Scandalous by Tilly Bagshawe

A quick rundown… A scandal with her professor causes Sasha to desert the physics world and seek revenge.

Strengths: Makes science sexy, interesting characters and a fast paced plot.

Weaknesses: The thought of physics might put some off. There’s very little science, I promise.

Why I read it: Tilly’s books are always entertaining.

Pages: 406

Published: 2010

Publisher: Harper Collins

Setting: England (Cambridge), Los Angeles, New York

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

If you liked this, try: Adored by the same author

 

When I know I have a heavy workload coming up, I tend to read ‘lighter’ books (in terms of content, not weight). The only thing is, I still want them to be interesting, not boring. This book certainly fits the bill – the plot and characters are easy to follow, but still interesting. I’d describe this as chick lit with a bit of meat/grunt to it.

The book centres on Sasha, who adores physics with a passion. Her aim is to get into Cambridge and continue learning, which she does. However, she becomes entangled with her lecturer, Theo, who then steals her thesis and becomes a TV star. Sasha appeals but fails, leaving Cambridge. Theo’s star becomes brighter and brighter, while his faithful wife, Theresa, follows him to L.A. As Theo begins an affair with the hottest actress in town, Sasha plots her revenge carefully. She changes fields, doing commerce at Harvard, but all with the aim of taking Theo down. Eventually, the time has come – can Sasha convince Theresa to help her destroy Theo?

While the central plot line focuses on revenge, there are many subplots, usually involving relationships – a love/hate relationship for Sasha, Theo’s philandering and even Theresa’s quest for a baby. There’s quite a bit of glamour and glitz as the action moves from Cambridge to New York, Los Angeles and Europe.

Some may be put off by the mere mention of science, but Bagshawe makes both science and academia sexy. Sexier than in real life, perhaps. I promise you that you won’t need to wade through theorems and proofs; this science is about revenge, glamour and money. Even Sasha, a self-confessed science geek, is well rounded and knows her labels. Theo, a physics PhD, is ‘sexy with brains’ (although some characters may disagree with the latter part of that statement). Even Theresa, the scatty lecturer stereotype, has a warmth and uniqueness that turns her into a real person rather than a caricature.

I enjoyed this more than Flawless; I found it easier to relate to and the revenge plot more believable. It’s a good read, one that can be read at any time (but probably best enjoyed while you have time to read and read).