Domestic Affairs
by Bridget Siegel
Copyright: 2012
Pages: 310
Read: May 21-June 1, 2013
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly count: 23
Format: Print
Source: FSB Associates for review
Blurb: When twenty-something political fund-raiser Olivia Greenley gets tapped to work on the presidential campaign of Georgia governor Landon Taylor, it’s her dream job. Her best friend in the world is the campaign manager, and Taylor is a decent, charismatic idealist, with a real chance to be a great leader. Sacrificing her sleep, comfort, friends, family, and income for a year to make the world a better place is the right call, but what happens when both Campaign Lesson #1, No Kissing the Boss, and Lesson #2, Loyalty Above All, go down in flames before the first primary?
Bridget Siegel, veteran of the John Edwards and Obama campaigns, vividly captures the idealism and chaos, as well as the emotional heat and corruption, of the candidate’s bubble. What becomes of Olivia’s best friends when she must keep from them the biggest secret of her life? Is the candidate a true romantic or a political hypocrite? How far can she go to justify her happiness? Told with savvy, humor, and delicious inside-the-Beltway detail, Domestic Affairs is a page-turning tale of love on the campaign trail – and its consequences – from a consummate Beltway insider.
Review: I received a copy of this book for review from Anna at FSB Associates in exchange for an honest review.
When I was first pitched this book I was definitely intrigued. I like political type books. I was a little unsure about the romance portion of it, though. However, I can say that it really added to the intrigue of the overall book. I suppose if I was to classify this book it would definitely be chick-lit, which is not normally my genre of choice, but it worked for me with this book.
I was a little surprised at how naive a character Olivia seemed at times. I guess I would have expected someone working a presidential campaign would have a little more common sense at times. But I suppose it would be like me trying to work a campaign – I would be in over my head! Overall though, and especially with the ending, I was definitely a big fan of Olivia’s character.
I had to seriously wonder if this book was modeled after the Edwards campaign a little bit. Siegel apparently worked on that campaign, and with everything that came out after the campaign ended … well, I can’t help but wonder a little bit 🙂
Overall, I felt like this was a solidly written, engrossing story. The characters were well-developed. It’s definitely a fun read that I would highly recommend … and not just to political fans … I think everyone could find something to like with this book.
Tales of a Book Addict 