Party Girl

by Sarah Mason

When life hands her lemons, she makes a French martini.

Life is one big party for event planner Isabel Serranti. Armed with cell and laptop, she’s game to field any fete–including her next nearly impossible gig: an impromptu themed party. Five hundred guests? (No problem.) On a country estate? (Lovely!) Near her girlhood home and hosted by her infamous childhood tormentor Simon Monkwell? (Uh-oh. . . .)

Luckily, Simon is away for most of the planning, which leaves Izzy to cope with his kindly, eccentric family and their curious secrets. But when Simon–looking good enough to eat–makes a surprise visit, he’s not quite the wretched oaf she remembers. And he needs her help to pull off something daring that requires clever planning, devious imagination, and a lot of panache. Naturally, they’ll be working together very, very closely. . . .

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Humor, Adult, Contemporary Romance

321 pages, Paperback

First published December 4, 2003

About the author

Sarah Mason was born on 1971, and grew up near the sea in Cornwall, England. She obtained a degree in Maths from University of Bristol. At the age of 25 she began importing gourmet popcorn from USA and selling it to everyone from Sainsbury's to Virgin cinemas, she soon became a millionaire and was running a company with a seven figure turnover. When she married she sold the business on, she decided take a few months off to decide what she wanted to do next, and she started writing. She lives in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, with her husband, two children and a West Highland Terrier.

Reviews

[Carie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars makes it seems like a hated the book and I didn't. It was formulaic. It was predictable. But it wasn't offensive or terrible. I would recommend Chasing James and Society Girls by this author instead of this one.

[Memel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah Mason, if you ever read this: I’ve just read this book again after probably 15 years or so and it’s still BRILLIANT. It was one of my favorite books growing up and you’ve nailed it, every single aspect of it. The British humour, the plot twists (that are still being used to this day! Just read a book with a similar one, you were soooo ahead of your time), the fun, colorful characters… I just wish there was a little bit more romance, but the slow burning tension between the protagonists was also great. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, I just hope you know you’ve written a CLASSIC and that I miss your books.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such a silly little book about Isabel having to plan a fundraiser for the estate she lived on as a child. Where she experienced heartbreak at the hands of the cruel eldest son when they were like 11. The friends to enemies to lover wasn't a strong plot since we didn't spend enough time with them as friends and the enemies was based on something so trivial (albeit kind of traumatizing at the age of 11).

Overall it stressed me out even more because it reminded me of my job too much. Isabel girl! Stop using the nicotine patches you don't even smoke.

[Adele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this in my local charity shop and had to read it because I enjoyed Mason's first book 'Playing James' so much. You don't need to read them in order as it's not a series. I wanted a funny playful story and this book did not disappoint me. I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times and while the plot ending is predictable, I enjoyed it that much that I didn't mind. Typical romance/chic-lit style but I highly recommend this to anyone, especially if you need cheering up!

[Blackransel · Rating 3 out of 5]

yah lumayan.
sempat salah menebak penyebab Simon (saat remaja) harus mem-bully Izzy. sempat mengira kalau yang mem-bully itu si Will, tapi karena Simon dan Will wajahnya mirip sekali, jadi tertukar begitu.
ternyata penyebab sebenarnya...
rasa-rasanya Simon sebagai karakter utama pria, munculnya agak terlalu belakang ya.
tanpa bermaksud apa-apa, secara keseluruhan buku ini.. hmm, agak kurang menarik untukku. kurasa karena penjabaran tentang pekerjaan Izzy yang terlalu panjang.

[Carous · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vida é uma festa, mas uma aspirina cai bem.
O chick lit me pertence e eu pertenço ao chick lit. Tentei me aventurar por outros gêneros, mas ao invés de encontrar a aventura e a distopia que me prometiam, me deparava com um romance meia boca entre os personagens, uma discussão entre os leitores de shipp que não combinavam o gênero. Sou mais o bom, velho e divertido chick li que vende história leve, humor e romance e cumpre.

O título - grande sacada - tem a ver com o fato de Izzi ser uma promoter e viver de organizar festas. Bom, está tudo muito bem, menos no campo amoroso, quando ela é convidada para organizar um evento na antiga fazenda que morou quando criança e adolescente que pertence aos Monkwell. Izzy era muito amiga da família, principalmente de Simon, mas este do nada passou a tratá-la tão mal e fazer brincadeiras tão cruéis que ela se afastou da família Monkwell pra sempre e mesmo adulta não consegue esquecer as marcas deixadas por ele.

O que o livro tem de bom? Bom, tudo! Amei todos os personagens, mesmo o embuste do Rob não me irritou como normalmente personagem embuste me irrita e tudo porque os demais personagens não caiam na lábia dele. O humor da Sarah Mason é maravilhoso e as metáforas e comentários que a Izzy fazia me fizeram gargalhar alto. Tia Winnie e sua perspicácia também. Dominic e seu humor ácido idem.

A história se desenvolve muito bem. Sempre tem alguma coisa acontecendo para entreter o leitor, mas coitado dos personagens. Era cada peteca para segurar...

Só tirei 0.5 da avaliação porque apesar de ter gostado do romance, senti o desenvolvimento dele razoável quanto poderia ser melhor. Simon e Isabel podiam se acertar sem se envolverem, ou pelo menos não um segundo depois de o motivo dele ter sido cruel com ela na infância ser revelado. Tempo, sabe? Ele cura tudo. E no livro dá mais credibilidade aos sentimentos dos personagens.

Mas é isso, é uma ótima leitura e já sinto saudades das confusões que Isabel precisava resolver.

[Louisa Giddings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book many years ago as I was a member of a book club where they sent me 6 books a month and I,ve only just got round to reading it. I really enjoyed this book if you like Bridget Jones then you will like this book at first it,s like a normal party planner doing a charity ball thing going back to a family home that she grew up in with a bully of a ex friend. After reading this book it is so much more than this it is a funny read about a lovely family all brought together under hard circumstances. There are also family secrets to uncover so when you uncover one there are still more to come.
I really enjoyed this book and would read other books by Mason it was a romance book but not like your normal romance book which I liked it had a really good storyline

[carola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Iniciado em 17/09/2023
Finalizado em 21/11/2023

Resenha título - Não Superou Um Amor de Detetive

O livro é ok, vamos começar por aí. E como qualquer livro bom, mas não tão bom, tem pontos negativos e positivos. Vou começar com os positivos pois estou bem boazinha hj!
Dom, Tia Winnie e família do Simon = a perfeição, salvaram o livro embora não tenham aparecido tanto, personagens dinâmicos e engraçados que foram o alicerce da parte cômica deste chick-lit
Pontos negativos: O desenvolvimento foi bem pobrezinho, dava pra ter trabalhado melhor o drama da Izzy e do Simon e a paixão avassaladora que surgiu entre os dois praticamente do nada. Enrolou o livro todo pra explicar o negócio do bullying e cara... achei bem esfarrapado.
É bom, mas Um Amor De Detetive é mil vezes melhor.

[Sarah Musser mcalister · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It took me a while to get into it, but it was really good. I found it quite hilarious. It is a light, funny kind of book. It's British, and there were some words that I wasn't sure of what they meant, but I still really liked it. There is some swearing, but it isn't out of control. I would recommend it.

[Isabela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eu demorei NOVE ANOS pra conseguir terminar de ler esse livro. Dito isso, se ele fosse reescrito, tirassem todas as aberrações de gírias e enredos problemáticos (que são MUITOS) e fizessem o melhor amigo da Izzy menos tóxico e caricato ele viraria um new adult decente e talvez eu pegasse para ler atualmente.

[Amanda Peters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nephew Colin,

Whatever the opposite principal of Chekhov's gun is, this book epitomizes. Why did she lose her cellphone? Why is there a tarantula? Why does she have parents? 90% of this book was unnecessary.

Aunt Amanda

[Ana Paula Fiorotti · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️

*Read this book ages ago (decided to add all the books that I remember reading and established 2017 as the year to add all those reads).*

It wasn't bad, just a little boring in some parts. I remember that I didn't felt connected to the couple, so maybe that's the reason.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The side characters really made this book...end was rushed, but really enjoyed Poppet and Aunt Winnie!

[Kathie Wright Yeoman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light and fun. A great quick read that keeps you laughing.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute rom com

It was a cute light-hearted rom-com. Just what I needed for a fun quick read. Not very deep in character or plot development though.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. It’s my go to, easy read every couple of years. It makes me laugh out loud. Good for a holiday read.

[Ella · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book sucks don’t waste ur time reading it the characters are bitchy and mean and there is a absolutely no chemistry. Nice idea for a plot but it never picked up.

[Charlotte Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read, Bridget Jones vibes and I'm so here for it

[Tammy Rahmasari · Rating 3 out of 5]

(2,5 bintang)

Isabel Serranti atau Izzy adalah seorang perencana pesta. Saat kecil, keluarganya bersahabat dengan keluarga Monkwell. Waktu itu ia pun sering menghabiskan waktu di estat keluarga Monkwell. Isabel berteman dengan dekat dengan Simon. Mereka sering menghabiskan waktu bersama sampai membuat bahasa kode yang hanya dimengerti oleh mereka sendiri dan sering membuat orang lain kesal karenanya.

Namun tiba-tiba sikap Simon terhadap Isabel berubah seratus delapan puluh derajat. Ia terus menjahati Isabel sampai akhirnya Isabel tidak pernah lagi menemui Simon dan berkunjung ke estat Monkwell.

Lima belas tahun kemudian, Isabel harus berurusan kembali dengan keluarga Monkwell dan terutama Simon. Ia disewa sebagai perencana pesta dansa amal yang akan diselenggarakan oleh Simon di estatnya di St. Edmunds. Simon yang ia kenal sekarang sama persis dengan Simon yang ia ingat saat terakhir kali. Untung saja, ia dekat dengan keluarga Simon yang lainnya. Monty, Will, dan Aunt Flo.

Setelah mengenal keluarga Monkwell lagi, Isabel menyadari bahwa semua prasangka yang ia duga sebelumnya salah. Akhirnya, Isabel membantu merencanakan pesta dansa sekaligus membantu menyelesaikan masalah-masalah yang dihadapi oleh keluarga Monkwell.
***

Buku ketiga Sarah Mason yang saya baca. Namun, saya tidak terlalu terkesan. Ide ceritanya termasuk biasa dan jika dibandingkan, saya lebih suka Playing James.

Party Season mengambil sudut pandang orang pertama tunggal (Isabel), seperti kebanyakan chicklit lainnya. Tapi akibat banyaknya deskripsi yang terlalu panjang di seluruh bagian buku, jadinya bacanya malah bosan. Saya sampai beberapa kali menutup bukunya dan malah menonton film supaya gak merasa tertekan, karena bukunya sama sekali gak tipis dan gak bisa sekali waktu habis >.<

Untuk terjemahannya sebetulnya bagus, jadi sepertinya memang ceritanya saja yang membuat jadi bosan. Dari keseluruhan bab, saya juga hanya menemukan tiga salah ketik.

Dari beberapa chicklit yang saya baca, biasanya saya paling suka dengan humor yang selalu menjadi pelengkap dalam kisah-kisah romannya. Tapi untuk buku ini, satu-satunya adegan lucu yang ada itu hanya saat laba-laba Aunt Flo, Poppet menghilang, terus Isabel dan Simon terpaksa bersembunyi di lemari pakaian salah satu tamu Simon di estatnya.

Review lengkap di sini: http://teatimeandbook.blogspot.com/20...

[Cintya Larasinta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seorang lajang perencana pesta London memiliki perasaan campur aduk ketika diketuk untuk mengatur pesta amal di estat negara yang dia pernah memanggil ke rumah.

Isabel "Izzy" Serranti memiliki acara perencanaan pekerjaan yang keren, keterpakuan pada berat badannya dan sahabat laki-laki yang mungkin saja gay. Dia juga dihantui oleh persahabatan masa kecil yang berakhir buruk tanpa alasan dia bisa memikirkan. Ketika masih gadis kecil, dia menghabiskan beberapa tahun magis tinggal di sebuah pondok di Pantiles estat indah di pedesaan Inggris. Dia dan Pantiles pewaris Simon Monkwell teman terbaik tak terpisahkan sampai suatu hari Simon penuh misterius dihidupkan dan memulai melakukan intimidasi buruk terhadap Izzy yang dihentikan hanya setelah keluarganya pindah. Izzy mendadak berkedip ke depan 15 tahun: Simon kini pria dewasa, tampan dengan reputasi buruk, dingin dan tak berperasaan. Isabel mau tidak mau tertarik dan penuh dengan ketakutan membayangkan meninjau kembali estat akrab untuk mengatur pesta bertema sirkus di pekarangan. Simon sendiri sedang berada di Amerika menyusun pengambilalihan paksa ketika Izzy tiba, jadi dia menghubungkan dengan keluarganya, termasuk ayah Simon yang berusia, Monty, adik tampan Will serta Bibi Flo. Suatu hari Izzy kaget bahwa Simon sudah berada di Pantiles dan akhirnya bertemu, Simon adalah pria angkuh. Setelah Isabel menemukan bahwa dia mungkin telah secara tidak sengaja merusak kesepakatan bisnis terbarunya dengan menyelipkan beberapa informasi penting tentang Simon untuk mantan tidak senonoh, dia memutuskan untuk membantu Simon menyelamatkan bisnisnya, bersama dengan rumah leluhurnya. Baiklah… aku sangat menyukai cerita ini. Bahkan aku suka Simon pria yang dingin diam-diam menyadari Izzy bersedia membantu dia, dia akhirnya terluluh terhadap Izzy. Cara sikap, cara bicara, cara menatapnya membuat Izzy berdegup kencang. Aku begitu semangat sekali membaca cerita Izzy-Simon. Setiap kata per kata mudah dipahami, penerjemahnya juga enak. Dan aku mendadak fans Sarah Mason. Syukurlah, aku sudah membaca buku Sarah Mason seluruhnya dan aku lebih suka Playing James ini.

[UnusualChild{beppy} · Rating 3 out of 5]

synopsis:
isabelle is a party planner for all sorts of events. her boss receives a request for isabelle to handle a charity party at an estate that she lived on for several years as a child. she and simon, son of the owners, were the best of friends for a couple of years, until one summer when simon was 13 and isabelle was 11, he started a bullying campagne. when isabelle's parents moved away, isabelle and her sister went to stay with their aunt, and isabelle hadn't been back or seen simon since then. simon has become loved/hated because of his business practices, gaining a reputation as a shark. isabelle goes to the estate and meets simon's kooky family. she talks with simon's brother a little and what he tells her coincides with isabelle's impressions. when isabelle heads back to london, her ex-boyfriend comes over and gets her to talk a little about simon. when reports are printed in the newspaper that threatens a business deal that simon is part of, he thinks that isabelle has tried to get revenge for their childhood. when isabelle arrives at the estate, she sees that there is no furniture, and finds out that this deal was essential for the estate's survival. to help repair her unintentional interference, isabelle offers to help pull off the look of success so that simon and the trustees can meet at the estate before the date the deal was supposed to go down.

what i liked: the premise.

what i didn't like: isabelle and simon never really talked, so i couldn't really buy the love that they supposedly felt for one another by the end. also, the family was a little bit too kooky without being grounded in any reality. there was a lot going on, so it felt like there wasn't really any focus on anything: the kooky family, the best friend acting strange, the aunt's failed love, the parents' weird behaviour, the boss and co-workers being overly interested in the roommate, the sister who doesn't respond, etc, etc, etc.

[Fanny Roswita Ria · Rating 3 out of 5]

yah novel ini mengajarkan nilai yang lumrah bahwa jangan menilai sesuatu dari luarnya terlebih dahulu. Bagaimana Izzy terkejut mendapati bahwa Simon, sahabat kecilnya, yang selalu dianggapnya jahat; kejam dan tidak bersahabat (plus didukung dengan review media massa mengenai dirinya yang suka mengambil alih sebuah perusahaan dengan kondisi bangkrut serta memecat sebuah direksi dan karyawan perusahaan tersebut) harus menelan ludah setelah mengetahui kondisi sebenarnya dari estat kediaman Simon.

Ceritanya terlalu flat dan dari penulisannya menggunakan "aku" berarti pengarang memposisikan dirinya sebagai tokoh utama. Kekonyolan Izzy dan sifatnya yang tidak bisa menyangkal sebenarnya membuat gue geram. Izzy hanya diam saja ketika Dom mengatakan dirinya perokok padahal sebenarnya tidak. Hanya pasrah ketika Rob, mantan pacarnya, kembali dan merayunya setelah Rob memutuskannya lewat telpon atau ketika Aidan yang tidak mau mengurus keuangan pestanya sendiri.

Sangat disayangkan mengenai kebocoran bangkrutnya Simon dan keluarga ke media massa walau sedikit tersirat bahwa hal tersebut bukan hanya kerjaan Rob tetapi juga ada campur tangan Will, adik Simon, yang tidak dibahas lebih lanjut. Hanya terputus begitu saja.

Ending cerita juga antara gantung dan selesai. Sangat-sangat disayangkan. Saran: mending nyewa daripada dibeli:-))

[P e t t y · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, reading this chicklit it likes eating nice chocolate sponge-cake with bad-taste sprinkler (you know, the "rubbery taste" of sprinkler...yeah, it does taste like eat the rubber..meeeehhh..) The story itself is pretty much fun to read, the main character Isabel is so easy to like, and all of the supporting characters are spices up the story with their fun and quirky character.

I got somewhat lost about the main idea of the story, on synopsis it told about how Isabel "the party planner" got a duty to planned a charity party for his estranged long-time best friend, Simon Monkwell. Of course, the formula of chicklit is so easy to guess, I thought at first, that Isabel will reconcile with Simon with smart and cute banter.

BUT, nada,none of these thing happened...huhu... At the end of the story their reconciliation it seems little bit forced. The funny thing is because most of the story revolves around how Isabel planned the party and her interaction with Simon's offbeat family, her chemistry with Simon's family is far more believable than her chemistry with Simon.

So my verdict of this book: fun to-read but forgettable.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isabel punya pekerjaan impianku. A party organizer! Dia juga punya nyali untuk keluar dari zona nyaman-tapi membunuh pelan-pelannya-pekerjaan mapannya di bidang audit mengaudit dan menjadi seorang perencana pesta dengan tingkat stress yang tidak beda jauh karena klien-klien tajirnya. Tapi bedanya dia sangat menikmati pekerjaan barunya, yang membawanya kembali bertemu dengan teman masa kecil dan cinta pertamanya. Simon

Novel ini cenderung datar sampai masa lalu demi masa lalu tersingkap dan menjawab kenapa belasan tahun yang lalu, Simon-yang katanya gantengnya minta ampun-mulai memusuhi Isabel dan berlaku jahat padanya.

Buku ini tentang...sekali lagi...cinta monyet a.k.a cinta pertama nggak akan kemana-mana, bahkan walau tidak dikejar

[Angelic Zaizai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sudah lama ga baca chiklit, ternyata emang menyenangkan, bisa sambil ketawa-ketawa, gemas pula liat temen-temen tokohnya
Izzi ini seorang perencana pesta, klien-kliennya suka seenaknya, bosnya galak, teman seapartemennya mencurigakan gay apa bukan, baru diputusin pacarnya lewat pesan suara, orangtuanya cuek beibeh
tuuh gimana ga bikin galau
lalu izzi dapet tugas bikin pesta dansa di estat mantan teman kecilnya, Simon, dulu mereka dekat banget, tapi mendadak Simon jahat sama dia, trus mereka kehilangan kontak dan sekarang Simon malah jadi pengusaha yang dingin, tukang pecat
deg2an dong Izzi bakal ketemu Simon lagi..

lucu kok ceritanya.. gemes sama Dom, pengen getok-getok

[Anica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first book from Sarah Mason. I have another one back home but I don't really feel like reading that now since it has nearly 600 pages and this book had "only" 400 and the whole plot started like on page 200. Before that, nothing happened at all that was slightly important. Seriously, waaaaaay too many details and telling me on nearly every page that the heroine (who probably looks like I dunno Eva Longoria or whoever) looks fat and like a marshmallow is not funny and/or good. WTF?! *rolleyes*

[Mirella Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Sarah Mason... I love how she wrote the story. Yah, jalan cerita dari 3 buku Sarah Mason emang berbeda-beda, tapi saya senang dengan detail cerita yang ditulis oleh Mason. Gimana ya, susah ngejelasinnya, yang pasti, saya bisa bilang ada sesuatu yang khas dari buku bukunya Sarah Mason.

Well, contohnya, di buku ini tetep ada misteri yang bikin saya penasaran. Ya itu, ada apa antara Izzy Serranti dan Simon Monkwell pas mereka remaja, sehingga menyebabkan persahabatan mereka putus di tengah jalan. Ada juga kasus Dominic yang gak jelas statusnya, whether he is straight or gay...

[Dewi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dua tokoh utama dalam buku ini : Isabel Seranti & Simon Monkwell baru berinteraksi setelah separuh buku terlampaui. Penulis kurang bisa meramu "chemistry" di antara mereka. Penulis seolah memberi rumus, bahwa Isabel harus berakhir dengan Simon.
Relasi yang hangat dan penuh reaksi kimiawi justru muncul dari Isabel & Dominic. Yang tentu saja tidak terjadi, karena Izzy berpikir bahwa Dom lebih menyukai laki-laki.
Ending cerita seperti terpaksa dimampatkan dalam waktu singkat.

Penilaian akhir : cukup menghibur untuk bacaan santai akhir pekan.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really funny, from Izzy thinking that her flatmate was gay, to her aunt "borrowing" 2 pieces of furniture from each house in her village to furnish 3 rooms in Simon's home. The characters blew me away with their plans, how they think their way out of problems, and how evil some people can be, even if htey are not so smart up in the head. It was a great book, and I was sad to finish it :( But I did, and now it's time for somebody else to read it.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one does not feature the Colshannon girls but a new character, Isabel "Izzy" Serranti. Izzy is an event planner and an all around nice girl. She snags the event of a lifetime at the estate of her former childhood playmate turned tormenter. She must confront her feelings and help the family save their estate. This book follows the Pride and Prejudice model with some really hilarious secondary characters who were far more interesting than the primary characters.