Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #576869 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-07
• Released on: 2007-08-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Brit TV producer Fallon takes careful what you wish for to hilarious heights in her debut novel, a comedy of errors triggered by a mistress who discovers thrice-weekly hookups with her married lover are better than a 24/7 relationship with him. Helen, office staffer at a public relations firm catering to desperate D-list celebrities, is fast approaching her 40th birthday with little chance of swimming out of the secretary pool or snagging a full-time commitment from Matthew, her middle-aged lover and relay relationshipper. When Matthew abruptly leaves wife Sophie and preteen daughters Suzanne and Claudia to move in with Helen, she's not sure it's the happy ending she prefers. Thus begins a head-spinning ruse to convince Matthew to go back home and to persuade Sophie and her scene-stealing pair of potty-mouthed children to take him back: Helen invents a new persona, hard-charging PR whiz Eleanor, who befriends Sophie and gives her advice to repair her shattered marriage. The scheme gets more elaborate when Helen/Eleanor falls for Matthew's estranged eldest son. This delightfully fizzy chick lit caper goes disappointingly flat before the finish, but the surprising and rewarding treat is a bright, grown-up story of two women who discover friendship and trust in one another. (Aug.)
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From Booklist
Helen, secretary in a London PR firm, has run afoul of the adage "be careful what you wish for, because it might come true." Boss Matthew, after an affair that has lasted years, suddenly leaves his wife and moves into Helen's flat. Helen's solution is to befriend the wife, using an assumed identity, of course, to persuade her to take Matthew back. But as she gets to know Sophie, she likes her too much to burden her with Matthew again. Office life has gotten dicey because she feels tainted by the affair, but there is another Helen in another department, which helps cloud the identities. Further muddying the situation, Helen meets Leo, a thoroughly attractive man. He just so happens to be Matthew's son from a previous marriage and, naturally, hates the woman ruining his father's life. Can this possibly be sorted out? Does Helen get stuck with Matthew? Do Sophie and Leo discover Helen's true identity? Does she escape her dead-end job and get a real career? Read and find out. Hoover, Danise

Publishers Weekly
"Brit TV producer Fallon takes 'careful what you wish for' to hilarious heights in her debut novel . . . The surprising and rewarding treat is a bright, grown-up story of two women who discover friendship and trust in one another."

Customer Reviews

a fun & light read
I saw this title on display at the library and picked it up for some undemanding summer reading, not generally being a huge fan of "chick-lit". Though author Jane Fallon may not quite be Jane Austen, I found this book unexpectedly enjoyable.

The plot follows the (sometimes surprising) friendships and relationships of Helen Williamson, an almost-forty-year-old Londoner working in PR. Fallon has created a motley assortment of characters - the mousy, the mad, and the messed up - some of whom you will undoubtedly have met in your own lives. You will find yourself (perhaps despite your better judgment) cheering for the main character, though her escapades might be the maddest of the lot. A warning: you will have to suspend your disbelief at times, as the plot gets rather crazy, but the story is filled with enough laugh-out-loud moments that will keep you hooked.

I may have borrowed this book from the library, but I came online tonight to order it for a friend. Getting Rid of Matthew is a great novel for any thirty-or-forty-something females out there who need a fun and light read. Remember - be careful what you wish for.

A Hilarious, Moving, and Surprising Tale of Love and Friendship.
Reviewed by Deb Gross
on 07/13/2008

For four long years, Helen has been begging her married lover Matthew to leave his wife. She finally decides to cut bait and get on with her life. That is exactly the moment Matthew shows up at her door, bags packed, ready to move in. Helen is unwilling to kick Matthew out; instead she schemes to get him to return to his family.
To ensure success, Helen takes the extreme step of befriending Matthew's wife Sophie. Using the name Eleanor, Helen pumps Sophie for information that will help get Matthew out of her flat and back into Sophie's life. But as she spends more time with Sophie, Helen discovers how much she likes her. Sophie's friendship becomes an important part of her life.
While parts of GETTING RID OF MATTHEW read as a traditional British farce (as when Helen elaborately fakes food poisoning to avoid attending a family event where both Matthew and Sophie would be present), Helen's struggle to figure out what she wants her `post Matthew' life to look like is realistic and touching. By the end of the novel, the reader cheers for Helen as she uses her hard won self knowledge to create a satisfying new start in life.

Light and Fluffy Brit Chick Lit
This was a light and fluffy read. I enjoyed it. I have had the opportunity to read some great British Chick Lit and I haven't found one that I didn't like. This was about Helen, aka Eleanor. She is having an affair with a married man. She thinks she loves him and begs him to leave his wife and family for her. When he shows up on her door step one day with all of his stuff, she realizes she has made a big mistake. What she does about it and the people involved is pretty risky. I loved the humor and the fast pace read. I would definitely recommend this book!