High Potential

by Ber Carroll

Katie Horgan is going soon she'll be a partner in the prestigious law firm where she works. But her love life is going nowhere-until she meets Jim Donnelly. Jim is brilliant, handsome and, like her parents, Irish. The only problem is that he already has a girlfriend.When Katie is sent to Ireland as part of her training, she happily settles into life in Dublin where she works in a clinic that provides free legal advice to the homeless. She befriends Mags who makes it her business to initiate Katie to Dublin's social scene. Then Jim Donnelly comes home on a visit, their relationship deepens, but everything begins to unravel...Bit by bit, the truth comes out, about Jim, Mags, and the reason that Katie's parents left Ireland-and Katie learns that life and love are not as black and white as she always thought.

443 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2008

About the author

Ber Carroll (also known as B.M. Carroll.) was born in Blarney, a small but rather famous village in Ireland. The third child of six, she often retreated from the chaos of family life by immersing herself in books.

Ber moved to Sydney in 1995 and began to climb the corporate ladder. Her dynamic work environment captured her imagination and inspired her first novel. Ber is now the author of twelve novels, which never fails to surprise her. In recent years, her writing has become darker and more twisted (reflecting her state of mind!). Her most recent novels are: The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy (2018), Who We Were (2020), You Had It Coming (2021), The Other Side of Her (2023) and One of Us Is Missing (2024).

Ber gave up her finance career when she realised that she couldn’t hold down a demanding job, be mum to two small children and write books to contractual deadline. She lives in Sydney's Northern Beaches with her husband, children (who are adults now) and PJ, the family dog.

You can find out more about Ber by visiting her website or by checking out her Facebook page (@bercarrollbmcarroll) or Instagram (@bmcarrollauthor).

Reviews

[Corinne Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read this for some light relief from various slightly depressing books of late. Her Carroll is always enjoyable, and now I've been to Ireland I enjoy those references even more. Written in 2008 various plot points have been overtaken by technology, always good to check the date when reading an older novel!!

[Tammy Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kept me entertained so 4 stars!
But 3 stars as didn’t enjoy it in third person or how rushed the ending was....felt some chapters in the book could have been removed to allow for more time spent to tidy up the ending.

So 3.5

[Susan Adele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good Ber Carroll novel

I loved this story. Ber Carroll weaves many life lessons in her novels. In particular, this was a wonderful story about family and friendship.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice rambling quick feel-good story. Bit "Maeve Binch", but I love Maeve's books.

[Deb Aronson]

not sure who recommended this or if it is even the right book, but one review said:
A nice rambling quick feel-good story. Bit "Maeve Binch"

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read a recent Ber Carroll novel because she will be visiting my local library later this year (along with Dianne Blacklock and Liane Moriarty) but couldn't find one on the shelf. I have a pretty good memory and knew I had read High Potential around the time of its release in 2008 but my impression of it was quite vague, but since it was the only title available, I picked it up anyway.
A few pages in and the details of the storyline rushed back, Katie Horgan is a lawyer working hard to achieve her life time goal as a partner in a prestigious firm. With her last relationship ending disastrously, Katie is happy to focus on impressing the bosses during the final assessments, until she meets fellow candidate, Jim Donnelly. She knows their quiet flirtation can't go anywhere, they are about to be separated on overseas assignments for six months, but her attraction to the Irish man is difficult to quash. Katie is thrilled to be heading to Ireland, where she has family she has never met, and is determined to enjoy her time there. She settles easily into running the legal aid service but is surprised to learn the firm is one Jim Donnelly once worked for. When Jim returns home for a brief holiday the relationship between he and Katie changes but the separation takes it's toll on the fledgling romance and then a tragic accident threatens to destroy it.

I quite liked High Potential though in truth I largely skimmed it this time around as my memory filled in the gaps. I don't think I liked it any more, or any less, than the first time I read it, it's fairly standard chick-lit with the protagonist's angst over romance and career the feature conflicts.
A point of difference in the plot does lie within the secret Katie's parents are keeping from her and Katie's search for relatives in Ireland, where her parents were born and raised before settling in Australia. The thread does add another layer to the story and I believe it comes as a surprise on first reading.
The character's are likeable and credible, though I wasn't terribly impressed with the relationship between Katie and Jim. Katie's reactions, after Jim had left Ireland to return to Auckland seemed disproportionate to the status of a new and undefined relationship. I though the conflict in this instance was forced and it soured me a little on her.

High Potential is pleasant reading, dealing with the conflicts and concerns of contemporary women. The happy ending will please romantics and the dual setting (Australia and Ireland) adds a touch of the exotic to the plot. I am looking forward to comparing this title with Ber Carroll's most recent release Less Than Perfect.

[Shell Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect book to take on a week holiday down the coast. A nice light, easy read.

[Helen Goltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good little tale. Likeable characters, interesting locations and career aspects, an easy read and a happy outcome. Perfect bedtime reading!

[The Twins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great chick lit - love the settings of Australia, Ireland and Fiji. Great way of starting the New Year! Lovable characters...

[Tara Anderton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read - really liked the characters!