50 Ways To Find A Lover - Lucy Anne Holmes

 

Struggling actress Sarah Sargeant is cynical about love, and is put forward by her father to enter a dating reality show. Sarah misses out on a spot in the show, but soon comes up with the idea of setting up her own blog as she details her 50 ways to find love, and the results on her love life. Her blog garners widespread interest but will it do more harm than good, or can she find love through her blog and find the one?

I enjoyed reading this, the main story was very god and I like the Eamonn/Marcus twist. It was a hilarious read and the friendships between Simon, Julia and Sarah are a joy to read. They seem real and very honest. I did however feel that Holmes overdwells on sex during the novel – the narrative, Simon’s business and Sarah’s blog. It may suit some people but for me it did get a bit much at times. It was a better read than Unlike A Virgin and the ending was great: romantic with some hilarious moments. 3.5 stars

Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris

This is the first of the True Blood book series, where Harris presents us with Bon Temps, a small town where vampires and humans co-exist freely but not easily. Sookie Stackhouse has a gift, or something she labels a curse: to be able to read the minds of other people. One person she cannot read the mind of is Bill Compton. There is more to Bill that meets the eye and it isn’t long before she starts falling for him, but will the uniqueness/strangeness of their relationship get in the way of their love? Or perhaps it will be the unwelcome attentions of another vampire, or the fact that he brother has been arrested for committing several murders, which are associated with vampire-hate crime, that poses a great obstacle?

This was an enjoyable read, a much better written version of the vampire-human romance genre made famous by Twilight. Some of the narrative and plot is a little odd but that could be due to the new vampire world that Harris has created. It is a good introduction to the series and I am looking forward to reading the other stories! 3.5 stars

RSVP - Helen Warner

It’s Toby and Rachel’s wedding day on 17th July 2010 and you are cordially invited to celebrate their special day with them.

Clare, Anna and Ella are surprised to receive their invitation. For Anna, Toby was the love of her life, but something awful happened in the past that drove the pair apart. Clare is Anna’s best friend and encourages her to attend the wedding to get over Toby. Clare doesn’t subscribe to Anna’s belief of “The One” but it made to rethink this later on…Ella is a maneater, but the one man she wanted didn’t want her – Toby. The story is told through the viewpoints of Clare, Anna, Ella and Rachel, who is having doubts about her upcoming nuptials. Will any of these women find the happiness that they are seeking, and will the wedding go ahead without any hitches?

The wedding day itself actually takes place mid-way through the story, which was a surprise as I was expecting it to provide a climax to the story. However, it leaves a lot of room for the characters’ development although the pace of the story drops off slightly. Warner’s way of writing takes some getting used to – she writes as an outside observer commenting on the characters’ actions and thoughts, which feels a little detached. For the characters, you don’t really engage with them, which can be possibly attributed to Warner’s style. Yet, the choppy way in which she retells the story (using flashbacks and constant switching between the characters’ viewpoints and their stories) is something that keeps the reader captivated and longing to read how the rest of the story unfolds.

Characters
ANNA: at first, I sympathised with the character who has to deal with her feelings for Toby and the way Ella destroyed her relationship and happiness in her life. At the wedding, she finally gets her happy ending, and it feels like her story has been resolved far too early. Yet later on, it appears that things haven’t been fully resolved between Toby and Anna in terms of the past. Anna has trust issues in terms of Rachel and her “realisation” at the end when Toby fails to show up at the church on time. This isn’t addressed properly which gives the impression that their marriage isn’t going to be easy. From feeling sympathy for Anna and liking her, she ends up annoying.

RACHEL – her story was a little dull but you do feel sorry for the way Toby treats her, and yet she behaves with dignity and grace, which is admirable. It is also good that she finds love at the end.

CLARE – a great friend to Anna, you feel for her when she has her own troubles in life and love. Straight-talking but a compassionate character, she seems to be the best character out of the four.

ELLA – totally unlikeable as she is a bitch to start off with, and this continues later on in the book. It is only after her husband dies that she changes character (whether this is Warner’s attempt to redeem Ella and make more likeable remains to be seen) and she goes through tragic events, but her story ends on an optimistic note.

A riveting story, although there are a few issues with some of the events, the characters aren’t particularly likeable and the pace drops off towards the end, but worth the read. 3.5 stars

F In Exams: The Very Best Totally Wrong Test Answers - Richard Benson

 

A humorous compilation of the most stupid but hilarious answers given in exams. This is too short for me, I want to read more of this! 3.5 stars

How I Escaped My Certain Fate - Stewart Lee

Comedian Stewart Lee takes a look at the highlights and lowlights of his long career, from his early stand up shows to the Jerry Springer Opera to Edinburgh to his promised BBC TV series to his career as we know it today.

Lee presents a detailed account of his life, and varies it with articles he has written, and transcripts of his live shows. As well as his life, he also writes about the alternative comedy scene, and the lives and his views on other comedians, so I learnt a lot about this! Lee is a great writer but whilst there are some funny, intelligent moments, at others, the book feels a little dull in places. The idea to include his live shows is unusual, as is the use of footnotes to add additional information or his feelings about a certain event. However, in some places, there can be an over reliance, and it can interrupt the flow of the main text, especially as some times the footnotes last over a page!

This is a great book for Stewart Lee fans, and I found this book an enjoyable read on the whole. Although I haven’t really seen much of Lee’s material, after reading this, I wouldn’t mind watching a show of his… 3.5 stars.

Ex-Girlfriends United - Matt Dunn

Dan Davis is not a happy chappy – he is finding it hard to meet women, and it is all thanks to new website Slate Your Date, where he has truly been slated. Dan knows that this is not good – for his sex life and his career, in which he has just won the part of aptly-named Wayne Kerr in the new ITV5 soap, Close Encounters. He hatches a plan with his best friend Edward to get rid of these bad reviews before he starts appearing on-screen. Meanwhile, Edward has troubles of his own: things with his girlfriend, Sam, couldn’t be better, but he didn’t account for the return of his ex, Jane, and it seems that she wants him back…

A sequel to The Ex-Boyfriend’s Handbook, Matt Dunn presents another easy reading tale featuring the characters we got to know in the first books. Dan is still as obnoxious and arrogant as ever, Edward is still naïve and manages to land himself in the most luckless of situations but both provide good entertainment.

Although the blurb suggests it is more about Dan, the story actually focuses on Edward more, who has to deal with Jane’s return ever since she suddenly left him in the first book. It becomes plainly obvious that Edward should cut off all ties with his ex, but this doesn’t seem to enter his head, and the situation escalates until it reaches the heights of arghhhhhh! Soon, Edward is in danger of losing his smart, funny and beautiful girlfriend. We also see another depth to Dan’s character. At first glance, he appears shallow and heartless but there is one woman whom he truly loved…and lost: Polly. Dunn’s development of the characters and their relationships (for instance, Edward’s friendship with Dan, his relationship with Sam) is excellent, and this is a great read. It waivers slightly when Edward dithers about Jane and what he wants but I enjoyed reading this, although it wasn’t as good as the first book in my opinion. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Accidental Proposal. 3.5 stars

Unlike A Virgin - Lucy Anne Holmes

Gracie Flowers has always been organised thanks to her 5 year plan but things start to go awry as she reaches her 27th birthday – she loses out on a big promotion at work, her boyfriend gets his mother to dump her over the phone and her own mother has great big money worries. And things only get worse. This soon leads Gracie to realise that nothing should stop  her from achieving her dreams in life…

This is a funny, laugh-out-loud, crude (a bit too crude sometimes) novel which also weaves in the poignancy and sadness of Gracie and her relationship with her father and the plotline about her baby. I was kept captivated by Gracie, who is a fantastic and fabulous character, and the other characters, such as Wendy, probably the best friend a girl could ask for. The romance storyline with Anton, who is twice Gracie’s age, is a bit uncomfortable to read, but Holmes makes clear that these two are meant to be together – their likes, their past and the way in which events draw them together. Gracie finally gets what she has been chasing in her life, something she has long forgotten, and you really cheer her  on as a reader. 3.5 stars.

Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams - Jenny Colgan

Rosie Hopkins is 31, working a series of temp jobs in nursing and is living in a stale relationship with Gerard. She loves London and is surprised to hear a call which takes her to the countryside, a small village called Lipton, to care for her ill great aunt Lilian and get to grips with Lilian’s old sweet shop. Things get off to a frosty start between the pair, but the two women soon bond and it is soon clear that they are quite similar in many respects: both are headstrong, quick witted and both are having trouble in love…

At first, the story begins quite slowly as Colgan initially sets up the plot. Gerard is very frustrating – he is very attached to his mother (perhaps too attached), and doesn’t seem to love Rosie genuinely. He is extremely hesitant and treats her as a dogsbody to cook and clean for him. It is a wonder that Rosie has put up with him for 8 years, puzzling her friends and the reader.

The story really picks up when Rosie arrives in Lipton as she gets to grip village life and the residents of Lipton. She meets Moray, the handsome doctor, and Jake, a local farm worker. Rosie’s sparky relationship with both of these men was fantastic to read. As a reader, I was guessing that Rosie would fall in love with one of these guys but sadly not. Jake falls in love with someone else and Moray turns out to be gay (slightly inexplicable and disappointing). Stephen’s story is interesting as it is clear that he is traumatised but I just didn’t take to his character as well as I did to Moray and Jake. At the scene where Stephen collapses in the pub was a clear indicator that he would end up with Rosie, which was a bit disappointing and from them on, I slightly felt that I lost interest in Rosie’s story – it all seemed a bit formulaic and bland by then.

One character I thought was constantly engaging was aunt Lilian – she is vibrant, funny and sarcastic, and her story in the 1940s which is told bit by bit kept me gripped. It was heartbreaking and tragic, and really made you feel for Lilian losing her love. The way it is juxtaposed with Rosie’s story later on in the novel was clever, although Lilian’s story was more interesting and had greater impact.

Similar to Meet Me At Cupcake Cafe , this is a sweet story that makes you pander for sweetshops of the past. Colgan’s narrative has some fantastic moments earlier on, but drops off as the focus turns to Rosie falling for Stephen. Other characters such as Edison and the stereotypical villain, Roy Blaine – the dentist (!), provided entertainment in the novel, but Lilian’s story is excellent and serves as the highlight of the book. 3.5 stars.

Passionate Chef, Ice Queen Boss - Jennie Adams

Scarlett returns to Italy to help save her uncle’s ailing restaurant. Whilst she is excited at getting involved in such a project, there are a few reasons which make her feel uneasy about returning, namely, the handsome chef who broke her heart 5 years ago, Lorenzo. She is adamant that she has moved on from their relationship but is she blind to her true feelings?

I thought that this was a well written book looknig at the feelings on both sides of the relationship, and the secrets that were hidden that cause misunderstandings. It did get a little frustrating that Scarlett kept telling herself that she didn’t love Lorenzo constantly, but I thought the story worked well, and the side stories such as Jackie’s story and the restaurant rivalry complemented the main story. 3.5 stars

I Heart Paris - Lindsey Kelk

Angela is feeling very lucky right now – she is happy in her relationship with Alex and plans to move in with him very very soon, has been whisked away to Paris, the city of love, by said amazing boyfriend and she has been headhunted to write an article about the city for Belle magazine. Yet as soon as she arrives in Paris, she starts to feel very very unlucky, as her suitcase is blown up, she soon meets Alex’s former girlfriend in Paris and sabotage is afoot in her job. How can Angela reverse her misfortune?

I was disappointed by I Heart Hollywood but I Heart Paris, I really enjoyed. I thought it was really funny, especially the scene at the festival when Angela confronts Solene. I also liked the way that Alex and Angela’s relationship developed and deepened, and managed to survive all the obstacles thrown their way. The way Paris was described was beautiful and  glorious, painting a vivid background for Angela’s story. One thing that I thought was a bit strange is the large amount of times that Angela seems to get herself injured, even after tripping over some shoes she manages to acquire a gift of one black eye. Surely no one can be that clumsy?!

Nevertheless this was a great read, although I still prefer I Heart New York, but this is almost as good. Almost. 3.5 stars

Smart Casual - Niamh Shaw

Olivia Anderson loves her job and believes she is in line for a big promotion, which has been long overdue. When she is passed over, she beings to rethink all things career related, and to throw into the mix, her handsome new manager, Luke, seems to complicate things further. Soon Olivia discovers that all is not well at the company she has given so much to in the past – someone is trying to sabotage one of their big projects, and unfortunately for her, Olivia is being framed for it! Can Olivia bring the guilty party to justice and clear her name?

This is a fun story which reminds me of Operation Sunshine in that industrial espionage plays a key part in the plot. Whilst Colgan rather haphazardly slapped all of the different strands of the narrative in her novel, this is a more well thought out, developed story that kept me gripped. Some of the narrative voice was a bit odd but overall it is an enjoyable read and the dialogue is witty, and the plot is great. I don’t know where the title comes from though! 3.5 stars

A Spring Affair by Milly Johnson

Lou Winter decides it is time to declutter her house. Little does she realise that she is decluttering her entire life, keeping what truly makes her happy. How does this affect her friends, her husband, her family, and the friendly skipman, Tom Broom?

I thought that A Spring Affair was a slow but enjoyable read. The journey that Lou takes is fascinating to read as she discovers the confident, lively and ambitious person she once was before marrying Phil. It was frustrating to read the way that Phil and Lou’s mother treated Lou,  which wasn’t always easy to read. Phil’s controlling behaviour and idea of love (pretending to have an affair to make Lou love him, or paranoid) and Lou’s submissiveness is awful but integral to the plot. The way in which Lou finds strength in her friendship with Deb and her blossoming relationship with Tom is great to read, and Lou finally gets her happy ending! 3.5 stars.

Vince and Joy by Lisa Jewell

Two teenagers experience the summer of a lifetime as they fall in love for the first time. However, an unfortunate event leads the two to separate and lose contact. Years later, Vince and Joy are living their own separate lives, and circumstances bring them together again, and apart. Can first love being the one and only love in their lives?

 This is a sweet love story, made more poignant by how the two main characters never meet or realise that they should be together until the end. The first section depicting the caravan holiday was quite detailed and explicit – a bit too much for my liking, but the way that Vince and Joy felt love for each other was good. How the story is revealed bit by bit was an effective story telling device and kept me gripped. It was quite frustrating to see Vince and Joy drift apart and lead sad lives when it was clear that they loved each other, but when they meet again, it is worth it. The ending is quite unusual in that we never see the two main characters get together but the way in which Vince reflects on the holiday before he enters the house was touching. 3.5 stars.

Perfect Timing - Jill Mansell

A chance encounter with a handsome stranger on the night before her wedding is enough to make Poppy Dunbar re-think her upcoming wedding to long term boyfriend Rob. She flees to London in the hope of making a fresh start, find her real father and perhaps refind the handsome stranger again.

An hilarious, romantic and emotional read as you follow Poppy on her journey to discover happiness, as well as the new friends that she makes. The story does drop off slightly towards the end, but the sweet ending is worth waiting for. Overall, I enjoyed Perfect Timing. 3.5 stars.

It Happened in Paris by Molly Hopkins

Evie Dexter is looking for a new path in life, and manages to land herself a new job as a tour guide in Paris. However, things aren’t as easy as she thought they would be, as her lack of travel experience threatens to hinder her, but can she manages to make it as a successful tour guide? With the assistance of coach driver, Rob, this new path takes her to a whole new experience…

I enjoyed the story as a whole. It Happened in Paris was a good read. 75% of it is devoted to sex, or talking about sex (so not recommended for those who don’t like reading about it) but the friendships that Evie has and her romance with Rob is worth reading. Evie is a selfish and irresponsible person, but I can’t help but admire the way in which she turns a bad situation around in her favour, sometimes with hilarious consequences. Rob is someone that the reader doesn’t get to know much about as a person, and perhaps he could have been developed further. Evie’s best friend, Lulu, is funny, although at times, slightly over-the-top and behaving very unfriendlike…Hopkins’ descriptions of the sights of Paris are wondrous.

Plotwise, well there isn’t much of a plot at first. The first half is mainly made up of sex, sex, sex. Halfway though, an event happens that makes Evie question her new-found happiness, and the story develops further as she attempts to find herself. I found the ending complete unexpected (apart from the sex bit) as I though Nikki, Evie’s friend, would play a bigger role. There is a sequel, It Happened in Venice, so it will be interesting to see how Evie’s story continues. Overall, a good read, although I wish there was less emphasis on sex. 3.5 stars.

Twitchihiker: How One Man Travelled The World By Twitter - Paul Smith

Paul Smith is shopping at a supermarket when an idea suddenly comes into his mind – to travel to the other side of the world (which he judges as Campbell Island in New Zealand) only using Twitter – accepting travel and accommodation offers from strangers to achieve his goal. What could go wrong? Will he succeed?

Paul Smith proves himself to be a more-than-competent writer: clever, informative, honest and witty writer that manages to engage the reader into following his story, and what a story it is. Smith’s actions to fulfil his dream are inspiring as he prepares to take a huge risk in what seems to be an impossible, if not dangerous, task, placing enormous trust in the hands of strangers on Twitter. At times, he reveals his feelings about his bi-polar disorder, his family and his moments of self-doubt along the way, but the people he meets via Twitter are more than happy to help and encourage Smith to keep going on his journey. Whether he achieves it or not is something I won’t spoil, but Smith treats us to vivid descriptions of the places he visits in stupendous detail, making it a joy to read for travel fans, but this book is for anyone really – it is life-affirming, inspiring, and hilarious to read. One criticism I have is that it lagged in some places and failed to capture my interest but on the whole, it is a good and captivating read. 3.5 stars.

Stick or Twist - Eleanor Moran

Anna is tired of her relationship with Adam, which gives her safety and security, but nothing else. Things have become boring and passionless. Anna decides it is time to get out fast, but will she live to regret her decision?


Moran presents a very funny and frank tale exploring what love is. The main character, Anna, can appear to be a bit selfish at times, but largely she comes across as a realistic and refreshingly honest character with a dry sense of wit that I became really interested in her story. Anna is on a quest to find love and soon she finds herself in romantic trouble, that leads her to reflect on and question her relationship with Adam.


The supporting characters are a bit hit and miss – I didn’t find Polly likeable at all (a bit too nice and what she does in the book is a definite no-no in friendship), and Susie I was indifferent too. Horst and his mannerisms were wonderfully quirky as is his attempt to find love, and his role as “knitwear designer” at one of Anna’s magazine shoots. Tom was an ok character although he felt a bit bland, where Harry and Lucas were the archetypal bad boys/ slimy toads. The story does get predictable at times – you can tell when Anna is making a choice that is going to lead to bad consequences later on, and who Anna will end up with at the end. However, I did enjoy reading Stick Or Twist, but it would have been nice to see more development and depth to the supporting characters. 3.5 stars.

Johnny Be Good by Paige Toon

24 year old Meg is thrown into the LA showbiz lifestyle as she up-sticks and leaves the UK for a new job as PA to rockstar Johnny Jefferson. It doesn’t harm that he is good looking too. Meg discovers the dark side to fame, and can she really keep her head cool living in LA?

Originally, I read Baby Be Mine, the sequel to Johnny Be Good, before this, and I really enjoyed it so I decided to read what happened in the first story. It is a well written book, but I couldn’t help thinking that Meg is so much more suited to Christian – they share the same likes and interests and Johnny is just a bit of an ass really. In Baby Be Mine, I like the relationship between Johnny and Meg, but in Johnny Be Good, he does behave cruelly to her at times that it was a bit depressing to read. When Meg arrives in LA, Toon presents Meg’s wonderment of the new life she leads well, and you see LA through Meg’s eyes well.

It is a good story, although I preferred Baby Be Mine. Some of it was a bit too dark for me, especially the last few chapters when Johnny starts on a path of self-destruction whilst on tour. 3.5 stars.

Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon

Ex-PA Meg lives in France with boyfriend Christian and their one-year old son, Barney, sharing an idyllic familylife, threatened by one thing: Christian does not know that he is not the father of Barney, rather Meg’s ex-boyfriend and famous rock star, Johnny Jefferson, is. Meg can’t possibly keep this a secret forever, and isn’t perpared for the fallout that is about to occur…

Baby Be Mine is a sequel to Johnny Be Good, although I was unaware of this until after I finished the book. I think Baby Be Mine does work well as a standalone novel and you don’t need prior knowledge of the first book to read it, as Meg flashes back to past memories during the course of the story. It is a great tale once you get past the first few chapters, which mainly consist of Meg overdwelling on her guilt and attempting to justify keeping Barney’s true parentage a secret (it is hard to warm to her as a character during this stage). Once the truth is revealed, and Johnny re-enters the scene, the story really gets going as the characters attempt to deal with new circumstances and situations, as Meg and Barney become embroiled in the LA lifestyle that Meg once left behind – it’s not all glamour and showbiz. The relationship between Meg and Johnny was well portrayed, as are the changes that Johnny undergoes as he adapts to his new life. One thing that could ahve been developed was the actor which Meg dated and his background. Meg mentions that the actor seems to have been hurt in the past, but this isn’t really explored, and it would have been interesting to see what happened (although I am not sure if there is much space for this in the narrative). Overall, I loved the story and the ending was sweet. 3.5 stars (maybe a 4 if it wasn’t for the first few chapters)

Meet Me At Cupcake Cafe - Jenny Colgan

Issy Randall has always loved baking. Taught by her grandfather when she was young, she has proved herself to be a skill baker, whipping up cake-based delights for the enjoyment of her friends, work colleagues and the passengers on the bus she takes each morning. Made redundant from her office job, Issy decides to take a big risk and opens up her own cafe, but can it succeed?

Meet Me at Cupcake Cafe is a glorious tale full of baking recipes (which the author recommends that you try!) which I think is a good idea, and sets it apart from other cooking stories. I like the way in which Colgan depicts the close friendship between Issy and Helena, as well as the new friendships forged with Pearl and Caroline.  Issy is a likeable character – as a reader, you really want her to succeed and you get caught up in her journey as she becomes more confident in career, life and love. This is a funny book and at times, quite emotional, such as the aprts between Issy and her grandad. Whilst the story focuses on Issy, another thing I liked about Colgan’s writing was the way in which she writes from the perspectives of other characters too. The reader gets to know the different feelings of an event, and it gives the story a greater depth as a result.

All-in-all, Meet Me at Cupcake Cafe is a light-hearted, fun read. The story is fairly predictable but charming, but it is a sweet treat! 3.5 stars.