Pick Me Up

Author: Zoë Rice
Published: June 6, 2006 (NAL)
Category: Chick Lit
Quote of Choice:It's like some sandman took an image from my subconscious and sculpted it into life out of clay. Or something finer than clay - like crystal, only manlier.

Isabel Duncan has a great job as a director in a prestigious Upper East Side gallery. She's gets along very well with her boss, the gallery's dealer, and their receptionist, who also happens to be an aspiring artist. All of
the gallery's clients love Isabel, which helps when she sells them paintings for thousands of dollars. In fact, Isabel is due for a big promotion to associate dealer. That is, until the death of the gallery owner. Now none of their jobs are secure, as Freddie, the gallery dealer, has been replaced by some avant garde dealer from Europe.

So Isabel has two new men to deal with in her life. First, she has to deal with Grady Cole, the last artist Freddie signed to the gallery and Isabel has unfortunately gotten off on the wrong foot with Grady (she accosted him in the subway station, thinking he was another rude passenger). After that, Grady and Isabel's conversations weren't easy, but settled into a sort of semi-annoying-each-other kind of banter. Second, she has to deal with Avery Devon, the gallery's new dealer. He's suave, sophisticated, and handsome. Isabel wants to have a future with Avery and can see their future as the perfect art-savvy couple. Grady, the paint-spattered, torn cargo pants wearing artist doesn't really fit into the picture, except to provide the artistic goods.

However, you could see that Isabel was starting to develop feelings for Grady, those little moments that you've had in your romantic life. Those glances that make your heart race and your stomach fall to your feet. It's little things like that that made the possibility of a Grady-Isabel match much more realistic than the glossy finish of Avery-Isabel.

After Isabel discovers Avery's less savory aspects, she finds that her friend has stood her up for an awful family wedding. Grady happens to be at the gallery when Isabel finds out, and he offers to take her out. It turns out the scruffy artist owns a tux... and can dance! He says it's because his mother said that you're not a real man until you own a tux and can dance in it. After that, I fell in love with Grady and was rooting that they'd get together.

Grady did have a bit of mystery to him, and he asked Isabel to trust him. When the novel got to that point, I got a little wary. I hate romances where someone has to hide something for a good reason, but the boyfriend/girlfriend flips out and overreacts to the situation, dragging out an unnecessary conflict for several chapters. Thankfully, Zoe Rice has the kindness and good sense to make Isabel a sensible heroine. The conflict? What conflict? It was over in a poof!

In short, Pick Me Up had great characters, ones you could really get on board with, and ending was lovely. I was actually proud of a couple characters at the end, and they're not real people! That's what I have to tell myself.

I loved this book. It's definitely a keeper.