Review: 'Don't Stop Me Now' by Colleen Coleman (2017)

Poppy Bloom has a Life Plan: PhD in psychology, research job at her university, and a life of domestic bliss with handsome boyfriend Gregory. 
But then she finishes her PhD with no job offer, no relationship, and nowhere to live. Being unemployed and living back at her mum’s house in her vampire-themed childhood bedroom was definitely not the plan. 
Poppy is back to square one and miserable, so when she runs into childhood friend Leanne she jumps at the opportunity to catch up. The chance to run into Leanne’s gorgeous brother Tom is just a bonus… 
Soon Poppy’s scored an internship at a radio station, a boyfriend, and a whole netball team of friends: things are on the up. 
But life has a way of tripping you up when you least expect it, and Poppy soon has to decide where her priorities lie… With new friends, a new career and a new romance, can Poppy keep everyone happy, or is everything about to tumble down around her?
If you’re looking for an entertaining chick lit read, you only need to check out publisher Bookouture’s list of novels and you’ll undoubtedly be able to find more than one title that will fit your needs. I love checking out new authors that have become part of the Bookouture family, which is why I was really excited when I managed to get an early review copy of Colleen Coleman’s debut novel ‘Don’t Stop Me Now.’ Both the cover and the description of the novel were already enough for me to want to pick up this read, which was released on March 22nd, and I had my fingers crossed, hoping I would enjoy the story as much as I hoped I would when picking it up…!
 Poppy Bloom has been following her career plan for years now and she’s incredibly excited to finally get to the point she has been working so hard for: finishing her PhD and getting a researcher position at her university, with her boyfriend Gregory by her side. But then her world is suddenly turned upside-down when it turns out the university decided to not give Poppy the position she wanted, and within a few days she finds herself living back at her mum’s house, newly single and jobless. Luckily Poppy bumps into her former primary school friend Leanne, which leads to her finding a new exciting job at a local radio station and a position on a determined netball team. Add a touch of romance with a former crush and Poppy can’t believe how her life has turned around. But nothing is as straightforward as it seems; when her past comes back to haunt her, Poppy is forced to make some important choices and decide what will really make her happy…
I love the feeling when you’ve read just the first few chapters of a novel and you just know this is going to be a read you’re going to enjoy until the very last page; and I got exactly that feeling as soon as I’d picked up Colleen Coleman’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now.’ The novel is a great and promising debut and I’m already excited to hopefully read more of Colleen’s work in the future. We meet Poppy Bloom, the lovely leading lady of this story, whose future turns out to not go exactly as she originally planned. We join Poppy as she starts the next, yet unknown, stage in her life, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Poppy was incredibly easy to like, and I think many readers will be able to relate to her and what she’s going through in one way or another, which usually makes for a great heroine, in my eyes.
There are many different elements to the storyline that kept me as reader captivated at all times. There is the idea of finding yourself, looking for what it is you really want in life, following the path that has been set out for you but not giving up on your dreams at the same time; combine this with a lovely dose of romance and fun secondary characters and you’ve got ‘Don’t Stop Me Now.’ This novel is a warm-hearted, feel-good and simply great read that I didn’t want to put down; another Bookouture success, without a doubt. Colleen Coleman has definitely managed to grab my attention with her debut novel and I will definitely recommend this to others and keep my eyes open for her next one! 

Rating:9/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.