saw the organigram at the beginning of the book I thought I'd be struggling to remember who was who but they were each brought into the story well. Loved how they all gathered in a central place for lots of family time and you got to know them.

But the overall story was a let down for me. When I got to the end it was just with a bit of a sigh. I felt that there was too much emphasis on packing in the brands and labels and not enough on the actual story being told. I won't say too much so as not to give the story away. Not sure on the title, didn't seem to really gel with the content.

I did enjoy the ending though, shame it couldn't have been packed with more of that throughout.

[Lara Baidengan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel .. strange! This was my favourite book to my 22 year old self. However this almost 28 year old was not in love with it anymore. Jay used to be my all time fav man crush and now I’m left feeling meh. I don’t get the whole step brother thing with Alex and Stella, that was odd? Strange how she is quite verbal about her independence and her after the 3rd time seeing him is in love? It all just seemed too long in some parts and rushed in the time with Jay with not a lot of detail on their adventures etc. he didn’t have much of a personally either? I’m so disappointed 😭😭🍷

[Mary Monks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
The opening sentence caught my interest ... "There's only one thing worse than having a boyfriend with no money - and that's having an incredibly rich one."
This story is essentially a love story, but it has many twists and turns guaranteed to capture your interest!
The characters include Stella's father, his 4 ex-wives, his current wife, numerous half-brothers and sisters and incredibly rich Jay!
As Molly Meldrum used to say "Do yourself a favour..." and have a fun read!

[Ephie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed by this book: it is the second that I have read by Maggie Alderson and I LOVED the first, "Handbags and Gladrags".

I couldn't relate to the protagonist and found that the book had no storyline, but it is well-written and a lot of research was obviously put into it - the architecture was beautifully covered.

Overall, I don't recommend it as life is too short for bad books, but I will read more by the writer.

[Ira T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed all the aspects of this book except the romance, its the only reason I gave this 4 stars and not 5. The character's complex family life and work life (hers and her fathers) were very enjoyable and interesting. It is not just the light chick lit style reading I thought it would be, however, the romance fell flat. I would have loved her to just run off into the sunset alone and give the middle finger to all her suitors. I will definitely check out more of the author's books.

[Wide Eyes, Big Ears! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite depicting all males as alpha males, playboys or philanderers, this was an enjoyable romance. Luxury fashion writer, Stella, goes to all the fashionable product launches and learned all she needs to know about men from her ageing philandering father. Will she fall for her girlhood crush, Alex, rich playboy, Jay, or her youthful lothario / work colleague, Ned? Alderson has so many subplots going on, you can never be bored!

[Roxanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun chick lit though with such a title, I was expecting this to be "Jane Austen fan fiction", a spin off of a very similarly named novel. I failed to see how the plot might relate though, other than with a very rich man in the thick of it and that all is well towards the end, as is typical of all chick lit. Nonetheless, an enjoyable read!

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, especially listening to it. Probably 4.5 stars more than 4. I didn't really know how the ending was going to go for a while but I think ultimately it was the happy ending I wanted! I enjoyed the family dynamic although I did lost track of who everyone was for a while. Then I noticed in the physical book there is a family tree!

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I nearly did not continue this book after the first chapter. However I soon became interested in the lifestyles of the rich.
I quite liked the author's writing and the character of 'Ham'. There was some interesting insight there.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy beach read. Girl with famous dad meets fancy, handsome, millionaire/billionaire type boy. They are torn apart by her desire to keep pursuing her career and him being a lazy rich boy who want a trophy wife.

[Naomi Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. It is an easy read (I did listen) that has you wanting to keep knowing more about the family... And the three beautiful men involved with our FMC.

I am happy with the ending, I don't think I would have been happy with it going any other way.

[Claire Gilmour · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just didn't believe the characters, the plot and definitely not the ending. Stella is our heroine but she's just as fake as the rest.

[Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly stunning book that is far from predictable.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light and easy.

[Tianna H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started of slow and kind of drab but picked up quickly and showed the gritty side of the high life.

[Marie Rayner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

[Charlotte Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect fluff reading! What’s not to love when there are crazy family dynamics, attractive, rich men, great friendships and loads of luxury!