Zen Queen

by Kirsty McManus

Jess Harper’s personal life is a mess.

She hasn’t had a haircut since 2006 and she doesn’t have time to find better friends than the self-centred associates she’s had since University.

And instead of searching for love, she’s settled for ‘friends with benefits’ status with one of her buddies. Yet none of that matters, because professionally she’s living the dream, and has just scored a highly coveted assignment in Japan with the promise of a promotion on her return.

But when she arrives in Japan, instead of the smooth integration she anticipated, Jess finds herself wrongfully fired, abandoned and broke in a country where she doesn’t speak the language.

Now she must rebuild her life and clear her name. But the friendly locals and allure of the ex-pat lifestyle soon have her reconsidering her priorities and challenging her views on climbing the corporate ladder. With a new job as an English teacher and the temptation of her cute (but already attached) roommate, Jess discovers that although life doesn't always turn out as planned, maybe that's not such a bad thing.

Genres: Chick Lit, Contemporary, Romance

311 pages, ebook

First published December 23, 2011

Reviews

[Margo · Rating 1 out of 5]

She wasn't very engaging, and she overheard her crush having extensive loud sex with his girlfriend at the time. He never has to make amends when his awful girlfriend attacks her, and he didn't even break up with his girlfriend, he discovered her cheating. Heroine did all the work to win a loser.

[Lenore Kosinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED this! I don't know what I was expecting, but this surpassed my expectations. Jess was adorable and it was so nice to watch her grow.... The secondary cast of characters were perfect.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five stars for capturing the feeling of being a young gaijin in Japan.
Three stars for the actual story which was fine but not amazing.
The story was interesting and not annoying (always a risk with free downloads for the kindle).

I lived in Japan for a year in 2000/2001 in as an exchange student in college. Reading this book gave me warm fuzzy memories (natsukashi) and knowing giggles at some of the surprises the author encountered.

Personally I related to part of the story because I, too, started my time in Japan with a strange pseudo boyfriend who turned out to be...well, similar to the story, I won't spoil it.

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

hilarious - read it in one sitting, loved the ending - super cute :)

[Ritu Bhathal · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Kirsty McManus book and I read it quickly.
A fun story about a woman who is sent to Japan on a work assignment that goes horribly wrong. However, there are glimmers of hope.
There is plenty of culture to read about, both modern and traditional. Japan is a pretty crazy place from what I read. And the characters our heroine meets there, from her colleagues to friends, to the wonderful Japanese man who literally adopts her, are all great.
I wish the romance could have stretched out more at the end. It felt a tad rushed when a little more build-up would have been great.

[Corinne Rodrigues · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished it in one evening. Thoroughly enjoyed this read - it was light and fun and quite real.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free kindle download. Light fluff, cute story, fast read. Author did a good job of creating a frustrating situation with characters from hell. Predictable ending.

[Parisan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

It started out very aggravatingly. Jess just let all of life float on past her without paying attention to anything and just letting everyone walk over her. She just kept feeling sorry for herself despite the fact that she also wasn’t a very good friend to her friends in Australia. I mean who just leaves without saying bye? She grew a bit more likable when she moved in with Zac but still it was hard to understand why she never stood up for herself. I just really wasn’t a fan of Jess.

There were also some weird things. Like having eaten sushi but never eaten edamame? I would think Australia would also has edamame at every sushi restaurant. Also Jess saying she wants to phone the airline to find out all the flights coming in from Australia...why not google it? And why was it so difficult for her to find a SIM card and just pay for a Japanese line rather than constantly complaining over how expensive it was to call back home? Oh and don’t even get me started on the bizarre Luke situation.

[Vikkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I am yet to read a Kirsty McManus book that I haven’t fallen in love with. Definitely on my list of favourite authors and I would definitely recommend this to fans of Sophie Kinsella, Cecelia Ahern, Jane Fallon etc. This book certainly hasn’t disappointed, another book that I’ve finished in one sitting. This one, allowed me to escape to Japan with the main character Jess, who I instantly liked. This book has the right amount of romance and real life issues to keep the reader hooked. I honestly couldn’t put this book down and I’m enjoying working my way through the series of Kirsty McManus and can honestly say I am a huge fan. Please please let us know there are more on the way. I’m already half way through Perfume Therapy.

[Heather F · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say about this book? Meh? Predictable. It was a nice diversion. An Australian girl gets sent to Japan for work where they steal her ideas and then fire her. She doesn't have enough money to get home, so hijinx ensues.

This was in my Kindle app- I think I got it when I used to get daily emails with free books.

After having read it, I would say I'd have been disappointed to have spent money on it but if I did it must have been a while ago.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, I wasn't at all knowledgeable with what it was about and it didn't look like my normal science fiction style but I gave it a go. I read it in a few hours today and I was happily surprised especially since I had lived in Japan for 2 years and knew a little bit about Osaka area. I Really enjoyed it, perhaps there's a sequel?

[Meghan Kilby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read by this author!

I’ve discovered Kirsty‘s books and since I can’t download them from my library I have gotten Amazon unlimited to read as many as I can. She has a great style, they are all so difficult to put down! I took a trip to Japan a few years ago so this one was super fun to relive some of the areas I had visited.

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was a really fun read. I loved how Jess, the main character, grew and become more confident and self-aware. I thought the storyline was engaging and fun and there was lots of drama and humor to go along with it. I would recommend this book and any book this author writes, especially if you like romantic comedies.

[Tanja Joubert Author · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Zen Queen. I could identify with the characters and it was easy to read and follow the story. The pace was just right: not too fast so that I felt things are being missed and not too slow so that I got bored. I had sympathy for the main character. The writing style was good and flowed comfortably.

[Rose Grabowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life doesn't always turn out as planned is the theme of this engaging book. Initially I didn't care for the main character but she grew on me as she dealt with the adversity of the twists and turns her life quickly made. I enjoyed the peek into life in Japan and her reaction to the culture shock. There were some supporting characters that would be a nice focus in a sequel. It was fun to read.

[Virginia L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding where you belong!

An interesting story that takes place in Japan. I enjoyed the traveling around seeing so many different sites that this group of friends enjoyed together. The characters are quaint but fit the story very well.

[Lucy Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny book!

I giggled throughout this book. Right from the start this author has you chuckling away. It was a fun and fresh premise - a lovable heroine moving to Japan and her romantic trials and tribulations that go with that. Definitely will read more from this author.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a good book. about a women that moves to a new country and her life falls apart. thought the tough times she finds friends, a new job, love , and a new passion.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt like this book insulted my intelligence. Would be a good read for a mature 8th grader.

[Barbara Strickland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun

Fun and trouble follow our heroine wherever she goes but after much confusion and acclimatising to living in Japan romance and good things give us a happy ending. Enjoyable

[Krista Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good. Preferably but good

I really liked learning about Japanese culture in this book. Light read. Cute romance. Predictable but still a good read

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book. Jess Harper, the main character was so self-centered, shallow and mean at times. She is supposed to be a professional, she gets a chance to go Japan and lies in her interview that she speaks Japanese. That doesn't sit well with me!

When she gets there, bad things happen like her boss claims her designs as his own. It doesn't make any sense when this one dimensional character learns begins to appreciate Japan for its beauty and differences. I was still mad at her for treating everyone so bad at the beginning. There just was not that much about Japan.

I did like that the grammar was fine and there were no mispelled words and also the cover is a cute in a way.

I would not recommend this book, I did not like it.

[Carina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a really quick read - I kind of wish it was longer as some of the ideas in it felt very rushed through and kind of undeveloped. There were a lot of plot elements as well which probably didn't help the undeveloped feel. The author does well in the description of Japan - I've never been but hearing from my friends who were there for a year for university the author has got the differences between Japanese and 'Western' culture pretty spot on.

Overall this wasn't a bad way to fill an evening, but it wasn't the best 'chick-lit' I've read this year.

[Kathleen Crowell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the main character, Jess, and her evolution into independence. I never have been interested in going to Japan until I read this story. I liked that the whole book was really about her--all the side stories were just the right amount of filler--nothing too cliche except the very last page. The Luke character was so similar to the guy in "I'm With Stupid" I couldn't help but laugh--even though his part is very small. Fun book--would recommend.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a Kindle freebie so I am marking it up since I didn't pay for it! I am not normally into self published books but this was cute. It was not earth shattering, but it does not claim to be. It kind of had the Bridget Jones feel to it. I will note that after some checking I discovered that this was written by an Aussie author and they tend to spell things differently than those of us in the States so I did have to get used to that.

[Crystal Wormser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I downloaded this book because it was free. While it had a slow start (more like slow first half), I eventually became truly engaged by the characters and the unfolding plot. I would've given it 3 stars but I found myself still thinking about the characters for 2-3 days after finishing it. I don't read much fiction, but that alone earns 4 stars in my book. I would purchase another title by this author in the future.

[Sarah O · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a fun witty look at culture shock. I enjoyed reading it though it did feel like it was incomplete some how. I'm not sure I would read it again but I did enjoy the fairy tale ending. Great work for a first book.

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the parts about life in Japan. I also like that it was free. I like that very much.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, quirky and fast-paced free book for Kindle.

[Lori Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, young story with some adventure and romance, pretty steady, a nice ending.