Let's Get Physical

by Sherry Ashworth

no marks (ampny02)

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published December 18, 2001

Reviews

[Birgit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fortunately I haven't been crazy enough to make a resolution on getting in shape, because this book by Sherry Ashworth might have been a wee bit demotivating. Then again if gallstones were threatening me, maybe I would vow to loose 2 stone as well.
This chick lit novel is mainly about people working for and those working out at the Fit Not Fat healthclub, concentrating on Cassie who needs to loose weight due to the aforementioned gallstones, and Jane who's the new boss at the healthclub.
While there's a good premise on connecting the lives of several characters, for one reason or another I simply couldn't get into the story or the people involved. And when the characters don't get to you, plus the story itself provides you with just a touch too many stereotypes, it's all downhill for the reader.
In short: Chick lit goes fitness - nothing I'd really recommend unless you're heavily into fun at the treadmill!

[Dark-Draco · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be perfectly honest, I probably wouldn't have read this all the way through, but it was a quiet day at work and I had nothing else with me to read! It was actually a good, if predictable and unoriginal, story.

Cassie is diagnosed with gallstones and is told to get healthier or have surgery, so she joins 'Fit not Fat' gym. At the same time, Jane has just been given the managers job and has to turn it into a thriving business. Both women have to go through a lot to learn that the pursuit of the perfect body is not the be all and end all of life.

Well written and funny in places, it was an enjoyable read. Not a book to rock your world, but worth giving a few hours to.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised to enjoy this story so much. I have never been in a gym or fitness club but this book introduced me to all the female types and characters we might find in such places, from women obsessed with wholegrain foods to the exercise fanatics.

Our main character in late 20th century Britain needs to shed some pounds or face losing her gall bladder, so she reluctantly plunges into the world of the nearby gym. While the tale is a light read some serious observations are made and we can come away thinking that exercise, like most other parts of life, is best taken in moderation.

Have a read, have a laugh, have some exercise. Even just a walk.

[Susan Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing chic lit although slow in places, somewhat dated now as it was written over a decade ago. I liked how things resolved and the characters you were rooting for had happy endings.

[Soho_Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost had to read Sherry Ashworth’s “Let’s Get Physical” at some point, as whenever I saw the book on my wife’s portion of our bookshelves, it always made me start singing the Olivia Newton John song. Fortunately, my wife’s choice of reading material is slightly less questionable than this accompanying music choice may suggest.

Jane has been made manager of the new Fit Not Fat Health Club and faces some immediate challenges. Her first is to win over Siobhan, who was Acting Manager of the club after its previous owner absconded to Portugal and she’s also distracted by waiting for a call to join her, in a romantic as well as employment sense. There is also the prospect of a rival health club opening nearby and the potential horror of an inspection from Head Office to come, which could go as far as to recommend the closure of the club she has only just taken over.

Cassie also faces some challenges around Fit Not Fat, although in her case it is not just the name of the gym, but an ultimatum. Cassie has been diagnosed with gallstones and has been told she either has to lose weight, or she risks losing her gall bladder. Her distraction is Garth, one of the club’s personal trainers, the kind of young, fit man that Cassie dreams of getting physical with, as opposed to her friend Terry, who seems to prefer her out of shape and wants to marry her.

This had the potential to be a decent story, as I did like the setting and some of the basic ideas seemed a little more down to earth than I’ve often found in chick-lit. Jane’s real world issues with her job and the situation with Cassie’s gall bladder was quite familiar as I had a friend go through similar problems a year or so back. Some of the characters seem fairly familiar from my own gym; the overly muscled male personal trainer; the overly enthusiastic female ones; the people with their regular work out times.

Where it falls down slightly is that, in much the same way as most chick-lit books, it all gets a little busy. Alongside the plots relating to these two main characters, there are the sub-plots relating to Siobhan and Trudy, Garth and Trudy, Garth and Cassie, Jane and David or not and Cassie and Terry. Then there is the situation with the inspection, the expansion, the new slimming product Garth is hawking and then a little twist at the end which, as delightful and amusing as it was, was just a step too far. It did make the book an easy read, but it took some of the reality away from it when it all happened at once and this spoiled what was a promising idea, as there was enough reality to hang the story on, but they tried to hang a little too much on it.

Overall, I did enjoy the story, for all its faults. It’s not perfect and it’s not something I would be likely to read again, but the setting was unusual enough within the genre for this to stand out and that helped. It was a shame that it felt the need to add layer upon layer of events to the story and this took a lot of the edge off, but if you take this book at a purely surface level, it’s enjoyable enough. Sure, it won’t leave you with the same endorphin high as you get from exercise, but you’ll certainly not be as tired at the end of it.

[Zoë · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fab book. Started it this morning and finished it by this evening. Well written and funny