"Spa Wars" by Chris Manby

Emily Brown is a beauty therapist who has just made the plunge into owning her own business. With a leap of faith and all of her money she has opened up her own salon called The Beauty Spot. But the business is struggling and Emily needs to find a way to gain new clients quick. Carina Lees has just placed second on a wildly popular reality show is looking for a way to turn her fifteen minutes of fame into a permanent spot in the limelight.


One night, on her way to an awards show, Carina suffers a beauty nightmare and pops into The Beauty Spot for emergency treatment. Emily helps her out and Carina is so grateful, that she mentions Emily and her salon at the awards show that night. Overnight, The Beauty Spot is buzzing with new clients, packed appointments and desperate for new staff. But just as things start going better than Emily could have imagined, the salon quickly takes a bad turn. Emily can't figure out why but strange things are happening in the salon and her business is spiralling out of control. Who is trying to sabotage Emily's salon?


Spa Wars by Chris Manby (who also publishes as Chrissie Manby) is a quick, fun book that will interest any woman who enjoys (or dreams of) a day at the spa. It falls into the chick-lit genre but doesn't feel formulaic as you read it and brings something new to the genre, rather than using what it is already there.


I really liked the narration of the book. The entire time I was reading it, I felt like I was listening to the voice over of a show or documentary. It was an added effect that really worked for me. I also love the way the book poked fun at the reality entertainment celebrity world without being overly mean. There were quite a few moments in the book that had me laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all.


The characters are all well-written. You can't help but cheer for Emily and want the best for her. She is exactly the type of person I would want working at the salon when I show up. I even found Carina a bit endearing (just a bit.) As much as she was that annoying reality celeb, you could tell that there was more to her story, something behind her that was driving her to be that way.


While I did feel that the end of the book wrapped up a little too quick and neat, I really enjoyed reading this book. This is the second book I have read by Ms. Manby and I can now say that I am a big fan of her work, and I will definitely be seeking out more of her books in the future.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"The Guestbook" by Holly Martin

Image
Welcome to Willow Cottage - throw open the shutters, let in the sea breeze and make yourself completely at home.  Oh, and please do leave a comment in the Guestbook! Annie Butterworth is the landlady of Willow Cottage, a beautiful cottage in the English countryside with a colourful array of guests.  Every guest is encouraged to write their thoughts in the guestbook and do they ever!  Love, loss, happiness, sadness, guilt, affairs, births, and surprises, it’s all in there.  Even Annie’s life gets caught up in the book. As a young widow, Annie herself is going through some changes.  And the appearance of her brother-in-law, celebrity crime writer Oliver Black isn’t helping.  As the guests of Willow Cottage go about their seaside vacations, Annie and Oliver must figure out how to move on in their lives, and most importantly, if they will do so together. The Guestbook by Holly Martin is a lovely, sweet, and unique book.  Written in the form...
Read more

Literary Giveaway Blog Hop

Image
I am so excited to be participating in the Literary Giveaway Blog Hop, hosted by Judith at Leeswammes' Blog . There are over 50 participants hosting giveaways on their blog between October 15 and October 19. Be sure to hop around and check out all the awesome giveaways! My Giveaway Award season is underway in the Canadian literary world and to celebrate I would like to send someone some fabulous Canadian literature. One lucky winner will be able to choose which book they would like me to send them. Here are the choices (click on title to find out more about the book): A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews (bought at library sale) Life of Pi by Yann Martel The Last River Child by Lori Ann Bloomfield The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden (bought at library sale) Two of the books were bought at a library sale as mentioned. They are still in good condition but are obviously well-loved and do still have the library stickers on them. The other t...
Read more

"Dreaming of Elsewhere: Observations on Home" by Esi Edugyan

Image
“But where are you from, really?” This is a question that Canadians of all walks of life are often asked.  Part of our identity as Canadians is that we all come from somewhere else, and no matter how long ago, it is a defining part of who we are.   But for many people, this question is about more than where their family came to Canada from.  For many, it brings about a question of home and belonging.  These are the ideas that Esi Edugyan explored in her 2013 Henry Kreisel Memorial Lecture, Dreaming of Elsewhere: Observations on Home .  Born in Canada to parents from Ghana, Esi Edugyan has travelled to and lived in various countries, all the while searching for her identity and coming to understand the meaning of home. As an author, Edugyan also reflects on Canadian literature and the notion of the “Canadian story.”  Her wildly successful novel, Half-Blood Blues , was set outside of Canada, and something she often heard was that it was not a t...
Read more