American Saturday Review: Good-Bye To All That by Margo Candela
July 17th, 2010 by Danielle
When her Hollywood career goes haywire, a young woman must say good-bye to all that . . . or must she?
Raquel Azorian has worked her way from temp to executive assistant and is this close to a promotion to junior marketing exec at Belmore Corporation, the media behemoth she’s devoted herself to. She’s learned to play the Hollywood game—navigate office politics, schmooze the right people, avoid the wrong ones, and maintain a sense of decorum even in the craziest of times. All she needs is for her boss to sign her promotion memo. Instead of putting pen to paper, he suffers a very public meltdown that puts not only his professional future but also Raquel’s on the line.
Getting to the next rung on the Belmore ladder will require every ounce of focus, but that’s not going to be easy. Raquel’s mom has decided to leave her husband and move into Raquel’s apartment, and her older brother seems to be sinking deeper and deeper into depression. Raquel has to keep her job, stop her parents from divorcing, and save her brother. In the chaos of juggling so much, she finally reaches a breaking point: there’s just not enough time for everything or for everyone. She’s going to have to choose—success at work or happiness at home. But then a chance encounter at a bookstore cafÉ leads Raquel to start planning her own Hollywood ending . . . on her own terms.
Raquel is a typical “modern woman” with a drive to get what she wants, even when the cards are down. Her boss has suddenly had a nervous breakdown in front of an entire conference room of employees, not to mention, the guy gunning for his job as well as the owner of Belmore Corporation. Raquel’s parents have had a major falling out, leaving her stuck with a mother that sleeps on her couch and won’t lay off the Bailey’s liquor. But just when she thinks things are at their worst, Raquel finds a glimmer of hope and that drive she’s accustomed to, kicks into high gear.
Every character takes the sidelines when Raquel enters the room. No matter their status or position in life, it’s Raquel who takes center stage, not the other person. So much of this has to do with the fact that Raquel is a determined and driven woman who would like nothing better than a fairytale ending with all the success that entails. Initially it was this “no holds barred” attitude that drew me to the book, but in the end it was her chattering that did me in. Raquel is so driven and motivated that when it comes to the input of those around her it’s hardly appreciated. She can take care of everything herself because she knows all and so why bother listening to the other characters. It’s when the describing takes over from the actual doing and interacting that Raquel’s story fell flat for me.
Besides Raquel there is one other main “character” that plays a huge role in the story, Belmore Corporation, the office Raquel spends most of her waking hours at. An entertainment industry powerhouse, chock full of big-named actors and actresses with all of the fun and excitement of Hollywood. Movie premiers, behind-the-scenes board meetings, paparazzi, and so much more add to the drama surrounding a quickly sinking office dynamic. More often than not I found myself wondering if the office environment at Belmore is truly like that in other Hollywood film industry offices. Yes, I’ve worked in a typical office manager type position, but never in any of the offices I’ve worked in would they have tolerated so many sexual innuendos without some type of repercussion. Definitely a different working environment than I’m typically accustomed to.
Unfortunately for me Good-Bye to All That fell a bit flat for me. Much of Raquel’s drive and ambition became somewhat lacking for me once the mindless chatter in her brain carried on and on. In addition, any dialogue that was spoken often had more sexual undertones than what I would consider normal. Although, if you are a fan of Hollywood romance, driven leading ladies and a glance into the often risky business that is showbiz than I would definitely recommend picking up Good-Bye to All That. It may be just the perfect read for you!
Thank you so much to the author, Margo Candela, for sending me a copy for review!
Posted in 2010 releases, American Saturday, Book Reviews, Rating: 2/5 | No Comments »
