All That Glitters By Vicky Pattison

[amazon_link id=”0751561339″ target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link]‘All That Glitters’ is Vicky Pattison’s debut novel and it’s a cracker of the story from the original ‘Geordie Shore’ girl.

Three years ago Issy Jones walked away from her dream because her family needed her. Today, she spends her days working in her mum’s salon and her nights going out with her best friend, Molly. Life is good yet Issy can’t help wishing for something more. When Issy’s dad puts her forward for a sensational new reality TV show, no one expects her to actually be selected. With her family urging her to grab the opportunity with both hands, Issy suddenly finds herself surrounded by glamour, fame and celebrities. Full of excitement, Issy embraces it all – it’s what she needs to do to achieve her goals. But when the reality of what she’s signed up for doesn’t match the dream Issy is chasing, things begin to fall apart. Issy is so close to getting everything she ever wanted – but just how much of herself will she have to sacrifice to get it?

The story is about Issy Jones, a young feisty woman from Manchester who left London when her father became ill and she started working in her mother’s salon, looking after blue rinses and perms. Seeing that she is unhappy with her life, her family secretly enter her into a reality television hairdressing competition and to be in with a chance of following her dreams and becoming a famous hairdresser. Terrified and excited at the prospect of stardom, Issy enters the house and salon for the next eight weeks of her life, prepared to take on everything that is thrown at her. In the new environment, she makes new friends and enemies. as everyone wants to win, but it’s hard to know who is genuine and who will be the next person to stab her in the back as challenges become harder and everyone is vying for more airtime.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this story, i’m already a bit of a fan of Vicky’s with watching ‘Geordie Shore’ and her quick wit and straight talking always had me in stitches so it was no surprise that the leading character was very similar to Vicky in her personality. Issy is feisty and not afraid to tell people what she thinks but she also has a kind nature and looks out for people. The only time we really see her really riled up is when she comes face to face with Mia, a fellow contestant in the show, who looks down on the other people and also isn’t afraid to tell others what she thinks and this is when usually Issy becomes her most aggressive, sticking up for others who are not as strong as her. Mia is jealous of Issy and this is very evident in the way she behaves as Issy quickly becomes the nation’s sweetheart with her generous heart and banter. As Issy progresses further into the show, we see her having to deal with people who are genuine and those who are hoping, she will help them with their own spotlight. With the story written so closely to Vicky’s real life, it did give an interesting insight into the creation of reality shows and I did wonder if any of the characters or the situations were based on real life events.

‘All That Glitters’ is definitely a fun and sexy story and one I struggled to put down. Well written and filled with witty one-liners, handsome men and a delightful leading lady, I enjoyed this bold and thrilling tale immensely and looked forward to Vicky’s next book.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”0751561339″ target=”_blank” ]All That Glitters from Amazon [/amazon_link] and is available to buy from good bookshops.