Scan barcode
sam_hartwig's review
4.0
This book was loads of fun! It kind of reminded me of one of my favourite movies "Suddenly 30", but only because the story is mainly based at a fashion magazine HQ. I could imagine this as a rom-com movie that I could watch over and over again.
I really liked the easy flow of the writing. I was sucked straight into the story from the opening sentence, which is hilarious!
'Melons. The girls. Gazongas. I could rattle off every nickname in the world for my boobs - oops, nearly forgot jubblies - but it didn't change the fact they were small. Embarrassingly small. Think grapes over melons, fun-size bags over fun bags, shot glasses over jugs.'
This book was filled with funny inner thoughts and quotes like these. Josie, was the perfect amount of awkward and adorable. I connected to her straight away.
I think the book had an amazing ending and doesn't need a sequel, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to read it. Of course I'd love to read more about Josie, James and hopefully the rest of the gang.
I really liked the easy flow of the writing. I was sucked straight into the story from the opening sentence, which is hilarious!
'Melons. The girls. Gazongas. I could rattle off every nickname in the world for my boobs - oops, nearly forgot jubblies - but it didn't change the fact they were small. Embarrassingly small. Think grapes over melons, fun-size bags over fun bags, shot glasses over jugs.'
This book was filled with funny inner thoughts and quotes like these. Josie, was the perfect amount of awkward and adorable. I connected to her straight away.
I think the book had an amazing ending and doesn't need a sequel, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to read it. Of course I'd love to read more about Josie, James and hopefully the rest of the gang.
emmalin's review
5.0
Awww I loved this book. Perfect wee beach read for Bali. Will read the sequel :)
rollforlibrarian's review
5.0
This book's premise was a bit Devil Wears Prada, and at first a few things seemed to be developing on lines which I didn't like - over-used, cliche sorts of things. But I was proven wrong. Josie's voice is strong, she's a very believable character and despite having some similar attributes this book comes over as its own story and doesn't lean overly on those it might have common themes with.
Relationships (of any variety) also felt more realistic than many I've read. Even friendships had their ups and downs and there was no fear in showing the ugly side. One relationship followed a classic romance pattern somewhat, but it managed to come off without feeling cliche.
If I had any criticism, I'd say her uni lecturer is far, far more hands-on than any of my experiences of them (I've had thirty or more), especially when the seeking-out comes from the lecturer end. Still, it's minor and I found that easy to overlook.
I'm glad that I've decided to read more Australian authors, especially new ones, this year. Those I've read this year have been brilliant.
Relationships (of any variety) also felt more realistic than many I've read. Even friendships had their ups and downs and there was no fear in showing the ugly side. One relationship followed a classic romance pattern somewhat, but it managed to come off without feeling cliche.
If I had any criticism, I'd say her uni lecturer is far, far more hands-on than any of my experiences of them (I've had thirty or more), especially when the seeking-out comes from the lecturer end. Still, it's minor and I found that easy to overlook.
I'm glad that I've decided to read more Australian authors, especially new ones, this year. Those I've read this year have been brilliant.
thegingerpoet's review
5.0
This booked took me in from the second page and I read it all basically in 24 hours. It was an amazing book, well written. And hilarious. Cannot wait to dive into Faking it now!
pixelski's review
3.0
Firstly, thanks to HarperCollins Australia for this review copy.
Review originally posted at Fiction in Fiction in Fiction
Simply put, if you love The Devil Wears Prada (the movie that is, I haven’t read the book) then you’ll love The Intern. I could draw so many parallels while reading The Intern, but despite the similarities, I could still enjoy The Intern as its own work of art.
University student Josie Browning dreams of being a newspaper journalist but instead gets landed working at high profile fashion magazine Sash. The poor girl is an absolute walking disaster – I’m actually not sure it’s possible for someone in real life to be this clumsy? I couldn’t relate to all her embarrassing situations as a result of this, I mean I consider myself a klutz but Josie was a different story. That didn’t stop my face from heating up in humiliation on behalf of Josie while reading. I think, in part, some of her clumsiness could be attributed to her unease and lack of self-confidence at the beginning of the book. She makes SO many mistakes throughout, but my high school maths teacher once said “I make mistakes every day, but I never make the same mistake twice”. I loved that about Josie – despite all the shit she managed to get herself into, she would always pick herself up and get on with life and make the most out of things.
I loved the insight into life working at a fashion magazine. I know Tozer’s worked at a few magazines herself so I could tell a lot of this stuff was legit. A lot of it seemed ridiculous to be honest – making interns do menial tasks, fetch coffee and be the errand girl (I guess someone’s got to do it, but really does it have to be the person in university who’s meant to be getting real hands on experience that’s meant to contribute to their degree?). As someone who’s done 3 internships, I’ve been told if I wasn’t given real work after a certain point I should speak up so Josie’s situation really made me flinch. But this is a different type of industry, one that admittedly has some shallow people but also required Josie to prove her worth. It was interesting to see the range of tasks she was faced with and how she tackled them.
There’s a pretty juicy scandal in the midst of this and I cringed at how the poor target got dragged through the mud throughout it all. This was my favourite part of the book – the way it was handled, the aftermath and what Josie and others took from this horrid situation. There was no sugar-coating the ordeal, only to get through it, learn and move on. And don’t make the same mistake twice.
Let’s not forget the really sweet romance in this. There’s an absolutely swoon-worthy boy and a bunch of really icky ones. Shant talk much more about this because you should read and find out.
My biggest issue with The Intern was the writing style. I felt that it was a bit over the top and because of that, it made the situations seem unrealistic so I couldn’t relate to some of the things that went on (aforementioned clumsiness). Don’t get me wrong, Tozer’s style is engaging and it’s definitely got the essence of someone who writes articles to draw the audience in but at times I would just pause in my scepticism.
Overall, I felt that Josie really matured by the end of the book and I can’t wait to see where Faking It takes her. This was a light read that’s very fun, swoony and I loved the fashion aspect.
Review originally posted at Fiction in Fiction in Fiction
Simply put, if you love The Devil Wears Prada (the movie that is, I haven’t read the book) then you’ll love The Intern. I could draw so many parallels while reading The Intern, but despite the similarities, I could still enjoy The Intern as its own work of art.
University student Josie Browning dreams of being a newspaper journalist but instead gets landed working at high profile fashion magazine Sash. The poor girl is an absolute walking disaster – I’m actually not sure it’s possible for someone in real life to be this clumsy? I couldn’t relate to all her embarrassing situations as a result of this, I mean I consider myself a klutz but Josie was a different story. That didn’t stop my face from heating up in humiliation on behalf of Josie while reading. I think, in part, some of her clumsiness could be attributed to her unease and lack of self-confidence at the beginning of the book. She makes SO many mistakes throughout, but my high school maths teacher once said “I make mistakes every day, but I never make the same mistake twice”. I loved that about Josie – despite all the shit she managed to get herself into, she would always pick herself up and get on with life and make the most out of things.
I loved the insight into life working at a fashion magazine. I know Tozer’s worked at a few magazines herself so I could tell a lot of this stuff was legit. A lot of it seemed ridiculous to be honest – making interns do menial tasks, fetch coffee and be the errand girl (I guess someone’s got to do it, but really does it have to be the person in university who’s meant to be getting real hands on experience that’s meant to contribute to their degree?). As someone who’s done 3 internships, I’ve been told if I wasn’t given real work after a certain point I should speak up so Josie’s situation really made me flinch. But this is a different type of industry, one that admittedly has some shallow people but also required Josie to prove her worth. It was interesting to see the range of tasks she was faced with and how she tackled them.
There’s a pretty juicy scandal in the midst of this and I cringed at how the poor target got dragged through the mud throughout it all. This was my favourite part of the book – the way it was handled, the aftermath and what Josie and others took from this horrid situation. There was no sugar-coating the ordeal, only to get through it, learn and move on. And don’t make the same mistake twice.
Let’s not forget the really sweet romance in this. There’s an absolutely swoon-worthy boy and a bunch of really icky ones. Shant talk much more about this because you should read and find out.
My biggest issue with The Intern was the writing style. I felt that it was a bit over the top and because of that, it made the situations seem unrealistic so I couldn’t relate to some of the things that went on (aforementioned clumsiness). Don’t get me wrong, Tozer’s style is engaging and it’s definitely got the essence of someone who writes articles to draw the audience in but at times I would just pause in my scepticism.
Overall, I felt that Josie really matured by the end of the book and I can’t wait to see where Faking It takes her. This was a light read that’s very fun, swoony and I loved the fashion aspect.
jemimaskelley's review
5.0
A perfect beach read - I read the whole thing in one day. Great story and I love the main characters voice it felt very authentic :)
fictionalkate's review
4.0
The Intern is a fun contemporary novel featuring Josie, a first year journalism student about to start an internship at a fashion magazine. Wanting to be a serious newspaper writer and having no idea about the glossy world of magazines (I have a feeling Josie would consider herself about as glamorous as a garden gnome), Josie is out of her depth. But she's determined to succeed at her internship and not let down all the people who believe in her.
This book has been described as The Devil Wears Prada for the young adult set - and that's a great description. Josie is serious about her future as a journalist. She's top of her class at university and despite spending her days laundering outfits for fashion shoots isn't part of the plan, Josie is willing to pay her dues. Reading about Josie's adventures in the fashion industry was fantastic. She seems to have more than her share of embarrassing moments yet she doesn't let them get the best of her. Josie is intelligent and I loved her sense of humour.
As well as the magazine side of things, The Intern features realistic and interesting relationships. The ones between Josie and her professional colleagues at Sash magazine were fun to read about. Josie's bond with her sister Kat and her best friend Angel are fantastically down to earth and whilst both have their problems, they are realistic and loving. And then there's the romance! It's sweet and lovely. Josie's romantic life is full of embarrassing incidents (much like her professional life) but her relationship with a certain blue-eyed boy is one I loved reading about.
Over the course of the novel (and over the course of her internship), Josie really grows as a character. Spending time in the City with people who work in her dream industry, Josie goes from an unsure teenager to an adult who takes responsibility for her life. This is one of those coming of age novels in which the character's growth feels natural and right.
I loved reading The Intern. The magazine lifestyle, Josie's romantic adventures and the antics of everyone she meets along the way - this book is fun, heartfelt and one of my favourite contemporary reads of 2014 (definitely worth the half hour I spent trying to decide which colour cover I wanted to buy...). I could not be more excited that Gabrielle Tozer has written a sequel following Josie's adventures, Faking It, and it will be released next month.
Favourite quotes:
“Melons. The girls. Gazongas. I could rattle off every nickname in the world for my boobs – oops nearly forgot jubblies – but it didn’t change the fact they were small.”
"Everything I could see was soft, fluffy or cuddly. What was I supposed to do? Towel the guy into a coma?Shampoo him to death?"
"I was only one more embarrassing incident away from morphing into a rom-com character"
This book has been described as The Devil Wears Prada for the young adult set - and that's a great description. Josie is serious about her future as a journalist. She's top of her class at university and despite spending her days laundering outfits for fashion shoots isn't part of the plan, Josie is willing to pay her dues. Reading about Josie's adventures in the fashion industry was fantastic. She seems to have more than her share of embarrassing moments yet she doesn't let them get the best of her. Josie is intelligent and I loved her sense of humour.
As well as the magazine side of things, The Intern features realistic and interesting relationships. The ones between Josie and her professional colleagues at Sash magazine were fun to read about. Josie's bond with her sister Kat and her best friend Angel are fantastically down to earth and whilst both have their problems, they are realistic and loving. And then there's the romance! It's sweet and lovely. Josie's romantic life is full of embarrassing incidents (much like her professional life) but her relationship with a certain blue-eyed boy is one I loved reading about.
Over the course of the novel (and over the course of her internship), Josie really grows as a character. Spending time in the City with people who work in her dream industry, Josie goes from an unsure teenager to an adult who takes responsibility for her life. This is one of those coming of age novels in which the character's growth feels natural and right.
I loved reading The Intern. The magazine lifestyle, Josie's romantic adventures and the antics of everyone she meets along the way - this book is fun, heartfelt and one of my favourite contemporary reads of 2014 (definitely worth the half hour I spent trying to decide which colour cover I wanted to buy...). I could not be more excited that Gabrielle Tozer has written a sequel following Josie's adventures, Faking It, and it will be released next month.
Favourite quotes:
“Melons. The girls. Gazongas. I could rattle off every nickname in the world for my boobs – oops nearly forgot jubblies – but it didn’t change the fact they were small.”
"Everything I could see was soft, fluffy or cuddly. What was I supposed to do? Towel the guy into a coma?Shampoo him to death?"
"I was only one more embarrassing incident away from morphing into a rom-com character"
bookswithbre's review
4.0
Love, love, LOVE! The Intern was such a cute, lighthearted and funny read. The characters were well-crafted and I could relate to them, especially Josie. Her relationship with her sister was very fun to read about. Gabrielle Tozer is a skilled writer and weaving her own experiences into The Intern was a very smart move. I've just found out that the sequel, Faking It, is being released next month and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!
julia___reads's review
2.0
I've never really enjoyed Australian literature and The Intern is no exception. There were parts in the middle which were bearable, at times even enjoyable, but I had to really push myself to get through the last 100 pages and actually finish the book. Definitely won't be going back for the sequel.