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Up & Out
When her roommate moves out, her job becomes null and void, and her boyfriend dumps her, TV producer Rebecca Cole must find a way to get her life back in order--and satisfy her lust for fine dining. 150,000 first printing.
320 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2003
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371 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 7, 2022
I love love love this book. I love it. I’ve probably read it about a dozen times. An all-time fave for sure.
June 15, 2015
This book was soooooo slow.. I actually thought about not finishing it. The author never really developed her characters. I kept thinking she'd let us know what was going on with Beth, but she never did. I won't be reading any more books by this author.
November 1, 2023
3.5 stars.
May 20, 2023
Cute, easy summer read about friendship and growing up.
July 9, 2025
It was okay. Nothing compelling, fascinating, or anything that made me just have to finish it. Lackluster in story, plot, style.
December 19, 2015
‘Up and Out’ is about Rebecca Cole, a television producer who created a cartoon character Esme targeted at kids. Her success and promotion are somewhat short-lived after a bank buys her company and she is ordered around by a new wicked boss. Meanwhile, she is still confused about her feelings towards her ex-boyfriend Tommy and has to deal with the changes in her friendship with her three close friends.
I began reading this book with low expectations, hence it turned out to be a very pleasant surprise indeed. Rebecca is quite likeable. She’s certainly creative and I like how she takes her job seriously. She’s also a major food lover and while I can’t really relate to that, I found her thoughts and actions regarding food (such as rescuing a potato from her friend’s plate before it’s whisked away by a waiter as well as measuring money in terms of rock shrimp tempura) incredibly hilarious. I like that she’s also a good cook. She’s also smart and good at giving comebacks at times. Basically, Rebecca felt very real to me despite her being a character. She brought a lot of joy to my reading experience.
My favourite parts of the book mostly involve Rebecca and the new boss from hell, Delores. Their interactions had so much underlying tension and the author successfully conveyed how horrible Delores was and yet how hard it was to verbally attack her openly. After Rebecca got laid off (as evidently implied by the title of the book), the book lost a little of its spark as it felt somewhat lacking in action compared to getting glimpses into her day-to-day life at her workplace.
Her friends weren’t exactly likeable especially Beth. Beth is implied to be having some sort of drug problem but the annoying thing is, none of them actually do anything about it. I understand that there are phases in friendship and they were at the stage where they were a little more distant and formal and in different segments of life. However, Rebecca struck me as someone who’d take action yet she didn’t at all. Kathy, the soon-to-be bride alternated from being a friend to barking orders around and bordering on patronizing. Her obsession with her wedding was irritating as I felt like she was completely selfish and expected others to be at her beck and call. Lauryn was alright.
As for Tommy, I didn’t quite understand Rebecca’s lingering interest in him. They supposedly know each other better than anyone else but I guess the problem is, there was never any flashback of their past so I couldn’t buy into that easily. Tommy was okay but he seemed preoccupied most of the time. The romance aspect of this book was definitely a surprise but not very well thought out. The .
Meanwhile, the issues about Beth’s possible drug addiction and Kathy’s doubts about her soon-to-be husband weren’t fully addressed and resolved. However, I can accept that as it’s more realistic not to resolve everything by the end of a book and perhaps leave that up to the reader’s interpretation or resolution. Rebecca’s decision to .
Anyhow, the ending was satisfying. It was a fun book with diverse characters, adequate humour and a touch of realism.
I began reading this book with low expectations, hence it turned out to be a very pleasant surprise indeed. Rebecca is quite likeable. She’s certainly creative and I like how she takes her job seriously. She’s also a major food lover and while I can’t really relate to that, I found her thoughts and actions regarding food (such as rescuing a potato from her friend’s plate before it’s whisked away by a waiter as well as measuring money in terms of rock shrimp tempura) incredibly hilarious. I like that she’s also a good cook. She’s also smart and good at giving comebacks at times. Basically, Rebecca felt very real to me despite her being a character. She brought a lot of joy to my reading experience.
My favourite parts of the book mostly involve Rebecca and the new boss from hell, Delores. Their interactions had so much underlying tension and the author successfully conveyed how horrible Delores was and yet how hard it was to verbally attack her openly. After Rebecca got laid off (as evidently implied by the title of the book), the book lost a little of its spark as it felt somewhat lacking in action compared to getting glimpses into her day-to-day life at her workplace.
Her friends weren’t exactly likeable especially Beth. Beth is implied to be having some sort of drug problem but the annoying thing is, none of them actually do anything about it. I understand that there are phases in friendship and they were at the stage where they were a little more distant and formal and in different segments of life. However, Rebecca struck me as someone who’d take action yet she didn’t at all. Kathy, the soon-to-be bride alternated from being a friend to barking orders around and bordering on patronizing. Her obsession with her wedding was irritating as I felt like she was completely selfish and expected others to be at her beck and call. Lauryn was alright.
As for Tommy, I didn’t quite understand Rebecca’s lingering interest in him. They supposedly know each other better than anyone else but I guess the problem is, there was never any flashback of their past so I couldn’t buy into that easily. Tommy was okay but he seemed preoccupied most of the time. The romance aspect of this book was definitely a surprise but not very well thought out. The .
Meanwhile, the issues about Beth’s possible drug addiction and Kathy’s doubts about her soon-to-be husband weren’t fully addressed and resolved. However, I can accept that as it’s more realistic not to resolve everything by the end of a book and perhaps leave that up to the reader’s interpretation or resolution. Rebecca’s decision to .
Anyhow, the ending was satisfying. It was a fun book with diverse characters, adequate humour and a touch of realism.
August 18, 2011
Rebecca Cole is a children's television producer, Esme the character in her show is her own creation, who she feels is slipping away from her more and more as she moves into management. Outside of work Rebecca is a foodie, someone who works to dine at different restaurants in NYC. The book follows Rebecca as she tries to find her place in the world and things change for her. Rebecca is recently out of a relationship and still not sure how she and her ex Tommy fit into each others lives. Her group of four friends are kind of starting to lose each other. One is her roommate that has decide to go back to school and is leaving the area now and is still getting over her divorce, one is getting lost in her industry with her new friends, and the final one is in the process of planning her wedding.
As Rebecca tries to find her place in the world, she has to move back in with her ex to save money, gets laid off from her job, and has to deal with the lose of her friends.
This book reminds me a bit of a quarter life crisis, maybe not full blown, but a degree with how Rebecca finds herself. She is working to find herself and what she really wants to do with her life, she doesn't really realize it or say that is what she is looking for, but as a reader you can see it.
This book seems to be written at when chick lit was in it's hay day. Due to that, it is good and better than some other chick lit I have read. But, it is not the best or even classic chick lit. The plot could have been deeper in parts and it I personally hadn't been able to relate to Rebecca I don't think I would have kept reading. Personally, I could relate to Rebecca and how she was working of figuring out her life. She works in children's television before getting laid off and she uses that to find her own space and what she wants at the end of the plot. The conclusion that Rebecca does come to does seem a little out of left field to me. There are a few things that I feel like were added in after most of the plot had been written for a reason she ended up directed in the direction she ended up in. So, the ending felt a little forced to me, with a year later set up that was like say what how did we end up here? But, overall I would say that I enjoyed this book. It was a quick fun read for me and I would recommend it to some people, but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone.
E
As Rebecca tries to find her place in the world, she has to move back in with her ex to save money, gets laid off from her job, and has to deal with the lose of her friends.
This book reminds me a bit of a quarter life crisis, maybe not full blown, but a degree with how Rebecca finds herself. She is working to find herself and what she really wants to do with her life, she doesn't really realize it or say that is what she is looking for, but as a reader you can see it.
This book seems to be written at when chick lit was in it's hay day. Due to that, it is good and better than some other chick lit I have read. But, it is not the best or even classic chick lit. The plot could have been deeper in parts and it I personally hadn't been able to relate to Rebecca I don't think I would have kept reading. Personally, I could relate to Rebecca and how she was working of figuring out her life. She works in children's television before getting laid off and she uses that to find her own space and what she wants at the end of the plot. The conclusion that Rebecca does come to does seem a little out of left field to me. There are a few things that I feel like were added in after most of the plot had been written for a reason she ended up directed in the direction she ended up in. So, the ending felt a little forced to me, with a year later set up that was like say what how did we end up here? But, overall I would say that I enjoyed this book. It was a quick fun read for me and I would recommend it to some people, but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone.
E
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2012
This is my first Ariella Papa book and I have two additional Red Dress Ink titles by this author buried in my to be read pile.
Up & Out centers around a young woman named Rebecca, whose life is made up of working at a television network, eating out at as many restaurants as her wallet will allow her and the occasional sexual encounter with her ex boyfriend. Rebecca's life takes a sudden and unexpected turn when she is terminated from her job after the network is taken over by a bank. Left to make ends meet and facing homelessness, Rebecca moves back in with her boyfriend to figure out what direction her life will take her next.
If this was all the story entailed, I would have given up on this book as a waste of time. Fortunately, this story is rich in characters. Surrounding Rebecca are her three best friends, all of whom are going through their own trials and tribulations. I was often left wondering if the stress and anxieties these women were experiencing would bring them closer together as friends or drive them apart.
Rebecca comes off stronger than I initially was led to believe and though some of her choices are not choices I would have made, she manages to land on her feet and better off than where she started. I especially liked that I was surprised at one of her choices where her ex-boyfriend was concerned and they both turned out to be not at all what I was expecting.
Though there is a "boy meets girl" twist in this story, it comes from a very unexpected place and made the story so much more enjoyable. If you like the unexpected and enjoy being surprised, give this one a go.
Up & Out centers around a young woman named Rebecca, whose life is made up of working at a television network, eating out at as many restaurants as her wallet will allow her and the occasional sexual encounter with her ex boyfriend. Rebecca's life takes a sudden and unexpected turn when she is terminated from her job after the network is taken over by a bank. Left to make ends meet and facing homelessness, Rebecca moves back in with her boyfriend to figure out what direction her life will take her next.
If this was all the story entailed, I would have given up on this book as a waste of time. Fortunately, this story is rich in characters. Surrounding Rebecca are her three best friends, all of whom are going through their own trials and tribulations. I was often left wondering if the stress and anxieties these women were experiencing would bring them closer together as friends or drive them apart.
Rebecca comes off stronger than I initially was led to believe and though some of her choices are not choices I would have made, she manages to land on her feet and better off than where she started. I especially liked that I was surprised at one of her choices where her ex-boyfriend was concerned and they both turned out to be not at all what I was expecting.
Though there is a "boy meets girl" twist in this story, it comes from a very unexpected place and made the story so much more enjoyable. If you like the unexpected and enjoy being surprised, give this one a go.
February 23, 2015
***** 1.5 stars *****
For the first time in forever... I did not finish a book. I am ashamed to say since I pride myself on being able to get through a book no matter what. I read, put it down, stepped away, came back and I just couldn't do it. I will attribute it to the fact that I was reading this book at the same time I was reading another author's book who belonged to the same publishing company and obviously had the same editor. There is only so much twenty somethings living in New York, seeking relationships yet stuck on their ex, getting drunk everyday, having a colorful group of "friends" who frown upon their every move that I could take.
This particular story moved very slow and was all around uninteresting. I made it to chapter 7 then had to skip to the last chapter and even in doing that I felt like I missed absolutely nothing. I can't say if it was the writing of those times (early 2000's) or just the writing in general that was the turn off of me. I am not tempted to read another book by this author.
For the first time in forever... I did not finish a book. I am ashamed to say since I pride myself on being able to get through a book no matter what. I read, put it down, stepped away, came back and I just couldn't do it. I will attribute it to the fact that I was reading this book at the same time I was reading another author's book who belonged to the same publishing company and obviously had the same editor. There is only so much twenty somethings living in New York, seeking relationships yet stuck on their ex, getting drunk everyday, having a colorful group of "friends" who frown upon their every move that I could take.
This particular story moved very slow and was all around uninteresting. I made it to chapter 7 then had to skip to the last chapter and even in doing that I felt like I missed absolutely nothing. I can't say if it was the writing of those times (early 2000's) or just the writing in general that was the turn off of me. I am not tempted to read another book by this author.
May 28, 2012
This is the sort of book I would have loved 10 years ago. Now, though, it struck me as too shallow and hollow. I had a lot of problems with the story and the author's style of writing. There was little in the way of descriptive sentences unless it was an inanely cliched description of restaurant food, as the protagonist is a "foodie". (Man, I hate that word.) There are some serious problems in her circle of girlfriends and much page space is spent talking about how they've drifted apart and things are strained and all that, but not once do any of them speak honestly about it and address the issues! For example, one friend seems to have a drug problem but they all ignore it and never confront her about it. It all gets swept under the rug and ignored and then the book ends with a stupid comment about how relationships evolve and hopefully the weirdnesses are behind them. For friends that claim to care for one another, they don't actually do a lot of honest talking.
July 10, 2010
I liked this book well enough, but I would have liked it more a few years ago. Just a few years ago, I would have been able to really identify with the main character and her situation. I've been through that time when your friendships can get weird and I know how it feels to think they are all falling apart. But, I wouldn't say I'm still in that place, so the book didn't hit me the same way it would have if I had read it sooner. If you are in that place, that quarter-life crisis time, then this book will probably speak to you more. If you are just shy of the quarter-life crisis, then you will probably like this book a lot too because you'll feel normal if/when it happens to you. If, however, you are over that hump, you might only be reminded of that rocky time and find yourself not enjoying it very much.
August 27, 2007
This is my attempt to try something totally different from the usual heady non-fiction that I always read. I have to say, it's not bad! I don't know why I didn't think about reading books like this before, considering I read Perez Hilton and I love shit like the "The Hills" and "America's Next Top Model" and all those other reality fluff shows.
My one beef is that I don't feel Beth's character was developed enough. The whole subplot of her obviously having a drug problem was annoying because it was never fully addressed or resolved, and I didn't get a sense of why she was such a good friend with the others. Her character should have just been left out.
Overall, a cute book but I'm not itching to read anything else by this author.
My one beef is that I don't feel Beth's character was developed enough. The whole subplot of her obviously having a drug problem was annoying because it was never fully addressed or resolved, and I didn't get a sense of why she was such a good friend with the others. Her character should have just been left out.
Overall, a cute book but I'm not itching to read anything else by this author.
November 2, 2011
I read Ariella Papa's On the Verge 5 years ago and I really liked it. After not reading any Ariella Papa books again until the past three months, I've been pretty disappointed by the rest of her work. The characters are okay, but the story line didn't really grab me, and we never got a full explanation about what was going on with one of the protagonists best friends. (It was implied, but I think it would have been much better if it had actually been confronted.)
December 23, 2008
Cute book with likeable characters. The story takes a look at what it means to be a 'grown up' and the choices we make, as well as the events that shape who we are.
Another pleasant read from Ariella Papa. She really gets it 'right' and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work (next up Bundle of Joy?).
Another pleasant read from Ariella Papa. She really gets it 'right' and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work (next up Bundle of Joy?).
January 17, 2008
This was a great read. I liked the main character and could really identify with certain things she was going through. I liked that it was about both love and friendships and I would be lying if I said I didn't get a little teary eyed at the very end. Fantastic.
May 7, 2010
I was really into this one, but it may be because I can relate to this main character - we don't have that much in common, but we are very close in age, and going through a lot of the same "life changes."
September 28, 2009
I picked it up because I'm on a Roald Dahl kick (and "Up and Out" reminded me of "The Great Glass Elevator") -- decent chick-lit, though not great. Don't run out and get it, but if you want an quick, amusing read, it's fine.
December 25, 2014
I loved this book. It was very clever and witty. I found her relationship with Tommy, moving and poignant. It had me laughing out loud many times and over all I just really enjoyed the story. It stuck with me.
June 13, 2007
Much better than Papa's first book, On the Verge. I hadn't been overly impressed with Papa, but this book has really changed my mind. Great characters and a cute, quick story.
December 26, 2007
This book was a light read. I thought it was good entertainment.
July 14, 2009
This book was acctually enjoyable and i liked reading it
October 19, 2009
I really enjoyed this book. I was looking for something light and I found it. The characters were all very likeable and you were really rooting for everyone to find some happiness.
October 29, 2009
Up & Out (Red Dress Ink) by Ariella Papa (2003)
January 17, 2015
I come back to this book again and again when I want a light read with amazing food descriptions :D
January 3, 2016
S'okay.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews