Review & Interview: Pop-Out Girl by Irene Woodbury

Review by Susan Roberts

June 2017; SynergEbooks; 978-0744323344
ebook, print (230 pages); women's fiction

When I first saw the cover of Pop-Out Girl, I wasn't sure that I would enjoy it but this is a book that you can't judge by seeing the cover.  The book was well written and a lot of fun to read.  I want to thank the author for a copy of this book to read and review.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. From Jen and her quest to find love to her mom Brandi who has tried her best to raise Jen in the glitter of Las Vegas.

I liked the way that the author told the story with five main chapters that each covered the story of two of the characters both past and present. That made it possible to get the entire story on each character and their interaction with each other. For example, one chapter was Brandi and Matt and it told the story of their ill fated love for each other.

Pop-Out Girl was fun to read and well written and even though I couldn't identify with any of the characters, I enjoyed reading about them and understanding why they each turned out the way that they did.

The story is dramatic and fast paced and starts right from page one when Zane kidnaps Jen and forces her to marry him. Trust me, there was never a dull moment in this book. I highly recommend it if you enjoy reading fast paced and dramatic stories.

Buy Pop-Out Girl at Amazon

The Interview

I sent some questions to the author and she graciously returned her answers so that could learn more about her and her writing process.

Was this your first book?

This is my third novel. The first one was a humor book, the second, dramatic. All three have been primarily set in Las Vegas. I love the constant interplay of reality, fantasy, and illusion. It’s a very compelling energy that stimulates creativity.

Where did you get the idea for the book?  

I was in Las Vegas working on my second novel and one night as I was standing on a corner about to cross, I got an idea for a novel about a man who comes here on business, meets a showgirl, and forms a friendly relationship with her--without knowing she’s his biological child from his first love that he was engaged to. The showgirl becomes involved with a colleague of his. Complications ensue after she discovers who her real father is. That was the basis for Pop-Out Girl.

Do you live in Las Vegas? or have you visited it?

I have never lived in Las Vegas, but every winter, for the past 10 years, my husband and I have spent a couple of months there working on books as we escape the cold weather in Denver.

I was a travel writer for five years. That’s how I fell in love with Las Vegas. Not as a tourist, but as a writer working stories that excited me. That evolved into writing novels set there.

When you go to Vegas, do you play the slot machines (I always lose!) or just go to shows? 

I go to shows occasionally, but I always play the slots. After a long, hard day in front of a computer, a slot can take your mind off everything. I always say:  It’s cheaper than therapy. Let’s hope so. I have never left Vegas a winner. Never. I have days when I win and days when I lose, but by the end of the trip, I’m always in the red. It’s ridiculous.

How long have you wanted to be an author?  

I spent my twenties reading the novels of Henry James and Edith Wharton. They were literary gods to me. It was a fantasy, but I never dreamt I would be able to write novels of my own. I think it was always a hope, a dream—since childhood. I was an observer.

About the Book

When Zane Hollister returns home to Las Vegas after two years in prison and discovers his showgirl-lover is with another guy, he goes ballistic. After stalking and taunting the couple for months, his toxic jealousy takes a darker turn. To wipe out new boyfriend Colton, Zane masterminds a devilish zip line accident and a terrifying car crash. When those fail, he resorts to kidnapping Jen and forcing her to marry him. And it gets even worse when Zane shoots Colton’s boss, Matt, by mistake as he aims for Colton in a horrific drive-by shooting.

With Matt lingering in a coma, Jen’s cocktail-waitress mother, Brandi, absorbs a seismic shock of her own. After hearing Matt’s name on the local news, she realizes he’s her first love of decades past—and Jen’s real father.

Will Matt emerge from his coma to reunite with Brandi and Jen? Do the cops nab Zane, who’s hiding out in Hawaii? And can Jen and Colton’s love survive Zane’s lethal jealousy?

There’s a happy ending for some, but not for all, in Pop-Out Girl.

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling.  She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family and friends.  She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with her on Facebook.

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