Review: The Go-To Girl

Louise Bagshawe has created a novel filled with vibrant characters and a suspenseful romantic plot, which I might add kept me reading far into the night.

Now, if you think YOU have a pathetic life, try out Anna’s, our main heroine: She is a self-admitted “ugly” girl, has an underpaid (albeit interesting, at times) job of reading slush movie scripts, complete with a horrible boss and a lazy, catty coworker who just got promoted over her. Anna also lives with two beautiful models (one of which is very stuck up) and who have no qualms in assuring Anna of how ugly she is. If all of that isn’t bad enough, she has just been dumped by her boyfriend Brian, who had suffered from halitosis and questionable body odor. The cherry on the pie is Anna’s personality. She is horribly acquiescent – to the point of being a complete pushover.

However, her luck is about to change. After her company is taken over by a large corporation, Anna’s boss-from-hell Kitty has ordered her to find a movie script that will actually be able to be made into a movie. Anna somehow manages to do that, and manages to find a top-name director to make the movie. This director, the reclusive, handsome and enigmatic Mark Swan, takes an interest in Anna and manages to get her on board with the movie. He also seems rather interested in Anna on a personal level… might it have something to do with her recent makeover?

Too bad Anna is convinced that such a handsome guy isn’t interested in her. Instead, she gets caught up with Charles, a man who is rich, but with whom she has absolutely no chemistry whatsoever. When he proposes marriage, Anna’s life is thrown into a tailspin. And things only get more insane from there…

Despite Anna’s major character flaws, I got so into the story that I ended up finishing it in one night. The narrative is lively and funny, and some romantic suspense is thrown in for good measure. Lastly, the dialogue that occurs between the many characters is often very humorous.

The major downside to this novel was Anna’s doormat character, (at least until the part of the book that she finally grows a backbone). People that enjoy assertive characters will absolutely despise Anna in the first half of the book. However, good storytelling makes up for these downfalls.

Overall, I definitely recommend giving this book a read. It is a fun, absorbing and interesting novel that one can immerse oneself in for hours.

4 stars
reviewed by Rian

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