Love is the New Black review

Love is the new Black

Author: Chrissie Keighery

Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont

 

Piper Bancroft has been thrown a lifeline: her godmother has set her up with a job at a top fashion magazine in Melbourne. Having ruined her chances of getting into uni, Piper is ready to grasp this opportunity with both hands.

But when Piper starts her new job, she’s as out of place as her face Marc Jacobs handbag. Piper’s determined to do a great job and prove she’s got what it takes to make it. But there’s one very large distraction getting in her way: her completely gorgeous, and completely off-limits, boss. He’d be the perfect man- of only they’d met in another lifetime.

My review

Thoughts on the book: Love is the new Black is the young adult version of The Devil Wears Prada and I absolutely devoured it. The story centres around Piper Bancroft who had her life all mapped out, a straight-A student once smashing her final exams, Piper and her two best friends Sarah and Ally would move into a house in Brisbane together and start their dream uni course, creative writing and editing. That was all good in theory but it things didn’t exactly happen that way. Piper met Dylan during her final year and found it was more important to spend time with him than do study for her exams (as Dylan was older). Fast forward to results time and Piper was right on the cusp of either being let into the course or not. Luckily for her she has an amazing quirky godmother (who loves animal prints) who gets her a job at the top fashion magazine, Aspire. It’s not exactly what she really wants to do with her life but it might be a great stepping stone for her.

Love is the New Black had many characters that you fall in love with and a plot that was really easy to follow and flowed really well. I felt that, I personally, could relate a little to Piper as during my last year of high school I met my husband and I didn’t study for most of that year as much as I should have and ended up not doing as well as I should have. I also was on the cusp of getting into the course that I wanted to do at the time (nursing). I however got in but had to defer as I was pregnant and a couple of years later ended up pursing Accounting and loved it. Like Piper if I had gone straight to uni and done what I thought I wanted to do I wouldn’t have actually found what I really wanted to do, besides reading and reviewing of course.

A few issues got brought up that are regularly discussed these days:

·         One was about celebrities that are in the spotlight and how they don’t have much privacy from the world. Every move and decision that they make is scrutinised by the public, and such as in this book, many celebrities feel that they can’t be themselves, that they have to project a character to the world so that everyone won’t be disappointed.

·         Another was about homosexual people and how hard it is for a lot of them to be able to come out to not only their family and friends but to the whole of society. Some homosexuals don’t believe that people will accept them for whom they are and instead feel that they need to put on a front and play straight because that is what they believe everyone wants.

·         Lastly there is the issue about models and how skinny is too skinny and whether fuller figure people should be able to model. I found the authors views on modelling very interesting and would love to read some other people’s views on this.

I also loved the whole drama surrounding Vivian. I don’t want to give too much away on the subject but will mention the article that was printed in the magazine. It was entitled ‘Sheer Sense’ and Piper had been playing around writing one day and had written in. The next thing she knows it is printed in the magazine but not under her own name, under Vivian’s. It seems Vivian had stolen back into the office and stole the article from Piper’s computer and made sure there was no trace left onto the computer so that it couldn’t be traced back to Piper.

Favourite character: CONTAINS A SMALL SPOILER

I think my favourite character would have to be Piper. She goes through so much throughout the book and comes out so strong on the other side and (in the end) with an award from an article that she had written herself about something that she felt passionately about. Even though she doesn’t take the path that she always though that she would, she ends up in a better place doing something she loves with someone who she not only loves but loves her in return and can’t be lead astray.

Favourite part/quote: I loved this scene in the book.

Piper’s heart pounded. She moved forward, and felt his hands slip around her waist. He leant towards her, and kissed her.

His kiss was soft at first- no more than a flutter. Then, his lips were firm on hers. Piper closed her eyes. His tongue found hers, and the kiss became urgent.

He lifted her against the wall and a moan escaped her. Mason pressed her body into the bricks and she felt him, big and hard against her. She ran her hands over his chest, wanting to rip off his shirt.

Adrenaline coursed through her, making her every nerve ending in her body stand to attention.

Piper had never felt anything like this before. She wanted him, right here. Now.

She fumbled with the belt of his trousers, and felt him grow even harder as he groaned. His lips moved down her neck, his hands on her breast. His teeth bit softly into her shoulder. His hands were under her dress, moving up her legs.

‘Oh god. I want you, Piper,’ he whispered.

Rating: 5/5