Rating: 
Summary: I actually threw it away
Review: "Bad Heir Day" deals with Anna who aspired to be a writer, who became homeless once her boyfriend dumped her. She moved in to this family to become a nanny for a difficult child called Zak and was hoping to learn something from the Zak's mother, Cassandra, a successful novel writer. Unfortunately, things did not turn out so well for her as she was totally exploited by Cassandra and terrorized by Zak. Cassandra was arrogant, pretentious and abusive. Cassandra on the other hand was having difficulties writing her next novel and her marriage to a former rocker was suffering. Her one change of leaving Cassandra for good was accepting a marriage proposal from Jamie a guy she met at a wedding who owns a castle.I have read Wendy Holden's "Simply Divine" and "Farm Fatale" and I must say that this is Holden's worst book. The main character, Anna was unlikeable, a doormat with low self-esteem and who is willing to put up with any rubbish from people. In addition, the characters reminded me of the ones in "Farm Fatale" in the sense that Wolden placed too much emphasis on the secondary characters such as Cassandra and half way through the book, I am wondering who is the main focus here. The plot is quite similar to "Farm Fatate", a doormat, with an overbearing boyfriend and then quite suddenly meeting another man from out of nowhere and who became her rescuer. "Bad Heir Day" consists of no humor, very dry and unlikeable characters. There is hardly any good romance in the book and if there is, not quite believable. It's quite disappointing considering how well "Simply Divine" was written.
Rating:
Summary: Very Bad. Glad that I didn't pay for it
Review: Anna is a girl on the edge. She just been dump by her boyfriend Seb and now she has no place to go. But as luck would have it, bestselling romance writer Cassandra is in between nannies. Anna takes the job, thinking that Cassandra is going to teach Anna about being a writer. But Anna finds herself taking care of a child that Anna's thinks is the spawn of Satan. But suddnenly, on the third date, Anna finds a guy thats wants to marry her. What is Anna to do?
I am so glad that I did not pay for this book! It was one of the worst book that I have read in along time. There were so many plotlines that there could have been at lease three books out of this one. I have to say that I would be hard press to read another book by Wendy Holden.
Rating: 
Summary: An easy, predictable read
Review: Having read Holden's last book "Simply Divine", I approached "Bad Heir Day" with modest expectations. The lead characters share a whole lot in common, and I was mildly disappointed to see that Holden couldn't broaden her imagination a bit. Anna, our lead character in BHD, is dating Sebastian, a letch who has no problem grinding on the dance floor with other women in front of Anna at a wedding they attend. Anna is an aspiring writer (much like Jane in SD was an aspiring journalist)who dreams of novelist stardom. At the above mentioned wedding, Anna meets Geri, a no-nonsense nanny who advises Anna to post an ad on the local library board in order to become an author's assitant. Unfortunately for Anna, her ad is picked up by Cassandra Knight, a romance novelist with a wretched case of writers block and a tendency towards temper tantrums brought on by too much Bombay Sapphire. Cassandra has just lost her nanny (for the umpteenth time in months)because her half-raised heathen son Zak is such a spoiled brat, no one seems to want the job. As Sebastian has decided to dump her and kick her out of the apartment, what else can Anna do but accept Cassandra's offer to become her live-in "assistant". Of course, Anna had no idea she was really lured there to become nanny to Satan's spawn and run the vaccum, as well as fetch Cassandra's breakfast every morning. Meanwhile, Cassandra's has-been rocker husband Jett (who hasn't released an album or a single in years)keeps lurking in hallways and running around in thongs, all to Anna's horrified dismay. Who can take Anna away from her miserable life? Enter Jamie, a handsome guy who owns a castle. He proposes and she accepts...but life with Jamie isn't all it's cracked up to be. This book was very predictable, but I gave it three stars because there was lots of hilarious dialogue and moments sprinkled throughout the book. Perhaps I found it predictable because I'd pretty much read this scenario already in "Simply Divine"- Cassandra Knight is an awful lot like Champagne D'Vyne (who, incidentally, has a cameo appearance in this book as well). All in all, a VERY easy and quick read, suitable for summer beach or rainy, lazy days.
Rating:
Summary: I left it on the airplane!!
Review: I bought this book for a recent cross country flight. I enjoy the "British neurotic single woman" genere and thought this book would be just the ticket to entertain me during a 5 hour flight. It was SO BAD that I left it on the plane!! Do not waste your time on this book.
Rating:
Summary: AWFUL!!!!!!
Review: I hate this book. I'm finally almost finished with it and then I'm throwing it away. It is one of the worst I've read. Try Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner for a good read.
Rating:
Summary: AWFUL!!!!!!
Review: I hate this book. I'm finally almost finished with it and then I'm throwing it away. It is one of the worst I've read. Try Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner for a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Just O.K.
Review: I love Wendy Holden novels. But, this one left me with an empty feeling. The characters are not developed enough to give you any emotional connection to them. When things happen to the characters I am left wondering why I should care. The story revolves around Anna, a want to be written. Anna starts work as a nanny for a wealthy couple under the hopes that she can help the wife write. This turns out to be a moot point since they need a nanny more than she wants help writing. Anna then re-meets a Scottish man and the story takes you to a castle in Scotland. Needless to say the only interesting character is Cassandra the evil boss who Anna is a nanny for (which I do not think was the intention of the novel). Descent story but lacking the luster of her other novels.
Rating:
Summary: Just O.K.
Review: I love Wendy Holden novels. But, this one left me with an empty feeling. The characters are not developed enough to give you any emotional connection to them. When things happen to the characters I am left wondering why I should care. The story revolves around Anna, a want to be written. Anna starts work as a nanny for a wealthy couple under the hopes that she can help the wife write. This turns out to be a moot point since they need a nanny more than she wants help writing. Anna then re-meets a Scottish man and the story takes you to a castle in Scotland. Needless to say the only interesting character is Cassandra the evil boss who Anna is a nanny for (which I do not think was the intention of the novel). Descent story but lacking the luster of her other novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Glad I didn't pay full price for this one
Review: On the surface, this seemed like the type of book I would enjoy. I love British chick lit in general, especially Marian Keyes. I love books about nannies. And I love books where you see women progress from dashing but scumbag boyfriends to true soul mates, even if they are trite at times.
My expectations weren't really that high -- I wasn't looking for high literature, I was looking for something light-hearted and fun to read in the bathtub. And while the book started out on that track, it ended up going in so many directions at once that the fun was lost.
Yes, the book is about a woman who is jilted by her dashing but scumbag boyfriend, and turns to being a nanny as a transition. But it's also about the woman she works for, who's struggling with alcoholism and writers block and a troubled marriage. And her husband, who is an aging rock star who likes to molest the nannies and leaves his wife for an air-headed starlet who pretends to write, but doesn't really. And also about some people she met at the wedding she attends in the beginning of the book with the scumbag, including the interesting PR girl who sleeps with the groom on his wedding night, and a handsome if odd young man who is acting like one of the caterers but is really heir to the castle the wedding is held in. And did I mention that the original woman in question is also trying to write a novel, and that's why she wanted to work for the crazy woman with writers block?
Sadly, I haven't mentioned half of the characters and plotlines crammed into this book, but suffice it to say that none of them were well-developed.
Rating:
Summary: Not as Divine as Ms. Holden's first novel....
Review: This is a great book if you're in the mood for some mindless fun. If you have read the author's previous book, simply divine, be in store for the same witty banter and adventurous mishaps, with the plot following several characters besides the main character. Unfortunately the problem I had with Bad Heir Day WAS the main character. She was well developed on paper, but rather dumb and unlikeable. I couldn't find myself enjoying the parts of the book dedicated to her because she was such a hopeless case. The funniest parts in this book lie not with the main character, Anna, but with the family she nannies for. Cassandra, her husband Jett, and their hellacious son were the real stars of this novel. Also the tie-ins of Champagne D'vyne's character from the first book were very amusing as well and an unexpected treat. So if you want to read something light & fun Bad Heir Day is a good choice but I really recommend Ms. Holden's other book, Simply Divine over this one.
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