Review 'How To Get a (Love) Life' by Rosie Blake (2014)

Some people book last-minute holidays, walk barefoot in the grass or party on a week night. Not Nicola Brown. Nicola is the kind of girl who double-locks the front door, leaves the plastic covering on new furniture, sticks to a super-strict diet and definitely, absolutely Does Not Date.
Her colleague Caroline – loopy, warm and exasperated by her, knows that Nicola's reluctance to lose control means she's living only half a life. And so she lays down the gauntlet: Nicola must cast aside her hang ups and go on as many dates as it takes to find true love in time for Valentine's Day.
The pick of local men is, quite frankly, a bit rubbish. And there are only three months until February 14th. Surely it's an impossible task? But, as Nicola is about to find out on her dodgy dates, letting go isn't quite as scary as she imagined. In fact, it's rather a lot of fun...
I can’t believe it has almost been a year since popular women’s fiction website Novelicious announced its own digital imprint! So far, Novelicious’ releases have been paired with quite a bit of attention and excitement and this was also the case with Rosie Blake’s debut novel, ‘How to Get a (Love) Life.’ I’ve been following Rosie on Twitter for quite some time and her Tweets are incredibly funny, so I was really looking forward to checking out her book. Thanks to Rosie herself and Kerry at Novelicious I received a review copy and couldn’t wait to sit down with it and read!
Nicola Brown is nearing the end of her twenties and as single as can be. Not that she has a problem with that; Nicola likes to control everything in her life, from what she eats to at what specific time she eats it, and letting a man into her life doesn’t really fit in with that. However, Nicola’s colleague Caroline has different ideas about this and believes it is time for Nicola to find her Mr. Right. She challenges Nicola to go on as many dates as possible in order to find the perfect guy to celebrate Valentine’s Day with. This gives Nicola three months to find her way around the dating scene, including dating her brother’s friends and being set up on blind dates. Will Nicola be able to let go and have fun or is three months simply not long enough to find the right guy...?
When this book was released, it caused quite a bit of a hype on Twitter and within the book blogging world. Everyone seemed to be talking about Rosie Blake and her debut novel (which, by the way, has a fabulously bright and lovely cover I instantly adored); this made me quite curious but also gave me certain expectations. Thankfully, the book definitely lived up to them! I immediately warmed to Nicola, the protagonist; she’s likeable, down-to-earth, and I could relate to her in numerous ways, which I’m sure numerous other female readers will be able to do as well. Her dating journey to find Mr. Right was hilarious and entertaining, and because of that I wouldn’t have minded if it had consisted of a couple of more dates. Next to a great heroine and enjoyable storyline, the book also has a lovely collection of support characters, such as Nicola’s brother Mark, her colleague Caroline and her boss James (whom I definitely developed a small crush on while reading!).
I have to agree with some other reviews that the book ended a bit suddenly, but it did have the ending I was hoping for, so I wasn’t disappointed. The book was exactly what I expected and hoped it would be: a thoroughly enjoyable and funny read, and it has only left me with a feeling of wanting more of Rosie Blake’s wonderful writing. ‘How to Get a (Love) Life’ is a fun, light-hearted and uplifting read, a story which I’m sure any chick lit fan will enjoy!
Rating:

      9/10
For more information about this book: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Goodreads    Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

   

Review: 'Yours Truly' by Kirsty Greenwood (2013)

Newly engaged Natalie Butterworth is an easy-going girl. She'll do anything for a quiet life and if telling a few teensy white lies keeps her friends and family happy, then so what? It's not like they'll ever discover what she's really thinking...

Until one night, thanks to a pub hypnotist, Natalie's most private thoughts begin to bubble up and pop out of her mouth. Things get very messy indeed, especially when some sticky home truths offend her fiancé.

Natalie must track down the hypnotist before her wedding is officially cancelled. So along with bad influence bestie Meg, Natalie finds herself in the Yorkshire Parish of Little Trooley - a small village bursting with big secrets, nosy old folk and intriguing Wellington-wearing men.

When the girls get stuck in the village with no means of escape and no way to break the hypnotist's spell, Natalie is forced to face the truths she has been avoiding her whole life...

I have to admit, Kirsty Greenwood’s ‘Yours Truly’ has to be one of the 2013 releases I have been looking forward to the most. Many of you chick lit fans out there will undoubtedly recognise Kirsty’s name from Novelicious, an amazing chick lit website and now also digital imprint of fantastic women's fiction. Kirsty self-published her novel ‘Yours Truly’, which became a big hit, and she is now signed by Pan Macmillan. The paperback version of ‘Yours Truly’ will be available from the 21st of November 2013 (click here to get it on Amazon now), but I was lucky enough to receive a review copy. I knew this book would not disappoint, so I saved it for a time when I needed a good book to cheer me up, and this one definitely did the trick!

Natalie Butterworth is a 27-year-old who can be described as being a push-over. She does everything to avoid any form of confrontation, tells everyone what they want to hear, and is afraid to stand up for herself. Yet, Natalie is satisfied with her life and especially her engagement to the fit and handsome Olly. So, when Natalie’s best friend Meg takes her on an evening out to the pub and Natalie ends up accidentally hypnotized to only tell the absolute truth and nothing but the truth, she at first doesn’t necessarily expect any trouble. Until she discovers she might not be as satisfied with her relationship, her job, and her upcoming wedding as she thought, and there’s no way to hide her true feelings any longer. Natalie knows she has to find Amazing Brian, the man who hypnotized her, which brings her to the tiny Yorkshire village Little Trooley. All Natalie wants is her old life back, but on her journey to get there she is forced to face some truths, whether she wants to or not...

I loved loved loved this book. I instantly liked Natalie, who is a relatable and entertaining heroine, and as soon as she was forced to only tell the truth, I couldn’t stop laughing out loud. Next to her, there’s a great mix of likeable characters, such as dreamy bartender Riley, lovely best friend Meg, and slightly annoying-but-in-a-good-way sister Dionne. The setting of the novel was also brilliant; the tiny village of Little Trooley is described in perfect detail and I’d simply like to pack my bags and move there right now! However, great characters and a beautiful setting don’t make a novel. Thankfully, the book also has a great storyline with its own original twist, and all of this combined together made me not want to put this book down for even a single second.

If you ask me, this novel is exactly what the genre ‘chick lit’ is all about: an inspiring female heroine who finds herself being challenged, trying to find her way in this world, with a special dose of love, friendship, family, humour, hunky men and delicious food. ‘Yours Truly’ is a charming, addictive, laugh-out-loud funny book, and definitely one of my favourite reads of 2013. Kirsty Greenwood has presented us with a wonderful debut novel, and I already see a future for her as one of the new big voices within the world of chick-lit. A must-read for anyone looking for a great and funny read!

Rating:10/10