Mary Carlomagno

This is a fun light read and a perfect book to read at the beach or pool. It's lighthearted and very funny in parts and is a feel -good book about about a wonderful main character.

As the novel begins, Jessie is mentally preparing herself for the promotion that she knows is coming. After 10 years of hard work at a major publishing company in NYC, she feels that she has earned this promotion. Imagine how surprised she is when she is called to her boss's office and given a pink slip. After the show more initial shock wears off, she knows that she needs to find work and decides to set up her own company and be a best friend for hire - help people arrange their closets, go shopping with them and do all of the things that a best friend would do. Believe me, Jessie gets herself into some very funny situations in her quest to be a best friend to several of the people who hire her. But despite the set backs and the worry of her large NJ Italian family, she keeps trying. Her biggest job is when she promises someone that she can get THE BOSS (and in NJ that would be Bruce Springsteen) to attend a fund raiser.

This is a fun well written book that will have you rooting for Jessie while you are laughing at some of the predicaments that she gets herself into.

I received an advance copy of this book from the Great Thought's Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own show less

In Give It Up!, Mary Carlomagno writes about her experience of cutting out indispensable aspects of her very urban and very swanky life (think Sex and the City). Stressed out and literally bombarded with shoe boxes, Carlomagno started questioning her daily habits and re-imagining her routines. She drops one habit every month for the whole month throughout the year, starting from alcohol and shopping, and ending with chocolate and multitasking.
The chapters are short and fast to read. show more Carlomagno’s style is enjoyably low-key, like having a chat with a friend. Unfortunately there is neither a unifying theme nor a conclusion; the December chapter leaves the book hanging. The introduction does make up for this lack to some extent, however. There are no deep discussions here, but if you happen to be in the same demographic group, some peer experiences might just open your eyes. For others, it’s a hit or miss.
EJ 01/2013 show less

The first half of the book has practical advice and is worth reading. The second half is bogged down with the author talking about how awesome her life is and her clients lives are and how we should model our lives like that. Not really sure who edited this book, but it should have been much shorter.

The genres of this novel are Women's Fiction and Humor.

I found that this was a very witty, and at times extremely humorous book. The author does an amazing job of telling the story.

The characters are described as complex, complicated , flawed, and likeable. My favorite character is Jessica De Salvo. I can picture being a good friend or neighbor with Jessica. I was certainly rooting for her and cheering her on!!

The story starts with Jessica awaiting a promotion in her job, that she has worked show more in for ten years, as a publicist, and actually playing out the scene in her mind, where she gets her promotion. Instead, Jessica finds herself fired. What is Jessica to do now? Jessica wants to talk to a sort of "boyfriend", and find the" boyfriend" with her neighbor as a couple. It certainly hasn't been a good day.

Jessica just happens to fall into a role where she can be a "best friend for hire." The adventures that occur had me chucking. One of them actually had me laughing so much that I had tears in my eyes, and I had to use my inhaler. ( I really am not thrilled about having to use it, but I needed the laugh.) In one of her attempts at helping others, Jessica tries to save a very handsome bartender from losing the bar he works in.

I like the way the author describes Jessica's efforts to find herself, gain confidence and have hope. I also like how the author describes friendship, family, love, support and encouragement.

This was a wonderful read and I would recommend this highly. I look forward to reading more of this author's work. (less)
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