April’s book | The Undomestic Goddess

*Warning – may contain spoilers*

Samantha Sweeting is a high-powered lawyer at one of London’s most-established firms. She’s a total workaholic, working all hours of the day and night, including weekends. Her daily timetable is regimented and she allocated time slots for everything she does. She’s so work-obsessed, when she’s supposed to be having ‘me’ time, her Blackberry doesn’t leave her side – imagine your friend booking you a spa day, only for you to sneak your phone in your massage to check your emails! She can’t help but take her life everywhere, especially when she knows she’s about to be made a partner for her company – or is she?

When Samantha uncovers a mistake – one that’s worth £50 million – she has no option to run away and get as far away from London and the office as possible. In her frantic daze, she jumps on the nearest train and ends up in the countryside. Exhausted and in need of a drink and some aspirin, she find herself outside a manor house and knocks on the door. The owners invite her in, but mistake her for an applicant for their housekeeping role.

The only problem is, Samantha is not domesticated – her flat in London is forever a mess, she doesn’t know how to cook or clean, she relies on her neighbour to take in and look after her parcels and the only thing she knows is Law. She blags her away through, claiming she’s skilled in those areas and so, her new life begins.

Along the way, she learns about all things domestic, learns about friendships and relationships and a falls in love. Nathaniel is the Geiger’s gardener and although he has secrets of his own, he (like the Geigers) has no idea about Samantha’s former life – but he certainly knows she’s no housekeeper! Things are complicated, especially when the past comes back in dramatic fashion. Samantha is left with the biggest dilemma – does she return to her former hectic life in London or does she stay in the country, with Nathaniel, cleaning toilets?

I really enjoyed this book and Samantha definitely reminded me of Becky Bloomwood of the Shopaholic Series. Although Samantha is more of an air-head, she’s scatty and sassy too. The storyline had me hooked and I wasn’t expecting there to be so many twists and turns. I did find the ending a bit disappointing, it was quite predictable and ended too abruptly – with Samantha and Nathaniel walking together into the sunset. I’d like to have known where they ended up and maybe, what happened next.

If you like Sophie Kinsella novels, especially the style of the Shopaholic series, you’d thoroughly enjoy this too.