Don't Believe The Hype by Natalie Lewis

 

Don't Believe the Hype by Natalie Lewis.

Published 13th April 2023 by Hodder Books.

From the cover of the book:

The world of fashion is supposed to be glamorous . . . isn't it?

Meet Frankie Marks: the world's least likely fashion PR. She got the job by fluke, she doesn't know the first thing about designers, she's always hungry, and she struggles to think before she speaks. When Frankie crash-lands in the prestigious GGC agency, her friends and family can't believe it - least of all her long-term (and long-suffering) boyfriend, James.

Frankie quickly realises she needs to use everything she's got to survive life behind the scenes of this glamorous and chaotic industry - with its eccentric characters, towering expectations, and ridiculous requests. But first, she needs to learn the difference between velour and velvet . . .

As the pressure builds and Frankie's personal life begins to take the hit, she starts to wonder if she'll ever manage to escape the strange world of fashion unscathed. And, quite frankly, does she even want to?

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Frankie Marks, recent graduate with a degree in the history of art, is on the hunt for a job, but sadly none of the London galleries and auction houses she has applied to seem to be keen to employ her. Feeling somewhat desperate, she sends her CV to PR company GGC and unexpectedly finds herself being offered a position as an intern at one of the most prestigious fashion PR companies around - which is somewhat terrifying since she knows nothing about fashion, and really does not like people all that much.

Working for a fashion PR company is a steep learning curve, but Frankie quickly realises that there is something special about the buzz of the industry, the eccentric characters, and the madness of it all, even if it is exhausting and not at all conducive to a private life - as her long suffering boyfriend James, best friend Charlotte, and despairing parents can attest.

Frankie begins to struggle to keep all areas of her life in perspective, while riding the fashion merry-go-round. Eventually, something has to give, but can she now break herself away from a job that she is great at?

With echoes of The Devil Wears Prada, Natalie Lewis draws on her own experience in the PR world to create a delicious caper full of fun and frolics from the light, dark, and unashamedly whacky sides of fashion. 

Frankie is a great character, and you find yourself getting behind her right from the beginning - even when she is being a bad girlfriend, bestie, and daughter - as she discovers that working in the world of PR is a lot more demanding that she thought. PR is the kind of job that it is impossible to explain easily, and Frankie is stumped when she tries to get across to her nearest and dearest what it is that her working life entails - and why it is so all consuming. However, Lewis does a great job of delving into the bizarre nitty gritty of the weird, wonderful, glamorous, competitive, and fast paced environment that gets under Frankie's skin. There is a lot of fascinating detail about what goes on behind the scenes in fashion PR, and although much of this sounds crazy, it rings with authenticity.

Lewis' writing is engaging, and her characters are delightful - especially the GGC gang, who are really supportive of each other (except for one who shall remain nameless). They become like a little family over the course of the story, and just like family they have their trials and tribulations to be worked through, all of which keeps you rapidly turning the pages until the inevitable drama plays out in very entertaining style. In the telling, Lewis touches on some intriguing subjects too, not least of which explores the difficulty of maintaining personal relationships when you have a career that demands so much of you - especially when to outside eyes it looks like you are having the time of your life.

This debut makes the perfect summer read. It is full of humour and heartache, and I absorbed the whole glitzy creation in one bite. Natalie Lewis is now on my radar, and I am looking forward to her second book very much.

Don't Believe the Hype is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Hodder Books for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Natalie Lewis has been a fashion pr for decades.

Her agency, Brower Lewis PR, was one of the leading PR firms in London renowned for creating the launches and strategies for brands such as Net-a-Porter.com, Jimmy Choo, Matches and Matches.com, Diane von Furstenberg and Anya Hindmarch.

In 2007 together with her business partner, she sold the agency. Natalie thought she would kick back and drink some pina coladas. Instead, she went freelance. Her high-profile clients included Bella Freud, Marie-Chantal of Greece, Amanda Wakeley, Robbie Williams, James Perse, Claudia Schiffer and latterly Victoria Beckham who she worked with as a consultant for twelve years from her very first show in 2008 up until June 2020.

In 2020 after 29 years in the business Natalie took a sabbatical. She was exhausted.

And she desperately wanted to write. For herself. Every press release, interview, website content and show note she had delivered over the years had never been in her own voice. Full of ideas and a wall display of post it notes she realised she needed to learn what a narrative arc was and went on the Curtis Brown three-month novel writing course. There she worked on the first novel she had started – Don’t Believe the Hype.

Natalie is currently working on a number of projects with Francesca Amfitheatrof, Artistic Director of Jewellery and Watches at Louis Vuitton, while also working on her second book.