44. Holly's Inbox by Holly Denham

I think I read about this book in an issue of People magazine. Apparently someone ran a website as if it were a receptionist named Holly's e-mail inbox, and it was hugely popular. I'm not sure if this book is mainly a compilation of entries posted there or original writing. I tried going to hollysinbox.com (as I was directed by a note from "Holly" in the book) but the link doesn't appear to be active anymore.

Holly's Inbox starts on Holly's first day as a receptionist at a major bank in London. It's readily apparent that she's total crap at the job, and struggling to keep her head above water. Holly's story unfolds through her To: and From: e-mails over the next four months, as she improves at work, begins a new relationship, deals with an impossible washing machine repair company, and keeps tabs on her friends and family.

(I think I'm going to leave the plot summary at that, as it would be really easy to include major spoilers.)

I read this book on New Year's Day while Colin watched three (four?) college bowl games. (He really loves college football.) The e-mail format was easy to fall into, I think because the e-mails are pretty short and the story is fairly fast-paced. Definitely a page-turner, which is good considering it's 600+ pages long! The stories are really entertaining, and Holly is a sympathetic main character. Her supporting characters fulfill the usual cliches (gay best friend, meddling mom, scoundrel boyfriend) but still feel fresh and original as you're reading. You're not privy to all of Holly's past from the beginning, and the author (whoever it actually is) does a great job of gradually giving the reader bits of information to piece together. I have a feeling that a sequel is on the way; there was at least one plot point left unresolved.

If you're looking for a good chick lit book, you should give this one a try! It's entertaining and at times silly, but weighty enough that you won't feel silly for having invested time in it.