Nice Work If You Can Get It

Nice #2

by Celia Imrie

Somewhere on the French Riviera, tucked between glitzy Monte Carlo and Cannes' red carpets, lies the pretty town of Bellevue-Sur-Mer. Sheltered from the glittering melee, it is home to many an expat - including an enterprising team who plan to open a new restaurant. Snapping up a local property and throwing themselves into preparations, Theresa, Carol, William and Benjamin's plans are proceeding unnervingly well. But when Theresa encounters a mysterious intruder, she begins to wonder what secrets the building is concealing. Meanwhile Sally, an actress who gave up the stage to live in quiet anonymity, has decided not to be involved. The famous Cannes Film Festival is on and she is far too busy entertaining unexpected visitors from her past, and an intriguingly handsome Russian. As the razzmatazz of the festival begins to spill over into Bellevue-Sur-Mer, its inhabitants become entangled in complex love triangles and conflicting business interests. With the race on to get the restaurant open in time, the gang find themselves knee-deep in skulduggery, and realise they can no longer tell who's nasty . and who's nice.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Contemporary, France, Crime, Friendship

400 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2016

About the author

Celia Imrie is an English actress.

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Celia Imrie and it is a charming and engaging comic affair. It revolves around a group of eccentric ex pats and their friends and families living in the picturesque Bellevue Sur Mer on the French Riviera. The author has a real feel and talent in creating wonderful characters that you care about. The pacing of the novel is assured as are the comic elements. In many ways the story resembles some of the movies which Ms Imrie has starred in. It is the reason I felt that this novel would translate easily into a Brit film.

We have William and Ben, a gay couple, the transsexual Carol and kind hearted Theresa enter a joint venture to try and get a restaurant off the ground. The enterprise runs into all kinds of roadblocks that include nefarious characters. Will the restaurant open on time and be successful? Sally finds herself falling for a wealthy Russian and trying to cope with a past acquaintance, Jackie, who is staying with her. Jackie is promoting her film in Cannes and trying to secure funding for a movie. Interspersed throughout are the fireworks and mayhem over the varied relationships, past and present, involving the cast of characters and their friends and families. Criminal elements impact the lives of the Bellevue crowd lending suspense and intrigue to the novel.

This is a fun and entertaining read. The location is great and carries that lovely French Riviera vibe. All in all, this is a smashing light hearted story which I loved. Many thanks to Bloomsbury for a copy of the book.

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book two in the Nice series. Love the double entendre of the title as this book is set near Nice, Cannes and Marseille in a charming small French town full of colorful characters and a tight group of expats who are trying to make a new life on the Cote d’Azur. Theresa, Benjamin, William and Carol are moving forward with plans to start a restaurant. They’ve pooled financial resources and life skills, but it’s far from smooth sailing. Meanwhile their pal Sally, an ex-British TV star, seems to be getting involved in the celebrity life now that it’s the season for the Cannes film festival and old friends have looked her up. And a very wealthy, and even more charming Russian with a large yacht is wooing Sally and her friends.

This is a fun, enjoyable read with a bit of intrigue and a likeable cast of recurring characters. Some of the family drama from book one spills over into this tale, with Theresa’s bossy and inconsiderate daughter making an appearance along with Theresa’s ex-husband. I like Theresa but do wish she’d stiffen her spine and set some firm boundaries for her family and friends. William and Benjamin’s constant bickering also gets on my nerves.

There’s a bit of a mystery involving a sort of Mafia connection to the restaurant locations previous owner, not to mention a possible drug deal.

Oh, well … The path to success is bumpy, but the crew pulls together to see one another through.

[Rosalind · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this. I read over half the book, and kept hoping for some kind of surprise, but none came. The characters are setting up a new restaurant, and it annoyed me how everything kept falling into place for them so easily - there was nothing gripping about the story. An easy reading book, probably more for retired people than somebody with young children. I just couldn't relate to it.

[Bookread2day · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must buy must read! I couldn't put this book down.
I loved every page and every character. I enjoyed reading about the atmosphere at the glitzy red carpet Cannes Film Festival. It appears that Celia Imrie certainly knows how write an excellent story. In the town of Bellevue-Sur-Mer a group of English friends want to open up a restaurant. Theresa, Carol William and Benjamin seem to run into one trouble after the other with the French laws. A mysterious intruder wants something from all the friends who are now running the restaurant. Sally had given up her acting life and now lived happily in Bellevue-Sur-Mer. Jackie Westwood had always called herself Sally's bestfreiend, and turns up on Sally's door step with her suitcase to stay at Sally's place. A rich Russian man claims his love for Sally. The twist in the story took me by surprise. What to look forward to love triangles, conflicting business interests and suspicion. Nice Work (If You Can Get it) is truthfully a novel not to miss out on.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and entertaining read. It had the glitz and glamour of Cannes, the excitement of 4 ex pats opening a restaurant, the suspense of someone breaking in at night and a millionaire (or was he) Russian vying for everyone's trust and attention. It just had a little bit of everything.

A lighthearted read that was refreshing to read after reading about five mystery/thrillers and one true crime book. It came around just in time.

The characters were mostly fun and there were definitely some laughs. There were also some quirky ones and some that would definitely get on my nerves if I had to spend a lot time with them. All in all it was just a fun and enjoyable read that I certainly loved.

Thanks to Bloomsbury for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to in audio format.

Nice Work (if you can get it) is the sequel to Celia Imrie's debut book Not Quite Nice. I loved Not Quite Nice and was excited to find I already had Nice Work on my TBR list.

Nice Work is about the ex pat community of Bellevue Sur Mer. Friends Carol, William and Ben had decided to open their own restaurant in the village. Theresa and Sally were undecided about investing their life savings. Sally decided not to go ahead which left Theresa unable to refuse and became a partner.

Carol was lucky enough to found an ex gift shop owned by a lady with links to the mafia. As the group started to decorate the restaurant strange things started occurring.
First Theresa found a stranger peering through the windows. Then someone broke into the restaurant looking for something. One morning Carol arrived at the restaurant to find a horse's head by the door. What was the stranger looking for?

Meanwhile Theresa was contacted by Jackie an actress who appeared with her in rep. Jackie had appeared in a short film which would be showing at Cannes. Also Theresa met a mysterious Russian billionaire when she collected his yacht. Stanislav is her dream man, when he proposes she contemplates leaving Bellevue Sur Mer.

I enjoyed this book but not as much as Not Quite Nice. I like Theresa and I was sorry she was wasn't in the restaurant storyline.

However I was glad Imogen, Sian and Ted appeared in the story, it was like meeting old friends. I absolutely loved Destiny the footballers wife. I had to laugh when Destiny saw a sign for pizza and told Theresa look they used the English word.

Nice Work was a fabulous read and it made a nice change that the leading characters were in their sixties and seventies. I am glad the third book in the series A nice cup of tea will be released soon.

I recommend this light hearted read

[Vanessa-Ann Dowsett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and Celia herself narrates it. There are a lot of characters but this is not confusing. Her descriptions of places, scenes and episodes left me wanting more, laughing and annoyed with those who believe that the whole world should listen to their voice and theirs alone. The story is well balanced and I highly recommend this book.

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first novel by Celia Imrie - Not Quite Nice - and really enjoyed it so I was pleased to see there was a second one about the same characters. The small group of ex-pats who have taken up residence in the small town of Bellevue Sur Mer, not far from Nice and Cannes, decide that they are too energetic to put their feet up and enjoy the weather and their leisure. They decide to open a restaurant. This makes them unpopular with the local restaurant owners but they are determined to go ahead in spite of Sally having an unwelcome visitor, Carol being evicted from her house, and William and Benjamin constantly falling out with each other and all the rest as well.

Theresa is the chef and is enjoying herself trying out new combinations of French and English cooking ready for the restaurant opening and Sally has stumbled across some former showbiz contacts, in the area for the film festival, to give the restaurant some publicity. But naturally not all is plain sailing and the friends once again stumble across crime as well as finding themselves in the middle of some very complex personal relationships.

I really enjoyed this second novel featuring the characters in Bellvue Sur Mer. There is plenty going on in the story and some of the incidents are really funny. The characters are well drawn - love the footballer and his wife, Destiny, and the mysterious Russian billionaire. If you want a light hearted romp to read on the beach or on a wet summer afternoon then this would be a really good choice. The book is well written and the story flows nicely. I thought the dialogue was good too. I can also recommend the audio book read by the author.

[Gre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my god. Where do I even start? If you've never listened to the "My Dad Wrote a Porno" podcast you will be confused why I brought it up because this book has NOTHING to do with porno, honest to god. But I have to bring up this podcast because I happened to listen to all of the episodes right before starting this book and - ok, don't take this the wrong way, but a lot of the writing in this book is very much in the vein of "Belinda Blinked" - overly preoccupied with admin, weird details, uh.. old fashioned in attitude. Whereas "Belinda Blinked" jumps inexplicably, "Nice Work" seems to reiterate the same ideas a few times in a repetitive fashion - that's how the two differ. I'm obviously of the wrong generation for this book, just as "Belinda Blinked" might be more appreciated by the dad generation rather than the podcasters'. Some things just strike us, the young ones as very odd. Had I not listened to the podcast right before I might have been more forgiving of the writing style in this book, but I just can't help it.
In any case I had a hard time to understand where the story was going or even placing the genre until 4/5 into the book. Still, I believe the story, the idea is wasted as a book, it would rock on stage or even as a screenplay. I'd watch it. As is, could do with a lot of editing and some serious re-writing. And as a reader you need to be very patient, it only gets interesting about 4/5 in.

[Mandy Radley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Celia's previous novel Not Quite Nice. In the second book we again meet the band of expats who decide to join together and open a small bistro. Fought with problems, not much money, mystery intruders, Italian mobsters and Russian drug dealers, this book has it all. Very entertaining holiday read.

[Sophie De Pablo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the story but the sheer amount of characters and lack of clear markings when the setting switched made it really difficult to keep up with. Otherwise I would have given this a much higher rating.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series so far. The characters are soo wacky, witty, and fun. These are the people I would love to retire and spend the rest of my life with... Finally a book with middle aged characters living their life after retirement.. Now I want to visit South of France...

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light amusing read.

Pop Sugar Challenge : written by someone you admire

[Bevyhope · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read. Surprising good ending. I prefer novels not filled with sex and violence. This one is that kind of book.

[Sarah Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Nice series from Celia Imrie. The story of ex-pat life in Bellevue-sur-Mer continues with the same cast of colourful characters. While much of the narrative is predictable it is still a light-hearted enjoyable read and I am looking forward to reading the third book in the series.

[Samantha Adkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun. Reminds me of L. H. Stone’s style.

[Linda Louch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book in the Nice series. I enjoyed this book better than the first book, it was still very fast paced but the storyline flowed a lot better and I knew all the characters. The cooking class group decide to open a restaurant, which gives them worrying times, creative fun and enjoyment. Lots of comedy and entertainment.

[Jo Hurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good fun! Will read the next one. Likeable characters.

[Apeksha · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book had a very slow start and I almost gave up on it. I actually finished another book in between, only to pick this up again so I can find out what happens at the end. A few aspects of the story struck me as totally un-realistic. For example - why would any adult give away half of your fortune to another person just so they can invest back in a venture they are only mildly interested in, why would a supposedly once-famous-and-successful professional be as gullible as to blindly follow an unknown man anywhere, why would a person keep discovering suspicious items and yet not discuss them with their partners, why are there so many unnecessary children who contribute nothing substantial to the story. There are many other factors which made me go aarrggghh
The ending seemed very forced and fabricated with a highly predictable outcome as long as the reader is not as gullible as the said characters.

[Sarah Field · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll start this review with a disclaimer that this isn't a book I would have picked up myself, but I was given it as a gift. This book was a very easy read and a pleasant enough way to pass time, but there are some serious flaws to the plot and writing style. The book follows a group of friends setting up a restaurant, and the apparently unconnected story of a retired former actress who pulls out of the project. These friends are apparently the luckiest people on earth as every problem they face is solved within a couple of chapters (or sometimes oddly between chapters). The majority of the plot is in the last 50 or so pages, and the majority of the characters are forgettable to the point that I found myself confused as to who was who. Overall this book is an easy read, and would probably be more enjoyable for an older person who might be able to relate a bit more to the plot.

[Marie’s Book Boutique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read full review here mariesbookboutique.wordpress.com/2018...

The front cover for Nice Work (If You Can Get It) is coloured in a lovely welcoming sunshine yellow, with a row of Shop's, boutiques and restaurants adorn with pink shutters, window boxes with blooming flowers. Charis and tables nasal the front of the restaurant with a couple of potted tree's; perfect for al fresco eating! A lady carrying a bag full of grocery's is waking up to the restaurant front. The title is coloured in black which is bold against the yellow background, and Celia's name is in a pink; which ties in with the shutters and blooming flowers in the window boxes. I really like this cover a lot indeed!
Bellevue-Sur-Mer is situated on the South East cost of France home to British and American expatriates retired people wanting to gain some much-needed space from their very demanding families. It's a sleepy village full of cafe's, bars restaurants, boutiques and sandy beaches.
Theresa, William and his younger partner Benjamin, ex-dolly bird Zoe, ex-celebrity Sally and American Carol all live relatively near each other striking up friendships and they could all do with an injection of cash, to keep them ticking over.
William and Benjamin and Carol come up with an idea to open up a restaurant together; each utilising their own skills to make the business work. Planning to have it ready in time for the up and coming Cannes Film Festival. They put it to the group only Sally pull's out, Theresa has concerns and because of that William and Benjamin pull out; only Carol has singed a lease with the owner's family; who's just inherited the building.
Theresa feel's bad and decides to stick with Carol and try to make the restaurant work, with this William and Benjamin come back on board. Each of them takes their role's very seriously as they get all the relevant legal thing's sorted, decorating, sorting menus, sorting ingredients and many other thing's. Then amongst this some of their families come to visit! There are a few strange goings on at the restaurant which plans to disrupt their plans to open? But why? and Who? Will they get it open on time? Is their deal with the newly acquired building owner to good to be true? What will their families think?
While the others are working on their business venture Sally get's a job offer for the day helping her scuba diver instructor Jean-Philippe drive a boat for a very rich influence handsome Russian; who catches her eye, asking her out! Mean while her celeb friend Jackie makes an unplanned visit to stay with so she can attend the Film Festival. Is Sally's new romance everything it seems? Is Mr Handsome who he say's he is? Is there an different reason for him getting involved with Sally or is he genuine? Is Jackie up to something? Why the sudden visit?
Nice Work (If You Can Get It) is a stand alone but does follow Not Quite Nice. In my opinion I think it would help to read them in order simply because you get to understand the character a bit more and their journey so far. I loved re-visiting these eclectic and unique characters, and meeting new ones. This story is full of funny moments, twists and turns, mystery and much more. I enjoyed the gentle pace and the way Celia's writing flows with such ease and the way the story panned out! The story is sectioned in six parts and at the beginning of them there is a delicious recipes which is a lovely touch!

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very definitely not a 'nice' read - it's absolutely dire. The characters are all one-dimensional and extremely stereotypical (stunningly glamorous but irresponsible and feather-headed trans woman, male couple who spend all their time having dramatic rows in public, older divorced woman who spends all her time being bullied by her obnoxious kids etc, etc, etc...). Most of the characters are pretty unpleasant (can someone explain to me why William has any friends at all when he's such an abusive bully?), many of them are extremely stupid, and the women are absolutely spineless, seeming incapable of saying 'no' to unwanted lodgers, jobs or dates. Ok, so the plot (such as it is) requires them to end up with said lodgers, jobs and dates, but why not at least give them the dignity of choosing those things?!

As for the plot, it is a total mess and can't make up its mind if its a serious 'threat by mafia' one or a wife-swapping farce. As a result it falls somewhere between the two, failing to either amuse or thrill. I paid 50p for my copy from a charity shop and I still feel like I didn't really get value for money.

[Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cannes brings a multitude of strangers into Bellevue-Sur-Mer, coinciding with the opening of Theresa's new restaurant (her business partners: Carol, Benjamin, and William). Sally gets caught up in the glamor of the film festival and the attention of a handsome Russian.

another fun light read. Imrie is amazing at creating extremely annoying characters. too good, sometimes. some of the characters have no real redeeming qualities. maaaany irksome, badly behaved children. in the first book, the American characters sounded not particularly American (some British slang, or outdated phrases - they just never sounded right); this time around, I didn't notice that as much. I did like Zoe's development in this book and I wish that the other characters appreciated her as much as she deserves, rather than treating her with some disdain.

having said all of that, I enjoyed the amount of chaos and the way that all of the narratives collided. something that I could pick up and start reading and find myself wanting just another chapter.

[Deborah Bennetto · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I picked this up, I didn't realise it was the 2nd book in a series (the first being Not Quite Nice) but that didn't spoil the story. It worked perfectly well as a standalone.

It's mainly about a group of British expats, living in a small town in the South of France, who are planning to open a restaurant. Their friend, Sally, a former actress, has decided not to go in with them but her quiet life is disrupted when first she meets an attractive Russian who seems to like her and want to get to know her better, and second, an old acting acquaintance pitches up on her doorstep wanting to stay.

Overall, this was a fun light-hearted read with some mystery and a lot of drama thrown in. For me, it lost a star because I got a bit irritated by the two main characters, Theresa and Sally. I wanted Sally to stand up to the annoying Jackie instead of letting her walk all over her. I also thought she was very naive when it came to Stanislav. Likewise, I wanted Theresa to stand up to her bullying daughter Imogen!

I think I enjoyed this book because I could identify with the characters being both British and of a similar age group. I liked the premise that life can be full and enjoyable in retirement.

[Adele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beat the backlist reading challenge: A book with or talking about recipes
From her widely respected career, Celia Imrie has a wealth of sitcom and sketch show experience to draw upon, particularly from her successful collaborations with the late, great Victoria Wood. This is all channeled to great effect in her fiction writing.
The second the the "Nice" series, I thought this showed improvement on what was already a well received debut. The eccentric characters seem more comfortably settled in their roles and the goings on in the fictional Mediterranean town of B-S-M though still amusingly exaggerated feel more polished. It's a great book to pack as a 2 for 1 self catering holiday; as it offers light-hearted entertaining reading and has 7 recipe recommendations for some tasty pool-side terrace snacks to indulge on during the intermission between Parts.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light and frothy novel with a mystery component. Set in the South of France, in a small town near Nice, and the Cannes Film Festival, a group of British middle-aged and older expatriates decide to band together, and open a small restaurant in a building that was most recently a tacky tourist gift shop, but had once been a café run by an eccentric, inscrutable, and possibly nefarious woman who had willed it to her grandson, but had once exchanged meals for the paintings of Picasso, Chagall, and other eventually very famous artists.

Complications and squabbles abound, and so do the stereotypes: the underworld connections of the former owner to crime (surprise, she was Italian), a handsome Russian oligarch-type with a hidden agenda, a English TV actress who specializes in using expressions that sound straight-out of a "Carry On" comedy, a sophisticated award-winning American movie actress who turns out to be from Texas...

Despite all that, it makes a decent distraction if you need one, and the food descriptions sound more than tasty.

[Yanni Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very nice light read. Can finish this very fast if you have the time. The plot is simple but have decent climax built up. It tried to be more complex but it just feel like side story. The problems are so easily solved. There are 2 different side to this story, Theresa is the protagonist and Saly is the deuteragonist. The story are too far removed though, and feels like Saly's story is just a confused addition to the whole saga. I hope the two stories are more linked together, like Stanislav is actually behind the Italian mafia family or the Italian mafia family is involved in drug business, and the restaurants are actually an important place to the transactions or something like that. But definitely nice to pass the time

[Ria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would work as a stand alone read but it does follow on from a previous book, Not Quite Nice. As a result there is not much character development because it is as if you will already know them all.

I have read the previous novel but it was a long time ago & I couldn’t remember much of it. As a result I didn’t feel like I knew anyone in the story.

The other problem I faced, there are a lot of characters. A lot!!!! I couldn’t retain who they were, how they knew each other & what they were doing & then lost interest.

I finished the book because it wasn’t that bad that I couldn’t but it was very obvious the direction it was headed in so there were no surprises.

I’m not in a rush to add the next novel of the series to my list!

[Rosee Macdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the author's novel 'Not Quite Nice', so when I saw this one was available, I went for it straight away. I was not disappointed in the tale of Theresa & her expat pals starting up their restaurant, & of Sally and her old acting pals involved in the Cannes film festival, plus a bit of dodgy romance along the way. Celia Imrie managed to transport me to the French Riviera during a dreich Scottish weekend. I also like that she writes from an older person's perspective (being an older person myself!), and she has a great insight to generational family life. I look forward to her next novel.

[Soozee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining and light read. The premise is that, set just down the road from Cannes Film Festival, a group of ex-pat Brits decide to set up a restaurant in a little French seaside town. It's all a bit improbable, and a lot of the plot was very predictable, but it's fun to read.
The final chapter ties up all the ends, which while satisfying in one way, is really not at all like real life! But then, most of this book isn't like real life with millionaires and footballers at every turn. And I suspect setting up a restaurant in France would take a lot more work and bureaucracy than this lot face.
A fun book to read on holiday.