Spin by Catherine McKenzie

from goodreads

Katie Sandford has just gotten an interview at her favourite music magazine, The Line. It's the chance of a lifetime. So what does she do? Goes out to celebrate - and shows up still drunk at the interview. No surprise, she doesn't get the job, but the folks at The Line think she might be perfect for another assignment for their sister gossip rag. All Katie has to do is follow It Girl Amber Sheppard into rehab. If she can get the inside scoop (and complete the 30-day program without getting kicked out), they'll reconsider her for the job at The Line.

Katie takes the job. But things get complicated when real friendships develop, a cute celebrity handler named Henry gets involved, and Katie begins to realize she may be in rehab for a reason. Katie has to make a decision -- is publishing the article worth everything she has to lose?

cover

I love how aesthetically pleasing the cover is! The way the baby blues contrast with the girl's dark hair. It also really fits with what Spin is about. I'd love to own this book just for the cover!

review

Take a character who will fit in practically any chic lit book- someone who is thirty but acts like she's twenty, is kind of a mess, lies all the time and has an interview lined up for her dream job as a music reviewer at The Line! What happens when this girl, Katie Sandford, shows up drunk to the interview? And is later offered the job on the condition that she follows a celebrity -Amber Sheppard, child star gone wild- into rehab for a month and dishes the dirt on her for a gossip rag? Throw Katie into rehab and a path of redemption and you get an astonishingly fun, witty and poignant story with great characters and an unbelievable climax that has its heart in the right place!

Once I started reading Spin, I couldn't put it down. I loved the detail and the way the characters were written. Whether it's Katie, Amber, Henry or Conner- they were all characters who were fleshed out enough that I came to care about them. Whether it was Conner, Amber's hotshot ex boyfriend's fear of heights or Amber and Connor's geeky means of communication, these little character quirks added colour to the novel! I also loved the way the book dealt with the themes of family, friendship, honesty, toxic relationships and addiction.

The tone was light but the message was clear. The pace was also just right; there was never a dull moment. It was a truly heartwarming journey- one that flawed but lovable Katie was in desperate need of. Spin by Catherine McKenzie is a book you'll want to reread immediately. Peppered with real music, celebrity and romcom references, it's a fun, fresh and charming book that will stay with you for a long time!

quotes from Spin

"Christ. I'm thirty years old and clasping a foolscap note to my chest, worried I'll get caught after lights out with a man I barely know hidden under a bed. How the fuck did that happen?"

"Meghan Stewart. My high school rival. White-blonde and bouncy, she couldn't quite manage a full beer bong. Now she's married to my first imaginary husband, and I'm talking to him in a rehab garden. There's a lesson in that somewhere, I know, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

Publication date: 1st February, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: NetGalley

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars