The Pick-Up Artist: A Lad Lit Rom Com About Dating in the Digital Age

From the very first page I found myself laughing, in spite of myself, as Rob and his best mate are introduced exchanging excruciatingly laddish banter. The Pick-up Artist then takes you through the hilarious twists and turns of Rob’s search to pick up women using the wisdom of the web. There is a surprising and satisfying conclusion as the process leads Rob to discover more than he had bargained for. Although a totally different style from Chris Hill’s first novel, 'Song of the Sea God', once again his excellent descriptive prose is just as evident in The Pick-up Artist. So, even if, like me, you are a middle-aged, married woman with children and wonder whether a tale of digital dating from the male perspective is really for you, this is still a great read.

The Pick-Up Artist by Chris Hill gives a rare insight into the weird world of the male of the species in the form of Rob Johnson, a young man on the look out for good looking, compliant and (let's face it) unfussy female partners desperate for sex. Rob's best mate Sam (no spoilers here) advises him on tactics along the way while he also consults an on-line oracle on how to make progress with the girls. Every encounter, every date, every hurried conversation by the water cooler in the office is planned in advance following consultation with said oracle, in the expectation of enhanced chances of no-strings-attached sex. This leads him into some very funny and embarrassing situations and should act as a warning to the real world of the dangers of workplace romance. On one hand it is a undemanding light romp to be taken at face value only, on the other it has a misogynistic heart in it's view of the female of the species, all of whom are hysterical, emotional, ball-breaking termagants intent on cutting every poor unsuspecting male down to size. Also by Chris Hill Song of the Sea God. AngieB author of [ Retribution: Seven Tales of Revenge [ASIN:B00AB77596 Girls Night Out ... and other stories]] and also Retribution: Seven Tales of Revenge

Not just lad lit! If you are female with a fun sense of humour, you will love this too. I know I did. Engaging characters, and situations we can all relate to. And those plot twists will have you scrambling back through the book and kicking yourself as to why you didn't see them coming. Genius!..

Smart, saucy and sensitive. Not sure this applies to author Chris Hill but The Pick Up Artist is all these and much, much more. A very different read from his previous novel, Song of the Sea God but equally as excellent...this man can write! This is dating for the digital age at it's finest and a joy to read a 'lad lit' book which is neither sexist or stereotypical. Having worked in a newspaper office and experienced the world of modern dating it's horribly accurate and toe-curling at times but has guffaws galore and moments which make you ponder the complexities of dating and relationships. And what a twist in the tale! Cracking read, enjoy!

This is the first book Of Chris`s I have read, and a very entertaining book it was too. I have to admit it minded (in parts anyway) of my own jack the lad days.......yep my text is blushing with embaressment so do not adjust your set. I will not spoil it for any new readers by revealing the plot, but if you are after a good laugh then this is dandruff shampoos ahead- ie Head & Shoulders (or should that be legs over?) the rest. Highly recommended Bookmark

My advice is that it is best not to read this book on the tube - I did and was the recipient of some strange looks as I snorted with laughter all the way through. The characters are so true to life and the situations highly believable. It has a great twist and that's all I can say so as not to spoil the ending. Its a great read for both men and women - as a woman I found it really interesting to get some insight into the dating game from a male perspective. I highly recommend this book.

This was bought as a present to encourage me to do a bit more reading and I'll be honest, I'm a bloke and reading isn't high on my list of priorities. BUT this worked. It sucked me in from first few pages and made me properly laugh. The main character could well have been based on people I actually know and it made me stick with it to see what happened. The Scottish bloke in it cracked me up. Diving back into a book has been all right really and it probably helped that this was a blokey comedy. I liked it a lot.

After reading Song of the Sea God I had no idea what to expect of The Pick-Up Artist by Chris Hill and I rather suspect that will be the case with anything from this author. It was just as well I opened the book open-minded. This was a completely different kettle of proverbial fish. But it was very good. I found myself silently uttering the mantra that all good books inspire ‘just one more page before I put it down’. It is a modern Lad-Lit story and although I am in no position to speak for blokes reading it I can say that it will warm the cockles of any woman’s heart – eventually. For most of the book you are shaking your head in half-hearted disapproval of hero Rob’s pathetic (in the literal sense of the word) attempts to attract one or all of three colleagues at the local newspaper where he works (wonder where ex-journo Chris sought inspiration?!) as he embarks upon a series of courting rituals prompted by a mystery mentor from a website community called The Pick-Up Artists. But when you’re not exasperated at clueless Rob then you’re cringing at the farce-like scenarios he falls into. At one high point (for the reader, not the hero) I actually let out a squeal of shock that I only recognised from the last time I watched ‘Something About Mary’. Chris’s humour is wicked, subtle and well-crafted while the story builds to a denouement that I really only guessed in the very latter pages. Highly recommended.