The Partner Track by Helen Wan

Summary:

A young attorney must choose between the prestige of partnership and  the American Dream that she—and her immigrant parents—have come so close to achieving in this riveting debut

In the eyes of her corporate law firm, Ingrid Yung is a “two-fer.” As a Chinese-American woman about to be ushered into the elite rank of partner, she’s the face of Parsons Valentine & Hunt LLP’s recruiting brochures--their treasured "Golden Girl." But behind the firm’s welcoming façade lies the scotch-sipping, cigar-smoking old-boy network that shuts out lawyers like Ingrid. To compensate, Ingrid gamely plays in the softball league, schmoozes in the corporate cafeteria, and puts in the billable hours—until a horrifically offensive performance at the law firm’s annual summer outing throws the carefully constructed image way out of equilibrium.Scrambling to do damage control, Parsons Valentine announces a new “Diversity Initiative” and commands a reluctant Ingrid to spearhead the effort, taking her priority away from the enormous deal that was to be the final step in securing partnership. For the first time, Ingrid finds herself at odds with her colleagues—including her handsome, golden-boy boyfriend—in a clash of class, race, and sexual politics.
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 304 pages (Hardcover)
Source: Review Copy
Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audio
Publication Date: September 17th 2013 by St. Martin's Press

When I got the review request for Helen Wan's Partner Track I was super excited. The book sounded like a good dramatic read and I was happy to see a contemporary novel with an Asian-American main character since I seem to only ever see Asian-American characters in historical fiction so I thought this was so refreshing.

I loved the story line in the book because I know the author herself is a lawyer I felt that it added extra substance to Ingrid's character. Since the author has experience to back up the technical parts of being a lawyer it just made everything all the more believable. I liked how this was while being a lighter read there were definite political undercurrents to the novel that I found intriguing.

The characters were very well written, but I was most impressed with her heroine Ingrid. She was smart, dedicated, strong and she was willing to put in the hard work to break out of filling a company's diversity quota. She wasn't content to sit back and be the token Asian female lawyer, oh no she wanted to prove that she had a right to be a part of the company on the basis of her work ethic.

I thought the plot line of the book was very well written. It was belivable, and we all know that the situations in the book are out there happening to real people because there are still a lot of good ol' boys out there that refuse to open up the club doors to women, as well as people who aren't white. It's a sad reality that there are still problems like this in the world but Helen Wan wrote about them in such a way that it didn't come off preachy about the inequality but wrote about it how it is.

The writing, was great. I think that Helen Wan put out an excellent debut novel and did a fantastic job in mixing elements of mystery, politics and romance all in one in The Partner Track. When I started the book I was hooked from the first page and stayed up all night reading it. The writing was fast paced, and I enjoyed the fact that there was humour in the book.

Overall, I think The Partner Track was a wonderful read and a wonderful debut by Helen Wan. Ingrid was a wonderful main character and I would absolutely love to see more of her, she was such a refreshing character I thought she was great and I'm so glad I was given the opportunity to read this novel.

I would recommend this to people who enjoy women's fiction While the book isn't a heavy read it is serious enough to not qualify as light and fluffy chick lit, but does have a lot of laughs, drama and a well written main character. If you're looking for a great well rounded novel I highly suggest picking this one up.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

 

Loved it!
★★★★★

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*[Blog Tour Review] Intimate Strangers by Anne M. Strick

 

Summary:

 

THE RICH, COMPLEX AND PASSIONATE STORY OF A CONTESTED ADOPTION AND THE TWO WOMEN LAWYERS WHO JOIN TO SAVE A SMALL BOY'S LIFE. THIS BOOK EXAMINES THE VARIOUS FACES OF LOVE: EROTIC LOVE AND ROMANTIC LOVE THE LOVE OF PARENT FOR CHILD AND CHILD FOR PARENT; AND WHAT "REALLY" MAKES A PARENT.

Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 448 pages

Source: Review Copy

Publication Date: January 5th 2011 by Createspace     

 

The book centers around two law partners who specialize in adoption law and their journey to help keep a two year old little boy with the family who adopted him two years previously when his biological father comes into the picture demanding access to the son he's never me nor taken care of. Luckily for the Janus family who adopted the little boy they come across Georgie and Dru who will do anything and everything within their legal powers to help the Janus family.

 

This was a really well written novel. For me there were so many emotions involved in this book. I think the author did a spectacular job capturing the emotions of her characters. Their ups and downs really got to me and the amount of passion the characters had for each other, and the situation at hand was very powerful and extremely moving. In a couple spots in the book I even had a couple of tears due to the scenes in the book.

 

I was really impressed with this novel. The characters were well thought out and I believe that they're very life like. I could envision the characters being real people because they were so detailed I couldn't help but enjoy them. 

 

I also thought that the overall plot of the book was well done. As with the characters the concept of the book was very real to me. I really can see a situation such as this happening the way it did in the book and it takes real talent for an author to make characters and the plot of the novel so real to the audience and it is a gift this reader was happy to receive.

 

If you're in the market looking for wonderfully emotional, powerful and passionate book I urge you to look into getting yourself a copy of this novel as soon as you can. The characters are endearing and the story line is addictive. I for one couldn't wait to see how it turned out and stayed up late into the night reading Intimate Strangers more than once. This would be a great book for those out there who like Women's Fiction/Chick Lit.

*I received a free copy in exchange for my free and honest review. I was not compensated in any way and all thoughts and opinions expressed therein are my own.

Loved It!
★ ★ ★★★ 

 

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Author Bio

 

 

 

Anne M.Strick has spent over twenty years in the movie industry. She has worked for Universal, Warners, Paramount and EMI, as a Unit Publicist, Project Coordinator and National Publicity Director, and with such Hollywood legends as Jack Nicholson, James Earl Jones, Sean Penn, Arnold Schwarzenegger, David Lynch, Sting and Dino De Laurentiis, among many others. She has published theater reviews, articles in Parents Magazine , Frontier and The Nation, and six books: two novels, two self-help books, one memoir (a best-seller in Italy); and a non-fiction, scholarly critique of our adversary trial system. (”remarkable”) . Born in Philadelphia, and educated at Bennington College and UCLA, she lives in Los Angeles.

 

 

 

 

*[Blog Tour Review] Willow Pond by Carol Tibaldi

 

 

Summary:

 

The Roaring Twenties crumble into the Great Depression, but Virginia Kingsley, New York's toughest and most successful speakeasy owner, is doing just fine. Now that the world is falling apart, bootlegging is a flourishing business, and she's queen of that castle.

Then her infant nephew is kidnapped. Her niece, Laura, and Laura's philandering movie star husband, are devastated. The police have few leads, and speculation and rumors abound in the media circus that follows the celebrity abduction.

Only one reporter, Erich Muller, seems to care enough about the child's welfare and the parents' feelings to report the case responsibly. Over the course of the investigation, Erich Muller and Laura fall in love, but their relationship is doomed to failure since he suspects her beloved aunt Virginia is behind the kidnapping. Laura, jaded when it comes to men, sides with Virginia.

But Virginia has figured out the truth, and she can't tell anyone for fear of losing her niece's affections and having the police ransack her life. So she pursues her own investigation, shaking down, threatening, and killing one petty crook after another during her search.

Little Todd's absence shapes everyone's lives. When he is finally found, the discovery will bring disaster for some and revelation for others.

Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 318 pages (Paperback)

Source: Review Copy

Publication Date: December 12th 2011 by Carol Tibaldi

 

 I love novels like these ones. I haven't read a lot of books set in the roaring twenties but the ones I have read have all been very well written just like Willow Pond by Carol Tibaldi turned out to be.  I was really impressed with how well the author was able to capture the time period and I know that she probably had to do her fair amount of research because she had to get the details just right and that work certainly paid off in my opinion.

 

I loved the story line,  I doubt the book would be as successful if it had be written in a later time period because everything seemed to go very well together.However, my favourite part of the book was the characters. I loved how the book was mostly focused on 4 main characters and how their lives all led them on one collision course. Though I do have to say my favourite character was Laura, I couldn't help but like her.

 

The plot itself could have been a just a little stronger. I felt as though at times the book was being rushed along a bit and I wish it had been just a little more drawn out in parts. Those however are minor issues and can easily be over looked because the rest of the novel fits so well together. I loved how it had drama, mystery and romance all wrapped in to one in a nice little package where one genre wasn't fighting for the spotlight more than the others.

 

I would highly recommend this book to those who love historical fiction, historical mysteries and books set in the era of the roaring twenties. This book has so much to offer and if left me wanting more, I can't wait to read more by the author and I hope that if she continues to write that we see more books set in this time period from her because she certainly knows what she's doing!

 

*I received a free copy in exchange for my free and honest review. I was not compensated in any way and all thoughts and opinions expressed therein are my own.

Really Liked It!
★ ★ ★★

 

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*[Blog Tour Review] Walking With Elephants by Karen S. Bell

Summary:

Bridget Jones meets Erma Bombeck

Suze Hall is at a crossroads. Her nemesis at work, Wanda, has been promoted and now will be her boss. Her husband, Bob, is leaving her and the three kids for a six-month sabbatical down under. To top it off, her best friend, Marcia, is missing in action--playing footsie with some new boyfriend! Adding to this disaster stew, David, the gorgeous hunk who broke her young-girl's heart has coincidentally popped back into her life and has something she desperately needs to keep her job. Walking with Elephants, a lighthearted slice-of-life story, brings to the table the serious work/family issues facing women today. It explores the modern dichotomy of a workplace that is filled with homemakers who still must cook, clean, carpool on nights and weekends, shop for prom dresses, and "create" the holidays-such as Suze. But it also is filled with women who have the same drive as men, have no family responsibilities, and will do what ever it takes to get ahead.

So step into the shoes of Suze Hall and commiserate over workplace politics, titillate your sexual fantasies, ride the wave of a working mother, and fall-down laughing.

Summary & Photo Provided by Goddess Fish Promotions

Length: 210 pages

Source: ARC

Publication Date: December 1st 2011 by KSB Press

This book was a wonderful read, and I really connected with Suze the main character which I wasn't expecting. Since I'm only 22 I didn't think that I would get so attached to Suze since she's a middle aged woman and I'm the age of her children but she was such an awesome, likable character that I read this book in one sitting.

Just like the summary promises this is a light, easy going novel. I loved the plot of the novel because even though it could be a little fantastical sometimes I think the situations that Karen S. Bell wrote about in the book could easily be happening to a real woman. I actually think that that is what I enjoyed the most about the novel. It was so approachable and it was pretty much a "what you see is what you get" type of novel.

Walking With Elephant was a great bedtime read for me and it was one that I couldn't put down. I found myself laughing out loud so often while I was reading I'm surprised my neighbours didn't complain for all the cackling I did when I read it. I especially enjoyed the situations in which Suze's kids were in certain scenes because the conversations remind me of how my mother talks to me.

Overall this was an immensley enjoyable read and one that helped get me out of my mini reading funk. The realistic portrayal of a middle aged woman's life was written wonderfully done. I would recommend this book to everyone who loves chick lit. This is a quick read that it would work well as a weekend read up at the cottage or one that you could read in the backyard.

Author Bio

Walking with Elephants is my first novel, although I am not new to writing. I was a theater critic and celebrity interviewer for a weekly tabloid in Jacksonville, Fl and I earned a Master’s in Mass Communication from Oklahoma State University. For 15 years I worked in Corporate America as a technical editor/editor/writer. I experienced first hand the politics and intrigue that goes with that territory and the balancing act that comes with being a working mother. I salute all those mothers who are the glue that holds their families together while pursuing the nine to five brass ring.

*I recieved a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. I was not compensated in any way for my review and all thoughts and opinions are mine.

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Really Liked it!
★ ★ ★ ★