Sarah Mason Party Girl

Party Girl

Sarah Mason

Ballantine, Apr 2006, $12.95

ISBN: 0345469569

In England, though several weeks have passed, event planner Isabel "Izzy" Serranti has not recovered from being dumped by her boyfriend. That coupled with feeling overweight, has left Izzy lacking confidence in her abilities to hold the attention of a man when she sees her childhood best friend, who inexplicably became her teenage tormentor, financier Simon Monkwell she babbles about food, while he apparently fails to recognize her.

Simon hires Izzy to perform a planners miracle as his family estate, Pantiles is in financial trouble, but to save it he must fool potential American investors that all is well. She would like to refuse him, but he is so handsome and debonair while she is oafish, but the reason she agrees is because she inadvertently gave away some Pantiles' insider information to her lout of an ex. Thus she hosts a weekend in the English countryside where investors, their wacko families, a tarantula, and others interfere with the attraction between Simon and Izzy; however it is what caused teenage Simon to turn into a bully that remains between them.

PARTY GIRL is a warm British chick lit romance starring a likable but under-confident lead female struggling to make a weekend right for the man she loves, who she expects will mistreat her as he did when he turned thirteen. Izzy is an interesting protagonist coping with the families of her and Simon, other fractious souls like the help, the demands of the Americans, and SOCIETY GIRLS invited to the gala. Though the support cast at times overwhelms the tale with the baggage they bring to the weekend event, dizzy Izzy makes this a fun often amusing romantic romp.