Me and Miss M

by Jemma Forte

Ever wondered what a celebrity's life is really like? Struggling actress Fran has always had stars in her eyes but with a part in a car insurance ad as her only claim to fame, making it big is starting to look unlikely.

So taking a job as a PA to Caroline Mason - one half of Hollywood's most famous couples - seems like a fantastic opportunity. Especially when Fran's first encounter with Caroline's sexy, Oscar-winning boyfriend involves him wearing nothing but a tiny towel . . .

But Fran's new job is far from glamorous as her days are spent fetching never-ending, venti, quatro, decaf, skinny lattes and being an all-round slave to a demanding, botoxed diva. And when the job starts to cost Fran her friends and the man of her dreams she has to ask herself whether it's really worth it.

The time has come for Miss M to find out a few home truths, for Fran to get her life on track and to win back her Mr Right . . .

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance

441 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Jemma is a television presenter who began her career with five years at The Disney Channel. She has also hosted shows for BBC, ITV and Channel Four. She lives in London with her two children. her third novel 'If You're Not the One' is out February 2014. Visit her website at www.jemmforte.com or follow her on twitter @jemmaforte

--from the author's website

Jemma's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jemma-F...

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent chick lit, a nice read beside the pool.

Recommended for easy reading.

Four stars.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Francesca Massi has dreamt of being an actress since she was 9 years old but now, at 29, her only claim to fame is starring in a car insurance advert. When Fran gets the chance to be a PA to Caroline Mason – one half of Hollywood’s most powerful couple, she jumps at the chance to have a springboard for her acting career. However being a celebrity PA is nothing like Fran imagined, in fact it’s hell. As Fran starts losing her friends and potential Mr Right, she starts to wonder if it’s really worth it. Will Fran salvage her relationships before it’s too late?

Jemma Forte’s debut novel Me & Miss M caught my eye when I read somewhere, Amazon I think, that it was being called the British The Devil Wears Prada. I haven’t actually read The Devil Wears Prada but have seen the film and know how the plot goes so I was hugely interested in reading Me & Miss M to see just how right or wrong that claim was. Me & Miss M is like a British version of The Devil Wears Prada but also it’s not… let me (try and) explain.

Me & Miss M tells the story of struggling actress Fran. Every since she watched It’s A Wonderful Life aged nine she’s wanted nothing more than to be famous and to attend the Oscars and star in films. In the twenty years that follow, her only claim to fame is starring in a dodgy car insurance advert which still makes her cringe. However, through her friend Carrie-Anne, Fran is given the opportunity of a lifetime: becoming the personal assistant of Caroline Mason, one half of Hollywood’s uber-couple, girlfriend of Carson Adams – a hugely popular movie star. As Fran begins her job and in the subsequent months that follow it seems as if being PA to a star isn’t as glamorous as it all seemed. As the book progresses we see just how bad and demanding Caroline Mason is and I couldn’t help but marvel at how Fran put up with it. It’s a hugely interesting plot and one that slowly sucked me in. It does of course stir up the question: do celebrities really act that way? It’s easy to believe they do, but who knows?

The characters in Me & Miss M were all, in their own way, quite fantastic. Fran narrates the entire book so we get her deepest thoughts regarding Caroline Mason and Carson Adams. I thought she was incredibly sweet but also quite a saint for putting up with Caroline for so long. Caroline Mason was an absolute horror yet I found her incredibly intriguing. She needed to learn some home truths, for sure, but I found her incredibly amusing also. I absolutely loved Carson Adams. He was so much more down-to-Earth than Caroline and his star status didn’t seem to concern him or make him egotistical in any way. I loved all of Fran’s friends; Abbie, Ella, Sabina, Carrie-Anne but I felt they were hugely underused as the book was pretty much about Fran’s PA duties to Caroline. Tom, the love interest, is introduced quite early on in the book and I liked him immediately. Again, he was underused but only because of how busy Caroline kept Fran most of the time. One of my favourite characters though was Lorna, Caroline’s housekeeper, she was incredibly nice and really looked out for Fran.

There are plenty of mini-plots throughout the book, some more obvious than others. There was a subplot about Caroline and Carson which I guessed well before it all came out. It was so obvious it was untrue. As well as having Fran’s narrative throughout we also read some of her diary entries she writes whilst working for Caroline. It kind of felt repetitive considering we’d already read it but it didn’t concern me too much. The real crux of the story though seemed to be Fran figuring out once and for all what it is she wanted to do with her life, she was very undecided about it all and I liked her eventual career path although it did take her so so long to arrive at her career-choice.

The writing of Me & Miss M is quite superb considering it’s a debut novel and I was highly impressed with how easy it was to complete the book. Jemma Forte seems hugely talented and I hope she’s busy on a second book. The ending kind of left it open for a potential sequel and I for one would love more time in Fran’s mad world. I can’t, however, compare The Devil Wears Prada as I haven’t read it but after seeing the film, they do seem relatively similar yet also quite different if that makes sense. Maybe my mind will change when I eventually get around to The Devil Wears Prada and I can see for sure how similar (or unsimilar) they are. The book covers are remarkably similar, both feature a high-heeled shoe although The Devil Wears Prada shoe is shaped like a devil’s stick whereas the Me & Miss M shoe is covered in gum. I’ve read a number of fantastic debuts this year and this is another of those high up on my list of fab debuts. Me & Miss M is well worth a read.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

found this random book at the place we ate staying and it's quite slayable

[Sam Still Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me and Miss M was an Australian Women’s Weekly Great Read earlier this year. A couple of chapters into this book I wondered what on earth their rationale was for this typical chick lit fodder where the recently dumped single girl loses her job and then gets the job of her dreams as personal assistant to a big name movie star. Then I read further, became suitably impressed and enjoyed the ride.

Fran is a struggling wannabe actress (with only one annoying jingle TV ad to her credit) who enjoys writing fantasy about her boss and coworkers. Naturally, this gets her sacked, but her friend Carrie Anne is able to get her a dream job – PA to Caroline Mason, one half of the ultimate power couple. Caroline is rude, selfish and demanding of Fran at all hours- when will Fran realise this and move on before all is broken?

There’s some lovely characters in this book such as Lorna the housekeeper and Carson the movie star (he is the ultimate man- his descriptions really shine and make you wonder can George Clooney possibly compare?). Fran’s friend, Abbie seems underutilised, as do all her friends- they pop in and out of the narrative very quickly. Didn’t Sex and the City set standards for female friend meetups? When one friend has a baby (I can’t even remember which one, that’s how sketchily they are painted), how are we meant to care when we’ve only met the character in a few scenes? Am I meant to take the lack of friend detail as proof that Fran is neglecting everything to become indispensable to Caroline?

The book won’t stretch your brain or your vocabulary but it does contain some surprising twists on the chick lit formulae. Of course there’s a hunky down to earth movie star but what he does will surprise you. The boy next door has a brain and sometimes even uses it. The villain gets their comeuppance in a rather unique way. And it will remind you of The Devil Wears Prada, right down to the product name dropping. Still, that’s not to say that it’s not enjoyable and would be an easy beach read.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is chicklit, plain and simple but it's also very good chicklit. I knew as soon as I started it that I'd like it and I finished it very quickly. Fran is a PA who wants to be an actress but has never got the breaks. After losing her job she gets a new position working as the PA for a nightmare of a movie star. There are some funny parts, there's romance, there's a not what you expect twist in it and ultimately a happy ending. It's not a complicated book and that's not a bad thing. It did remind me slightly of The Devil Wears Pradawith movie stars instead of magazine editors but that's no bad thing either!

[Hana Ehab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable,the main character Francesca was cute and adorable,reading through her point of view was really entertaining and I connected with her a lot,the plot itself was also entertaining and unique.
The book was full of events and had many hilarious twists and the side characters's personalities were all different which is a huge plus,I loved Fran's relationship with her friends,with Carson and most importantly Tom,although I really wish there were more details in their relationship as the milestones in their relationships were very fast-forwarded so I couldn't really take it all in.
Anyways,this book deserves 4 stars and i'd definitely recommend it.

[Nessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

New author for me, thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish.

[Esther B · Rating 2 out of 5]

J’ai récupéré ce livre dans une de ces petites bibliothèques gratuites. Demain je le reposerai dans une autre. Le résumé au dos m’a tout d’abord attiré. Francesca qui quitte son boulot pour devenir assistante d’une horrible personnalité célèbre - ça fait remonter des souvenirs de mes débuts dans la vie pro. Les vieux riches qui profitent des jeunes naïfs. Mais après, combien de pages faut-il vraiment pour développer l’histoire du Diable qui s’habille en Prada ? 500 pages c’est peut-être 250 de trop. On souhaite plus de description par rapport aux personnages jusqu’ici trop plats et inintéressants, moins de noms de stars et de scénarios improbables comme le coup de la piscine à la fin. Plus de profondeur avec la femme de ménage Lorna, moins de Laëtitia et Stacey. La fin a-t-elle été écrite trop rapidement ou laissera-t-elle la place à un deuxième roman (que je ne lirai pas) ? On ne sait pas et on ne se pose pas trop de questions tellement on a envie de passer à autre chose.

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny read that I enjoyed a lot. There are a few parts in the book that are quite irrelevant to the story, like her job working for Geoff and Fran and her friends going to a party with Briggs and getting drunk, but overall I liked the story. It reminds me of the movie ‘The devil wears Prada’ but is also very different because Fran decides to keep a journal and basically writes a book based on her experiences as a PA working for a horrible actress.
I didn’t like the swearing and the many times people were getting drunk, and I wouldn’t have had Fran jump in the pool, but I loved Carson, Lorna, Steph and her friend Carrie Ann. The epilogue focused on Caroline which is understandable but I would have liked an epilogue about Fran, Carson, Steph, Tom and everyone else and see how they were doing after six months or so.

[Ilona Vitkauskaite · Rating 3 out of 5]

kartais norisi lengvo turinio, neapkraunančių knygų po sunkios darbo dienos. Ši – būtent tokia. Skaityti lengva, perskaityti galima per keletą valandų, tačiau tik tiek. Jaučiausi tarsi skaityčiau pigesnę „Ir velnias dėvi Prada“ versiją (gal tai iš dalies diktuoja ir vertėjų "pašmaikštavimas" verčiant pavadinimą). Keturių žvaigždučių neduočiau, tačiau tris su pliusu – laisvai. Lengvas, atpalaiduojantis skaitalas.

[Melodie Markowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un de mes livres préférés. Je devais avoir 15 ans quand je l'ai reçu en cadeau. Maintenant j'en ai 30 et je le relis avec plaisir au moins une fois par an.

Ce roman c'est tout ce que j'aime. Une héroïne un peu basique à la Bridget Jones, une méchante un peu tyrannique mais surtout malheureuse, beaucoup d'humour, une petite romance toute mignonne en arrière plan, un peu de suspense, des actions qu'on ne voit pas venir, et une happy end qui dépasse les prédictions.

[Ligra Nera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skaityt buvo idomu, bet perskaičius taip ir nesupratau pavadinimo prasmės. Kas ta dievaitė? Karolina Meison - garsi ir bjauraus charakterio aktorė ar Frančeska Masi - jos padėjėja, kukli mergina su didelėm svajonėm, kurias vėliau pradeda pildyt. Taip būna kai pavadinimai pakeičiami, kaip šiuo atveju iš "Aš ir panelė M" (Me and Miss M) į lietuvišką " Dievaitė dėvi Guči".

[Julie Biv · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'histoire est très cliché, mais j'ai tout de même passé un agréable moment à la lire. Je me suis attachée au personnage principal et me suis surprise à détester Caroline. On se doute que (dans ce genre d'histoire) tout finira bien pour la protagoniste, et on rigole de ses gaffes et des conséquences qu'elles engendrent. Ce livre m'a fait rire, plusieurs fois.

[Millie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved loved loved this book! The drama, the scandal, the love, the friendship, EVERYTHING! I do feel that the epilogue was wasted on Caroline when we all wanted to hear about Tom and Fran but I’ll let that one slide because it all ended with a Bang! I need a sequel!!

[Carolina Eremia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am between 3 and 4 stars. I think I would liked it more if I read it when I was 21. Still interesting. Some fantastic/non real scenarios (especially at the end) but who knows (everything is possible in this world). I definitely have an interest in the author.

[LizZz Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even een totaal ander genre dan ik normaal graag lees. Wat een heerlijk boek was dit!

[Tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, light read with many hilarious twists. Exactly what I was looking for to make it through the last few sweltering days of summer ☺

[Annelies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chicklit. Easy reading. Niet slecht, maar ook geen uitblinker in zijn genre

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mooi verhaal, met humor, leest lekker weg!

[Iulia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro incredibilmente fantastico 🤩🤩🤩

[primeballerina · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Die Göttin trägt Gucci”: klingt nach einem typischen Frauen-, Liebes-, Unterhaltungsroman und ist es letztendlich auch. Doch keineswegs in negativen Sinne, sondern durchaus positiv. Viel Witz, viel Charme & eine sympathische Protagonistin machen Jemma Fortes Roman bestsellerreif.

Francesca hat einen Traum; sie möchte unbedingt vor die Kamera, Schauspielerin werden, einmal zu den Oscars, zu den bekanntesten Hollywoodgrößen zählen.
Doch nach einigen wenigen Werbeauftritten, die eher Lachanfälle als pure Bewunderung auslösen, muss sie ihren Traum von Hollywood wohl aufgeben. Nachdem sie gekündigt wird, da sie ihr Leben bzw. den neuesten Tratsch aus dem Büro auf Papier gebracht hat (während der Arbeitszeiten…), bekommt sie mittels einer guten Freundin, einen Job als persönliche Assistentin einer bekannten Schauspielerin. Diese entpuppt sich, natürlich, als schreckliche Diva und arrogante Zicke. Der Job beansprucht Francesca voll und ganz, den ganzen Tag muss sie auf Abruf bereit sein, jegliche Wünsche der Schauspielerin zu erfüllen – sei es Wäsche zur Reinigung bringen, frischen Kaffee holen, und, und, und.
Neben so einem anspruchsvollen Job findet sich leider nur sehr wenig Zeit für die Liebe, doch Francesca hat ein Ventil, mit dessen Hilfe sie ihrer ‘Wut’ oder ihrem ‘Frust’ freien Lauf lassen kann: sie schreibt an einem Manuskript, der von einer Assistentin einer Hollywood-Diva handelt – also eigentlich ihre persönlichen Geschichte.

Während der Lektüre lässt es sich nicht vermeiden, ein paar Paralellen zum weltbekannten Bestseller Lauren Weisbergers, “Der Teufel trägt Prada”, zu erkennen. Eine junge Frau, die Karriere machen will, ein harter, erniedrigender und zeitaufwändiger Job als persönliche Assistentin, ein Drache als Chefin, teure Kleider, Marken, Berühmtheiten, etc. Auch der Titel weist ganz eindeutige Gemeinsamkeiten auf: “Die Göttin trägt Gucci” – “Der Teufel trägt Prada”. Na, entdeckt ihr auch Parallelen?

Doch trotz der vielen Gemeinsamkeiten gibt es auch gewisse Unterschiede, die dazu beitragen, dass dieser Roman ganz allein für sich stehen kann. Denn die Botschaft, die Moral ist eine ganz andere, das Ende sowieso und die Protagonisten agieren zwar ähnlich, aber nicht gänzlich gleich.

So unterscheidet sich zwar auch der Schreibstil Jemma Fortes nicht sehr von dem Weisbergers; ist genauso flüssig und angenehm zu lesen, aber er ist nicht kopiert.

Deswegen kann ich guten Gewissens sagen, dass mir “Die Göttin trägt Gucci” gut gefallen hat und man es jederzeit allen empfehlen kann, die gerne “Der Teufel trägt Prada” gelesen haben und auf der Suche nach Frauenliteratur (‘Chick-Lit’) auf gewissem Niveau sind.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

So verlockend es ist, über die tägliche Büro-Soap-Opera einen Roman zu schreiben – wenigstens die Namen sollten geändert werden. Sonst könnte es einen wie Francesca ergehen, die nach Entdeckung ihrer außerdienstlichen Aktivitäten den Job verliert. Doch zum Glück kommt da ein unverhofftes Angebot: Francesca wird die persönliche Assistentin eines berühmten Filmstars! Ein Traumjob, wo ihre hoffnungsvolle Karriere als Schauspielerin bisher nur zu einen zwar erfolgreichen, aber höchst peinlichen Werbespot geführt hat. Doch Glanz und Glamour sind nur schöner Schein und ihre Chefin Caroline hält sie ganz schön im Atem, entpuppt sie sich doch als neurotische Zicke. Da bleibt kaum Zeit für das Privatleben, obwohl dort kurz darauf ein interessanter Mann auftaucht…

Ein Chick lit-Buch ganz im Stil von der Verfilmung “Der Teufel trägt Prada”: Leicht naives Mädchen kriegt vermeintlichen Traumjob und erlebt dann als persönliche Assistentin die Vorhölle. Das Ganze wird unterhaltsam aus der Ich-Perspektive geschildert und mit Tagebucheinträgen sowie dem Buch-im-Buch untermalt. Natürlich taucht auch irgendwann ein netter Mann in Form eines attraktiven Tierarztes auf. Doch Francesca erkennt nicht, dass sie sich dem Weg zum Glück verbaut – sonst wäre das Leben ja auch zu einfach.

Ein schönes Buch mit den klassischen Zutaten des Genre, dennoch erfrischend erzählt. Zwar kommt einem die Storyline ziemlich bekannt vor, aber dank Francescas Schreibkünsten und den damit verbundenen Buch im Buch ist das Buch hinreichend individuell. Neben den Drachen Caroline gibt es viele ebenso wie die Hauptfigur sympathische Nebenfiguren und auch wenn die Handlung überdreht ist, bleibt sie doch realitätsnah genug. Der Schluss ist natürlich ein Happy End, aber ein tolles. Insgesamt ein wirklich nettes Buch für zwischendurch, dem für eine bessere Wertung noch das gewisse Etwas fehlte.

[Boekenbuzz.nl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fran is een worstelende actrice die personal assistant wordt van de temperamentvolle actrice Caroline Mason, de helft van een machtig Hollywood-stel. Haar dagen zijn goed gevuld – maar ze heeft ook veel vrije tijd. Caroline blijkt een totale nachtmerrie te zijn, behoeftig, hebzuchtig en over het algemeen moeilijk mee om te gaan.

Fran houdt een dagboek bij om niet gek te worden. Haar vrienden moedigen haar aan om het te laten uitgeven. Ze ontmoet een aardige man op de trouwdag van een vriendin, maar ze heeft amper tijd om aan een relatie te werken, omdat ze wordt opgeslokt door haar werk en het schrijven. Uiteindelijk zegt haar vriend dat hij vindt dat ze teveel op haar werk is gericht en laat haar zitten.

Kort daarna stopt ze met haar werk als personal assistant, krijgt ze een aanbieding voor haar boek, en voor een film, gebaseerd op het boek. Het verhaal neemt een ironische wending als ze Caroline adviseert zichzelf te spelen in het toch wel erg gelijkende portret. Komen Fran en haar vriend weer bij elkaar? Zal alles weer goedkomen? De diva en ik mist het venijn van Lauren Weisbergers De duivel draagt Prada. Desalniettemin is het boek zeker het lezen waard.

[Melinda Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theme has been done before, and with much more success than this one. The terror of "The Devil Wears Prada" is missing and the villian just comes off looking a bit one dimensional and not scary in the least.

The lengthy forays into self introspection "Am I shallow? Am I a doormat? Do I really love Tom? Who am I?" became irritating, as did the mention of "destiny days".

If you're looking for something that doesn't take a lot of effort to read and is a little on the bland, "been there done that" side, go for it. It's predictable, it's nothing new, but sometimes you just need a bit of bland reading to get through the day.

[Aileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fran Moss is an Actress but is struggling for work she is a PA she loses her job after a fight with a Colleague then on the same day her boyfriend Henry dumps her. Fran’s friend tells her about a job working for an American Actress Caroline Mason, she has a successful interview and gets the job, even although it is just until Christmas. She finds the job a bit different to what she thought she has never ending lists of jobs and Caroline is very demanding. But when her job starts interfering with her friends and love life is it worth it? I loved this book, it was very easy to read and follow I couldn’t put it down definitely recommend.

[Marijke · Rating 3 out of 5]

als je het boek Lauren Weisbergers De duivel draagt Prada. hebt gelezen..en je vond die leuk.dan is dit boek ook aan te raden..
nederl titel;DE DIVA EN IK

Wow! Assistente van de Hollywoodster Caroline Mason - Francesca denkt haar droombaan te hebben gevonden. Maar de mooie, vriendelijk ogende vrouw die ze uit de bladen kent, blijkt een bitch van een baas. Al vrij snel drijft de veeleisende diva met haar onmogelijke wensen haar tot wanhoop.

Dan ontdekt ze dat de superster een goed verborgen geheim heeft. Iets waarmee Francesca terug kan slaan, maar dát is gemakkelijker gezegd dan gedaan...

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up for 20c at an op shop. Too cheap to pass up, but honestly thought it looked like it would be crappy and not even worth that much!
Expected to read a chapter and then pass along through bookcrossing.
Much to my surprise, very well written and entertaining chick lit. Had to eat my words!
Fran is an aspiring actress who ends up dumped and unemployed all in the same week. When the opportunity to work as the assistant of c-list actress Caroline arises, it sounds too good to be true, and it is. Caroline is the narcissistic boss from hell.
Kind of like Devil Wears Prada, but set in the movie world and had a few twists I didn't expect. Honestly couldn't put it down

[Soma Helmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, with some truly comical scenes. I loved to hate the nightmare movie-star-from hell. Jemma captured the helplessness, frustration and hilarity of working for an egomaniacal, spoilt princess with no grip on reality very well. Only downside was the predictability of the ending. Other than that this is a great, fairly quick read.

[Jess Dunphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this book. I didn't hate it, I just couldn't bear to read it anymore, while there were books out there written by authors with actual talent and with less mundane storylines and characters.

[Pollypoptart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been sitting in my to-be-read pile for AGES now and I hadn't got around to reading it until I took it on holiday with me. I read it in less than a day. I absolutely adored it. It was like The Devil Wears Prada, only far funnier!