Popular Posts

Book Review: So Close by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus






Title: So Close, Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Print Length: 248 pages
Publisher: SparkPress (June 7, 2016)
Publication Date: June 7, 2016


S Y N O P S I S

Amanda Beth Luker wants nothing more than to get as far away as possible from the Florida trailer park in which she was raised, her dysfunctional mother and the dead end possibilities of the small town she grew up in.

Nothing seems to be going the way she hopes. Her boyfriend ditched her to go back to South America, taking her money and belongings with him, her mother constantly calls for handouts and she’s just about to lose her job when she meets Tom Davis, a charismatic lawyer with political aspirations. While serving at a political function at the hotel where she works, Amanda overhears Tom speaking at the event. Drawn to his words and inspired by his rags to riches story, Amanda finds herself compelled to Tom and his wife Lindsay. She soon finds herself in their employ as a staffer on Tom’s political campaign for state senate and her life seems to have taken a shift for the better.

As Amanda gains in the political and social world far beyond what she could have imagined from her tiny trailer in Florida, she finds her loyalty and everything she thought she stood for tested by unforeseeable events and the people she holds dearest to her.


M Y T A K E

This book. Holy smokes.
Do you enjoy a Cinderella story with a Scandal-like political plot twist?

Super, this one’s for you.

I really enjoyed this novel and I felt it blended the coming of age theme well with the political elements of the story. This novel was fast paced, easy to read and felt relatable on a couple of levels. Amanda is shown to be a hard worker, knows the kind of future she wants and goes for it but her journey isn’t without mistakes or bumps in the road. And that plot twist at the end... wow.

The relationships in the novel were a little disjointed for me at times and there were places in the novel that I felt stretched – but overall it was a good book and I would recommend this for anyone looking for a quick, engaging read. Perfect for a weekend get away or airplane trip!


A B O U T T H E A U T H O R S

Newsweek declared McLaughlin and Kraus's The Nanny Diaries a 'phenomenon.' It is a #1 New York Times best-seller and the longest-running hardcover best seller of 2002. In 2007 it was released as a major motion picture starring Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney and Alicia Keys. They are also the authors of three other New York Times bestsellers, Citizen Girl, Dedication and Nanny Returns. And the soon to be released Between You & Me, and Over You.

They have appeared numerous times on CNN, MSNBC, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight and The View. Their work and partnership have been covered in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, TIME, Elle, Town & Country and Harper's Bazaar.

They have contributed to The London Times and The New York Times as well as two short story collections to benefit The War Child Fund: Big Night Out and Girls' Night Out. In addition to writing for television and film, they travel around the country speaking to young women about gender issues in American corporate culture.


Buy it at Amazon
Buy it at Barnes & Noble
Listen on Audible


Thank you to BookSparks for sending a copy of this for me to review!

1 comment

  1. Fascinating retelling of the Jon Edwards/Reille Hunter scandal from the perspective of a young campaign staffer who is desperately trying to pull herself up from her bootstraps. Part coming of age story, part political drama, I raced through this book and loved everything about it.

    ReplyDelete