Customer Reviews

Well Groomed

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Read French Relations first, if you cant get it from the US, do what I did and order it through Amazon UK. These books are a series and its not obvious when buying.

Great fun, lively. I got quite 'locked in'. Both books are quite a size (about 700 pages) so joined together they are an epic, but I did not find them even slightly long winded.

-Main characters are excellent and likable despite their 'faults' and there are a couple of excellent personality disorders in there!
-Plot is funny, maintains interest and has lots of surprises. To tell you about it could ruin it so not adding too much detail beyond the fact that its about who Tash will end up with.
-If you like Marrian Keyes/Catherine Alliott/Isabel Wolff I think you would like this.

This book launched me into the chic-lit genre. I have since read all Fiona Walker's books and some by other authors (including Marian Keyes and Cathy Kelly) but this is still my favourite. It took me a little while to get into it (I was stumbling a bit with the many metaphors and similies), but once into it, I loved it so much that I re-read it straight away. I have a bit of a crush on the leading man and was really sad to finish the book and not see all of the characters again. I then read French Relations, which was set before Well Groomed with the same characters, and then read Well Groomed again. I haven't re-read a novel that many times since I discovered Jane Austen!

This is without doubt my favorite of all Fiona Walkers books - no mean feat in itself as I adore Ms Walkers funny sweet and witty writing style. Well Groomed is so packed with witticisms, puns and double entendres that you can re-read this book numerous times and still find something new to laugh at. You can take my word on this as I'm currently re-reading this book for about the sixth time. Tash is a fabulous character, who is so well written that you feel you not only like her...but that you could be very like her indeed -she's funny, sweet, clumsy, makes mistakes, gets the wrong end of the stick and has trouble deciding what to wear. In addition she doesn't keep her house spotless and struggles with her weight, relations and love life. Now what girl isn't like that really??
Hugo and Niall as the two main men in her life are wonderful as well, as are the rest of the motley crew of friends and family that make up the rest of the Well Groomed characters.
I can't recommend this book enough but really do suggest that you get French Relations as well and read that first.
Read and enjoy!

Although I suppose you could enjoy Well Groomed on its own, I'd recommend finding the book, French Relations first. In FR, we meet the wonderful and impossible Tash French. Tash is (alternately) beautiful, ugly, graceful, klutzy, appealing, exasperating - well, you get the picture. In Well Groomed, we find her heading down the aisle with an equally lovable mess of a man. You love him, but you know he's not right for Tash. The book is very, very long, but it flies by. An added benefit of reading FR first is that you truly see the transition as one of the main characters changes from King Rat to Prince Charming (and we come to really believe that he had all that good in him all along - and that's really a feat!) More importantly, you see Tash develop into an assured and confident woman, making the right choices for the right reasons.

In all honesty, i can say that Well Groomed, and prequel French Relations, are the best books i have ever read! Fiona Walker manages to write in such a way that her characters come alive, and you truly miss them when you stop reading, (this often results in a reading marathon!) she does not insult the reader with tacky or wholey unbelievable storylines, yet as the story plays out, you laugh out loud at the situations the characters find themselves placed in, and do tend to wish you were a part of the book. All Fiona Walkers books are linked with characters (however insignificant) popping up throughoutout her novels.
I also have to say that however much i enjoyed French Relations, i was slightly disappointed with the ending, which is why i was so delighted with the sequel- Well Groomed! Tash is a wonderful heroine, Hugo a wonderful hero, and Well Groomed is an all round wonderful book. I would thouroughly recommend it to anyone.

Fiona Walker is truly a wonderful author. After reading "Snap Happy", I was on a mission to find more of her books. And, I wasn't let-down. This one is just as fun and well done as her other novels. I think she's just great and would HIGHLY recomnend her to all my "reading" buddies.

This is by far my favorite Fiona Walker book. I'm currently rereading it for the fifth or sixth time and every time is like the first time! I get completely lost in this book, feeling the emotions of the characters and rooting for my favorites. I can't recommend this book enough, though I would recommend reading French Relations first to get a little more of the back story. I will continue reading this book for years to come- I can't get enough! Read it!

It's a good read, witty and hilariously funny in places. I can count on Fiona Walker for sheer entertainment (like going to a funny movie)! But 5 stars? I reserve that for real literature.

Well Groomed and French Relations grab you by the heart strings as you are pulled into the chaotic world of Tash and the people she loves. These two books are the best I have ever read. Fiona Walker makes her characters so real that you long to be apart of it all. I have laughed and cried with these people so much that I am a bit depressed by the fact that every book must have a last page. Absolutely wonderful read. I cannot wait to get my hands on more Fiona Walker books.

Without doubt, this is my favorite Fiona Walker. The only problem I had was reading it and maintaining my life. Once I started, I didn't want to stop. Yes, I did read French Relations first (was rooting for Hugo throughout) and was so happy to rediscover characters I knew and loved. This is a much tighter novel though: in plot and writing. Pure escapism so be prepared to stay up all night and re-read chunks. Loved it.