Comencé a leer esta historia porque me llamo la atención al leer las criticas y claro después de Bridget Jones no la podía dejar pasar.

Al ir conociendo a Olivia te das cuenta que su imaginación no es solo descontrolada sino absurda hasta cierto punto, sin embargo te da ese toque cómico que le da vida al libro.

La trama del libro es un poco superficial y tener a Olivia de lugar en lugar, a mi parecer lo hace aún menos creíble, los personajes en general no fueron tratados a profundidad y claro que no te logras identificar con ninguno de ellos. Hay una relación amorosa que en realidad no se sabe de donde sale, no se siente natural y parte de la historia fue como sacada de la manga.

Es entretenida, pero en realidad no es una historia que te llegue a atrapar del todo ni a recordarla y se las recomendaría si y solo si en serio no tienen nada más que leer.

I prefer Fielding's other non-Bridget book Cause Celeb, but this was an easy, fluffy read. There were parts of it that felt kind of sloppy, but the witty humor helped. It took me a lot longer to read this than I intended and I forgot about some of the minor side characters (one of whom became more important), but oh well. The end was stupid but –again– oh well.

События развиваются настолько быстро,что иногда не успеваешь уловить суть. Столько всего замешано, вот тебе и журналиста с бурной фантазией, с постоянной паранойей,что вот вот должна быть где-то сенсация и даже в мелких казалось бы деталях ,будь то "презентация крема, завязан скрытый умысел отравить все человечество. Честно, даже на середине я продолжала думать"ну когда же ты, Оливия, перестанешь искать приключения на свою жо**", но судя по развитиям она нашла!!! Вообщем, кто ищет тот, всегда найдёт. Книга интригует и захватывает, в целом мне понравилось. Просто , если чтец сверяет много фактов и ожидает супер-захватывающий детектив -это не про эту книгу. героиня не обладая никакими шпионскими-физическими навыками побеждает всех плохих парней, напоминает сказку...для легкого интригующего времяпрепровождения пойдёт;)
6th
Events develop so quickly that sometimes you do not have time to catch the essence. So many things are involved, here's a journalist with a stormy fantasy, with constant paranoia that there should be somewhere a sensation , even in small seemingly details, whether it's a presentation of a cream, a hidden intention to poison the entire humanity . In the middle I kept thinking, "Well, when will you, Olivia, cease to seek adventure for your ar **", but judging by the developments she found! In general, whoever searches for something,will always find it. "The book intrigues and captures, as a whole I liked it. It's just that if the reader checks a lot of facts and expects a super-exciting detective story-this is not about this book.) The heroine, without any espionage-physical skills, defeats all bad guys, reminds a fairy tale ... for a light intriguing pastime will go;)

Mills & Boon meets John Le Carre - actually it is much better than that! Vintage Helen Fielding - makes you feel like you are the heroine. Totally enjoyed at least the first half of the book. And then of course I wonder why my life is so boring and I never seem to run into these complete hunks who totally flip for me - I guess that is where fact and fiction part :)

I very much enjoyed this novel, largely because it's in a genre so rarely found these days: "light mystery thriller adventure romance" is the best way I can classify it. Author Graeme Shimmin has
described it as: "...a hybrid plot, primarily a Mission plot with mystery elements, but also owing a lot to the comedy-romance genre".

Olivia Joules reminds me of a modern-day version of Agatha Christie's books The Man in the Brown Suit, They Came to Baghdad and Destination Unknown: a female heroine, just a "regular" young woman, somehow becomes embroiled in a exciting quest to solve a mystery, that takes her to exotic locations.

In each case the heroines are spirited, resourceful and resilient, and don't rely on men to save the day. But in each case they end up with satisfactory romance. Such books, with female protagonists, are scarce, and I wish there were more.

Olivia Joules comes from the Fielding/Jones world of British media, magazine journalism and celebrity. She pursues a suspicious but attractive man across the globe, increasingly discovering his links to terrorism, and ends up saving the day.

Olivia Joules did verge on the implausible at times. I also recall finding the scuba diving episode rather a drawn-out diversion. It's possibly no more unrealistic than Christie's novels, but perhaps because it's a contemporary novel it's more jarring, as there's more of a sense of realism/familiarity for the modern-day reader which can then get broken.

Olivia Joules isn't nearly as well known as the Bridget Jones series of novels, but for those who enjoy Fielding's writing, it's definitely worth a read.

"Olivia Joules dall'immaginazione iperattiva" H. Fielding: 5
Olivia Joules, giornalista, donna affascinante, indipendente e consapevole delle proprie abilità, evolve in Jane Bond.
Romanzetto leggero e scorrevole. Incisivo e credibile quanto un bicchiere di aranciata fresca, ma anche altrettanto piacevole. E' il classico libro che si dimentica tanto in fretta quanto ci si è messo a leggerlo, ma è riuscito a strapparmi qualche risata.

Olivia Joules è una giornalista londinese brillante, scrive per una rivista di moda servizi di costume e società ed è Impulsiva e procrastinatrice quanto intuitiva. Per un lavoro viaggia tra Miami e Hollywood dove conosce un esotico, figaccione, riccone e misterioso produttore cinematografico, Pierre Ferramo. Lui si invaghisce della sua sagacia e cerca di concupirla. Olivia però percepisce qualche dissonanza e, sempre più insospettita da alcune coincidenze, investiga su di lui scoprendo, in effetti un malefico piano, ordito da niente di meno di Al Qaida, per far esplodere contemporaneamente diversi ponti in tutto il mondo. Le sue indagini la fanno notare dai servizi segreti inglesi che la assoldano per ottenere ulteriori informazioni. Tradita da un'agente dei servizi segreti in realtà al soldo dei terroristi, viene catturata e riesce non solo a fuggire, ma anche a sgominare un'intera cellula terroristica e ad uccidere anche Pierre dopo aver scoperto di un altro attacco orchestrato da quest'ultimo nei confronti delle stelle del cinema durante la premiazione degli Oscar. Olivia e gli agenti segreti riescono a sventare anche questo attacco e Olivia si guadagna un lasciapassare per far parte della squadra, il cuore di uno degli agenti e anche una bella fraccata di soldi per la taglia dei vari terroristi uccisi.

‘Olivia Joules and the Over-Active Imagination’ is a stand-alone novel from ‘Bridget Jones’ author Helen Fielding.

I have read and enjoyed both Bridget Jones books and Helen Fielding’s previous novel, ‘Cause Celeb’. However, I was a little reticent about reading this as I thought that after her success with Bridget Jones, Fielding would continue in the same vein but would find it hard to recreate another character as individual and captivating as Bridget. I was pleasantly surprised; this turned out to be very enjoyable and original.
Now I’m not claiming that the character of Olivia Joules is by any means as lovable as Bridget Jones, but you can relate to her to a certain extent. The novel centres around her adventures as a journalist desperate to be taken seriously but, with a reputation of letting her imagination getting the better of her, she is stuck writing articles on face creams. When she spots Osama Bin Laden at a party in Los Angeles she knows that this is her big chance and she won’t rest until she proves herself right. What the reader needs to work out is whether she is in fact just being paranoid or whether there could in fact be some truth behind her claims.

What starts off as a run-of-the-mill article soon leads her into a huge quest encompassing Miami, LA, the Caribbean and Arabia, enlisting the help of the secret services, being invited to the Oscars, and trying out as any spy gadgets as she can get her hands on!

It’s quite interesting to read what is essentially a girlie spy novel. It contains some hilarious moments as well as some very exciting edge-of-your-seat type stuff with plenty of twists and turns. I think that Fielding’s characters are so successful because she writes them with such conviction that you understand them and their actions completely, even though they may do some stupid things and end up in ludicrous situations.

I don’t think that Helen Fielding has let herself down with this novel. It’s more a case that Bridget Jones was such a gem of a character that whatever came after would never quite live up to expectations. As long as you can block Bridget from your mind before you begin to read this you should really enjoy it!

would probably make a good movie, a bit cheesey towards the end

So disappointed haha.
It was a messssssssss :(
The plot was all over the place, much like Olivia herself :(

Don't expect it to be like Bridget Jones' Diaries, it's SO different and the difference isn't a good thing*

*well, at least to me hahaha.

Olivia Joules is one whacky read that will call for unbridled reserves of suspension of disbelief. I was a bit skeptical in the beginning, and thought of Olivia as a stonehead who couldn't do anything without letting her imagination get in the way and ruin everything.

In fact, her assessment of Pierre as Osama Bin Laden did not salvage her image in my eyes and I was wary of all her snooping business, wondering if she would show herself up as a paranoid and hyper-imaginative freak who just conjures up impossible scenarios in her head. But, I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by the series of twists that dotted the narrative. As the story progressed, my wariness subsided and I was thoroughly absorbed in her adventures- hook, line and sinker.

The key to enjoying this book is to go with an open-mind. It's like a James Bond movie, everything is larger than life and you have to be open to possibilities. I have always enjoyed women oriented spy novels and, though a bit OTT, this one did not disappoint me. I mean, this has hot bellboys, hotter spies, adventures ranging from tropical islands to the desert of Sahara, Oscars, and above all, James Bond like cool gadgets, customized for a woman (hair dryer, lip gloss, etc.) Another thing that I liked about Olivia was her ability to keep a cool head even in dire situations, a la James Bond, and her sense of humour. This book is full of moments that will crack you up. I am talking about loud, cackling, ROFL kind of laughter. So, be warned if you are planning to read this book in public. I had a hard time restraining the giggles rising up in my throat lest my co-passengers in the bus should brand me a maniac.

I also liked the fact that Olivia was no damsel in distress. She didn't need a man to save her. She was adept in the art of survival and could carry the day on her slim shoulders, even if it meant fighting the big, bad men of al-Qaeda and saving some of the world's most popular faces at the Oscars.
How often do you see the women saving the world? This is a brilliant, fun-filled read with lots of adventure. Give it a try if you have no problem shoving the reality aside and are willing to believe the unbelievable, just for the sake of laughs. This book is definitely going in my re-read shelf. I have skimped on one star only because of the slow beginning. I do believe that it could have been better, given Helen Fielding's brilliant writing skills.

3,75 sterren - Nederlandse hardcover

VAN DE AUTEUR VAN BRIDGET JONES' DIARY

Met haar magistrale schoonheid en verbluffende fantasie maakt journaliste Olivia Joules de mediawereld onveilig. Wanneer ze onderzoek doet voor een artikel over een nieuwe gezichtscrème, komt ze de mysterieuze Pierre Ferramo tegen. Ze wordt overrompeld door zijn charme en verleidingskracht.

Toch voelt ze achterdocht in zich opborrelen en plotseling zijn haar zinnen op scherp gezet. Zou het kunnen dat Ferramo eigenlijk een terrorist is, die het gemunt heeft op de westerse beschaving? In de hoop hierachter te komen, ontpopt Joules zich tot een ware spion, gewapend met een hoedenspeld, lingerie voorzien van afluisterapparatuur en een sterke dosis intuïtie.

Haar spionage-expeditie leidt haar van de Amerikaanse westkust naar Miami en via de Caribische Zee uiteindelijk naar het Midden-Oosten. De avonturen van Joules zijn zenuwslopend, hartverscheurend en onbeschrijflijk geestig.

Geen the dairy of Bridget Jones maar echt hier en daar hilarisch. Het is zo leuk. Het verhaal is hier en daar wat rammelend. Vandaar mijn nog net geen 4 sterren.

It's my summer book. I have to read it every year!
It was a surprise when i read it for the first time!
Definitely didn't expected what happened!