From: Holly
To: Trisha
I haven’t done wrong that I know of, maybe she is being nice?? She’s even calling me by my name instead of ‘receptionist’?
From: Trisha
To: Holly
She’s a witch and she eats human flesh, that’s what they said. Now she’s got your name too.
From: Holly
To: Trisha
Oh stop trying to scare me.
(from Holly’s Inbox: Scandal in the City, page 114)
Holly’s Inbox: Scandal in the City is the follow-up to Holly’s Inbox (read my review), both hilarious novels told in the form of e-mails. Writing under the pen name Holly Denham, author Bill Surie gives readers a glimpse into the inbox of Holly, a receptionist in a corporate bank in London. It’s possible to read and enjoy this latest installment without reading the first, though the story will be more complete if you know what happened prior…and you wouldn’t want to miss all the ridiculous situations in which Holly is involved!
After all the obstacles Holly overcame in the first book, her life seems to be running smoothly. She’s in a wonderful relationship with Toby, she’s secure in her job; in fact, she’s been offered a promotion…which she decides to keep secret from Trish, senior receptionist and good friend. Of course, through Holly’s amusing stupidity, many misunderstandings, and not-so-nice colleagues, Holly’s relationship and job are soon in jeopardy.
Coming in at more than 500 pages, Holly’s Inbox: Scandal in the City is a very fast read, given that it’s comprised of e-mails. Surprisingly, you learn a lot about Holly, her friends, and even her enemies — more than you would expect from reading short messages typed during work. From office gossip and desperate messages to Toby to banter between Holly and her closest friends Jason, Aisha, and Trish, the book is hard to put down. (It took me only two days of commuter reading to finish it.) Readers also get a glimpse of Holly’s text messages when she’s hiding in a closet, and when things take a turn for the worse, e-mails among Trish and the other receptionists take center stage.
Holly is a very likable character, even when I was shaking my head at her actions or cringing in embarrassment on her behalf. If you had Holly as a best friend, life certainly wouldn’t be dull! Despite its predictability and an all-ends-tied-up-neatly conclusion, Holly’s Inbox: Scandal in the City is a fun read and perfect for those days when you need something light and amusing. I sure hope there will be a third part to Holly’s antics coming soon.
Disclosure: I received a copy of Holly’s Inbox: Scandal in the City from Sourcebooks for review purposes. I am an Amazon associate.
© 2010 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
I think you summed this up very well. It was just a cute, fun book that made me giggle!
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Thanks, and cute and fun certainly serve a purpose!
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😀 yes I want to read this one, I do hope the library hears my plea and gets it 😉
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I hope it does, too!
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Sounds like a nice follow up to the first book and good for summer reading…what’s left of that!
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You still haven’t read the first book. You should get on that. 😉
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I’m not sure I could get over the email format
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You should give it a try. I wasn’t so sure of it myself, and when I got the first book, I thought I’d just flip through it a bit, but I started reading and before I knew it, I’d ready nearly 100 pages!
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I have the first book on my shelves (I think I won it from you, didn’t I?) and have been intimidated by the size. Until now, when I’ve been reminded that these books go really really fast (an afternoon at the pool?). Now of course I will need to get the sequel so I can read them back-to-back!
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You might have, but I don’t remember. (I’m lucky I remember what I did today! LOL)
The certainly do go fast, so don’t get hung up on the size.
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Glad you enjoyed the second one! I actually have the first one at home, just haven’t read it yet. Part of me knows that it will be a fast read because it’s in email format, but the size keeps making me push it aside for smaller books anyway. haha
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If I hadn’t had to work, I could have read this in a day, so don’t let the size turn you off.
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Great review! I thought this book was tons of fun too!
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Thanks! Glad to hear you enjoyed it as well.
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Terrific review, Anna! It does sound like a book that would make commuting more fun. I passed by one of the Holly books in the book store the other day, and I remembered it from “the blogs”. 🙂
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Thanks! I find that happening more and more when I’m in the bookstores. Now trying to remember exactly which blog posted about a particular book is a whole other story!
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Great review! I would definitely want this book 🙂
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Thanks! You definitely should give it a try.
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I don’t mind predictability when it’s a fun read. Can not wait to start this one!!!
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You’re right that predictability isn’t always bad.
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Thanks for the review.
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My pleasure!
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I liked this one, but I felt like Holly was a little too….well, drunk and embarrassing for my tastes. I thought it was funny though!
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You have a point there, but I honestly didn’t think too hard about it. Holly is an embarrassment, and I kept wondering when she’d learn from her past mistakes.
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I like this cover but I’m not really sure about the format of the book.
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I was unsure of the format myself, but it’s crazy how well it works in letter readers really get to know the characters. I think you should at least give it a try.
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Great review Anna. As you know I really liked it too. I sure hope there’s a third one coming – he did leave it open for one.
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I’m hoping and being optimistic…
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I’ve heard good things about these and am curious to read them. Great review!
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Thanks!
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I’m going to have to find the first book in Mt. TBR–these sound like such fun!
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Definitely!
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I’m in the middle of this one now and really enjoying it! Holly is definitely a character… literally. She seems to be growing up a little bit more in this one, though, and I’m digging that.
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I hope she doesn’t grow up too much because the books just wouldn’t be the same if Holly wasn’t Holly. 😉
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