Review of Working It Out by Nicola May

Ruby Matthews has a plan.  Twelve jobs in twelve months, until she finds the one of her dreams....

After an unexpected redundancy, Ruby begins to question her priorities.  Inspired by a quote from Kahlil Gibran about loving your work, she launches her mission to find the ideal job.

Her year of gainful (and sometimes painful!) employment includes nannying for clients in the South of France; dealing with embarrassing ailments in a Harley Street clinic; waiting tables in a buzzy Soho cafe; and meeting the celebs of years gone by in a home for retired actors.  And even though love is no longer top of her list, relationships just seem to start happening along the way - which sees her handing out some P45s of her own!

But will any of the jobs, or men she meets, see her dreams come true? Or will Ruby just end up back where she started?

I loved the sound of this book – Twelve jobs in twelve months.  And we’re not talking about any old boring jobs; we’re talking unique crazy jobs that will make you laugh!  This variety allowed the reader to meet a vast array of characters from all different walks of life.  I loved this aspect of the book – the characters weren’t all city-types or mums (you get the picture) – we meet so many different people!  Gorgeous George earns every single letter of his name and the banter he and Ruby share throughout the book is fabulous! I also loved Sam, Ruby’s brother who is blind.  He features throughout the book, and is portrayed so well!

At first I struggled with how short our encounters are with some of the jobs Ruby embarks on.  Yet, as I read on, I discovered that we see just enough to make us laugh or maybe cry, to see how it impacts on Ruby’s life and then we can move on to her next encounter.  If I had anything to criticise it would be that I would have liked to have known more about each job!

Amazingly, this book is self-published.  Despite the vast number of characters, I never forgot who any of them were when they reappeared later.  There are plenty of laugh out loud moments, and whilst you might guess the ultimate conclusion, it’s satisfying nonetheless. 

This clever idea of a book is definitely worth a read, and I’m really looking forward to reading Nicola’s next book Star Fish which takes the same premise but applies it to dating.  In Star Fish, we will meet Amy who is going to date her way through the twelve signs of the zodiac! Now, I’m not overly into horoscopes (I don’t believe I can live my life by them) but I do believe that your star sign affects who you are as a person (maybe some more than others).  

Finally, a big thank you to Nicola May for the copy of Working It Out to review.  Can't wait for Star Fish!!