PICK ME UP

Author: Zoë Rice ISBN: 0451218442 6/2006 CHICK LIT Publisher: NAL

Yesterday? My life was perfect. I, Isabel Duncan, was a full-fledged New York gallerista, gossiping all day about my favorite subject—art—while selling hundred-thousand-dollar paintings I would die to won. The only ting better than my job at the Emerson Bond Gallery? The whopping promotion I was just about to get... Today? Emerson Bond dropped dead. Now we all may be out of a job. My fabulous boss, Freddie (love him!). Our absolutely adorable receptionist, Kimmy (lover her!). And devoted, well-meaning me (love me!). Tomorrow? I can't even thinking about it... ...because I've definitely gotten off on the wrong foot with the insufferable star artist who's responsible for my professional future. And then there's the new blood at the Bond Gallery: Avery Devon, the man so gorgeous I can't even speak to him. The man now in charge of my whole life. the man who, if I'm really, really lucky, will teach me all about the art of love—and not just in my dreams.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Now here's the perfect book to keep in your desk drawer at work to read on breaks, during lunch, or whenever you need a quick pick me up from the every day routine. Aptly named, PICK ME UP will do just that for you—it's funny, it's witty, it's just downright uplifting. Full of engaging characters and zippy dialogue, it's one of those books that no matter how many times you may have to start and stop it (office interruptions, you know), and no matter how long in between your reading sessions, you'll remember exactly where you've left off last. The writing and characters are just memorable.

Zoë Rice has done a great job with her debut book, and this from a reviewer that's not that fond of chick lit. The main character, Izzy, may have great taste in art, but her taste in men leaves something to be desired. Her life as she knows it is suddenly thrown into disarray when the owner of the art gallery she works for suddenly dies, throwing Izzy's career plans into serious doubt. Enter the new owner, the impeccably handsome Avery Devon, who Izzy can see as her possible dream man. However, things become a bit more complicated for Izzy when her newest client, temperamental artist Grady Cole, walks into the picture, vexing her with every flick of his paintbrush. Yet there's something between these two men, a definite undercurrent that flows between Devon and Grady and it's not just because of Izzy. Just what is their connection to each other and to the art gallery, and what will it mean for Izzy?

Bottom line? PICK ME UP is just a fun, feel good book that's perfect no matter where or how you read it, and you don't have to know a Picasso from a Monet to understand it. Simply read it and enjoy the pick me up that PICK ME UP will give you.

Nancy Davis