Book Review - In Office Hours by Lucy Kellaway

In Office Hours
Author: Lucy Kellaway

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Hardcover: 336 pages
Published: February 7, 2011

Goodreads Summary:
IN OFFICE HOURS is the story of Stella and Bella, two intelligent working women who each fall for impossible lovers--at work. Kellaway's keen observations on the way in which affairs move from state to state are a sort of masterclass in office love, bringing to life both the excitement of illicit romance and the ridiculousness of business behavior and language with a sharp sense of humor.

IN OFFICE HOURS is intelligent, funny, moving and agonizing, but it's also so painfully reconizable to any woman who has ever worked in an office or ever been in love. Kellaway hits a real nerve with her depictions of how people come to get into the emotional messes that we do and then how very difficult it is to get out again.


My thoughts:
This book is a Romance..kinda chick lit, but not a romance in the sense of the bodice-ripping-mass-market books you see at the grocery store. The romance is the main focus in the book, even though it gives the appearance of being chick lit. However, it's not a very light-hearted book - in fact I found myself crying a few times throughout the pages. I really couldn't put this book down. I started reading the book here and there whenever I had time to read a few pages, but once I hit page 50 I sat down and finished the rest of the 300 + pages in one sitting. It was SO great, I had to find out what was going to happen with Bella and Stella. 

Although I knew when I started the book that there couldn't possibly be a happy ending for both of the main characters (Stella and Bella), I still was wishing the entire book that they could all live happily ever after. Stella (married) starts an affair with her much younger unmarried intern (Rhys), meanwhile Bella (Single Mom)  becomes entangled with James (married) her much older boss. (You know you love all the parentheses).  

The book isn't overtly sexual, however since this a book about extra-marital affairs, there are quite a few sex scenes.  One of the most interesting ones, involves the Board Room Table. (ooo-la-la). The focus of the book wasn't really at all about the sex, it was more about the emotion that the characters (married or not) felt for each other. The book was very realistic and captured the emotions of the two women incredibly well. I was heartbroken, ecstatic, in love and obsessed right along with the two women.There were a lot of beautiful quotations throughout the book about love. Little things that Bella or Stella would say about their relationships really stuck with me.

I wish I could elaborate on a specific part of the book more because it really got to me, but I don't want to give away any major plot points. Let's just say it was really interesting to see the difference between the treatment of men and women in the workplace regarding their affairs. 

The ending was not at all what I thought it would be, but it was still a strong solid ending.  I absolutely loved this book. I immediately texted my best friend when I was through to let her know that she HAD to read this book RIGHT NOW! 

Judge a Book By It's Cover: Looks really chick-lit-ish. The cover doesn't really depict the emotionally-driven novel. It is cute though!

5 Stars!

Lucy Kellaway - Twitter

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*Disclosure: I received an Advanced Readers Copy courtesy of the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.