Good book! Very quick read about a woman who basically lets life happen to her until she gets fired from her job and dumped by her boyfriend. This is a wake-up call for her to change her life and stop being so passive about everything. She makes some bad choices in her quest to improve, but in the end, she does take a risk :) ( )

Paula Tenenbaum is a thirty-four year old single woman who leads a conservative, no frills life. She had wanted to become a writer, but for the past three years she has been an uninspired, unmotivated and ambitionless copy writer for Brooks Marketing. For the past year she has quietly been seeing her boss, Bradley Connor, VP of Marketing. They have gone to great lengths to keep their relationship a secret from the rest of the company, but she thinks that their relationship is serious enough that he will propose to her soon. In a blink of an eye, Paula has found herself both fired from her job and dumped by Bradley, all in the same day! Bradley said that she was "average at best," that she should stop being a witness to life, waiting for something to happen to her, do something - be dynamic and a risk taker. Devastated, depressed and full of self-pity, what will Paula do with her life now?

Larry English, is a forty-year old divorced man who dreams of making money with "get-rich-quick-investment-schemes" that never pan out. He is an obnoxious, greedy, selfish, lazy SOB who thinks the world owes him a living! He has spent the last five years living recklessly until he gets himself in debt for over $250,000, he's bitter and doesn't care, so he files for bankruptcy and keeps a low profile until he can reemerge with a fail-safe investment scheme that will allow him to renter the investment world. His mother recently passed away and he inherited $200,000 from his mother's estate. With his shady past looking him in the face and people he's screwed over, he has no idea how he's going to use the money. Will Larry come up with another investment scheme now that he's in the money?

Paula and Larry have been neighbors for three years, occasionally hanging out with each other, but never romantically involved. Larry thinks that Paula would be the best person to involve in his plan to re-enter the investment world. Larry proposes that they form a business partnership: English, Tenenbaum and Associates. They would assume the personas of established, successful investment brokers. He tells her that it would be an adventure, her chance to take a risk, and the perfect opportunity to change her life. Will her risk taking pay off, or will it be just another unsuccessful get-rich-quick-scheme?

Paula Takes A Risk is a fast paced entertaining story that will keep you laughing as you turn the pages. Written in a witty humorous style, the author provides the reader with an entertaining storyline written in the third person narrative with alternating chapters between Paula and Larry. The reader is introduced to the ordinary mundane lives of Paula and Larry, and is brought along for the ride as they embark on a madcap adventure to reinvent themselves.

The author does a great job of providing a cast of characters who are realistic and have flaws that the reader can relate to. I found myself running the gamut of emotions with Paula: I wanted to shake her, yell at her, commiserate with her and encourage her. I was not a fan of Bradley or Larry, both men are despicable SOBs that need to be knocked down a peg or two. The character that I thoroughly enjoyed the most was Paula's mother, Dorothy. That lady kept me in stitches, she was such a fun character to get to know, I think she lightened up the story with her in-your-face, upfront personality.

In a unique and witty style, the author weaves a tale that is entertaining and engages the reader to consider if their own lives resemble anything that is reflected in Paula and Larry's lives. Who doesn't wish for a dream life? Are your dreams out of reach? Are you a risk taker, or do you live a conservative safe life? Are you willing to make changes?

Paula Takes A Risk is one heck of a fun read, the author's sense of humor will keep you in stitches. If anything, the surprising and redemptive conclusion makes this story worth reading!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus.

Virtual Book Tour Event: On Saturday, July 21, 2012, in association with Chick Lit Plus, author Randi M. Sherman participated in a virtual book tour event with an Author Guest Post on Jersey Girl Book Reviews.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/author-guest-post-randi-m-sher...

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/paula-takes-risk-by-randi-m-sh... ( )

BOOK REVIEW FOR PAULA TAKES A RISK
by RANDI M. SHERMAN
128 pages
Publisher: FriesenPress (January 30, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1770971556
ISBN-13: 978-1770971554

Paula Takes A Risk is an enjoyable and quick read. At times hilarious and at times a tearjerker, this is a great book to take on the airplane with you or throw in your bag to take to the beach. It follows the boring and mundane existence of the not very adventurous or exciting Paula Tenenbaum. Paula thought she had life under control. She had a job she felt was secure and a boyfriend she thought might marry her. But then the bottom fell out of Paula’s formerly stable world. One inconspicuous day, she first lost her job; and then her boyfriend broke up with her. This set Paula into a spiral of depression from which it seemed there was no escape.
Enter Larry—Paula’s sleazy, irresponsible and conniving neighbor. Larry has a new “scheme” up his sleeve, and he figures he can use Paula to help him pull it off. Although Paula is hesitant to get involved, she ends up getting caught up in Larry’s excitement and is drawn into Larry’s web. After a period of time “living the high life” playing the part of a persona completely new and unfamiliar to her, Paula discovers that she really has become the character she has been portraying herself to be. Through this experience, Paula has become much more self confident, flashy and, generally speaking, just a more exciting person to be around.

Just as Paula accepts Larry for the scumbag he really is, and gets ready to branch off on her own putting her new-found self confidence to better use; the inevitable happens, and their scheme is exposed and quickly unravels. What will become of these two now? Will Paula be able to find a new niche in life, on her own? You won’t want to put down this book until you find out what is to happen to our loveable, completely fallible heroine. ( )