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Chick Lit

Showing posts with label Chick Lit. Show all posts

Wednesday, 14 September 2016

Sofia Kahn Is Not Obliged | Ayisha Malik | Review

*cover image via GoodReads

"Brilliant idea! Excellent! Muslim dating? Well, I had no idea you were allowed to date.' Then he leaned towards me and looked at me sympathetically. 'Are your parents quite disappointed?'

Unlucky in love once again after her possible-marriage-partner-to-be proves a little too close to his parents, Sofia Khan is ready to renounce men for good. Or at least she was, until her boss persuades her to write a tell-all expose about the Muslim dating scene.

As her woes become her work, Sofia must lean on the support of her brilliant friends, baffled colleagues and baffling parents as she goes in search of stories for her book. In amongst the marriage-crazy relatives, racist tube passengers and decidedly odd online daters, could there be a a lingering possibility that she might just be falling in love . . . ?

— — —

Hands down one of the funniest books I've read in a long time.

Sofia is an utterly irresistible as a heroine. Endearing, sharp and quick off the mark, I'd find anyone hard pressed to not fall in love with her. Despite the obvious Bridget Jones comparisons (30-something woman working in media who’s love life takes center stage of the narrative), I’d argue Sofia is even more of an 'every woman' than Bridget ever was. Driven, confident, and opinionated on the outside (you get the idea within the first few pages that Sofia is a woman who know exactly who she is already, thank you very much), on the inside she's failing and falling and saying stupid stuff an inappropriate times. She messes up a lot and yet, you're still rooting for her right until the very end.

Addressing the massive elephant in the room with the book, I honestly barely noticed. Yes, seeing a Muslim woman portrayed in this way has been flung around the press and Internet as revolutionary, but in reality Sofia’s religion played second fiddle to how well the story played out and how much I was enjoying myself. Malik has struck an eloquently written balance between showcasing Sofia’s religious identity, culture, and family, and letting her 'be Sofia’, a woman writing a dating book whilst also trying to manage her own love life and societal pressures of ‘settling down’ and finding a husband.

If anything I’m mad at myself for thinking that having a Muslim female protagonist was such a revolutionary thing in the first place and utterly sad that more books like this aren’t getting published on the regular.

A 10/10 recommend from me!

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Monday, 8 September 2014

WellyWood Series 0.5 & 1 | Kate O'Keeffe | Reviewed by Laura

Jessica Banks has been living a fabulous life in London and dreads anything to do with her home back in New Zealand. In this first short story she is dragged back for a wedding and in the second it's back for good, much to her dismay! She's back living with her Mum, struggling to settle into a town which she detests, Maybe a new man can bring a light to her miserable tunnel.

I read these books on the plane back from India, they were some much needed entertainment on a 10 hour flight. The first short story was a taster, I instantly liked the character of Jessica and was looking forward to reading more in the next full length book.

I went through many different emotions whilst reading this book, as previously sad I liked Jessica, I felt sorry for her at times (I can't imagine having to move back home now I've been away for so long - nightmare!) Then I felt excited for her and the prospects that were appearing, I got annoyed at her, was happy for her, frustrated for her and laughed with her through the book. This for me is a sign that there is definitely something about this book that hooks you in, I cared what happened to her and I wanted to kick her up the bum sometimes and yell at her friend for being annoying.

This story has a typical chick-lit plot to it, romance, friendship and ending on a very positive note. However what I really did enjoy was the career element that was included, Jessica goes into business with her friend and although there are some hiccups along the way it was great to read how much of a success she was able to make of it.

Of course there are always characters in books that you don't like or are not meant to like and there are quite a few in this one, although luckily they are more minor characters and don't crop up too often.

I would definitely recommend this mini series if you are looking for a relaxing read! Kate has done a great job on both the short story and full length book! Looking forward to reading more from her in the future!

4/5 stars

These books is available for Kindle here or here

* Copy received for review c/o Kate O'Keeffe: Although I received a copy of these books free of charge this has not influenced my opinion and my review, as always, is 100% honest

This post was written by regular reviewer Laura, get to know her here.
Image from Goodreads

1 comment

Monday, 25 August 2014

Message in a Bottle | Nicholas Sparks | Reviewed by Laura

Theresa Osborne discovers and washed up bottle whilst on a work trip, inside she discovers a letter so beautiful, heart-breaking and full of love that Theresa can't help but want to know more about the man who wrote it. She begins her search and soon Garrett (the man behind the letters) and Theresa's lives come together in this story which fills our hearts desire of finding true love.

As you have all probably worked out by now I am a bit of a Sparks fan, this is in fact the fifth book of his that I am reviewing (do I get a crazy fan status for that?) There has always been something about his books which draw me in, toil with my emotions and leave me want the story to carry on forever.

This story gripped me from the moment Theresa found the bottle, I wanted to know who the man was behind it as much as she did and I could already see a romance arriving (I didn't say the books weren't predictable.) I enjoyed the storyline and although I was surprised by the ending (no spoilers here) I think it really suited the storyline which Sparks was portraying throughout the book.

Garrett was definitely a favourite character of mine, a little broken but an all round nice guy, this book is his mending process after losing the love of his life. I enjoyed seeing him come back to life again with the help of Theresa and her son. Theresa is another likeable character although at times I did find her a little frustrating and I wanted to shout at her for some of the lies she told.

Overall this is another Sparks classic story. Any Sparks fan will enjoy it, as will any fan of the romance genre.

5/5 stars

This post was written by regular reviewer Laura, get to know her here.
Image from Goodreads

1 comment

Monday, 11 August 2014

You had me at Hello | Mhairi Mcfarlane | Reviewed by Laura

What happens when the one that got away comes back? Ben and Rachel were the best of friends, it was them against... well everything and everyone. But then as University came to an end suddenly their friendship died too. Over a decade later they walk back into each others lives, but time has moved on, they have grown-up and moved on... or have they?

This book is exactly what it says on the tin and that is not a bad thing. It's chic-lit and if you are looking for an easy, predictable, likable read this this book is perfect, it fits it's genre brilliantly. I have to say this book got me at the front cover (I know never judge a book by it's cover) and I was not disappointed.

Rachel and Ben haven't seen each other for 10 years so although they used to know each other we get almost a new friendship building along with flashbacks of their time together at university - they are just the nicest, most lovable and cute main characters you could wish for. We do however get more than just a love story, we get friendships stories too, as Mindy, Ivor and Caroline being Rachel's best friends and support network.

I loved the story line as predictable as it was, it drew me in and made me angry that and impatient and drove me a little crazy a times. But alas it was not just the plot that frustrated me but there are also characters that are there for you to dislike - Hello Simon and Zoe!!

I would absolutely recommend this book to any chic-lit fan, it's definitely a perfect holiday read for the summer!

4/5 stars

This post was written by regular reviewer Laura, get to know her here.
Image from Goodreads

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Monday, 14 July 2014

Chocolate Wishes | Trisha Ashley | Reviewed by Laura

For Chloe her life revolves around chocolate. she creates sweet chocolatey heart shaped treats to sell all containing words of wisdom. Her life however is about to take a turn as a new vicar turns up at the village, an ex band member, who is also Chloe's first love and the man who broke her heart many years ago. The saying goes 'Some people never change' but maybe that is just a tired cliche.

I picked this book up on a whim, it was on offer in my local supermarket and the front cover got me, plus it mentions chocolate and I was suddenly sold. The main character Chloe is very sweet and lovely, she's a strong woman who has brought up her younger brother after her own Mother left them. She is a strong minded woman, successful business woman who has made many sacrifices in order for her brother to have a good life. They live with their grandfather although they are definitely not the standard type of Grandfather you'd expect, he is in fact a Warlock. Which as you can imagine does not gel so well with the previous vicars in town.

The story line... I'm not really sure where to start with my comments. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it?! I found it to be incredibly detailed to the point where I really didn't feel I needed all the information that was given, some conversations between characters seemed just general chit-chat that as a reader I didn't care for. It took a long time for the story to get going, there was a lot of setting the scene a mist the characters. I can't say I really got into the story until probably 3/4 of the way through and by then it was almost too late.

The ending however I did really enjoy the pace seemed to pick up, the action came in leaps and bounds and finally all the characters settled down with the people they were of course supposed to end up with. Happily ever after.

If you like chic-lit and stories about chocolate then this book is perfect, although I wouldn't add it to the top of your to-read lists.

3/5 stars

This post was written by regular reviewer Laura, get to know her here.
Image from Goodreads

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Wednesday, 14 May 2014

The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp | Poppy Dolan | Review

*image via GoodReads

Molly's little brother Sam is stuck in a love rut. He's tries so hard with women but falls short. Luckily Molly is willing to lend a helping hand and as she waves her metaphorical dating wand, she lands Sam the girl of his dreams and helps him keep the girl too!

Thanks to Sam's success, Molly's single, male friends are soon lining up for her magical dating makeover and, along with her two friends, her entrepreneurial brain gets to work to create The Bad Boyfriend's Bootcamp. But fixing other people's problematic love lives is only half of the story, Molly also has to deal with her successful entrepreneurial mother, a grim looking overdraft thanks to her past failing businesses, and her own lackluster love life.

So what’s my verdict?

As seen in the title, the plot line for this novel is pretty predictable from the get go. Molly herself is a character I've seen in from this genre of book before, she’s a little hopeless with her life lacking in direction despite being the daughter of an extremely successful businesswoman mother. I often found myself frustrated at how shortsighted and selfish she was being, but luckily this is picked up as a major flaw in her personality by her friends as the book goes on.
Her two friends she ropes into the Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp business plan, Josie and Rachel, make nice additions to the story and I actually found myself wanting to read more about their back stories during the novel.

As I've mentioned plotwise, the novel is pretty formulaic right down to the elements of second hand embarrassment, best friend/close family fights, and happy ending romance.
Despite this, the writing was fun and there was a few pretty recent pop culture references that made me chuckle. If you're after something quick and easy to read, this one's for you.

Reading Soundtrack:

A Change Would Do You Good: Sheryl Crow: Dress You Up: Madonna; Don't Make Me Over: Dionne Warwick; Work B*tch: Britney Spears; I Get It: Kate Voegele; Glitter In The Air: Pink; Open Your Eyes: Snow Patrol

For lovers of

Sophie Kinsella, Jill Mansell and ‘How to lose a guy in 10 days’

This post was written by regular reviewer Ria, get to know her here.

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Monday, 7 April 2014

Wedding Night | Sophia Kinsella | Review

Lottie has been desperately waiting for her perfect boyfriend Richard to pop the question, hints have been dropped, a restaurant has been booked and a ring has been bought (by her... not him). The night however does not go as planned, the night ends in a disastrous break up instead of wedding bells. Lottie is known for making rash decisions when her relationships end but luckily her sister Fliss is around to keep her on the right path...

I had been looking forward to this book for so long ever since I wrote my rave review of Kinsella's previous book I've got your number. Finally it reached the top of my to read pile and I was excited to begin reading it. Sadly by the time I got to around 100 pages in the excitement has dwindled and passed and I reverted to skimming the lines rather than taking in any kind of detail from the book.

We are introduced to the character of Lottie who I did really like as a character, I think we all have that one friend who goes to the extreme when there's a break-up whether that's an extreme hair cut, tattoo or quitting a job. Lottie is one of those friends which makes her likable. The other main character through this book is her sister Fliss, now this is where my problem started, I don't like Fliss. She is annoying, controlling and the kind of friend you ditch for taking over your life. She was the first issue I had with this book.

The plot in itself has potential but actually didn't really get going, I wanted a spark, some romance, humour and something to keep me wanting to read more but it just didn't. I kept going through a sense of desperation, I wanted it to pick up, I wanted it to work, I wanted to like the book so much but I just didn't.

In the end of skimmed through most of the chapters from Fliss' viewpoint and read in slightly more detail Lottie's chapters and eventually I got to the end and was excited to move on to my next book!

This post was written by regular reviewer Laura, get to know her here.
Image from Goodreads

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Thursday, 23 January 2014

There's More To Life Than Cupcakes | Poppy Dolan | Joint Review By Laura & Ria

*image via GoodReads

"Ellie Redford has a husband, a job and a home. According to the rest of the world, it’s baby o’clock already. Shame life doesn’t come with a recipe…

Ellie knows that starting a family with lovely husband Pete would be an amazing adventure. Pete would make a brilliant dad and she’d have an excuse to eat shed loads of Cherry Bakewell. But Ellie’s bestie would rather she was up at 3am with a bottle of Malibu, not formula. And with redundancies looming, Ellie’s boss isn’t exactly going to throw her a shower if she disappears for a year, with pay.

While Ellie juggles her feelings (and everyone else’s) as competently as a drunken clown, she finds herself signing up for a baking class, alongside the young, free and sizzling hot Joe. As they work buns and shape tarts, is there more to their friendship than a shared appreciation of Paul Hollywood?

Ellie’s soufflés may be rising, but her personal life is one big soggy mess. If she doesn't make a decision soon, she may just lose everything that matters to her. Maybe it's time to take off the pinny and face up to the truth: there’s more to life than cupcakes..."

- summary via GoodReads

How (if at all) did the plot surprise you, or stand out to you?

Laura: I wouldn’t say the plot surprised me, I would say that it was a storyline that I hadn’t read about before, it’s not my usual plot – I normally got for the meeting point and start of relationships rather than the already happily married stories. So as I hadn’t read many stories like this before, it was interesting to see how the storyline developed and where it was heading although like all chic-lit it was quite easy to work out the ending.

Ria: I thought the plotline itself and its shift focus towards a woman already in a happy and committed relationship was really refreshing, so much chic-lit is focused on how to get into a relationship with little written on what actually happens after the ‘happily ever after’. The baby storyline was also something I’d never seen from this genre and liked the inclusion of all the different viewpoints on whether Ellie should or shouldn’t become a mum.

Did you find the characters realistic and, if so, how?

Laura: I did find the characters realistic and I can imagine for some people they would be quite relatable. As Pete and Ellie let the baby issue erupt within their relationship, their situation and reactions towards each other would be extremely relatable and realistic to many couples in similar situations. I did really think Pete was the sweetest husband therefore I found Ellie somewhat frustrating at times (I couldn’t help taking Pete’s side), along with her flirtatious nature with her new friend.

Ria: I think Ellie, during her mild baby/pregnancy panic stages, did feel fairly realistic and I can imagine there are plenty of people who go through exactly the same thought process as her. I did however, feel she got a bit over-dramatic at points and her rushed judgement left me siding with everyone else except her sometimes – not something you want with a lead protagonist! The supporting characters were certainly a mixed bag, but despite all their eccentricities and problems the majority of them felt like people you could very well meet everyday.

How did you find the writing style? Do you think it fits well into the Chick-Lit genre and why?

Laura: I definitely think the writing style fits in, I thought it was really easy to read, flowed really well and I found myself reading 50 pages before I’d even realised it. The reason I head back to the chic-lit genre is because it is so easy to bury yourself in, after a long stressful day, I often want something easy to read, something that isn’t too challenging but yet still creative with vocabulary or style. This books definitely fits in with this genres writing style.

Ria: I think Poppy’s writing style fit perfectly within the genre. I really like the use of contemporary references – particularly the bits about Great British Bake Off! – as well as the more heartfelt moments where Ellie was showing her more logical side.

The dialogue flow between the characters was great too, especially between Ellie and her close friends.

Was there any aspect of the story, or characters, that you felt was missing from the story? Why?

Laura: There is nothing that immediately jumps to mind when answering this question, it had all the usual features that were needed. Maybe a little more humour, I do like a chic-lit book with a touch of humour.

Ria: I’d have liked to have seen Ellie’s rational and reasoning side come out more often – particularly when it came to poor Pete – but I guess when people are firing questions about whether you have a bun in the oven left, right and centre it’s bound to drive you a little insane.

What was your overall verdict on the book?

Laura: I did really enjoy this book, it definitely fitted well with the genre that it was aiming for. I enjoyed the different storyline and many of the characters. But as previously mentioned I did find one character frustrating and did put me off when reading.

Ria: I thought the book was a really good, ‘pick me up’ read. The storyline was certainly pretty unique for a typical ‘chic-lit’ book and the characters heart warming. As I said, Ellie can get pretty frustrating at times, but it all adds to the drama of the novel – and the ending will more than make up for it!

This was reviewed by regular reviewers Laura and Ria. Get to know them here.

*Review copy c/o Novelicious Books. All opinions have not been influenced and are 100% our reviewers own.

2 comments

Monday, 30 December 2013

How to Fall in Love | Cecelia Ahern | Review

Christine and Adam are thrown together one night, when she finds herself trying to save his life. She desperately waffles as much as she can, saying anything to try and stop him from jumping the Dublin Halfpenny bridge. She manages it, but only because she strikes up a crazy deal. She bets that she can make life worth living before his 35th birthday... which is in two weeks time.

It is no secret that I adore Cecelia Ahern books, I have raved about them numerous times before on this blog. However each time I read a new one I do try to stay neutral and not fall in love with the book simply because it's written by her. There have been some of her books that I haven't clicked so well with... this book was not one of those.

I think what draws me in most about her books is the written style, they have such an ease and flow to them, that it's almost impossible to not keep reading. But to make a book enjoyable there has to be something more, something in the characters or the plot to draw you in and make you desperate to read more.

This book has that something more. Lets start with the main characters, Adam and Christine. Christine has set herself an enormous task, she has to essentially save this mans life. She's going through an extremely messy divorce, living in a flat with barely any furniture, has little money and is only just about getting by herself. Somehow she manages to hold onto her spark, the spark that brings joy into others lives and positivity into her own and it is that spark that makes her likable and relate-able.

As always the story lines seems to hold that little bit of magic that is in every one of Ahern's books, trying desperately to get a man to fall in love with his life again - there would be no story line unless you had a little bit of belief in magic. Of course this is chic-lit so there is some romance along the way, I do however find that in this story it is a side plot rather than the main focus of the book.

A highly enjoyable read of which I'm sure I will go back to again and again. Recommended to any Ahern fans, chic-lit readers or anyone who needs a bit of a pick me up.

This post was written by regular reviewer Laura, get to know her here.
Image from Goodreads

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Friday, 27 December 2013

Death Comes to Pemberley | P.D James | Review

Hello dear bookworms, I hope you have had a very good Christmas and are enjoying whatever time you have off. Today I'm reviewing Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James.

Death Comes to Pemberley is one of the sequels to Pride and Prejudice. In this story, it is six years after Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy's marriage and it starts at the evening before the annual Lady Anne's Ball at their beloved home in Pemberley. Everything seems to be running smoothly until later that night, a carriage races towards the mansion. When the carriage reaches the entrance, Elizabeth's youngest sister Lydia Wickham falls out of it and screams that her husband has been murdered.

This was the first sequel to Pride and Prejudice that I have ever read before and I have mixed thoughts about it. On the one hand there is a very good story which I think is a good follow up to the original story. At the very start there is a prologue which explains what has happened to each of the Bennett sisters since we read them last. I really liked that because some of the characters which we know and love in Pride and Prejudice do not make an appearance in this story and it's nice to know what has happened to them and why they aren't a part of this story.

However, I can agree with some of the people's reviews I've read both on Goodreads and on Amazon which mention that some of the things which the author talks about is very lengthy. I nearly stopped reading it because some of the language was hard for me to understand. There's also a lot of back story which the author has had to go through when bringing in new characters and to fill in the gaps that have occurred within the past six years since Elizabeth married the mysterious Mr Darcy. I found sometimes that it was unnecessary to add some of these bits on. The actual story was very good, but sometimes I felt the author was dwelling too much on the back story and going into a lot of detail instead of focusing on telling this story.

Even though some parts were lengthy and slow paced, I was still intrigued to find out what happened at the end and it was worth it. However I don't think it is a book which I will be reading again. I think this book deserves a three star rating.

If you are living in the UK (not sure about other parts of the world) there is actually a TV version of Death Comes to Pemberley which is being shown throughout this week. The first episode was aired last night and while it is very good, some bits from the book have been changed and that is something I'm not very keen on at all.

Happy reading chums!

This book was reviewed by regular reviewer Lucy. For more information, please click here!

1 comment

Friday, 22 November 2013

Another Way To Fall | Amanda Brooke | Review

First of all, I'm going to start this review by saying that I'm not entirely sure why I wanted to read this book. I had it on request from the library, but I can't remember requesting it. I only request books that a review or a recommendation has made me want to read, so I must have wanted to read it at some point. It's fair to say I went into this with a lot of anticipation.

Another Way to Fall is the story of Emma - told after three years of treatment for brain cancer that there is little more that they can do for her, and that her treatment will now be pallative, rather than curative. Emma starts to write about the life she is now denied. As she writes, the lines between fiction and reality start to blur and her story takes on a life of its own.

The story opens with the horrible news that Emma, the protagonist, will die. Before you get to know Emma or any of the supporting characters, you already know what the end of the book will be. I really struggled with this being so early on in the book, as it became very clear that the book was going to be about Emma's death, rather than her life - and on a personal note, I wasn't sure that was a book that I wanted to read.

Each chapter starts with a page or more of Italic writing about Emma, which comes to light is her writing her book about herself. Unfortunately, for me I felt this came across way too late and made the narrative confusing. Past the first few chapters I also found these excerpts fairly boring, and easily skippable as Emma tended to explain to another character what had just happened in them. They were also just too idyllic, which I understand to be the life Emma wanted, but it was just another factor that made them skippable - it is the formula everyone expects their life to go in, so of course you know the next step. Unfortunately, Emma writing her story is the premise of the book... and as I didn't like that, I didn't like the essence of the book.

So it's a shame, because I obviously wanted to read this book enough to reserve a copy of it but it has to be 3/5 stars for me.

This post was written by regular reviewer Kath, get to know her here

1 comment

Monday, 18 November 2013

And Then It Happened | Linda Green | Review

Mel married her childhood sweetheart Adam after being together 10 years, they are now happily married, have jobs they love, perfect marriage, great friends and a gorgeous daughter called Maya who loves anything that isn't girlie. That is until Mel gets a phone call which leaves her world crashing down around her. Adam has been in a life threatening accident and he's been left in a coma.

I picked this book up on a whim in the supermarket because the front cover caught my eye, it looked like my kind of easy read. I was wrong it was not a easy read, that's not to say the writing style was not easy but the story line, I cried and I cried. Tears of sadness, tears of joy. There were times when I was too scared to read on - I did not want childhood sweethearts to torn apart by a devastating accident.

I instantly feel in love with this couple, they were adorable but not sickeningly adorable and little Maya reads to be the cutest little girl. So the whole way through the book I was routing for them. What I really enjoyed about this book was how realistic I felt it was, I haven't experienced anything like this in real life (thankfully!) but when reading this story line it felt realistic and honest.

However what I found was that, each section of the book felt a little lengthy and I was constantly waiting for it to move on, which meant I found myself skim reading some pages to try and get to the next stage of the book. I know as soon as I start skim reading, that the book I'm reading just doesn't have that 'something' that keeps me really engaged and excited by what I'm reading.

I wouldn't go out of my way to read this book, that being said I wouldn't steer others away from it, it's honest and heart-wrenching story line makes it a worthwhile read.

This post was written by regular reviewer Laura, get to know her here.
Image from Goodreads

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Monday, 4 November 2013

Bridget Jones - Mad about The Boy | Helen Fielding | Review

Bridget Jones is back, in all her former glory including the insecurities, vulnerability and stubbornness which we have previously seen. She is a more mature (in age), widowed (Oh Mark!) and Mother to two children. Can she pick her life back up and get herself back on the dating ladder?

This book was pre-ordered months before its release, landed on my doorstep on release day and was finished within the week. That however does not guarantee that I utterly adore this book, just its ease of writing style. Fielding is back, in her usual informal, witty and casual way which allows you to sink into this book no matter what else is going on around you - busy train, boyfriend playing fifa and shouting at the TV - nothing could pull me away from her writing.

That being said, for me Bridget Jones, is not Bridget Jones without Mark Darcy. I had avidly avoided spoilers and was honestly completely shocked, to read about his death. It disgruntled, annoyed and disappointed me (What? A third film without Colin Firth?!) however I do understand why Fielding has made this move. How could we enjoy the trials and tribulations Jones faces if she is happily married? It just wouldn't be the same.

Jones gets herself back on the dating bandwagon but this time modern technology is involved and there was nothing more humorous in this book than read Bridget's portrayal of signing up to twitter and tweeting. Her references to real life events give me more reason to enjoy her writing.

Bridget is her usual likable self, after reading the very first line it was easy to fall back into her routine. 'Roxster' (a very obvious name for a toyboy) a new character was another reason however as to why I couldn't get on with this book, I found him annoying and the named grated on me the more I read it.

Obviously there is a happy ending, however I was not satisfied, I guess I longed for the lovably posh and gorgeous Mr Darcy - and as this will always be in my head, this book will always (for me) fail to meet the high ratings of the previous Bridget Jones books.

This post was written by regular reviewer Laura, get to know her here.
Image from Goodreads

3 comments

Monday, 9 September 2013

The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris | Jenny Colgan | Review

Anna Trent is furiously working away in a chocolate shop in Paris, stirring, creating and mixing the best chocolate in Paris. It's fair to say that this chocolate shop is a far stretch away from the one she worked in back in England, luckily Anna was given the chance of a life time as her old French teacher sends her on a trip, that will prove to be one of the toughest journeys she's been on.

Now I'm a complete novice when it comes to Colgan's books, I spotted this in the supermarket on special offer and the fact that it had the word 'chocolate' in the title totally swayed me into buying it, I'd not heard anything about it and went into reading it from a completely neutral standpoint. When I came out the other side having finished this novel, having cried, laughed and cried some more, I was on the 'OMG i love this book everyone has to read it' side. Yes I adore The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris.

The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris was not what I expected, I thought standard chic-lit, soppy, romance, bit of a story line, easy to read and a bit puke worthy due to the over romance of it all. However this book had so much more to it. Heart-break, illness, a lifetime of lost loves and of course romance. I cried not just once but many times through this book (especially at the ending). It's a book that makes, you think, makes you realise that you can't waste a moment!

Anna Trent is our leading lady and she is such a lovely character to follow, as she journeys across to Paris you feel her anxiety and nerves as she goes about living in a new city. Gradually more and more characters are introduced and there is only one that I disliked but all the other characters disliked her too.

The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris made me want to move to Paris and open up a chocolate shop even though I don't know the first thing about making chocolate (I do however know ALOT about eating it!).

Recommended for all chic-lit fans or fans of Paris as I'm sure there are lots of places you'd recognise if you have visited yourself.

This post was written by regular reviewer Laura, get to know her here.
Image from Goodreads

4 comments

Monday, 29 July 2013

IOU | Helen Warner | Review

This is a tale of 3 very different women, in 3 very different situations all facing challenges that could rock their very stable worlds. Amy lives in a gorgeously huge house, living the high life, shopping until she drops whilst the Nanny looks after the children.... that is until her husbands business goes down the pan. How will she cope? Kate on the other hand works incredibly hard along with her husband to help support their two children, she has a safe and stable home life. That is until she meets a dreamy stranger... Finally Jennifer who has recently lost her husband, when an old flame pops back into her life, but is the flame still burning?

IOU is set out from the perspective of these three women, each chapter rotating between them. This however is why I dropped it a star, however much it is really interesting to have more than one story line going at once - there is always one i'm less interested in. In this case sadly I struggled to connect with Jennifer story and really didn't like her old flame and therefore I wasn't interested in reading about her life and found myself skimming her chapters to get onto the next.

Aside from that perspective I didn't really enjoy the other story lines, they were realistic, hard hitting and made me question how I would react when facing challenging situations. When I was first introduced with Amy I really thought that she was going to annoy me and it was her story line that I'd be skipping but actually I really enjoyed watching/reading how her characters changed and grew. Kate was different, I was immediately drawn to her story line but spent the whole time unsure as to which was I wanted it to turn out - I didn't agree with how it ended though.

IOU fits perfectly into it's chick lit genre, I enjoyed reading it although it lacked that sparkle the whole way through. I would recommend this book to any chic-lit lovers, it's easy reading and enjoyable.

This post was written by regular reviewer Laura, get to know her here.
Image from Goodreads

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Monday, 17 June 2013

I've Got Your Number | Sophie Kinsella | Review

Not only does Poppy loose her engagement ring but she also looses her phone. Talk about having a bad day! No things start to look up when she finds someone else's phone in a bin - working completely fine. So finders keepers as the saying goes. Now as she's desperately searching for her ring, the owner of the phone desperately wants it back. Could this be the start of an interesting friendship?!

Now this book was on my list of books I vowed to read this year, and I was extremely eager I pre ordered it from Amazon and as soon as it arrived I started reading it. I was immediately hooked!

Poppy is a brilliant character who made me laugh so much through this book. She however is not the only interesting character in to pop up. Poppy is engaged to Marcus who was a character I loved to hate. Whilst on the other end of the phone is Sam who from very first contact I was both interested and intrigued by. The conversations between characters were realistic and amusing and much like conversations I have between my own friends.

The story continues, the chaos carries on and the relationships tangle. Like many chic-lit stories there is two guys and one girl and the whole way through the reader is left thinking, who is she going to end up in? I won't give it away - don't worry. However what I will say is that it was a brilliant way to make a decision!

Now if you've read a Sophie Kinsella book before this is definitely one for you, and if you haven't.... where have you been!?!?! Go and get this one, download it or whatever because I'll definitely be reading it again in the near future.

This post was written by regular reviewer Laura, get to know her here.
Image from Goodreads

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Friday, 14 June 2013

All Over the Place | Serena Clarke | Discussion from Laura and Anjali

How (if at all) did the plot surprise you, or stand out to you?

Anjali:
When we were approached to review All Over the Place, I was hesitant to say yes because I thought I couldn’t really give much input, as I don’t really read chick-lit. But at the same time, I was drawn to it and really wanted to read it because it pretty much sounded like my life (except the whole mysterious man on a train thing…or the having to flee the country in embarrassment thing…or…). I don’t actually read a lot of chick-lit, but I do watch a lot of chick-flicks, so that’s what I had to go on when I read this story. I really liked the story line, and though it was an almost ‘typical’ chick-flick-lit (a phrase I’m positive is going to catch on…) with a love triangle and ‘argh, who should I choose!?’ type of vibe to it, it was atypical in that it incorporated elements like a TV show in New Zealand, a bunch of dead rock stars, a hair salon in London and a mother on the look out for someone new. I guess the random elements like that surprised me (in a good way) and the whole plot stood out to me because Livi has connections with New Zealand, and England…much like I do…I think I just need to ride the subway more to find me a handsome man…

Laura:
This is tough to answer without giving too much away! Yes and no. I will simply say that I was rooting for one person and they didn’t win. However that did not surprise me as if you read between the lines a little, the clues were there.

Did you find the characters realistic, and if so, how?

Laura:
In a word, yes. I especially loved the main character in this story and I think that it mainly due to the events which occurred prior to the start of the story. Livi has taken some knocks, she’s had troubles and most of it has been in the limelight, however she’s got back up and battled on. Other characters in the book are also relatable and I almost felt like I could spot the different personalities of my own friends being represented through various characters.

Anjali:
I found that there were a lot of characters, but even so, I thought that Clarke did a good job at writing them so, even if they were just a face in a sea of other faces, they still had their own personalities and their own way of being. One or two of the characters made me think ‘really?’ on occasion, but perhaps it’s because I haven’t really met anyone like them in real life to know if they are realistic or not…if that makes sense. At the same time, I found myself often thinking ‘that’s what I would have said!’ or ‘yup. I would have done the same thing!’, so overall, I think the characters were pretty life-like from the way their mannerisms are describe, the things they said and the way their personalities came through.

How did you find the writing style? Do you think it fits in well with the chick-lit genre in general? Why?

Anjali:
All Over the Place is written in first person, and it’s done in such as way that is very easy to read and very…flowy, for want of a better word. I never used to like first person novels, but over the years I’ve grown used to them and now even enjoy it. I don’t think this book would have worked very well if it were told from any other perspective. I can’t really comment on how it compares or fits in to the chick-lit genre (or even romance genre), but as an ‘outsider’ to these types of stories, I can tell you that it was great to be able to just sit down and read, knowing I didn’t have to think too hard, or get my head around big confusing words.

Laura:
I read this book over around about 5 days, and although I enjoyed the book I don’t think that, that was the only reason I sped through it. The writing style can have a big impact of whether I connect with a book. I found this one very easy and quite relaxing to read, it didn’t challenge me and it didn’t matter if I was tired and not giving it 100% focus because the words flowed in such an easy style. That is one of the reasons I love the chic-lit genre, it’s easy to read and therefore I do think that this book fitted in well, a mixture of its writing style, characters and plot all suited this genre well.

Was there any aspect of the story, or perhaps a character, that you felt was missing from the story? Why?

Laura:
I don’t think there was anything missing as far as plot was concerned. If I could pick anything, I’d say I wish I could of got to know Cam (Livi’s best friend) as character a little bit more although I do understand that, that is a little tricky when the story is based in London and Cam’s character lives in New Zealand.

Anjali:
I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and it appears to be a bit hard for me to think of much. Perhaps it’s because I’m not that familiar with what usually goes in a chick-lit/romance type book. But perhaps the fact that I’m struggling to find anything, means there isn’t anything that was missing. Having said that, in the vast list of characters, there were a few people missing – a supportive already-married couple, a baby, any children at all…We all know these people in our lives, so I wonder why Livi didn’t? But perhaps I’m just being silly, and they weren’t actually needed at all.

What is your over all verdict? Why?

Anjali:
As I’ve mentioned, I don’t read a lot of chick-lit, I’m more of a fantasy/adventure type girl. Because of this, I don’t have many books (other than, perhaps, Jane Austen) to compare All Over the Place to. But I really did enjoy the story. It was a good length, and it was fun and quirky with just the right amount of ‘ooo! What’s going to happen next?’ to make it a fast paced book that was easily a ‘just one more chapter’ story. I’ve given it four stars, and would recommend it to people who like a bit or romance and chick-lit in their lives. Even those of you who don’t really read chick-lit or romance – it was nice to read something completely different for once and you should give it a go.

Laura:
I did really enjoy All Over the Place; I would not have read a book in 5 days if I didn’t have a connection with it. I enjoyed reading about the characters and going on Livi’s journey with her. I would definitely recommend this to other chic-lit lovers, as it fills the category perfectly and I imagine most readers will instantly adore Livi.

All Over the Place was sent to Laura and Anjali by the author for review. However, both their opinions have not been influenced and are 100% their own. A big thanks to Serena Clarke for allowing us to review your book!

This was reviewed by regular reveiwers Larua and Anjali. Get to know them here.
Book description and cover from Goodreads.

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Monday, 10 June 2013

Billy & Me | Giovanna Fletcher | Review

Billy & Me is the story of Sophie May, a young girl from the English countryside who lives a quiet life with her mother. It’s a quiet life but Sophie’s happy enough. A buzz soon spreads around the sleepy village that Hollywood will be paying a visit to film an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, complete with hot teen idol as the film’s lead. Not that Sophie cares much, she too busy helping run Tea On The Hill, a small cosy tea shop owned by an ever loveable old lady named Molly. In stumbles a boy named Billy Buskin. He’s tall, dark, handsome, utterly charming and of course sweeps Sophie up her feet. Turns out this Billy kid is none other than that teen heartthrob everyone is talking about.

It’s not only Sophie who’s swept up in this small town romance; Billy is quite taken with Sophie and decides to whisk her away from the calm of her country town to the bright lights of the big city of London. Every girl’s dream right? But Sophie’s apprehensive, there’s a little dark in her past that she’s not quite ready to let go of or let the world know about yet.

The rest of the story takes you Sophie coping with the harsh realities of being in the public eye, being away from her family and friends and the strain it takes on her relationship with Billy. A shock to the system wraps up the ending, testing Sophie’s inner strength and pushing her emotions to the limit.