Review: Summer Blowout by Claire Cook

First line: Lipstick is my drug of choice.

From the back cover: A good makeup artist never panics. Bella Shaughnessy knows that. She’s the resident makeup maven in her family of Boston Irish hair salon owners, and she has an artful solution to just about every problem. But Bella feels bruised beyond reach of even the best concealer when her half-sister runs off with her husband. What can she do to cover a hurt like that?

Plenty, as it turns out. When Bella comes up with an invigorating new business idea, reinvention seems like a real and exciting possibility. And when she meets a cute entrepreneur at a college fair, success – and maybe romance – seems near. Can she move beyond the fear and take a chance on life, and love, again?

My thoughts: Another Claire Cook book that I absolutely loved! This time the story revolves around the world of makeup artists and hair stylists, and as in her other books, Claire Cook gives us a real glimpse of the profession, filled with tricks of the trade make-up secrets, such as putting eye/lip pencils in the freezer for a while before sharpening them. The characters in Summer Blowout are funny – some of which you will love (Bella, Lucky, Precious/Cannoli) and some you will not (Sophia and Craig)! I really love how the characters are developed through dialogue – it makes them come alive. Filled with hilarious antics, lipstick addiction, and romantic misadventures, Summer Blowout captivates you from page one and leaves you wanting more! 

*On a side note, I loved the four Claire Cook books (Life’s a Beach, The Wildwater Walking Club, Summer Blowout and Seven Year Switch) that I’ve read so far so much that I went back onto Paperback Swap to get the others that I missed. Multiple Choice and Must Love Dogs are on their way. I’ll have to see if I can get Ready to Fall at the library!

(I got this book through PaperBack Swap.)

Share:

3 Comments

  1. Sheila (Bookjourney)
    August 10, 2010 / 1:07 am

    I am such a fan – in the past few weeks I have read and reviewed Seven year Switch and Wildwater walking Club. This looks like another must read by her 😀

  2. Mary (Bookfan)
    August 12, 2010 / 12:27 pm

    This was the first Claire Cook book I read and I really liked it. Since then I've read a couple more. Her books seem light on the surface but really have much more depth to them.

  3. Jennifer
    August 14, 2010 / 6:54 am

    It's awesome to find authors whose work you love so much. And this really sounds like a great read. I love the part about the make up business – it's something that I really saw myself doing for a long time. I'll have to add this to my TBR list!