Tiffanie Trent is not having a great week. Gavin, her boyfriend, has dumped her unceremoniously on their tenth anniversary, leaving her heartbroken and homeless.
Frank Black, the owner of Blackie’s boxing gym and where Tiff has been book-keeper for the last decade, has dropped dead. He’s not having a great week either.
And if that wasn’t enough, Mike ‘The Assassin’ Fellner, boxer of international fame and Tiff’s first love, is back in town and more gorgeous than ever. Tiff can’t seem to go anywhere without bumping into his biceps.
When she discovers Blackie has left her the gym, Tiff, with her saggy trackies and supermarket trainers, is certain she’ll fail. Can Tiff step up and roll with the punches, or will she be down and out at the first round?
Sweatpants at Tiffanie’s by Pernille Hughes Review
A book about having the courage to step out of your comfort zone with a little help from your friends.
I love the feeling of finishing a book that you have enjoyed. Often there is a little bit of adrenaline but also a deep contentedness. For me, Sweatpants at Tiffanie’s evoked this feeling. It was a good read and it made me smile.
The story was fun and drew me in but at the same time made me reflect a little on my own life.
For over twelve years my job has been to manage the Walker household. It is a role I feel secure and comfortable in. I know I’m good at it but now the kids are older, I do occasionally see job vacancies and wonder whether I should apply for them.
Doubts quickly surface though because it is much simpler to stick with what you know rather than striking out and believing in your own abilities. It is daunting to step outside of your safe zone.
For this reason, although Tiffanie’s situation is very different to mine, I quickly felt a certain affinity with her. She was dealt a bad hand by her parents, which has prompted her to settle for routine and security in the form of a smarmy and domineering boyfriend. She lacks self-confidence but feels she is jogging along fairly happily.
All this changes when she inherits a boxing club where she has worked as a bookkeeper for many years. She knows nothing of boxing or even fitness. She definitely isn’t part of the lycra brigade. Plenty of people, assuming she will make a mess of the club, offer her an easy way out. They make it very clear that she will fall flat on her face if she tries to run it herself.
Tiffanie is full of self-doubt and often shaken by confrontation both with the doubters, and with those who just mean her harm. She wants to grasp this new opportunity but is scared. Luckily though she has a few good friends and an ex-boyfriend who encourage her to dream big.
For anyone who has a challenge to face, and isn’t sure if they can do it, this book is for you.
Published by: Harper Impulse
ISBN: 978-000830-769-1
