Girl in a Spin, the second novel from Irish author Clodagh Murphy is out the park good. This story has romance and betrayal, politics and scandal, and a delightful heroine who will not give up on love. I know some chick lit fans are wondering about the “politics” word I used, which isn’t so common for chick lit novels. Jenny Hannigan, the good-hearted and optimistic main character, falls for Richard Allam, a recently separated politician. Jenny thinks she has found true love with Richard. He is the complete package- charming, successful, wealthy- but Jenny also believes Richard has a kind heart and loves her back. When Richard’s publicist Dev Tennant gets involved for Richard’s upcoming election, his job is to “spin” Jenny into someone the public can support- the perfect politician wife. But while Jenny has a slightly wild past, Dev’s job turns out to be harder than he imagined- but he still can’t stop himself for beginning to fall for his boss’s girlfriend. While Jenny finds herself attracted to Dev, she remains loyal to Richard- until Richard’s real motives for leaving his wife are brought to light.
I think the main reason that I loved Girl in a Spin so much is because of Jenny’s character. She actually reminded me a lot of myself, which was fun to notice, but also because she is so darn loveable. I loved her optimism. Even though she came from a tough background and supported herself most of her life, she never gave up on thinking she could get a happy ending. Even though a lot of the book covered political topics- campaigns, speeches, appearances- I was never confused or bogged down by the political references. And the hilarity in many of the scenes! Jenny has quite an unconventional background, complete with a few stalkers that make for some laugh out loud lines, and Murphy does a spot-on job at mixing humor and more serious topics. I thought the politics and the scandal that goes along with Richard and his divorce is (unfortunately) quite a common occurrence nowadays, and that really kept me invested in the story. I liked how readers are able to get into different characters minds- from Jenny all the way to Richard’s estranged wife, Julie. I was hooked until the very last page, and Girl in a Spin will definitely be making it on my Favorites List!
[Rating: 5]
