Review: ‘When I Grow Up’, by Patricia Asedegbega

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication Date: 25th July 2015
• Price: £7.03
• ISBN-10:1514843137
• ISBN-13:978-1514843130
• Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-I-grow-up-1/dp/1514843137/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1515850151&sr=1-3&keywords=patricia+asedegbega

Blurb

“You need a plan B,” said Alicia’s mother when at five years old she told her what she wanted to be when she grew up. Thirty odd years later, Alicia is on plan D: sharing a flat, no tangible savings, and working for hateful Julia, whose sole purpose in life is to make her existence utterly miserable. Good thing she has Oscar and the girls to make the long hours at work bearable. But when a series of events tears the close-knit group apart, putting friendships and motives under suspicion, will Alicia be able to restore balance and set things right? More importantly, will she ever be able to upgrade her life to at least plan C?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Author of I stand corrected, When I grow up…, Rewind, Balou uncensored, Bienvenidos a gatos anónimos, Pasarse cuatro Pueblos and Sesenta segundos dan para mucho, Patricia Asedegbega Nieto was born to a Spanish mother and a Nigerian father in Madrid. As a child, she relocated with her family to Nigeria and later returned to Spain, where she acquired her BSc and master´s degree. She is currently living near Madrid with her family and her very stubborn cat, Merlin Mojito.

http://www.patriciascorner.co.uk/

Twitter @Patricias_Place 

My Review

Alicia’s friend Oscar is sacked by their law firm employers for selling confidential client details; she doesn’t believe for one second that he did it, but she may be the only one. Alicia, and her flatmates, Mbele and Juan, start to investigate. In the process, they gain new insights about the lives and motivations of her colleagues and bosses, and about themselves, and what they want to do with their lives.

I liked the writing style, and, although I’m not sure first person was the best way to tell this story, it still worked. I liked the story, the friendships and character development added to the basic plot, and finding out who framed Oscar was a surprise, although the clues were there. I enjoyed the little details of life in Madrid, and the footnotes added to those details.

On to the technical details of the book. There’s only one point to make, because the spelling and grammar are excellent. The front of the book could do with a bit of rearranging: Page 1 and 2 should be the other way around, it’s title page then copyright information, not the other way around. Chapter 1 should start on page 5, not page 4. Always start on the right hand page. This is something I learnt in my MA and now I’m looking at all the books I get, and comparing them against the standard I’ve been given. I’ve applied these rules to my first novel, and it looks a lot more professional.