Confessions of a Reluctant Recessionista

Amy Silver

Feb 2011 · Random House

About this ebook

Cassie Cavanagh has never minded being 'just a PA'. In fact she's quite content with her lot. She has a city job she kind of enjoys - after all she is indispensable, you know. She has a boyfriend who showers her with gifts - what more could a girl want? And she earns enough to (just about ) finance the luxuries she's become used to.

But Cassie hadn't banked on being made redundant. Nor had she pictured her boyfriend leaving her for an older woman! Nor had she ever imagined needing to take financial advice from her student flatmate.

Reluctant to embrace the art of being thrifty, if Cassie's going to survive the recession in style, she's a lot to learn about budgeting. And even more to learn about herself...

Ratings and reviews

Whether it's because I have been through the redundancy thing I don't know but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Cassie's life is a world away from mine but that didn't stop me cheering her on from the sidelines. Being sidelined by work and then your boyfriend is no fun but when they both happen within days of each other Cassie does the only thing she knows how - she spends, and spends and shops some more until her flatmate and her best friend stage an intervention. There were some genuinely funny moments in the book and Cassie herself is completely relatable. Okay, not completely, but there is enough normality to her for you to feel complete empathy towards her and to be on her side even when she is being rather deluded and selfish. The only thing that really spoilt the book for me was the tales of her new job at the Wine Start Up company, from singlehandedly remodelling the office to a mad dash across France to save a business deal it was a little forced and unbelievable. Fortunately, the characters save the book and you can forgive the more fantastical aspects. I am happy to admit that I bought this book because it was on sale and it reminded me of the Sophie Kinsella Shop-a-holic series. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the writing within it's covers as I think I was mentally expecting some sort of cash-in homage to that series but it really isn't that. Instead you have a very relatable central character with a strong narrator's voice in Cassie and a cast of secondary characters that provide a great foil for our erstwhile heroine. I particularly liked her flatmate Jude and am really crossing my fingers for a spin off about her. This is a fun read that I did find hard to put down between chapters and as yfirst experience of the author I am looking forward to trying some of her other books.

About the author

Amy Silver is a writer and freelance journalist, and has written on everything from the diamond trade to DIY dog grooming. She lives in London and has a penchant for vintage clothes and champagne cocktails, but she always pays her credit card bills on time. This is her first novel.