Book Review: Don’t Tell the Boss

By Becky Gulc

I am a big fan of the website Novelicious which is great for aspiring writers and I’ve followed Anna Bell’s fantastic weekly column, The Secret Dreamworld of An Aspiring Author, for a couple of years now. When Anna secured a three-book publishing deal I was intrigued to read her work. The first novel of Anna’s I have read is Don’t Tell the Boss which is a follow up to her first book in the series, Don’t Tell the Groom. So what’s it all about?

When newlywed Penny turns her hand to some casual wedding planning she only wants to help other women afford the big day of their dreams.

But taming bridezillas turns out to be a full-time occupation, and what began as a hobby becomes a personal and professional nightmare.

Soon Penny is struggling to keep her day job and prevent her own marriage from collapsing under the strain: tired, stressed and knee-deep in ivory satin, is Penny's life and livelihood hanging by a thread? (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon UK.)

I thought this was a great read, very fitting of the chick lit genre. However, with Penny having just gotten married, it was nice to read a book where the relationship is already secure, even though there are inevitable struggles along the way. Penny is refreshingly passionate about both her day job and her hobbies. There is so much going on with the wedding planning and with Penny’s day job that the relationship with her husband is a relatively small part of the book, for the most part.

There are inevitable twists and turns in the novel. At one point, I didn’t see how Penny was going to pull things off and keep her demanding boss and bridezilla side client happy, but I loved seeing how events unfolded.

I enjoyed Anna’s style of writing and found it very witty, with Penny as a central character being very likeable, and the situations she gets into very comical. One of the best things about Anna’s writing for me is how she makes everything bang up to date, relevant and relatable. Penny runs her own blog with tips on how to organise a wedding on a low budget and each chapter begins with a fitting blog entry. There were numerous cultural references in the novel that just resonated with me and made me feel like Penny is someone I’d have a lot in common with.

It’s probably important to say that you don’t have to have read Don’t Tell the Groom to enjoy this sequel, but by the same token, the references to the past suggest the book would be a great read to start with before going on to this one. I would definitely still go back and read the first book and I’d also definitely read any subsequent follow-ups, Penny is a character I’d happily spend more with.

Thanks to Quercus for the book in exchange for an honest review.