Top Ten Tuesday - Top 10 Books If You Like 'Love Actually'

'Top Ten Tuesday' is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. I love making lists, so this feature fits me perfectly! If you also take part in this feature or have any additions to my lists, please get in touch; I'd love to hear from you!  

  Top Ten Books If You Like 'Love Actually'
I didn't have time for last week's Top Ten Tuesday, so I'm really excited to be back with a new top 10 this week! The assignment for this Tuesday was to think of 10 books you will like if you like a specific film, comic, TV show, play, etc. I didn't have to think too long about this, because I absolutely love any kind of feel-good story filled with tons of romance, just like the film 'Love Actually.' I tried to come up with 10 books I think you will definitely enjoy if you enjoyed 'Love Actually', so definitely be sure to give them a try if you're a romantic comedy fan like me!   

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1. Ali McNamara - 'From Notting Hill With Love... Actually'

I think the title of this book already says enough, right? Ali McNamara's novels are absolutely amazing, and if you're a fan of romantic comedies you will absolutely adore this book, no doubt about it! All the film references are brilliant, and the story is just a great feel-good tale that will definitely make you smile!

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2. Jimmy Rice and Laura Tait - 'The Best Thing That Never Happened To Me'

I'm reading this lovely book at the moment and it's one of my favourite reads of 2014 so far! It tells the story of best friends Holly and Alex and is a classic tale of best friends I am sure anyone who loves a bit of romance will enjoy!

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3. Miranda Dickinson - 'Fairytale of New York'

When I think of romantic comedies, I automatically think of Miranda Dickinson. She's one of my favourite authors and her stories are sparkling, captivating, thoroughly enjoyable tales of romance and making your dreams come true!

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4. Paige Toon - 'Pictures of Lilly'

Another amazing chick lit author and another wonderful love story! 'Pictures of Lily' is a book that has stayed with me over the years and I love re-reading it.

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5. Giovanna Fletcher - 'Billy and Me'

This fabulous novel tells the story of girl-next-door Sophie May who falls in love with famous actor Billy. Trust me, the story inside is just as gorgeous as the cover! 

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6. Cecelia Ahern - 'Where Rainbows End'

An enchanting tale of two best friends told only in the form of e-mails, letters, notes, and text messages. One of those books you don't want to put down and makes you continue to keep your fingers crossed it will have the happy ending you are longing for!

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7. Lucy Diamond - 'Me and Mr. Jones'

A wonderful Lucy Diamond novel which tells the stories of four different women, each of them dealing with her own Mr. Jones. Such a great read and a book that will leave you with a smile on your face!

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8. Ali McNamara - 'From Notting Hill to New York... Actually'

Okay, perhaps I'm cheating just a bit here, but I couldn't possibly leave out the second part of Ali McNamara's book series! This novel is just as amazing as the first one, and once again a brilliant read if you're a lover of romantic comedies like 'Love Actually'!

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9. Niamh Greene - 'A Message To Your Heart'

This was one of the first novels I reviewed for this blog and a story I immediately fell in love with! Set in San Francisco, it's a great tale with tons of romance at its core.

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10. Alexandra Potter - 'You're the One That I Don't Want'

Alexandra Potter is another author who has to be a part of this list, because her romantic comedy novels always manage to make me smile! This is just one of many amazing reads, so if you love this one be sure to check out her other books as well!

Review: 'From Notting Hill to New York... Actually' by Ali McNamara (2012)

Scarlett O’Brien, utterly addicted to romantic films, has found her leading man. She’s convinced Sean is Mr Right, but the day-to-day reality of a relationship isn’t quite like the movies. With Sean constantly away on business, Scarlett and her new best friend Oscar decide to head to New York for the holiday of a lifetime. 

From one famous landmark to the next, Scarlett and Oscar make many new friends during their adventure - including sailors in town for Fleet Week, a famous film star, and Jamie & Max, a TV reporter and cameraman. Scarlett finds herself strangely drawn to Jamie, they appear to have much in common: a love of films and Jamie’s search for a parent he never knew. But Scarlett has to ask herself why she is reacting like this to another man when she’s so in love with Sean …

Somehow I didn't know anything about this sequel to Ali McNamara's 'From Notting Hill With Love... Actually'. Don't ask me how, because I absolutely LOVED that novel and I had been secretly wishing and hoping for another book about Scarlett for quite some time already. So, imagine my surprise and excitement when I walked into a book shop last year and suddenly saw a familiar title jumping up at me. I remember even squealing and perhaps jumping up and down a bit, out of pure excitement, then and there (I also remember my boyfriend's sigh because I was getting so excited about 'just another book'), because I simply knew this novel would not let me down. I couldn't wait to get lost in Scarlett's world again, and find out which movies and celebrities would cross her path this time around... And let me tell you, the sequel certainly didn't disappoint!

Scarlett O'Brien seems to have it all: she has found the love of her life in the form of Sean, with whom she is living together in his lovely Notting Hill mansion and the family business is thriving like never before. However, Sean is a busy man and away on business a lot, which results in Scarlett starting to feel like something is missing from her life. When Sean suggests a trip to New York, Scarlett can't wait to pack her bags and within no time she and her best friend Oscar are on their way to the Big Apple. During the trip, Scarlett meets several interesting people, such as reporter Jamie with whom she has an instant click, and quickly finds herself starring in another celebrity-filled romantic adventure which she had not seen coming...

This novel already has a great basis, because of the same lovely characters that were introduced in the first book: Scarlett (whom I just love as the heroine of this series), Oscar (who plays a bigger role as Scarlett's BFF and managed to crack me up continually with his behaviour and comments), and Sean (who is just the perfect match for Scarlett, a real Prince Charming!). Yet, the several new characters that are introduced such as Jamie, Max, and Peter bring their own special something to the table. I already loved the scene setting at the start of the novel, Notting Hill, but New York obviously brings another level of excitement and fabulousness to the story. I've never been to New York myself, but with this novel it really felt like I was there, visiting all the landmarks and doing the sightseeing. My desire to visit NYC someday has only grown! Next to the well-written characters and the fantastic scene setting, Ali McNamara once again managed to add some fantastic classic romantic movie scenes to the story (from 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' to 'You've Got Mail') and some great celebrity appearances (ladies, be prepared for some entertaining scenes with some seriously good-looking famous men!). Next to all these great elements, the plot itself is really entertaining with not just romance and humour, but also a bit of mystery in it here and there.

If you're a fan of chick lit novels and/or romantic comedies, you must pick up this novel because it is a definite must-read! No worries if you haven't read 'From Notting Hill with Love... Actually'; Ali McNamara gives enough background information to understand the story without having read the first novel. However, I highly recommand starting with the first one, simply because it is also a great novel you don't want to miss out on. Trust me, you will not want to put it down! Some readers might label this book as 'cliched' or 'obvious', but I have to disagree. I think with most chick lit novels you can sometimes slightly predict what is going to happen, but in this case it definitely didn't ruin the story for me. To me, the novel had a certain sparkle, a touch of magic, which resulted in me simply not wanting to put it down and not wanting it to end. Talking about endings, this novel has to have one of my favourite endings of all time... It's quite spectacular! So, overall, an amazing read which has left me with one burning question: when can we expect a third novel?

Rating:

10/10

Review: 'From Notting Hill With Love... Actually' by Ali McNamara (2010)

She was a girl, standing in front of a boy...

Movie fanatic Scarlett O'Brien dreams of a life as glamorous and romantic as all the big screen flicks she worships. When a chance house-sitting job in iconic Notting Hill comes along, she knows living in one of her favorite movie settings is an opportunity too good to pass up.

Leaving behind her skeptical friends, family, and fiance, Scarlett heads to London and finds herself thrust into the lead role of her very own romantic comedy. But can real life ever be just like the movies? Larger-than-life new friends, a handsome but irksome new neighbor, and a mystery from her past may prove to Scarlett that living her life like a RomCom is more complicated than she thought!

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a complete sucker for a romantic tale. Next to my obsession with chick lit novels, I adore any kind of romantic comedy, or ‘chick flick.’ I have DVDs of all the classics at home, and every time a new romantic comedy hits the cinemas you can count on me to buy a ticket in order to enjoy 2 hours of romance, laughter and tears. ‘Notting Hill’ and ‘Love Actually’ have been two of my absolute favourites for years, so as soon as I saw the cover of Ali McNamara’s debut novel I had already fallen in love with it. It was one of those books I couldn’t wait to dive into, because I simply knew it would be amazing. 

Scarlett O’Brien is a 23-year-old film fanatic who lives in Stratford-Upon-Avon, where she works for her father’s company specialised in popcorn machines. Scarlett, whose name and looks are often immediately linked to Vivien Leigh and ‘Gone with the Wind’, enjoys her life with her sensible fiancé David, but she somehow feels as if something is missing. As soon as she receives the opportunity to house-sit a mansion in Notting Hill, Scarlett leaves behind her family and friends in order to prove to them real life can be just like in the movies. However, soon Scarlett finds herself starring in her own personalised romantic comedy as she starts a journey to unravel some mysteries from her past and is joined by her hunky neighbour Sean on the way... Will Scarlett be able to accept that life can’t always be like a movie script, or will she be able to prove everyone around her there’s a touch of movie magic in everything we do after all?

I honestly don’t know where to start with this novel. Why? Because I simply adored every single detail. I loved the heroine of the novel, Scarlett, and all the other characters that were introduced, from the more important ones (Scarlett’s attractive neighbour Sean, the fabulously extravagant Oscar, and Scarlett’s lovely best friend Maddie) to the extra’s (the policemen that find Scarlett wandering around Notting Hill, the elderly Parisian lady who shares some important information with Scarlett). Even though the plots of romantic comedies are usually known for being quite predictable, I thought the story of this novel was quite clever with its several sub-plots and there were definitely several surprises I personally did not see coming! The storyline flowed easily and I wasn’t bored by it for even a second. I absolutely loved recognising all the scenes from films such as ‘Notting Hill’, ‘Sleepless in Seattle’, ‘Pretty Woman’ and ‘Love Actually’, and the occasional appearances from real-life celebrities only added that extra bit of movie magic to the story.

With every page I turned, this novel only made me smile brighter. I couldn’t help but be amazed by all the details and the inclusion of everything I love in one 400-page novel: Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, themed weddings, Disneyland, benches in Notting Hill, the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens.. You name it, it’s in there! To all the hopeless romantics out there just like myself, I don’t want to give anything away, but the ending of this novel... You’ll be blown away. I can’t believe this is Ali McNamara’s debut novel, and I absolutely can’t WAIT for her other novels (including a sequel to this one, oh yes!). I recommend this novel to any fan of romantic comedies and/or chick lit novels; this book belongs on your shelf, without a doubt!     

Rating:10/10