Some Nerve

By Jane Heller

Thirty-year-old Celebrity journalist Ann Roth has one last chance to prove herself. She is different from the other reporters at Famous, the L.A. magazine, where she has her dream job interviewing stars like Britney Spears and Angelina Jolie. She values her ethics—she doesn't pick through people's garbage, doesn't print rumor and gossip, doesn't try to pervert the truth. But when her editor tells her she's too nice, that what he needs is a killer journalist who'll do whatever it takes to get a story, she realizes that she must do something drastic. Of course, her plan backfires. Not only does she fail to score an interview with the notoriously media-averse actor Malcolm Goddard (he'll only do the interview while piloting his Cessna and she has a terrible fear of flying), she gets fired. Her disappointment turns to rage when she learns that Malcolm knew about her phobia all along. He insisted on doing the interview on his plane just to get her off his back.

Hurt, disappointed, not to mention unemployed, she trudges to her tiny hometown in Missouri to try to regroup, vowing to cure herself of her fears and reclaim her career. And suddenly her life takes a surprising twist: Ann hears that the great Malcolm himself is in Middletown as a patient at the local hospital—under an alias. Opportunity knocks. Ann sees a chance for payback and her ticket out of Missouri. She volunteers at the hospital with the sole intention of pretending to befriend Malcolm in order to worm the story of a lifetime out of him without his knowledge. If she writes it, she'll have her job back and prove she's the killer journalist her editor had wanted her to be. But after facing her fear of falling in love, how much is she willing to risk for her career?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061873423

Jane Heller

Jane Heller promoted dozens of bestselling authors before becoming one herself. She is the author of thirteen books including An Ex to Grind, Infernal Affairs, Name Dropping, Female Intelligence, and Lucky Stars. She lives in Santa Barbara, California, where she is at work on her next book.

Reviews for Some Nerve

[ennie_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The coincidence that dominates this story is ridiculous. It's revealed in the book jacket, but I won't spoil. A celebrity journalist in LA loses a big story and is banished back home to Middletown, where (gasp)... no, I won't spoil it. Didn't buy a word of it.

[abookaday · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Overall I didnt like this book. It was an easy read, only took me about three hours. The characters were good, not enough depth if you ask me. I liked the whole story line, but it would have been nice to evolve it more. It was written in first person, which made it hard for me to get into. I can't stand books in first person, and normally I don't read them. The characters were cute. I loved the Aunt and the Mother. It reminds me of my family, minus the phobias. I loved the little girl, and the boy in the wheel chair. It was great to see the character development in Ann. She went from this woman who joined a volunteer program to get a interview, to actually loving these people and caring. I didn't like Malcolm at all. And I don't even know where to start on him. I think this book would make a better movie than a book. And if it ever comes out in theaters I would be the first person to go see it.Over all it just wasn't my cup of tea.

[lauren_n_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Integrity's got Ann Roth down. As far as celebrity reporters go, she's rare. With honest, down-to-earth decency and sharp smarts, Ann's been top in her field for awhile. But according to her new sharp-nosed boss, these respectful and sweet ways no longer cut it. When he sends her on a mission to score a nearly-impossible interview with a reclusive Hollywood heart-throb and tells her to hone her "journalistic killer instinct (or else)" she goes for it. Unfortunately, "going for it" leave her with cheesecake in the face, a failed assignment and an anxiety attack. Humiliated and jobless, Ann returns to her hometown to live with her anxious family and to re-group.Luckily, Ann gets another chance to prove her journalistic killer instinct: the reclusive hollywood heart-throb she failed to interview first time around checks into a hospital in her home town. Hungering to prove herself, Ann signs up as a volunteer to get close to him. Up until now, SOME NERVE has been laugh-out-loud funny, fast and entertaining; while it continues to be those things, here it also acquires some bittersweet depth. As Ann chases after the actor's story, she also begins to look closely at the other patients. Some her cynicism slackens, and Ann becomes softer and more real to readers. Not only does she fall for Malcolm, but she overcomes many of her fears by providing comfort to the sick; in helping the needy, she begins to find herself.For me, this part of the book really transcended the fun and fast beginning (which I also loved), and became bigger than what I expected. Ultimately, Ann had to decide between her career and love, and it's a real mystery which she picks. While she felt like a fun friend before, I actually began to care about her character on a higher level when she's volunteering at the hospital and discovering herself.SOME NERVE is light-hearted and a fun ride, but deals with some issues that set it apart from other similar reads. All in all, I loved it, and will definitely be recommending it to friends-- 4 1/2 stars!

[superblondgirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pretty good, but not great. There were some good parts, and it moved quickly, but I did get frustrated with the formulaic way it was written. I like chick lit, and I know that means there is a lot of formula to it, but I do like a little ingenuity - you don't have to always follow the formula to the letter.It did make me want to go volunteer at a hospital, though!