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mandyherbet's review
2.0
Lydia is a 29-year-old (soon to be the dreaded 3-0) singleton who is one insanely picky chick. She has a list of all the attributes she's looking for in her Mr Right - right down to his sperm count! After another failed relationship, she decides to up and move to the Greek Islands to get away from it all - it all being that nebulous thing called 'life'. There she decides to fib to a cute guy (who she apparently judges as not-her-type from the get-go) which leads to all sorts of romantic comedy hi-jinks and a Hollywood ending.
A cute story, don't get me wrong and an easy read, once I got past the stylistic issues and loose editing. But the writing is nothing special - Lydia keeps talking to herself, which is how the author gets her story across but seriously, I'd be sending her to a mental institution if she was actually saying half this stuff aloud. Which we have to assume she was, since the author signposts everything else insanely clearly. People don't sit down - they 'plonk' down. They grumble and moan. It's all very creative writing class in high school.
Lydia is not someone I really cared about at the beginning. She's portrayed as a rude, inconsiderate, self-centred twit and we're supposed to hate her family for some reason, although I never really know why. She's completely judgemental and not in a relatable way really - I wanted to slap her many, many times.
I realise this is simply a holiday read but somehow it got on The Guardian's 'Not the Booker' shortlist so I read it. Thank goodness it was a cheap kindle read.
A cute story, don't get me wrong and an easy read, once I got past the stylistic issues and loose editing. But the writing is nothing special - Lydia keeps talking to herself, which is how the author gets her story across but seriously, I'd be sending her to a mental institution if she was actually saying half this stuff aloud. Which we have to assume she was, since the author signposts everything else insanely clearly. People don't sit down - they 'plonk' down. They grumble and moan. It's all very creative writing class in high school.
Lydia is not someone I really cared about at the beginning. She's portrayed as a rude, inconsiderate, self-centred twit and we're supposed to hate her family for some reason, although I never really know why. She's completely judgemental and not in a relatable way really - I wanted to slap her many, many times.
I realise this is simply a holiday read but somehow it got on The Guardian's 'Not the Booker' shortlist so I read it. Thank goodness it was a cheap kindle read.
savidgereads's review
1.0
I wouldn't have read this if it wasn't for a work based review. I did laugh but for the wrong reasons, mainly at the cliches and constant alliteration. Take a Mills and Boon formula, throw in aspects of every successful rom com and you end up with this... Only less successful and original. Sorry.
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