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Marrying Out of Money
Heiress Lou Hubbard has a life millions would envy - with one exception - her controlling, manipulative mother. Lou would ditch her high-paying job and huge split-level flat in Kensington to run away with her tree-loving boyfriend Hedge in an instant, if not for her seriously ill father and trouble on the horizon for his billion pound business. Worse still, mother Victoria has her sights set on an aristocratic marriage for Lou, to a man who is the biggest womaniser in the whole country and doesn't care who knows it. In desperation, Lou sets about trying to make herself as unattractive as possible to her prospective in-laws - with hilarious results. Can she extricate herself from an arranged marriage to a man she loathes? Or will true love find Lou, one way or another?
487 pages, Paperback
First published January 8, 2011
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52 people want to read
About the author
Nicky Schmidt
5 books4 followersHi there. I work in publishing and sneakily write books by day (hmm, should I say this) and night.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 10, 2011
so far this must rate as the worst book i have ever read a zero for character, plot, consistency, spelling and cliche... stop telling me how rich they are - I got that in chapter one! Could do with better proofing, too!
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February 24, 2013This book made me wonder if authors realize just how annoying it is for them to ascribe a trait to their characters and then hammer the readers home with it. The mother's misuse of words, the boyfriend's liberal use of "like"...it distracted from the actual story. I also couldn't figure out why the main character was lovable. By the end, she was being described as intelligent, despite having offered no evidence in support of this statement. In fact, the only character I actually ended up liking in this story was the neighbor, who at least didn't seem like a caricature.
October 9, 2011
Horrible characters. Not one character in the book is likable. Completely unbelievable that the hero & heroine would develop any positive feelings or one another based on their character's personalities.
Do not recommend.
Do not recommend.
March 26, 2012
I think the author tried to be funny, and sometimes succeeded but i found the whole story a bit messy. The end was rushed. It was as they decided oh we have enough pages now, lets finish the stories...
June 9, 2011
I actually bought this because it's just a bit of fun, but the female protagonist is infuriating and becomes more so with her inability to really stand up to anyone.
March 23, 2011
Lou Hubbard is desperately in love with rock-star boyfriend Hedge, but will do almost anything to keep her father’s ill-health at bay. So when Lou’s mother decides to arrange a marriage of convenience for Lou, to aristocrat Harry Stomeworth, Lou is determined to get out of it by any means necessary despite the fact her mother Victoria keeps telling Lou it’s her fault her father is ill. In her bid to scare away Harry, Lou decides to become as undesirable as possible, but when she realises that it’ll take a lot more than that to chase away the cash-hungry Stomeworth’s, she’s got her work cut out for her. Do Harry and Lou really hate each other, and will Lou eventually be able to stop her mother’s crazy schemes for good?
I absolutely adored Nicky Schmidt’s debut novel Naked In Knightsbridge, it was funny and I read it within a matter of hours, not wanting to put it down. So when I heard Nicky would be publishing at least another two novels I was thrilled to bits. Marrying Out of Money was due to come out in March 2010 but for some reason or another (I don’t know what), the book kept getting delayed, and delayed, and delayed. I began to think it was never going to come out. But lo and behold, it was confirmed the book would be out in March 2011. I got a proof copy in February and was thrilled to receive it, less so when I saw it was 400 loose pieces of paper! However I persevered with the ‘book’ I had received and I loved it even more than her debut novel!
If you’re going to read Marrying Out of Money then you’re going to have to do one thing before you start it: you’re going to have to be prepared to suspend your belief. Because Marrying Out of Money is a bit of a screwball read. The book, it has to be said, is completely and utterly unreal, in the nicest sense of the word. The characters are insane (more on them later!), the plot is ridiculous and it’s just plain crazy. Good crazy, it has to be said. It’s miles different from Naked In Knightsbridge it has to said, despite the fact Naked In Knightsbridge had its screwball moments. The plot is about Lou, a coffee-heiress who ends up having to get herself out of an arranged marriage because her mother wants to be royalty. Told you it was crazy. To do that, Lou decides to make herself as ugly and undesirable as possible making for some hilarious results (the purple look is a total winner, it has to be said!).
But despite all the craziness within the novel there are more serious aspects in the book. Lou’s best friend, the Sloaney Fin has a plot of her own, one that can be a real warning to people. It definitely brought the book down to a more normal level at times, and I applaud Schmidt for including it in the novel. It would have been very easy for Fin to just be a regular run-of-the-mill socialite living off Daddy’s money and partying like the world’s about to end. But, no, Fin is portrayed much more than that and it made me so sad that she decided to face so much of it alone, for fear of being pitied by Lou and those around her. I was so involved in Fin’s story that I almost wanted to cry when I found out what was wrong with her and she’s a character a lot of people will come to love. She’s a real dark horse kind of character, always in the background seemingly, but manages to propel herself into the limelight.
Most of the characters in Marrying Out of Money were certifiably insane. I mean laugh out loud insane. Total and utter nuts. Lou, Fin and to some extent Harry were the only seemingly normal ones of the bunch. Lou makes for a brilliant heroine. Because she’s a bit posh I wasn’t sure I would take to her at first, but I did, I took to her very quickly and it was like I lived every single page with her. She was a brilliant main character, and she wasn’t as posh as I thought which was good to know. As you know, I loved Fin and was totally taken by her. As for Harry, I wasn’t entirely convinced by him at the beginning. Both he and Lou were horrible to each other and I didn’t like him but slowly and surely he began to warm on me as the book progressed. The two mothers, Victoria and Morphia were insane. Totally insane. Victoria is very stupid, but also very conniving making for a very convincing character we love to hate and boy did I hate her and her stupid grasp of the English language yet I did find her strangely appealing, what gives? Ditto Harry’s mother who was a vampire in disguise, I’m sure of it. Hedge (yes that is his real name), Lou’s boyfriend, drove me to distraction. If he was a real person I would have murdered him by now. He was a sponger and I just couldn’t see what Lou saw in him at all.
The book is written in the third-person, allowing us to flit from one person to another; from Lou to Harry to Fin, to Hedge, to Brian (Harry’s friend) to Victoria et al. It gave a brilliant overview of the story, allowing us to learn things other characters didn’t know and give us a sense of what was coming. Victoria was particularly cunning in the lengths she went to get Lou to marry Harry. Awful woman, but strangely compelling. I must admit I wasn’t a fan of Hedge’s continual use of ‘like’ (“I thought you, like, loved me”). I know people do speak like that in real life (I hear it all the time while watching Jeremy Kyle) and it did add to Hedge’s authenticity as a total idiot but it still drove me up the wall. When I started Marrying Out of Money I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to enjoy it. But as I read more pages, I got sucked in. I suspended my belief easily and I just allowed myself to be caught up in the plot, in the schemes, in it all. Yes it’s the most far-fetched plot I’ll probably ever read but by God did I enjoy reading it. That’s what fiction is all about, giving us a story so off the wall you just love it. And love it I did. I eagerly await the next Nicky Schmidt adventure, it’s bound to be just as brilliant. I just hope we don’t have to wait a year and a half for it!
I absolutely adored Nicky Schmidt’s debut novel Naked In Knightsbridge, it was funny and I read it within a matter of hours, not wanting to put it down. So when I heard Nicky would be publishing at least another two novels I was thrilled to bits. Marrying Out of Money was due to come out in March 2010 but for some reason or another (I don’t know what), the book kept getting delayed, and delayed, and delayed. I began to think it was never going to come out. But lo and behold, it was confirmed the book would be out in March 2011. I got a proof copy in February and was thrilled to receive it, less so when I saw it was 400 loose pieces of paper! However I persevered with the ‘book’ I had received and I loved it even more than her debut novel!
If you’re going to read Marrying Out of Money then you’re going to have to do one thing before you start it: you’re going to have to be prepared to suspend your belief. Because Marrying Out of Money is a bit of a screwball read. The book, it has to be said, is completely and utterly unreal, in the nicest sense of the word. The characters are insane (more on them later!), the plot is ridiculous and it’s just plain crazy. Good crazy, it has to be said. It’s miles different from Naked In Knightsbridge it has to said, despite the fact Naked In Knightsbridge had its screwball moments. The plot is about Lou, a coffee-heiress who ends up having to get herself out of an arranged marriage because her mother wants to be royalty. Told you it was crazy. To do that, Lou decides to make herself as ugly and undesirable as possible making for some hilarious results (the purple look is a total winner, it has to be said!).
But despite all the craziness within the novel there are more serious aspects in the book. Lou’s best friend, the Sloaney Fin has a plot of her own, one that can be a real warning to people. It definitely brought the book down to a more normal level at times, and I applaud Schmidt for including it in the novel. It would have been very easy for Fin to just be a regular run-of-the-mill socialite living off Daddy’s money and partying like the world’s about to end. But, no, Fin is portrayed much more than that and it made me so sad that she decided to face so much of it alone, for fear of being pitied by Lou and those around her. I was so involved in Fin’s story that I almost wanted to cry when I found out what was wrong with her and she’s a character a lot of people will come to love. She’s a real dark horse kind of character, always in the background seemingly, but manages to propel herself into the limelight.
Most of the characters in Marrying Out of Money were certifiably insane. I mean laugh out loud insane. Total and utter nuts. Lou, Fin and to some extent Harry were the only seemingly normal ones of the bunch. Lou makes for a brilliant heroine. Because she’s a bit posh I wasn’t sure I would take to her at first, but I did, I took to her very quickly and it was like I lived every single page with her. She was a brilliant main character, and she wasn’t as posh as I thought which was good to know. As you know, I loved Fin and was totally taken by her. As for Harry, I wasn’t entirely convinced by him at the beginning. Both he and Lou were horrible to each other and I didn’t like him but slowly and surely he began to warm on me as the book progressed. The two mothers, Victoria and Morphia were insane. Totally insane. Victoria is very stupid, but also very conniving making for a very convincing character we love to hate and boy did I hate her and her stupid grasp of the English language yet I did find her strangely appealing, what gives? Ditto Harry’s mother who was a vampire in disguise, I’m sure of it. Hedge (yes that is his real name), Lou’s boyfriend, drove me to distraction. If he was a real person I would have murdered him by now. He was a sponger and I just couldn’t see what Lou saw in him at all.
The book is written in the third-person, allowing us to flit from one person to another; from Lou to Harry to Fin, to Hedge, to Brian (Harry’s friend) to Victoria et al. It gave a brilliant overview of the story, allowing us to learn things other characters didn’t know and give us a sense of what was coming. Victoria was particularly cunning in the lengths she went to get Lou to marry Harry. Awful woman, but strangely compelling. I must admit I wasn’t a fan of Hedge’s continual use of ‘like’ (“I thought you, like, loved me”). I know people do speak like that in real life (I hear it all the time while watching Jeremy Kyle) and it did add to Hedge’s authenticity as a total idiot but it still drove me up the wall. When I started Marrying Out of Money I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to enjoy it. But as I read more pages, I got sucked in. I suspended my belief easily and I just allowed myself to be caught up in the plot, in the schemes, in it all. Yes it’s the most far-fetched plot I’ll probably ever read but by God did I enjoy reading it. That’s what fiction is all about, giving us a story so off the wall you just love it. And love it I did. I eagerly await the next Nicky Schmidt adventure, it’s bound to be just as brilliant. I just hope we don’t have to wait a year and a half for it!
February 14, 2015
MY THOUGHTS.
DUMB. DUMB. DUMB. SO DUMB IT HURTS.
JUST SHUT UP. YOU'RE STUPID.
NO MORE PLEASE! YOU DUMB.
It's really unfortunate that the book is badly written because I think the author has some good plot ideas and her heroine's favour the "real" women (i.e. not flat chested, no curves size zero types).
I'm sure there will be many women who would enjoy reading this. But I don't think this book caters the the demographic that I belong to. Hence, I'm afraid my critique will be severe. Consequently, I feel induced to include a disclaimer that my review will be BAD.
The basic premise of the book isn't bad. In fact, the plot was the reason I bought this book.
There are several reasons why I disliked the book, which is a shame as there was so much promise.
The characters were caricatures (unrealistic and OTT), the plot disintegrated, the romance was lacking, the writing style was appalling (I know it's chick lit but one still ought to be maintain some standards), and the author's rather immature humour is manifested throughout the book, for example:
(1) the female protagonist Lou Hubbard was original named after an expensive brand of champagne. This anecdote was amusing the first time, but the constant references to it just became repetitive and annoying.
(2) Lou's mother's lack of vocabulary (dire pronunciation of words) which was meant to be funny but what patronising and bland.
(3) Lou's boyfriend is called Hedge, however, her mother persistently "mistakenly" calls him Shrub, Bush etc which was initially amusing, however, it's overuse rendered it lame.
(4) Lou's multiple attempts to appear unattractive by wearing ridiculous clothing and sporting crazy makeup became OTT and annoying. The author was aiming for "hilarious/ funny" and thus compromised the plot, the romance, the personalities of her main characters and any homour a reader could have derived from these situations.
(5) There were many other examples but I'm not going to go into them. In conclusion, it appears the author was trying really hard to be funny to the point that she rendered her characters into dim, silly and annoying caricatures.
The subplots were unnecessary as there wasn't enough attention to the main plot (illnesses, Lou's career, and so on).
But the most appalling part of the book is Lou's boyfriend Hedge. His dialogue consisted of incomprehensible gibberish and "like" in every sentence. He reminded me of Dappy (from NDUBZ) and there was no hint or evidence of why any woman would find him attractive. Additionally, he blatantly used her for money that it can't even be described as manipulation. Lou is oblivious to this and is convinced he loves her - this reflects badly on Lou for being so completely air-headed and lacking a backbone.
DUMB. DUMB. DUMB. SO DUMB IT HURTS.
JUST SHUT UP. YOU'RE STUPID.
NO MORE PLEASE! YOU DUMB.
It's really unfortunate that the book is badly written because I think the author has some good plot ideas and her heroine's favour the "real" women (i.e. not flat chested, no curves size zero types).
I'm sure there will be many women who would enjoy reading this. But I don't think this book caters the the demographic that I belong to. Hence, I'm afraid my critique will be severe. Consequently, I feel induced to include a disclaimer that my review will be BAD.
The basic premise of the book isn't bad. In fact, the plot was the reason I bought this book.
There are several reasons why I disliked the book, which is a shame as there was so much promise.
The characters were caricatures (unrealistic and OTT), the plot disintegrated, the romance was lacking, the writing style was appalling (I know it's chick lit but one still ought to be maintain some standards), and the author's rather immature humour is manifested throughout the book, for example:
(1) the female protagonist Lou Hubbard was original named after an expensive brand of champagne. This anecdote was amusing the first time, but the constant references to it just became repetitive and annoying.
(2) Lou's mother's lack of vocabulary (dire pronunciation of words) which was meant to be funny but what patronising and bland.
(3) Lou's boyfriend is called Hedge, however, her mother persistently "mistakenly" calls him Shrub, Bush etc which was initially amusing, however, it's overuse rendered it lame.
(4) Lou's multiple attempts to appear unattractive by wearing ridiculous clothing and sporting crazy makeup became OTT and annoying. The author was aiming for "hilarious/ funny" and thus compromised the plot, the romance, the personalities of her main characters and any homour a reader could have derived from these situations.
(5) There were many other examples but I'm not going to go into them. In conclusion, it appears the author was trying really hard to be funny to the point that she rendered her characters into dim, silly and annoying caricatures.
The subplots were unnecessary as there wasn't enough attention to the main plot (illnesses, Lou's career, and so on).
But the most appalling part of the book is Lou's boyfriend Hedge. His dialogue consisted of incomprehensible gibberish and "like" in every sentence. He reminded me of Dappy (from NDUBZ) and there was no hint or evidence of why any woman would find him attractive. Additionally, he blatantly used her for money that it can't even be described as manipulation. Lou is oblivious to this and is convinced he loves her - this reflects badly on Lou for being so completely air-headed and lacking a backbone.
September 27, 2011
I had really been looking forward to reading this book. I loved how this book was so cheeky! Let me enumerate the things I loved.
1)The dialogues. Oh man. Ms. Schmidt had me laughing out loud throughout the entire book. Whether it was the linguistic errors made by Victoria or Morphia, or the zingers slung back and forth between Harry and Lou, or Hedge's speech, I was laughing and smiling non stop.
2)The characters. Goodness. I don't think I've ever met any one like Victoria Hubbard or Lady Morphia, and hope I never do. These are women who will let nothing get in the way of the things they want. And I mean nothing. Nigel Hubbard seems like a decent man, but he's clueless as to what all is going on around him. Harry wasn't really likable in the beginning and neither were his womanizing ways and neither were any of his friends. Fin seemed like a hanger on and someone who had problems, but as the book progressed she grew and more information about her came to show she had much more substance than at first glance. All Lou Hubbard wants is to live with Hedge her, rock star boyfriend. She doesn't want anything to do with her mother or her family's money, although she dearly loves her father Nigel. Lou is down to Earth and sweet. Hedge is just a pain in the @$$.
3)The plot. You never know what is going to happen next in this book. It keeps the reader hooked. and wanting to know what disaster is going to happen next. I know I was! I couldn't do anything else until I finished this book.
4)The chemistry between Lou and Harry: very hot! Although you couldn't tell that in the beginning because it was mutual hate.
This book was a great read. I am looking forward to reading more by Nicky Schmidt!
1)The dialogues. Oh man. Ms. Schmidt had me laughing out loud throughout the entire book. Whether it was the linguistic errors made by Victoria or Morphia, or the zingers slung back and forth between Harry and Lou, or Hedge's speech, I was laughing and smiling non stop.
2)The characters. Goodness. I don't think I've ever met any one like Victoria Hubbard or Lady Morphia, and hope I never do. These are women who will let nothing get in the way of the things they want. And I mean nothing. Nigel Hubbard seems like a decent man, but he's clueless as to what all is going on around him. Harry wasn't really likable in the beginning and neither were his womanizing ways and neither were any of his friends. Fin seemed like a hanger on and someone who had problems, but as the book progressed she grew and more information about her came to show she had much more substance than at first glance. All Lou Hubbard wants is to live with Hedge her, rock star boyfriend. She doesn't want anything to do with her mother or her family's money, although she dearly loves her father Nigel. Lou is down to Earth and sweet. Hedge is just a pain in the @$$.
3)The plot. You never know what is going to happen next in this book. It keeps the reader hooked. and wanting to know what disaster is going to happen next. I know I was! I couldn't do anything else until I finished this book.
4)The chemistry between Lou and Harry: very hot! Although you couldn't tell that in the beginning because it was mutual hate.
This book was a great read. I am looking forward to reading more by Nicky Schmidt!
March 18, 2011
Lou Hubbard doesn’t care about money. So what if her father runs a billion dollar coffee empire and the family can afford to lead a luxurious life? All Lou wants to do is settle down with rock star boyfriend, Hedge, and do something good for the environment. But Lou’s mother is dead set against her daughter’s non-lavish ways. The cunning Victoria sets a plan into motion, determined to have Lou marry Harry Stomeworth, simply to gain an aristocratic title. When Harry’s dreadful mother jumps on the plan, Lou and Harry don’t seem to have much of a choice. But that is where the fun begins, and Lou and Harry join forces to try to get out of marrying.
Marrying Out of Money by Nicky Schmidt, is a sort of “anti-romantic comedy.” The characters were over the top and hilarious, especially the two mothers. But I loved the story behind the Lou and Harry, how the young kids want to marry for love and not just money, stability, or titles. Some of the scenes (especially the ones with Hedge) had me laughing out loud at the absurdity. Along that line, I wished that Schmidt would have cleaned up Hedge’s dialogue just a bit. I understand that she wanted to make a point about how he spoke, but it was hard to focus on what he was saying sometimes because he was always so ridiculous sounding and hard to decipher. But overall I thought this was a really engaging, quirky, chick lit book and I definitely recommend!
Marrying Out of Money by Nicky Schmidt, is a sort of “anti-romantic comedy.” The characters were over the top and hilarious, especially the two mothers. But I loved the story behind the Lou and Harry, how the young kids want to marry for love and not just money, stability, or titles. Some of the scenes (especially the ones with Hedge) had me laughing out loud at the absurdity. Along that line, I wished that Schmidt would have cleaned up Hedge’s dialogue just a bit. I understand that she wanted to make a point about how he spoke, but it was hard to focus on what he was saying sometimes because he was always so ridiculous sounding and hard to decipher. But overall I thought this was a really engaging, quirky, chick lit book and I definitely recommend!
May 8, 2011
I totally enjoyed this book. It does everything that chick lit should do - it's escapist, it's light and humorous, and most important, it's an easy read that requires little of the reader.
Lou Hubbard is in love with her almost-illiterate rockstar boyfriend, Hedge. However, her mother, Victoria, has other ideas. Due to the fact that Lou is the heiress to a billion dollar coffee enterprise-a-la-Starbucks, her mother thinks that Lou should marry Viscount-to-be, Harry Stomeworth. The problem being that neither Harry nor Lou are even slightly interested in this union. In fact, Harry's involvement is being pushed by his own Mother, Morphia, who is more concerned about her family's money problems than her only son's happiness.
I'd reccomend this to anyone (though mostly females!); it's a delightful romp of a book, and the sense of humour is golden!
Lou Hubbard is in love with her almost-illiterate rockstar boyfriend, Hedge. However, her mother, Victoria, has other ideas. Due to the fact that Lou is the heiress to a billion dollar coffee enterprise-a-la-Starbucks, her mother thinks that Lou should marry Viscount-to-be, Harry Stomeworth. The problem being that neither Harry nor Lou are even slightly interested in this union. In fact, Harry's involvement is being pushed by his own Mother, Morphia, who is more concerned about her family's money problems than her only son's happiness.
I'd reccomend this to anyone (though mostly females!); it's a delightful romp of a book, and the sense of humour is golden!
August 9, 2012
Lou Hubbard is the heir to a Coffee empire. She has a loser rocker boyfriend, but wants to keep her father happy die to his failing health. Her society climbing mother arranges a marriage with a down and out family of the aristocracy. New money buys old title... everyone happy! Harry Stomeworth the whatever and Lou do NOT get along and everything is topsy turvy and headed for the alter. This is an entertaining read. Perfect for vacation or just escaping for a bit.
May 10, 2011
I didn't emjoy this as much as the last Schmidt book I read. It wasn't as funny, but still pretty entertaining. Lou's mother's butchering of the English language is quite amusing. But I felt that things went from zero to everything in a matter of pages. Not consistant in the pacing.
February 5, 2011
Another great one from Nicky!
March 12, 2011
Not sure...
May 9, 2011
It was ok - a bit silly and of course totally predictable but it passed the time and I didn't end it feeling as though the author has stolen part of my life. I've read better though.
February 8, 2016
Never again
Horrible is to kind, not really my genre but I love a book that makes me laugh. This was more of a you got to be kidding me. Not one character had a redeeming feature
Horrible is to kind, not really my genre but I love a book that makes me laugh. This was more of a you got to be kidding me. Not one character had a redeeming feature
April 11, 2017
Not exactly a great book. No true character that I really liked. Quick read but sloppy.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews