Holly's Inbox: Scandal in the City

Holly's Hopping

I loved this book. It was cute, fun and like reading a series of e-mails from the characters and their exchange of banter back and forth. I read it pretty quickly and was done in a matter of days.

Holly Denham's back - just in time for summer!

We're back in time to find out what's new in Holly Denham's life -- after she and Toby finally came together.

They're sharing a flat while working at the same bank. Holly's at reception with her old friend Trish. Meanwhile, Toby is doing well as an investment banker. But the long hours and his lack of energy are taking a toll on their love life.

Holly's as ditzy and lovable as ever. And her friends aren't holding her back.

As things spiral out of control and it seems like Holly is just one cocktail away from disaster, she takes us on a crazy, fun, and hilarious ride. In the sequel, Holly takes out much of her frustration on drink - which leads to some strange moments and blackouts. But overall, Holly's Inbox: Scandal in the City is a entertaining British chicklit and a good sequel to last year's Holly's Inbox.

ISBN-10: 1402241143 - Trade Paperback
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (August 17, 2010), 544 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

Delightfully sinful!

I read Holly's Inbox by Holly Denham just a short time ago and I really loved it so it was no surprise that I felt the same about this installment of Holly's life. The book is again told through email format which I find delightfully sinful! Holly's life is both fun and complicated. She seems to have it all together in the beginning of the book with a new job promotion and a great boyfriend, but as Holly's life goes we know it won't be that way for long. Chaos soon rears it's ugly head and life for Holly takes an ugly turn. All of Holly's old friends are back and a few new ones emerge too. This book was one I couldn't put down. I found myself reading at the stove cooking dinner. The book looks like a chunkster with over 500 pages but the emails read fast and one could easily polish this book off in a day. Once you get wrapped up in Holly's hilarious antics you won't want to put it down. As with the other book, I found myself laughing out loud. I only hope we will be blessed with more installments Of Holly's crazy life. I want more! As the book ended I could only imagine where Holly's life will go next. This book could stand alone but I highly recommend reading both books. You don't want to miss a moment of Holly's crazy life!

Laugh out loud funny!

I loved this book! It is light and hilarious! It doesn't take long to figure out that Holly is in over her head at her new job as a receptionist at a huge corporate bank. She is like a fish out of water! Reading her emails to her friends and family and fellow employees made me feel like a bit of a spy but it was so fun! Holly's sarcastic sense of humor is very similar to mine. I caught myself laughing hysterically out loud many times. The shocking part of the whole book is finding out that Holly Denham is actually a pen name for Bill Surie. He is not only the author of the book but the owner of a placement service for receptionists and secretaries in London. I wonder if any of these emails are based on true emails that he has come across in his work? Although this format is a bit different than most books, I found it easy to read and follow along. I highly recommend this book! I liked it so much that I am starting to read the sequel immediately! Trust me..you will enjoy Holly! She is an interesting character!

I love Brit chick lit!

I adored Holly's Inbox when it was released last year. I was thrilled when the sequel Holly's Inbox: Scandal in the City landed in my mailbox!

Scandal picks right up where the first book left off. Holly is in love with Toby, her childhood sweetheart, she is still working as a receptionist at a London bank, still friends with Jason, Aisha and Trisha. But in Holly's world, things are never quite smooth sailing. Tanya, the catering manager at the bank, has her eye on Toby, Holly and Toby have been two ships passing in the night lately - is something going on? Holly puts her name in for a promotion at work, but will the gossip mill kill her chances?

Lots of fun chick lit scenarios, romance and laughs abound. But here's the really neat thing - the entire book is written as emails between all the characters! An absolutely addicting format - one that had me turning pages until the entire book was consumed in one sitting. (Somewhat like eating the entire bag of chips...)

Scandal in the City provides more depth to the character of Holly. I feel like I 'know' her better now. Although the light hearted tone is present throughout, a few more serious issues are tackled. The characters aren't limited to just work. Holly's Grandma provides lots of laughs, and we wonder what is the world is going on with her brother. Jason and Trisha are my favourite supporting characters - friends you'd definitely like to have in your own circle. The office politics emails had me laughing out loud!

It had been over a year since I read the first book, so it took me about 20 pages to get on top of things again. Scandal could certainly be read as a stand alone book, but I really recommend reading the first book as well - both for background and because it's so darn good!

I'm really hoping that there is a third book in the works - I'm hooked! Unless I can figure out some way to get on Holly's contact list....

An absolute must read for any chick lit fan. Tuck this one in your beach bag for sure!

A Great Laugh!

If you are looking for a quick read or a book to cheer you up, grab Holly's Inbox. 5 stars for creativity and originality. I hope to see more from this new author.

Brainless but lots of fun.

This book may be the ultimate beach read. The entire story is told through the characters' email. Its a strangely addictive format. Several times I found myself up way past my bedtime. That said, expect brain candy. The plot is pretty much want you would expect from any standard "chick lit" book - hi jinks at work, misadventures in love, the power of friendship. I found even the big twists in the plot were predictable. If you are in the mood for light reading, its a fun read.

A fun, easy read.

I flew through this book and laughed like crazy. The characters are quite a group, and the writer makes you need to keep reading. A fun, fun book. I have passed it on to a friend. If you like Bridget Jones Diary, you will love this.

Can't wait for the next one to come out!

I loved this book. It reminded my of a mix between meg cabot, sophia kinsella, and bridget jones. It is over 650 pages, but it is a very quick read. I can't wait for the next book. I miss Holly!!

Awful day? Grab Holly's Inbox and head to the beach or park for a fun, satisfying escape!

Synopsis:

"Ever wanted a peek at someone else's emails?" That's one of the teasers for Holly Inbox, a 672 page novel, composed entirely of emails by, for or about Holly Dedham. Don't be put off by the book's length - the characters are engrossing and the book flies by!

Young, vivacious, and relatively inexperienced, Holly has a new job as a receptionist at a busy corporate bank in London. We read about her ups and downs as she faces bullying co-workers, social mishaps, well meaning but socially aggressive parents, her flaky entrepreneur brother Charlie, an ex-boyfriend who joins the bank, and a gorgeous and flirtatious banker. Fortunately, Holly has her old friends Jason and Aisha to keep her grounded and amused plus her work friends Trish and Jennie to advise her.

Review:

Holly's Inbox has all the likability, humor, plot twists and romance that exemplify good chicklit. The book reminded me of Marian Keyes's Watermelon and Sophie Kinsella's Undomestic Goddess. Although I had to adjust to the "all email" format, this was easy enough once I became familiar with each of the characters. From Holly's grandmother to her frenemy from boarding school to her crazy single woman friend Aisha to her accident prone brother Charlie, her cheery gay friend Granger and her office mate Trish, each of the characters are carefully crafted and fun companions. Holly herself may seem a bit flaky, especially when she's getting her bearings, but you'll find yourself rooting for her soon enough. The ups and downs of an office romance were fun, but like in real life, it's banter and the friendships that made the book come alive so vividly. At close to 700 pages, Holly's Inbox is bulky but you won't want to put it down. I took it with me everywhere - even on the crowded NYC subway during rush hour. A fun summer read!

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (June 1, 2009), 672 pages.
Review copy courtesy of the author.

Quick Read

I took this 668 page book to the beach and finished it in a day. The e-mail format is really easy and quick to read. It's a funny book and the characters are interesting. I'd like to see a sequel to it. I like British chick-lit and this is as good as Sophie Kinsella!

Love it!!!

This was a wonderful book. It's an easy read, so don't let the 600 pages scare you. It was so interesting, I finished it in 2 days. It's about romance, the workplace and friendship all in one.

Refreshingly different

Never thought I would like a book written in all e-mails, but this one works. Characters are fully developed and original, plot moves quickly, and it a fun read from start to finish. Perfect book for a summer afternoon or a plane flight.

A Great Summer Read!

The style of this book is what makes it a hit. The plot and characters are not that original - but the way the author writes makes it great! It's an easy read and kept me engaged. For anyone who's not used to reading 100's of emails a day, it make time minimal time to get adjusted to the style. But once you do, you'll really enjoy this book.

Holly's Inbox

This book was really cute. It does what it sets out to do. It is an updated Bridget Jones. It is a very quick read. The big problem is that it has a loose end at the end, which would be fine for the main character, but not for a secondiary character. If I hadn't liked the book, this cliffhanger would not be enough to bring me back, and I would consider it more of an annoyance than anything.

The best book I've read in ages - it made me laugh and cry and even dance!

I can not put into words how happy this book made me feel, I sat reading it on the bus and everyone was watching me because I couldn't stop laughing. It is not only very very funny, but is also gripping, romantic and touching...
read it - or just read everyone else's reviews in Google, they all say the same
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What Really Goes On At Work. . .

When I discovered this book at Barnes & Noble, I immediately added it to my TBR List. I was quite surprised to learn my library owned a copy and was first on the wait list. I couldn't wait to begin reading Holly's e-mails.

I was looking forward to reading this as I read so many glowing reviews. I have to admit, around page 200 or so, I lost interest in Holly and her friends. I really wanted to know Holly's back-story with Toby. It took awhile for Holly to disclose to Trisha, her co-worker.

I do have to say, the secondary characters were quite interesting and added to the story. Around page 415 (the reader was able to peek inside Trisha's inbox), I found myself glued to the story and couldn't put it down.

Yes, it's a long book (665 pages of e-mails), but worth reading on a lazy afternoon. Even though I thought it was sluggish in the middle, I do hope there's a sequel in the works. I would like an update on Holly and her friends.

3.5 Stars

Oh boy, what a disappointment

If you want to read over 650 pages of emails between basically boring people and situations, be my guest. I made myself read 200 pages before I couldn't take it anymore. The ending is said to be a "surprise" so I looked at the ending and...who cares? The action is painfully slow, the characters boring...if I had an email life like in this book I'd jump off the top of a high building.

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Add this one to your summer chick lit list!

Okay, get out your pen out and add Holly's Inbox to your must read chick lit list!

Holly Denham begins work as a receptionist at the banking firm of Huerst and Wright. It's a busy place, requiring two receptionists. Policy also forbids conversation unless it is business related. The next best thing? E-mail! The entire book is a series of emails from Holly's Inbox! We meet Holly's two best friends who both work at her last job - reception at a large hotel. Jason is incredibly funny, Aisha is a bit of a runaround. We get to live Holly's life vicariously through the corresponcence of these three. And really, doesn't everyone have a bit of peeping tom in them? We meet her meddling mother, her siblings (one who wants her to deliver some frozen rats to Spain) and her gran, who has just discovered the world wide web. She helps Holly out by signing her up for cheap flights and dating services.

But Holly doesn't seem to need the dating services. She begins to date one of the traders from the bank. But then.....

And that's where I'm going to stop. I don't want to spoil the story. And I could go on and on, as I couldn't put the book down. Devoured in two days! Reading it was like eating a bag of candy, one more piece, one more page until sadly the whole thing was done. Mind you, at almost 700 pages, it was satisfying!

This is an charming, amusing, entertaining read. One of the best chick lit books of the year for me. Holly's Inbox covers the first five months at her new job. I can only hope that it continues! If you'd like to check out Holly's Inbox online you can - at http://www.hollysinbox.com/. Really - it's her email account.

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