Review: 'Party Girl' by Rachel Hollis (2014)

Landon Brinkley is making her dreams come true. After years of poring over glossy photos of celebrity parties in People and US Weekly, she’s landed her Holy Grail: an internship with the fabulous Selah Smith, event planner to the Hollywood elite. 
Moving from small town Texas to Los Angeles, Landon finds herself in a world in which spending a million dollars on an event – even for kids’ birthdays – is de rigueur. The thrill of working on A-list parties and celeb weddings is enough to get her through the 75-hour workweeks, the nightmare of a multi-day film festival, and abuse at the hands of a mercurial boss. LA is full of opportunity for fame, fortune and even love. But confronted with the seamy realities of the business, she is forced to make a choice: do whatever it takes to get ahead, or stay true to herself.
When I received the opportunity to review event planner Rachel Hollis’ debut novel ‘Party Girl’, I couldn’t say ‘yes’ quickly enough. Not just because of the too cute cover with all the bright and popping colours, but also because of the fact that this novel offers a sneak peek into the alluring world of event planning and all the entertaining and glamorous situations that come with it. The story is actually based on Rachel Hollis’ own experiences within the event planning business, and I was lucky enough to interview her about her novel, her ambitions as an author, and her future plans. You can find the interview on Chick Lit Club within the next couple of weeks!
Twenty-something Texas-born-and-bred Landon Brinkley is ready to finally live her dream. While growing up in a small town in Texas, she longed for nothing more than a career as a famous event planner. By working hard, she has managed to secure a position as an intern at her idol Selah Smith’s event planning agency in Los Angeles, SSE. Even though it’s an unpaid job, Landon can’t wait to finally do what she was born to do. However, as soon as she sets foot in the office, she realises the LA world of event planning is ruthless and not at all what she had expected it to be. Yet, failure is not an option for Landon. She is finally given the chance to do what she wants to do, but all of a sudden she is forced to decide whether she is willing to give up absolutely everything for this dream or not.
True love; that’s probably the two words I’d use to describe what I was feeling while reading ‘Party Girl.’ I honestly truly loved everything about it. From the first few pages it already became clear that the book has a wonderful heroine at its centre: Landon is easily loveable with her infectious enthusiasm and her determination to make her dreams come true. Yet, there is also a great mix of secondary characters from quirky Miko (Landon’s colleague at work), tough Max (Landon’s roommate), and the ultimate villain in the form of Selah Smith (Landon’s new boss). The combination of this wonderful cast of characters, the amazing setting (I’m sure many of us readers wonder what it would be like working at an elite event planning company) and a truly entertaining storyline had me hooked from the very first page; I didn’t want to put it down, but at the same time I never wanted it to end (unfortunately, it had to)! 
Rachel Hollis has managed to turn her own real-life experiences within the world of event planning into a big city adventure that will capture the heart of any chick lit fan. ‘Party Girl’ is a deliciously entertaining, vibrant, and uplifting read and undoubtedly my favourite read of this year so far. It’s an amazing debut novel and I honestly can’t wait to read more of Rachel Hollis’ work in the future. I’ve heard she’s already working on a sequel, and I’ll be one of the first ones in line to get a copy of it!
Rating:

  10/10
For more information about this book: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Goodreads