Worth keeping under wraps? (The Secret Shopper Unwrapped - Kate Harrison)

Member Name: AmyAmy

Product:	The Secret Shopper Unwrapped - Kate Harrison
Date:	25/10/09 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: descriptive, attractive, reasonable price

Disadvantages: not for me

I was lucky enough to win five books from Waterstones after a 'competition' via Twitter. When I found out I was a winner, I was actually quite exciting. I didn't know what books I was going to be receiving, but I had a feeling it was not going to be my usual choices! With the hope that it would open my eyes to different genres and authors, I waited (somewhat) patiently for them to arrive.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, my five new books arrived, and I emptied the contents of the large packet onto my desk. Before me was five authors I had never heard of, five covers I didn't recognise. One of these books in particular stood out for me, and this was 'Secret Shopper Unwrapped' by Kate Harrison.

The cover of this particular book was what first attracted me to this option amongst the four others I could choose from. Had I walked passed it in a shop, it is more than likely that I would have stopped to take a look. I know you should never judge a book by its cover, but I am terrible for it. This one was a lovely shade of pink, a soft baby colour. The title of the book is written in the centre in a deep pink colour, in a luscious swirly font. Around the edges, the cover is tastefully decorated with an image of black ribbon. It all looked so intriguing, and with the word 'shopper' staring at me, I felt like the title at least was almost aimed at me personally.

The author herself, I had never heard of. Kate Harrison has written five previous novels, which I found out from the first page of the book, of which one I believe is the first part of this particular book (The Secret Shopper's Revenge). After a little searching I found she seemed to have quite positive reviews attached to her novels, which gave me great hope for this one.

Now Chick Lit books are not something I usually go for, but seeing as this one was simply waiting for me to read it, I thought I would give it a go. It starts off by telling Emily's story in first person. We learn about her family and her shop, and towards the end of this chapter, her two friends Grazia and Sandie. Straight away I could tell that these central characters were quite different from one another, giving people a greater chance to relate to the story.

Quite early on I managed to pick up the fact that these characters are the secret shoppers, with Sadie as the ring master almost, giving the instructions to the others. The life of a secret shopper is not something I am exactly clued up about, so this did give me a little insight into their world. Though this book is not all about their career, but their personal life too and how they both intertwine.

Each chapter of the book is written from the point of view of a different character, so you can step into each one's shoes throughout various moments in their life. While some people may like this change, I personally do not. Unfortunately, for this very reason, I found myself putting the book back on the shelf before I finished it. Its not exactly the author's style that I don't like - she's very vivid and descriptive, making the characters feel so real - its just the layout. I like my books to be told by one character only, or focusing on one, two at a stretch. What I read was reasonably enjoyable but it was beginning to get tedious and a tad annoying.

One thing I did like about this book is the fact that it is set during the Christmas period. When I first started reading it I had high hopes that it would put me in the Christmas spirit, and I am glad to say that it did not fail to do so. I am now failed with thoughts of tinsel and reindeer, but unfortunately not of any for the characters. To be honest, I felt like I didn't care if Sandie needs to find somebody to do a secret shop for her, or if a man twice her age is encouraging Grazia to have surgery. I just couldn't connect with the characters.

Do not get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the book as such, it simply isn't the style I go for. It was quite nice to read to begin with, making a nice change from what I normally read, but there was no way I was going to be able to plough through its 412 pages and remain sane at the end.

If you do like the sound of this book though, you can buy it from bookstores such as Waterstones and WHSmith, or online via sites such as Amazon.co.uk. It will cost you around £6, which is roughly the average price you should expect to pay for a paperback. If you are used to this sort of book then it probably is worth buying, but I am just pleased that I won it instead. I am sure it will be a good read for somebody who likes a good chic lit, but for me, I'm afraid to say it just isn't up to scratch.

Amy 2009

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