Working It Out is a self-published novel by Nicola May. In the past, I’ve not had good experience with self-published books but I think this is one of the best I’ve read.

 

When Ruby is made redundant, she realises that she never really loved her job and after losing her father, life is too short to be doing something that doesn’t make you happy. She takes the opportunity to tackle twelve jobs in twelve months and work out what her true vocation is.

 

She takes on a number of jobs that are exactly the kind of thing the casual employee would be assigned. She doesn’t mock those jobs that are important in this world and is at times compassionate. Ruby feels like a real, thirty-ish, single woman to me, despite the fact she seems to meet a lot of good-looking men (nearly one for each job I think). She occasionally drinks too much and makes stupid mistakes, but underneath she’s a decent human being.
Whilst I’d classify this as chick-lit, it’s not overly romantic or sexy. It’s as much about Ruby working out what she wants in life as it is about the men. Some of the characters seem a bit stereotypical, but if you like Wendy Holden’s novels, you’ll probably enjoy this. The prose is quite simple and at times I thought it might be better off in first person narrative but is overall very readable.
If you’re looking for chick lit that you can relate to, I give Working It Out a big thumbs up.
About the author:
Nicola May was born the year that England won the football World Cup. She lives in Ascot in Berkshire with Patrick the Cat, and James the Fiancé. Her hobbies include watching films that involve a lot of swooning, crabbing in South Devon, eating flapjacks and enjoying a flutter on the horses. Inspired by her favourite authors Milly Johnson and Carole Matthews, Nicola is looking forward to sharing her charming, heartfelt and funny books with you.
You can also follow Nicola on Twitter.