What do you think?
Rate this book
Results Not Typical
Through their Ultimate Weight Loss Diet Solution Zone System, Slimmit International Global Incorporated claim they’re making the world a more attractive place one fatty at a time. Their slogans “Where You’re Fat and We Know It!” and “Where the Fat IS Your Fault!” are recognised around the globe, the counter in the lobby says five million slimmed and their share price is as high as their energy levels. But today the theft of their latest revolutionary product, Lipid Loser, will threaten to expose the real secret behind Slimmit’s success…
As Director of Security, hunky Aaron Green is held responsible and threatened with his job. Spying an opportunity to get back into Aaron’s pants, Marianne Brand, head of Slimming Operations, offers to help him track down the intruder – but what she’s really hoping to find is her missing Much, Much More Muffin, a secret prototype she believes the intruder ate. Meanwhile Slimmit CEO Nicola Darcy struggles to stay conscious in the three layers of constricting underwear she needs to hide her new muffin top, while her daughter Emmy – deemed “unacceptably beyond corporate Appearance Policy parameters” – pushes paper in Slimmit’s basement and dreams of a skinny life, one she hopes her secret membership of Fat Club, Slimmit’s main competitor, will eventually bring her.
The race is on to retrieve the Lipid Loser and save Slimmit from total disaster. If their secrets get out, their competitors will put them out of business. If the government finds out, they’ll all go to jail. And if their clients find out… Well, as Slimmit’s Slimming Specialists know all too well, there’s only one thing worse than a hungry, sugar-crazed, carb addict – an angry one.
Will the secret behind Slimmit’s success survive the day, or will their long-suffering slimmers finally discover the truth?
As Director of Security, hunky Aaron Green is held responsible and threatened with his job. Spying an opportunity to get back into Aaron’s pants, Marianne Brand, head of Slimming Operations, offers to help him track down the intruder – but what she’s really hoping to find is her missing Much, Much More Muffin, a secret prototype she believes the intruder ate. Meanwhile Slimmit CEO Nicola Darcy struggles to stay conscious in the three layers of constricting underwear she needs to hide her new muffin top, while her daughter Emmy – deemed “unacceptably beyond corporate Appearance Policy parameters” – pushes paper in Slimmit’s basement and dreams of a skinny life, one she hopes her secret membership of Fat Club, Slimmit’s main competitor, will eventually bring her.
The race is on to retrieve the Lipid Loser and save Slimmit from total disaster. If their secrets get out, their competitors will put them out of business. If the government finds out, they’ll all go to jail. And if their clients find out… Well, as Slimmit’s Slimming Specialists know all too well, there’s only one thing worse than a hungry, sugar-crazed, carb addict – an angry one.
Will the secret behind Slimmit’s success survive the day, or will their long-suffering slimmers finally discover the truth?
408 pages, Paperback
First published September 8, 2011
15 people are currently reading
494 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Ryan Howard
25 books4,218 followersCatherine Ryan Howard is an internationally bestselling crime writer from Cork, Ireland. Her debut novel, DISTRESS SIGNALS, was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey/New Blood Dagger. THE LIAR'S GIRL (2018) was shortlisted for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. REWIND (2019) was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year and is currently being developed for screen by Clerkenwell Films (Misfits, Lovesick, The End of the F***ing World.) THE NOTHING MAN was a no. 1 Irish Times bestseller and a no. 1 Kindle bestseller (UK) and was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year. Her latest novel, 56 DAYS, was published in August 2021. It is a thriller set in lockdown that Catherine wrote while she was in lockdown.
Prior to writing full-time, Catherine worked as a campsite courier in France and a front desk agent in Walt Disney World, Florida. She still wants to be an astronaut when she grows up.
Prior to writing full-time, Catherine worked as a campsite courier in France and a front desk agent in Walt Disney World, Florida. She still wants to be an astronaut when she grows up.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
October 3, 2011
When I read that Catherine Ryan Howard was going to be releasing a fiction novel, I was excited. I’d enjoyed her non-fiction book Mousetrapped and I felt she had a real flair for writing, which was confirmed when I read Backpacked, the sort-of sequel to Mousetrapped. It was another brilliant read and when Catherine asked me if I’d like to read an early copy of Results Not Typical, I jumped at the chance. It sounded entirely different to anything I’d ever read before so when it arrived I couldn’t wait to dive in.
Results Not Typical is not a typical (har-har) Chick Lit novel. Catherine herself confirmed that, but if you ask me where it should go, I wouldn’t know where to put it. I’ve never really read anything like it before; the closest I’ve come is E2 by Matt Beaumont, which is somewhat similar. It’s really a satirical novel (though please don’t ask me what satirical means), but Chick Lit fans will enjoy it. Results Not Typical spans just one day – I’m not joking, the novel – all 410 pages of it – covers a mere 24 hours in the life of the people who work at Slimmit – Where You’re Fat And We Know It! It’s an impressive feat, actually, but it’s incredibly fast paced so the book never lags and although you could perhaps say that everything that happens is a bit farcical, a bit unbelievable, well that’s the entire novel in a nutshell really. It’s ALL a bit farcical – in a nice way. It’s not (I hope!) a novel you’re meant to take entirely seriously.
The novel is very much plot-driven rather than character-driven as most of the characters are rather despicable Cruella De Vil types. The plot is excellent, as Slimmit find themselves in a bit of a scandal – or rather, they will find themselves in a bit of a scandal, if word gets out that their new product Lipid Loser has been stolen. The novel follows Slimmit CEO Nicola Darcy, Slimmit’s Director of Slimming Marianne Brand, and Nicola’s daughter, Emmy, who works in the Travel Support department because she’s not thin or pretty enough to work anywhere but Level -1. I found it fascinating following each woman throughout the day. Emmy as she struggles to try and avoid food temptation; Nicola as she tries to bring herself back from the brink after a heavy weekend and Marianne as she plots and plans and schemes. It was great to see things unfold before the characters did, as we saw it all occurring without anyone else knowing.
The novel is very on point. I mean, how many people around the World are part of a diet group? Part of WeightWatchers or Jenny Craig or one of the many other diet groups around and I reckon Catherine Ryan Howard has hit the mark with Results Not Typical. It’s just brilliant. I loved how stupid the assistants at Slimmit were, I loved the villainous nature of everyone at Slimmit, except Emmy it seemed. It’s very on the button and Catherine has perfectly tapped into what life may well be like at companies like Slimmit. (Though hopefully not.) It’s a novel that’s larger than life, that’s hard to pigeon hole. I’d love to say something clever about the novel because it is more high-concept than I’m used to reading, and the goings-on and happenings are head-spinningly dizzy but I don’t actually know what to say that would/could be clever.
I wondered how Results Not Typical would end, why everyone was so worried about the theft of Lipid Loser, just how the rivalry between Nicola and Marianne would end, whether Emmy would ever come to terms with herself and her weight. There were loads of balls up in the air throughout the novel and Ryan Howard handled them marvellously. There wasn’t anything left up in the air come the end of the book and I thought it was a very satisfying read. It’s so nice to read something that’s different, to read something that’s not your regular girl-meets-boy fare. I truly hope this novel does well, Catherine has a natural flair for story-telling and her writing is immense. It’s a novel that must have been well thought-out and Catherine executed it perfectly. It was such an enjoyable read and I thoroughly recommend it.
Results Not Typical is not a typical (har-har) Chick Lit novel. Catherine herself confirmed that, but if you ask me where it should go, I wouldn’t know where to put it. I’ve never really read anything like it before; the closest I’ve come is E2 by Matt Beaumont, which is somewhat similar. It’s really a satirical novel (though please don’t ask me what satirical means), but Chick Lit fans will enjoy it. Results Not Typical spans just one day – I’m not joking, the novel – all 410 pages of it – covers a mere 24 hours in the life of the people who work at Slimmit – Where You’re Fat And We Know It! It’s an impressive feat, actually, but it’s incredibly fast paced so the book never lags and although you could perhaps say that everything that happens is a bit farcical, a bit unbelievable, well that’s the entire novel in a nutshell really. It’s ALL a bit farcical – in a nice way. It’s not (I hope!) a novel you’re meant to take entirely seriously.
The novel is very much plot-driven rather than character-driven as most of the characters are rather despicable Cruella De Vil types. The plot is excellent, as Slimmit find themselves in a bit of a scandal – or rather, they will find themselves in a bit of a scandal, if word gets out that their new product Lipid Loser has been stolen. The novel follows Slimmit CEO Nicola Darcy, Slimmit’s Director of Slimming Marianne Brand, and Nicola’s daughter, Emmy, who works in the Travel Support department because she’s not thin or pretty enough to work anywhere but Level -1. I found it fascinating following each woman throughout the day. Emmy as she struggles to try and avoid food temptation; Nicola as she tries to bring herself back from the brink after a heavy weekend and Marianne as she plots and plans and schemes. It was great to see things unfold before the characters did, as we saw it all occurring without anyone else knowing.
The novel is very on point. I mean, how many people around the World are part of a diet group? Part of WeightWatchers or Jenny Craig or one of the many other diet groups around and I reckon Catherine Ryan Howard has hit the mark with Results Not Typical. It’s just brilliant. I loved how stupid the assistants at Slimmit were, I loved the villainous nature of everyone at Slimmit, except Emmy it seemed. It’s very on the button and Catherine has perfectly tapped into what life may well be like at companies like Slimmit. (Though hopefully not.) It’s a novel that’s larger than life, that’s hard to pigeon hole. I’d love to say something clever about the novel because it is more high-concept than I’m used to reading, and the goings-on and happenings are head-spinningly dizzy but I don’t actually know what to say that would/could be clever.
I wondered how Results Not Typical would end, why everyone was so worried about the theft of Lipid Loser, just how the rivalry between Nicola and Marianne would end, whether Emmy would ever come to terms with herself and her weight. There were loads of balls up in the air throughout the novel and Ryan Howard handled them marvellously. There wasn’t anything left up in the air come the end of the book and I thought it was a very satisfying read. It’s so nice to read something that’s different, to read something that’s not your regular girl-meets-boy fare. I truly hope this novel does well, Catherine has a natural flair for story-telling and her writing is immense. It’s a novel that must have been well thought-out and Catherine executed it perfectly. It was such an enjoyable read and I thoroughly recommend it.
January 11, 2018
I’m definitely much more of a fan of her non-fiction, though I haven’t read her new ones so who knows. Hard to get through for me
April 30, 2012
Catherine Ryan Howard's first novel (she's previously penned travel fiction) is a broadly satirical chick lit novel taking on the weight loss industry. Although weight gain and self esteem are issues dealt with in a number of other chick lit books, this comes at it from an entirely different angle. At the center of the book is Slimmit, a sort of fascist mega-corporation devoted to weight loss, and even more to profit. The book opens with a man stealing their latest product and the trade secret it holds. From there we plummet into corporate espionage, backstabbing, and bitchiness with our protagonist Emmy caught up in the corporate chaos. Emmy is, she realizes, fat, not just over weight, not chubby, not plump, but fat. The F-word --- fat --- gets bandied around a lot in this book. Emmy is also the daughter of the head of the corporation and is a bit of an embarrassment to everyone. She was on the corporate fast-track, but after gaining weight, she's been relegated to the Travel department in the basement. When "Mum" has a crisis...she pulls Emmy in to help. (The author gives "Shapewear" a hilarious much-deserved take-down.) Emmy, who is blatantly loathed by everyone because she is not frighteningly thin as everyone else is, is not a corporate cheerleader. She wants out. In fact, she's secretly joined a competitor, Fat Club. In addition to the internecine corporate warfare, there is another battle going on in this book: fat versus thin. Which in some cases equals sane versus crazy as Slimmit corporate culture is like something out of a dystopian science fiction novel. (Weight is displayed on employee's name tags and humiliation part of the weight loss program.) If Slimmit ruled the world, this would, in fact, be a dystopian science fiction novel, albeit a funny satirical one because no one could really come up with things as crazy as Slimmit's weight loss regimen and corporate policies...could they? For anyone who has ever eaten a low calorie meal for no other reason than that was low calorie (it certainly couldn't be for flavor), or anyone who has ever dieted (every woman in America, including those who don't need to) or who has tried various structured weight loss programs with meetings and a line of food products (the book's author has), the outrageous fiction of Slimmit with its line of foods, pills, and dictums will hit close to home. Fast-paced and written with a wry sense of humor, this should appeal to those who loved The Devil Wears Prada. You'll never look at a low-cal muffin --- or a weight loss program --- the same way again! (Disclaimer: The author gave me this ebook, but that did not affect my review. I loved it and would've written the exact same review if I'd bought the book. In other words: it's good!)
June 24, 2012
From my review at bookendbabes.com:
http://www.bookendbabes.com/2012/04/0...
Emmy’s life might be the penultimate conundrum. Struggling with her weight for years, she works for Slimmit – a company who’s slogan is, “You’re Fat, and We Know It!” Hidden away in the basement where no one will ever see her because of a performance review that stated she was ‘unacceptably beyond Appearance Policy parameters,’ Emmy handles travel arrangements for a fleet of stunningly (and weirdly – glowing) thin waifs who would make any Stepford Wife commit sepulchu out of shame.
Slimmit – a leader in the weight-loss and regret industry is run by two women who mainline an impressive array of questionable chemical diet pills and purge as if it were their chosen, artistic medium.
Marianne is Slimmit’s Director of Slimming. Thin and beautiful, with a weird penchant for using furniture polish on her hair to make it shine, Marianne’s one goal in life is to make Nicola Darcy, Slimmit’s CEO, fat and miserable.
Nicola Darcy is struggling to keep it together – and by “it” I mean the contents of her stomach and the control of her company. For some reason, she’s taken up binge eating on the weekends – which she tops off with a dose of humiliation and ill-fitting shapewear on Monday morning. This self-made woman is literally coming apart at the seams.
Who hasn’t been through this? The other day, I did a tv interview – which I regretfully dvr-ed and watched (which was followed by complete deletion and a string of expletives that startled the cat). My once, thin (dare I say ‘swanlike?’) neck was missing – in fact, a puffer fish (fully inflated and slightly less lethal) with a goiter appeared where my neck and head had once been. I looked fatnormous.
Women struggle with weight issues – it’s a fact of life, dammit. And that’s why I loved this book – it’s a clever satire on the weight-loss industry with lots of twists and turns and some damn good surprises in the end. There’s corporate espionage, sexual intrigue, celebrities, and a heroine who, like me, enjoys the occasional (okay, okay! Frequent,) pint of Ben & Jerry’s and says, “Tomorrow I’ll eat right and exercise” into a mirror without crying (or swearing creatively).
Catherine Ryan Howard’s book is funny, thought-provoking, suspenseful and utterly relatable. And right now, it’s only 99 cents, sinfully good and 100% calorie free…that is, unless you eat ice cream while reading it…which I did.
Oh well. It was worth it.
http://www.bookendbabes.com/2012/04/0...
Emmy’s life might be the penultimate conundrum. Struggling with her weight for years, she works for Slimmit – a company who’s slogan is, “You’re Fat, and We Know It!” Hidden away in the basement where no one will ever see her because of a performance review that stated she was ‘unacceptably beyond Appearance Policy parameters,’ Emmy handles travel arrangements for a fleet of stunningly (and weirdly – glowing) thin waifs who would make any Stepford Wife commit sepulchu out of shame.
Slimmit – a leader in the weight-loss and regret industry is run by two women who mainline an impressive array of questionable chemical diet pills and purge as if it were their chosen, artistic medium.
Marianne is Slimmit’s Director of Slimming. Thin and beautiful, with a weird penchant for using furniture polish on her hair to make it shine, Marianne’s one goal in life is to make Nicola Darcy, Slimmit’s CEO, fat and miserable.
Nicola Darcy is struggling to keep it together – and by “it” I mean the contents of her stomach and the control of her company. For some reason, she’s taken up binge eating on the weekends – which she tops off with a dose of humiliation and ill-fitting shapewear on Monday morning. This self-made woman is literally coming apart at the seams.
Who hasn’t been through this? The other day, I did a tv interview – which I regretfully dvr-ed and watched (which was followed by complete deletion and a string of expletives that startled the cat). My once, thin (dare I say ‘swanlike?’) neck was missing – in fact, a puffer fish (fully inflated and slightly less lethal) with a goiter appeared where my neck and head had once been. I looked fatnormous.
Women struggle with weight issues – it’s a fact of life, dammit. And that’s why I loved this book – it’s a clever satire on the weight-loss industry with lots of twists and turns and some damn good surprises in the end. There’s corporate espionage, sexual intrigue, celebrities, and a heroine who, like me, enjoys the occasional (okay, okay! Frequent,) pint of Ben & Jerry’s and says, “Tomorrow I’ll eat right and exercise” into a mirror without crying (or swearing creatively).
Catherine Ryan Howard’s book is funny, thought-provoking, suspenseful and utterly relatable. And right now, it’s only 99 cents, sinfully good and 100% calorie free…that is, unless you eat ice cream while reading it…which I did.
Oh well. It was worth it.
January 10, 2012
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway! Really enjoyed the concept of the book - definitely something different. The story revolves around a cast of characters, all of whom have ties to Slimmit, a Weight Watchers meets Jenny Craig meets satan. Their latest product, the Lipid Loser, has been stolen. It becomes part who dunnit, part chick lit, and part craziness. The last quarter of the book really jumped around with twists and turns, some of which I felt lacked any sort of foreshadowing. I prefer when the reader has a fair chance at solving the mystery. The best part of the book was that it never mentions the actual weight of the "fat" character, Emmy. Emmy was by far the best character, and most developed, of the novel. Despite the wrap ups at the end, the book did leave the reader questioning some plot points and relationships. More of a history of the beginning of Slimmit would have been nice. Also more on the relationship between Nicola and Henry. And more on Nicola and Marianne. Overall, I would read another book by this author again - the writing was definitely there.
Also, the grammar errors were driving me nuts! But I understand that is to be expected since it was a "first read".
Also, the grammar errors were driving me nuts! But I understand that is to be expected since it was a "first read".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2017
Oh boy. This book was a train wreck, but not for the intentional reasons. The author is Irish. I didn't know until I finished the book, but, reading it, there were too many mistakes for the author to be from the US. We don't say CV here, we say Resume. And we don't spell Labor with a U. There was another flub, but I can't remember what it was now. The story was supposed to take place in the US. The CV error was made by someone who lived in NY and FL before that with no hint that she was an expat. The Labour error was in Slimmit materials and since none of the story took place anywhere other than NY (in fact, in the same section, they referred to the times listed as being EST), so it was definitely an error.
Perhaps I'm being nitpicky. On to the actual story. At first it was novel...a book about all those diet programs. The "big reveal" behind the diet products anyone could see coming from a mile away. I didn't see some of the other mystery things coming, but mostly they were just needlessly convoluted and stupid. I did enjoy the play between and Danielle and Emmy and Emmy and...Josh? (her coworker, I think that was his name), but it was few and far between and not enough to save this book.
Perhaps I'm being nitpicky. On to the actual story. At first it was novel...a book about all those diet programs. The "big reveal" behind the diet products anyone could see coming from a mile away. I didn't see some of the other mystery things coming, but mostly they were just needlessly convoluted and stupid. I did enjoy the play between and Danielle and Emmy and Emmy and...Josh? (her coworker, I think that was his name), but it was few and far between and not enough to save this book.
June 29, 2012
I don't really like to give books less than three stars, but I have to be totally honest if I'm going to review this book.
I really wanted to like this book. The premise was appealing, the summary sounded interesting, so I delved right in. However, once I was several chapters into the novel, I felt my interest beginning to wane. The characters were pretty shallow for the most part, and I didn't really care about the majority of them. Emmy was interesting, and her mother was a mess. The introduction of Danielle brought hope, but could have been taken much farther.
Don't get me wrong; major props to the author for having a good idea and getting it out there to audiences. For a first novel, I think it's a pretty decent offering. It wasn't as quick a read as I would have liked (not caring for the characters, their lives, or their world made it hard to want to pick it up at night), but I did finish it, and that speaks volumes for me. I would tell Catherine to keep writing and creating and giving her characters more depth. I would love to read her next book just to see how much she grows as a writer.
I really wanted to like this book. The premise was appealing, the summary sounded interesting, so I delved right in. However, once I was several chapters into the novel, I felt my interest beginning to wane. The characters were pretty shallow for the most part, and I didn't really care about the majority of them. Emmy was interesting, and her mother was a mess. The introduction of Danielle brought hope, but could have been taken much farther.
Don't get me wrong; major props to the author for having a good idea and getting it out there to audiences. For a first novel, I think it's a pretty decent offering. It wasn't as quick a read as I would have liked (not caring for the characters, their lives, or their world made it hard to want to pick it up at night), but I did finish it, and that speaks volumes for me. I would tell Catherine to keep writing and creating and giving her characters more depth. I would love to read her next book just to see how much she grows as a writer.
August 30, 2015
It was fun to read, but somewhat repetitive. At the end, it had this big reveal, which to be honest was really stupid. In this day and age, it would have been worked out very fast. And as for everything hinging on muffins, that was a strange plot device. When it revealed Emmy's weight on her name tag, I wasn't clear about whether this was her current or past weight. However, either way (weigh) :) it is not a number I would associate with being considered fat!
There was too much ridiculousness in this story for me, it had its beginnings in reality, but moved into some weird fantasy sci-fi stuff, then back towards reality. It needed to decide its genre and stick with it. The weird stuff was quite interesting, but then it became clear it was just a load of rubbish that could never happen. If this had set itself up to be a futuristic novel, some of its outlandish parts wouldn't have been so ridiculous after all.
There was too much ridiculousness in this story for me, it had its beginnings in reality, but moved into some weird fantasy sci-fi stuff, then back towards reality. It needed to decide its genre and stick with it. The weird stuff was quite interesting, but then it became clear it was just a load of rubbish that could never happen. If this had set itself up to be a futuristic novel, some of its outlandish parts wouldn't have been so ridiculous after all.
November 1, 2011
Having enjoyed Catherine Ryan Howard's previous books, I was excited to test out her first work of prose. It was a fun story, lots of tongue-in-cheek that left me smiling to myself. I really liked the voice, the pacing... it was a well constructed story and I would recommend it to friends. It gets a bit soap opera-ish in the last 1/3 where there were twists! twists! twists! I think a couple of them might have been overkill, although I suspect this was intended to be part of the humor. In my humble opinion, I would have skipped it and stuck with the stronger "main" story line.
Just a note to new readers: although this story takes places in New York, it was written by an Irish author, which affects the spelling, punctuation, and grammar. There are also lots of turns of phrase that are very European. It wasn't super distracting, but if you weren't aware it could be.
Just a note to new readers: although this story takes places in New York, it was written by an Irish author, which affects the spelling, punctuation, and grammar. There are also lots of turns of phrase that are very European. It wasn't super distracting, but if you weren't aware it could be.
December 10, 2012
This book surprised me no end. Billed as chick lit meets corporate satire, I am not into the former and find that the latter is rarely done well. But Catherine Ryan Howard nails it! The chick lit is easy to swallow and the corporate satire is spot on. The plot is well developed and the characters are very well drawn. They are designed to be caricatures of real life and they fit the bill perfectly. I laughed out loud and even shed a tear of quiet triumph. As a first novel, there are some minor imperfections and there is room for growth in skill, but I was so absorbed in the characters and story that this is only a criticism I can offer retrospectively. Catherine shows great skill and promise. It is a face paced, funny and interesting book that left me thinking about the characters and the story for several days. Recommended :)
February 15, 2012
I found this author through Kindle-trawling, and read her travel memories, which I found most amusing and neatly phrased, which led me to the immediate purchase of this, her first novel, which is similarly pleasingly formed. Set in the world of corporate weight loss companies, anyone who's ever taken any foray into slimming clubs and diet land will recognise...an awful lot of well-observed truth, and cleverly-pointed hyperbolic conclusions to the 'current state of affairs'. Grittier and funnier than any other such thing I've read, this is a slightly convoluted, but ultimately satisfying tale of espionage and conspiracy and terrifying characters, which has confidence in its own style and keeps up a steady pace of wit and development. I look forward to Catherine Ryan Howard's next novel :)
July 21, 2012
The premise of this book was very appealing - the debunking of a top slimming products manufacturer, and it got off to an intriguing start. The plot was full of twists and turns and some clever surprises, with a few laugh-out-loud developments along the way. It was an enjoyable romp and surely not so far from the truth - and a great justification to put off that diet! However, it did get a bit complicated in places and would have benefited from a bit of hard pruning (c. 20%, I'd say) to maintain the easy flow of the earlier part of the story. But still a great read, good fun and very entertaining - all the more so, I'd imagine,if you are an (unslimmed)graduate of the many slimming plans about these days.
October 1, 2011
Having read Catherine Ryan Howard's non-fiction and enjoyed it very much, I was eagerly awaiting the publication of her first novel... and wondering if Catherine's wit and humour would translate as well in a fictional setting. I'm pleased to report it did -- wonderfully!
'Results Not Typical' is anything but your typical read. Packed full of entertaining characters -- some you can't help sympathizing with and others you'll love to hate -- Catherine's tongue-in-cheek take on the weight-loss industry will be easily digested (sorry! no pun intended!) to anyone who has ever attempted a diet. Highly recommended.
I can assure you, you'll never look at a muffin the same way again!
'Results Not Typical' is anything but your typical read. Packed full of entertaining characters -- some you can't help sympathizing with and others you'll love to hate -- Catherine's tongue-in-cheek take on the weight-loss industry will be easily digested (sorry! no pun intended!) to anyone who has ever attempted a diet. Highly recommended.
I can assure you, you'll never look at a muffin the same way again!
September 10, 2012
I've been a long-time reader of Catherine's excellent blog but really wasn't sure whether Results Not Typical, her debut novel, would be my kinda thing. How wrong I was.
Read almost exclusively in two-minute bursts on my kindle app in various waiting rooms or tube journeys this was a thoroughly enjoyable read - enough to make me feel truly grateful for any delays I had to 'endure'.
Great characters, a fun plot, all woven together with Catherine's trademark sassy narrative style - what's not to like.
Definitely one of my favourite books this year.
Read almost exclusively in two-minute bursts on my kindle app in various waiting rooms or tube journeys this was a thoroughly enjoyable read - enough to make me feel truly grateful for any delays I had to 'endure'.
Great characters, a fun plot, all woven together with Catherine's trademark sassy narrative style - what's not to like.
Definitely one of my favourite books this year.
January 11, 2012
I liked this book. It was pretty funny, if a little odd. As a bigger girl, I have gone through or at least tried many of the diets or "lifestyle changes" out there: Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach, etc. This book pokes fun at all of them. Most of the main characters are despicable people. If it wasn't for Emmy, I would have given this book only 3 stars. However, she was worth a star all by herself.
June 24, 2012
2.5 stars. I like her blog, but this book was hard for me to get through. It was very wordy and I didn't like any of the characters at all, except Emmy. It pokes fun of the weight loss industry, but the story went on too many side trips with the different despicable characters. It was easy for me to set down and hard for me to pick up, because I really didn't like the characters enough to want to be inside their head.
November 23, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. It is a satirical look at the inside world of the weight loss industry. With companies names Slimmit and Fat Club i could not resist this read. It only took me a couple of days to read but i loved every second of it. It had twists and turns and powders , pills and lets not forget the muffins! LOL What a fun book to read!
January 23, 2012
Interesting that as I was reading this I was thinking it was reminiscient of Maxx Barry, and in the author's end note she indicates that's what she was going for! An unusual marriage of chick lit and satire, enjoyed it immensely, especially as an Amazon Prime freebie.
May 23, 2012
Have you tried to lose weight? Have you tried various weight loss programs? This is a rather hilarious look at a behind the scenes of a fictional, yet Im sure at least some of it is pretty close to the truth, weight loss program that has reached the top of the pile and then self destructs. Wickedly funny.
May 30, 2012
Sometimes the sentences are a bit runny and I could do without the excessive descriptions of food in the book, but on the whole I just couldn't put it down! Every character you met had a layer underneath their layers underneath their masks and it was riveting to put it all together. Great summer read, especially if you're engaging in a "get ready for beach season" regimen at the same time!
September 27, 2011
Very funny, but also with a dark edge to it, as it lampoons the dieting industry and the 21st century obsesssion with skinniness. An excellent read anyway, it will be particularly amusing for anyone who ever went on a diet.
January 7, 2012
Ridiculously biting humour....was almost hard to read from the evil person perspectives... Hyperbolic, but at times was almost not as exaggerative as it should have been...black humour? I enjoyed it. :)
stopped-reading
May 23, 2012I got about 15% done with this book, and just decided "life's too short"! I didn't like one single character at that point, so I really didn't care what happened to them. Not a bad book, I guess, just not my thing.
February 10, 2016
I can't believe I actually continued to read this book to the end. Granted, there was a lot of skimming there for the last third, but even that was too much effort to give. Horribly predictable and not original.
September 29, 2011
Very funny book. Read it very quickly and enjoyed it. And it maybe should deserve 5 stars but just towards the end I felt the story was wrapped up a bit too neatly and conveniently.
January 8, 2012
I usually don't read this kind of books, but I'm really glad I read it. It's really funny book and I've enjoyed it.
December 20, 2015
Interesting premise...way too many adjectives! And I was irritated by the fact that the story took place in White Plains NY but everyone spoke British English!!
June 5, 2012
This was a fun book! I couldn't wait to get back to my Kindle to keep reading. Fast-paced, clever, a little snarky but really good.
May 23, 2012
A humorous view of behind the scenes of a diet/weightloss emporium.
June 5, 2012
Could be made into a slap-stick comedy Hollywood movie. The characters are perfect for it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews