Best Friend for Hire: A Novel

Best Friend for Hire is a standalone by Mary Carlomagno. You can totally get why the writer is a successful organizer, speaker and spokesperson specializing in helping individuals and groups embrace simplicity in their daily lives and one might even say that this fun read is a self-help book in disguise … Best Friend for Hire is the story of Jersey girl Jessie DeSalvo who gets booted from her dream job at one of New York’s top publishing companies after 10 years. What should she do next considering the current economic environment and considering that she only has her cell phone and unusable contact list? I absolutely loved the humour that the writer injected into the story, very often I found myself snorting and laughing out loud … While starting her one-woman-band aka Best Friend for Hire endeavour, she meets some memorable and quirky characters! On top of that, Jessie is from a SCICILIAN!!! family so you can imagine her interaction with her family, it still cracks me up! If you are looking for a quick and light read that leaves you feeling good, this book is definitely for you! Join Jessie on her journey of finding herself while gaining confidence and some great friends!

Best Friend For Hire by Mary Carlomagno is a fun read that is certain to keep you entertained throughout. Jersey girl Jessie DeSalvo is working her dream job at a publishing company and thinking she’s getting a sweet promotion when she’s handed the pink slip and let go. So she heads to Hoboken, New Jersey to figure out her life. She kind of accidentally starts Best Friend For Hire on a whim because she really needs the money. It was entertaining to read all the interesting characters and see what was going to happen next. I really enjoyed reading about Jessie and her shenanigans. I liked the author's writing style and enjoyed the characters. 4 star rating!

Best Friend for Hire by Mary Carlomagno is a fun, easy good feel-good read that will have you grinning like a crazy person. So I'm going to start with the one thing I didn't like, as to get it out of the way. The beginning was slow, there was a lot of filler, that I felt didn't need to be in there. Sure it gave us background on Jessica's work life, but, in truth, I didn't care for it and to me it didn't really add anything to the over all plot. Okay, now that I got that Off my chest, lets get into the rest of this charming story. I say charming, because it was so damn cute that I started wishing that his was a movie. (I'm a sucker for rom-coms) It was like a weird mix of, Ugly Truth/How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days/The Proposal, with a dash of 27 Dresses. I loved Jess from from the get-go. She's smart, logical and she isn't scared to try new things. I liked how she visualized her success, even if it was a tab bit farfetched. She sets her goals, makes a plan, and then sets events in motion to make it happen. She's flawed, unsure, and she was written in a way to help the readers connect with her. Now I will say that, like all rom-coms, you can pretty much guess what's going to happen, but I didn't care about that. The writing, flow and characters interactions made this typical read into a joyful, relaxing, fun time. I was hooked from the first chapter. This book will bring on all the warm fuzzies, pull at all the heart strings and have you cheering for Jess to succeed. Take my high recommendation that you will adore this beautifully written, entertaining, moving story about of finding yourself, of loving yourself and learning to trust that you're not always right. Happy Reading -E.A. Walsh

Best Friend for Hire: A Novel by Mary Carlomagno 4 Stars This is my first book by this author and I really liked the idea of the storyline. The writing was amazing, but the flow, for me anyway was a bit slow, A bit wordy in spots with details that didn't really add to the story, yet it doesn't take away from how well it was written. I was able to connect with Jessie because her character was well developed, but I didn't really connect with anyone else in the book. I loved the family aspect and how they interacted with each other and with Jessie, I loved the Best Friend for Hire idea and the way it came to be and one of my favorite parts of the book was helping Tara, this did make me smile while reading it and although it may not go on my favorites list, I will be adding this author to my watch list, I loved the idea of this story and am curious about her other available books.

What a great read!! I laughed, I cried, I couldn’t put this one down to save my life. What started out as a great day for Jesse DeSalvo turned into the worst when she was terminated from her dream job, this really made the main character relatable and real to every reader who has ever had something happen to them that was supposed to be bad but turned into the best opportunity for them. Carlomagno shows DeSalvo pick herself up by her boot straps and create an entire new persona for herself, proving that she is worth the happy ending that she seeks. I was so happy to get the chance to read this book, finding the time to sit down and crack this one open. It was a relatively quick read, but one that I can see myself rereading over and over again for a good laugh.

Best Friend for Hire: A Novel by Mary Carlomagno is a fun, humorous story. This is my first story by this author and I found her writing skills to be engaging right along with her attention to details. She has created a story about someone who has things all planned out then when it don't, you find a way to make it work. This is the story of Jessie. She has her life planned out even up to the promotion she was expecting until it doesn't happen and she gets laid off. Now she is left trying to figure out a new plan and what to do with her life. This is where she creates her own business called Best Friend for Hire. You will laugh through her mishaps and complications. What will happen when she over commits and saying she booked Bruce Springsteen? Will she find more then what she bargained for in her last job? You will enjoy Jessie's character. Just when you think you have her figured out, she will surprise you. Her family will have you rolling especially her Na. They all are connectable characters that will warm your heart. One of the best things for me about Jessie is how she finds herself and grows throughout this story. She gets so messed up that I just had to see how she was going to fix things. Is this new business of hers just what she needs? Will this be her new nitch in life? You will just have to read this book to find out what happens with Jessie and find out if she may just find more then herself in her new journey. I highly recommend this story, I know you are want to see what happens to Jessie!

Hilarious and Enlightening I needed this book! Best Friend for Hire leaps out of the gate and picks up speed. Within the first few paragraphs I was laughing out loud! We all know someone like Jessie De Salvo—control freak, expectation seeking perfectionist, in need of approval—her hot pink iPad case at the ready to solve everyone’s problems. In Jessie’s own words, “It was suddenly having more people to prove myself to.” If you’ve ever seen the classic movie, When Harry Met Sally, you know exactly the type. Jessie’s attempts to save face while saving the day leads to one tumbling hilarious catastrophe after another. Author, Mary Carlomagno interjects every religion’s wisdom teachings tossing them together in a delightful fruit salad of Oprah style quotes. Jessie’s character is perfectly drawn, from back-story of family-formed insecurities to basically the Every-girl syndrome, “Saving the bar meant saving Dave.” There’s not a female reader who won’t identify with her. Carlomagno’s got the psychology of repetition compulsion down pat, and her amusing explanation in the scene “Drop zee fruit” had me on the floor. As Jessie struggles to make sense of her self-created foibles she has glimmers of insight. What sounds like serious self-reflection concludes with the perfect annotation. “As I knew from my brief experience with self-help, the answers are always within. And most Bruce (Springsteen) songs help you recognize the difficulties.” Without smugness, the story is imbued with Buddhist influenced enlightenment that makes you smile. My favorite quote is an aha moment from Jessie, “I wondered about time that is spent when you are desperately waiting for something to happen, for something to change; that time seems like eternity when you are waiting. But when the “something” happens, that time feels short, erased as if you never suffered through it.” This is a clever and hopeful Must Read!

Review I enjoyed reading "Best Friend for Hire" by Mary Carlomagno. I received a copy of this ARC for my honest review. 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 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)