Nice Girls Finish Last [Paperback]

Having previously read and laughed my head off with American Idle by Holliday, I looked forward to Nice Girls Finish First. Kirby had been a great secondary character in Idle, and I looked forward to HER story. I wasn't disappointed! Kirby isn't what anyone would call nice...especially the three employees she just fired. Her assistant Brianna, is too nice...wipe-your-feet-on-your-way-out nice. When Kirby finds herself in trouble at work and needing to find someone to call her 'nice' and quick, Brianna steps in offering her services. As long as Kirby teaches Brianna to quit letting people walk all over her. The result is hilarious! Both women work to discover who they really are, who they really want to be, and who they want to be it with. There are a ton of laughs, a few tears, and a whole lot of fun in this book. You'll love the characters in Nice Girls, so pick it up and hit the beach, for a great read!

Can I say how much I loved this book? I LOVED THIS BOOK!! I am a big fan of stories that carry over from one book to the next, and in NGFF we get to hear all about Kirby Green, Jules Verne's best friend whom we first met in "American Idle" (another fabulous book!!).

Kirby is a tough girl. She has to be, considering that she works for a company that sells lingerie and sex toys, with a little whips and chains thrown in for a good measure! No shrinking violet, our Kirby, but it's exactly that devil-may-care," eat-sh**-and-die "attitude that gets her in hot water with her new boss when he calls her on the carpet for firing her entire marketing staff within the first couple of months of attaining the vice presidency position at W&L. It doesn't help that said boss is gorgeous, in a Hugh Jackman sort of way, so when he offers to make her a bet, Kirby is taken off guard and agrees. It doesn't seem too difficult, really. All he wants her to do is find ONE person to call her "nice"--ANY person--within the next four weeks and she can go on her trip to Italy, which she has been planning for months now, without any problem. If not, she has to stay and work on the new product line which is coming out at the end of the month. Of course Kirby balks so he ups the ante--he DOUBLE DOG DARES her. AND he raises the stakes to include her JOB. If Kirby can't find one person to call her "nice" in a month, not only will she lose her vacation, she will lose her job also! The problem is that her boss doesn't seemed to be very concerned about losing the bet, which makes Kirby start to doubt herself. Is she really THAT awful? Plus it doesn't help that her boss is pretty hot and she's having rather unprofessional thoughts about him, which is a strict "no-no" in her own code of ethics. Maybe she should let him fire her if she can get him instead! What's a girl to do?!

Meanwhile, Kirby's secretary, Brianna, is having her own problems. While Kirby is a bitch on wheels, Bree is still on training wheels! She is so nice that she would rather marry her over-bearing fiance than break up with him, because she doesn't want to hurt his feelings! What she really wants to do is be a professional opera singer, but everyone else in her life thinks she is silly and that it is just a passing fancey. However, when Bree's opera instructor manages to get her an audition for a position in the local opera company, Bree must choose what she really wants for herself. When she learns about the bet, Bree jumps to Kirby's defense, much to Kirby's surprise, and offers to help her learn to be "nice" if Kirby will help her learn how to stand up for herself. Together they set out to prove that "nice" doesn't have to mean "weak" and discover that they are a lot more alike than they would have ever guessed.

Alesia has a wonderful way with a story. She knows how to have her characters reach out to the reader, grab them by the hand and drag them head first into the story and keep them there, breathless with laughter, until the very end. I loved Kirby in "American Idle" and I was thrilled to get to read more about her in NGFF. This book had me laughing out loud (much to the consternation of my children and husband!) and I never had a slow moment thoughout. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a sassy, well-written story. Alesia rocks!

I adored Ms. Holliday's writing style when I first read American Idle and I can tell you truthfully that this book has shown that her books are consistently funny, well-written and involving. I liked Kirby in the first book and was ecstatic when I found out she was getting her own story. I stayed up all night finishing it. I appreciate another reviewer's opinion about sharing it with your friends, but honestly, I'm making all my friends buy their own copy because this one is going on my keeper shelf.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 17 reviews  4.7 out of 5 stars