Help Wanted, Desperately

by Ariel Horn

In between ridiculous mistakes and egregious oversights, Ariel Horn explores whether jobs will ever give life meaning –– and where meaning comes from in the first place. With candour, wit and embarrassing naivete, Help Wanted, Desperately , a hilarious first novel by a recent college grad, ultimately touches on what it means to have potential –– and how we find happiness in who we are, not what we do. Alexa Hoffman never expected to fondle crotchless panties in the middle of an interview. And under no circumstances did she ever anticipate that in her quest for a job in New York City, she would ultimately try to become an earthworm breeder, a phone sex operator, and a deodorant sniffer all over the course of one week. Desperate to avoid moving back in with her parents, Alexa haphazardly signs up to become an English teacher for $100 a month on the third world island of Majuro, though she has no real interest in actually working there. Eager to move to New York City and avoid Majuro at all costs, Alexa makes a it's Majuro or Bust and she's got only seven months and three weeks to find and secure a job in New York City. As the clock furiously ticks closer to her imminent trip to Majuro and Alexa's desperate search for employment grows increasingly more bizarre, Alexa finds herself falling deeper in love with her boyfriend Jared, and deeper into an endlessly disastrous situation that forces her maniacal job search into new and uncharted waters, murky with possibility, love, and the confusion born from missed opportunities.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance

342 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2004

Reviews

[Tracey]

Very neurotic book. The characters ramble on, parts of the book should have been either scaled back or cut out to make it shorter and less painful to read. I don't think I'm going to go back to read it beyond the 20 pages I attempted to read. Maybe in a better mind set?

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Alas, this book might be a little interesting to someone who is 21 and just graduating college, but even that seems doubtful. Couldn't read past chapter 3. Reminds me of the time I couldn't think of what to write for an 8th grade English class assignment and just transcribed part of my diary.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

not good

[Stacey Adams · Rating 1 out of 5]

The countdown has begun as Alexa either finds a job in New York city or she goes to teach English to children Majuro. She desperately wants a job in NY since that's where her boyfriend Jared lives. Jared already has a job to go to when college ends....and that makes Alex jealous. Alex whines, she's narcissistic, she doesn't even want to be involved in her own sisters' upcoming wedding (much to the chagrin of her mother). Trying to find a job... Alexa style.... means taking the easy road, lying as much as possible and driving herself and others around her crazy. Her interview skills are the worst. Her resume is filled with lies. Alexa is her own worst enemy talking too much and causing interviewers to question her answers.
This book was humorous at times but mostly it grated on me. Alexa's fruitless job search was repeated over and over as were the same old mantras...."I'm a loser", "I'll never find a job", "No one is ever going to hire me". I got tired of the same refrain....going for a weird job she doesn't even want only to screw up the interview then feel sorry for herself and take it out on sweet Jared. The jobs were insane...she never tried to be a waitress but she did try for phone sex operator and worm breeder. Come on. There was potential for a lot more humor here than what the pages were filled with. It was a disappointing read for me.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skimmed through most of the book. There were funny parts. but it was mostly about an entitled girl that had never had any responsibilities. Acting spoiled because she couldn't find a job before she graduated college.

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

""

[Noelle Wright · Rating 1 out of 5]

Alexa "Alex" Hoffman is looking for a job, and it has to be in New York. That's it, the whole story.

I didn't really care for it. I found Alex mostly selfish, judgmental, and kind of stupid. She makes catty comments about the people who are interviewing her (overmoisturized matron, X and her gums...). She continually lies on her resume and in her interviews, then wonders why she can't get a job. I wonder how she got through college when she never paid attention in her classes...

And of course, we get the requisite stupid fight and break-up with her boyfriend over his ex, and the last minute "save" at her sister's wedding, when the uncle of her new BIL is a mega-successful businessman who wants to set her up in her own business, so she doesn't have to go to Majuro, where she has volunteered to go to teach English. She doesn't care at all that she's letting them down, it's all about her.

I didn't care for most of the other characters either. Her mother only cares about her sister's upcoming wedding, and so has no time for Alex or her concerns. Her boyfriend can't understand why she doesn't like him working with his ex-model ex. None of the interviewers are interesting people, nor are her roommates.

Finally, it's glaringly obvious that this book is based on the author's own experience, because too many of the "anecdotes" are things that only the person they actually happened to would find funny or interesting. Otherwise, they are just weird, random, and uninteresting.

I don't even know why I finished this book, except I am a completionist, and a book has to really offend (or totally bore) me for me not to finish it.

[Kerrikoala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, I would rather read a book about a young woman looking for a full time job than look for one myself. This one had a decent amount of humor, but I was hoping to learn a little more from it. The MC seemed to do/say a lot of things that I wouldn't do/say during her interviews and job search, so that didn't help. (I know it's fiction, but the back of the book said that events in the book were based on the author's own job search. I guess I was viewing it as fictional commentary on the job search process, so I expected there to be something I could take away from it.) I also found her relationship with her boyfriend a little prudish. I didn't need anything graphic, since this isn't a romance novel, but all they do is kiss and snuggle, and that's kinda odd for a non-religious chick lit book. Also wasn't too wild about the ending.

[Katie Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just picked this book up from the shelf while working at the library, so I hadn't read any reviews of it before reading it. I did really enjoy it though and was pleasantly surprised to find some parts laugh out loud funny! I hardly ever laugh out loud when I'm reading, but I did several times while reading this book in an empty apartment. As someone who doesn't know what she wants to do, job-wise, I could relate all too well to Alexa, the protagonist. She's a senior in college who's trying to find a job, any job. It's all pretty hilarious. Her boyfriend, Jared, is awesome and one of the coolest guys I've ever read in a book. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book, but I'm really glad I read it!

[Chiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book about a girl named Alexa Hoffman who is in her fourth year of college and is in desperate need of a job in New York to avoid being sent to Majuro, an island in the Pacific, where she would teach the less fortunate children, with the occassional threat of the various diseases that the island has to offer! yikes!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book. A light and quick read. Alexa Hoffman is a character that you can relate to if you have ever tried to figure out what you want to do with your life. The book got into a couple of small parts that kinda dragged by but all in all a good book. I wasnt too thrilled with it but it was a funny and light book just what i needed then.

[Elise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear. Perhaps perhaps perhaps I would have enjoyed reading this book at age 22 while waitressing in Our Fair City. But this is no book for a grown woman to spend time on. Just a collection of random, mildly entertaining anecdotes about crappy job interviews, with some unearned love story stuff thrown in.

And I WANTED to like this book so much!

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not my usual book, but the fact that it seems based in reality and that it was definitely funny at the start led me to read this. While I have to say the neurosis gets a bit tiresome as the book goes on, there are a lot of funny situations here. A good pass-the-time easy read.

[Ananda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a light read, definitely not high brow literature but it was defintiely funny. Just not the funniest thing I've read. It's about a women who is graduating from college, and needs a job, but she doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. I can definitely relate.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

not sure on rating this - it was an enjoyable, quick, entertaining read and i even laughed out loud more than once. but it seemed very trite and cutesy and "been done" to me. it's possible i'm too old and grumpy to appreciate "just graduated, finding myself" type books/ages!

[Jess Moss · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't believe I just read chick-fic. I just lost all my street cred haha. Still, it was light and entertaining when I was sick in bed. Not well written, but there were amusing moments. The author was just out of college. If she has written other books, maybe her style has improved.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love chick lit as much as anyone else - but this book was just not so good.

[Michaela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some parts were cute she was desperate for a job and applied for some weird ones I didnt like that she lied in all but one interview

[Lisa Hoban · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meant to be cute and quirky, but have seen it done better by others, couldn't bring myself to finish, so it might have gotten better.

[Andhika]

This book encourages me when I first graduated and was looking for a job. Enjoyable reading.

[Jantink · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute, but I got a little tired of the search for a job after a while.

[Renae · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast read. Gets a bit tiresome after a while and the lack of character development annoyed me a little.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was about a college girl who is in desperate search of a job when she graduates. It could have been SO relatable, but it became ridiculous and nonsensical at times. Overall, it was ok.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very light hearted book. If you are just looking for a casual read without too much substance then this is a book to read. The plot though is one that many people can relate to.

[Linda]

I gave up reading

[Caryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it. Was way too annoyed with main character.

[Lisa Delson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not get through this book. It was so repetitive and whiny.