Friday, January 6, 2017

Challenge Accepted

The new reading challenge for 2017 is posted. First up…read a debut novel. After consulting this list, I chose The Assistants by Camille Perri because a) it was immediately available through my library’s Overdrive page and b) who can resist a book described as “9 to 5 meets Bonnie and Clyde, with a dash of The Devil Wears Prada.”

Tina Fontana is the assistant of the title who stumbles upon a scheme to siphon money from the expense account coffers to pay back her student loans. When an assistant in accounting catches on, she ropes Tina into helping her do the same. However, after falling for a young lawyer in the legal department, Tina’s conscience begins weighing on her. With the help of her partners in crime, she sets out to make the scheme public and above board.  

As a young Sassy reader, I dreamed of editorial internships at glossy magazines in New York.  As an adult, I love sendups of that world (like this and this) that focus on disgruntled assistants, sample closets, and the drama of deadlines and ambitious editors. The Assistants, a fast, easy read, is a debut that will produce a movie deal if not a sequel. 

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