Lisa Lim (1)

Just because this book is called "chick lit," doesn't mean it doesn't tackle some deep issues--it was a quick read that made me think about surviving in today's job market and how sometimes the path you take to where you're going doesn't go the way you planned. Maddy made her detour work for her in the end and wound up in a much better place than she might have otherwise. There is romance in the novel, but it's not emphasized as I expected. Disclaimer: There is some foul language in the show more book, but it all rang true for what Maddy would be hearing from her irate callers. I want a sequel!! Everything was all wrapped up at the end, but I loved the characters so much I wanted to see where the next phase of their lives took them!!

Thanks, Lisa!

(I received a free PDF from the author, but after I started the book, decided to buy it from Amazon since she had reduced the price of the book. show less

As soon as I read the synopsis I knew this was going to be a humorous, light-hearted read. It did not disappoint! We first meet Madison, Maddy for short, who is unemployed and looking for a job with her best friend Karsynn. They both get jobs working for a call center and that's where the hilarity ensues! They soon realize that the call center is like a war zone, full angry customers squawking in their ears and nazi bosses looming over their shoulders. The one bright spot of the workday is show more Mika, a guy who's not only nice but nice to look at; Maddy is instantly drawn to him. Will she be able to snag her man or will she be doomed to admire him from afar...and will she ever escape that darned call center?

I absolutely adored the characters in this book. You can easily envision being friends with each and every one of them. Especially Maddy, she's like your witty, sarcastic, sometimes foul mouthed best friend. Karsynn's personality is a bit extreme and she makes some not good life choices on a pretty regular basis, but you can't help but love her; her and Maddy complement each other nicely, it's obvious that they've been friends for a long time. Then of course there's sexy Mika - who doesn't wish they had a sensitive, funny, smart guy with a great personality in their office? The supporting character I loved the most was Truong, a flamboyant Vietnamese man with an often-times dirty sense of humor. Many of his witty remarks made me laugh, along with his inability to pronounce the letter "r".

My favorite parts of this book by far were the calls that Maddy would take while at her job. Some customers are irate, some are clueless, and some are just downright creepy! Most of them had me laughing out loud. Two in particular are "Poida" and "Mr. Spelling Bee". You'll just have to read the book to find out what was so funny; I'm pretty sure I'm going to name my next pet "Poida" though.

The little love story beneath it all between Mika and Maddy starts out slowly and I feel like that made it more believable. They really get to know each other and become good friends; I just couldn't wait for them to finally become a couple, they were so cute together!

This was such a fast, fun read; I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lisa Lim did an excellent job of painting a vivid picture of life at a call center and kept the story interesting and hilarious throughout. And at only $2.99 it's a steal! Make sure you check this little gem out, I promise you won't be disappointed! show less

Having lived with a person who worked in technical support for over 10 years, I know Lim's account of the crazy callers and office politics at Lightning Speed comes from first hand experience. Those laugh-out-loud moments kept me turning the pages.

Lim's fresh voice and ability to juggle work and romance within the narrative are amazing. The only thing that kept me from giving the book 5 stars is the distracting language full of unnecessary adverbs and cliches. Sure, there were stellar show more moments with the prose, but it was not consistent.

Luckily, Lim's characters and plot were strong enough to not break the spell of an enjoyable escape read. show less

Wow. I loved every single freaking thing about this book! I could relate to Maddy like she was an older me, someone who loves Zac Efron (because trust me, I LOVE Zac Efron) and a night in watching reality tv. And Bridget Jones being one of my favorite movies, I fell in love with Maddy's Bridget-esque personality, never being able to get things to go exactly her way. There were parts where I would find myself laughing out loud and other times cheering Maddy on in her trials as a call center show more gal. This book is full of hilarious moments in the everyday life at a call center. The workers at the call center are all crazy and lovable in their own way, from a hunky Belgian to a Vietnamese gay best friend. What I also loved was how nothing ended up happening perfectly. Maddy goes through trials and things take time to happen, just like real life. I just wanted to keep on reading every second so that I could figure out who would call in next to Maddy. I got this book for review from the author as an ebook, but after reading it I know I'm going to buy the hard copy so I can escape into Maddy's hilariously sweet world whenever I want to. Confessions of a Call Center Gal is the perfect chit-lit to curl up in bed with. show less