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bananatricky's review
3.0
This book reminded me a little of the film Sliding Doors, where Gwyneth Paltrow simultaneously lives two alternate versions of her life.
Cat works in an architectural savage yard as office manager. Her stand-up comedian boyfriend/fiancé has decided he doesn't want to get married and appears to have disappeared off the face of the earth. Which is unfortunate because Cat has won a dream wedding at a country house.
Adam is a builder/house restorer who proposed to his girlfriend at the theatre and was cruelly rejected.
Cat and Adam seem to be living parallel lives swirling around each other.
Despite their individual misery and heartbreak Cat and Adam are attracted to each other, or at least can't stop thinking about each other. Adam buys things from her yard, they meet at the country house where Cat's prize wedding will be held and Adam is converting the stables into a spa.
This was a fun, quirky English romance complete with loser boyfriends, friends who are more like frenemies, and self-absorbed ex-girlfriends, not forgetting the overbearing PR woman Fanny and her lovely dog.
There were just a few places which felt 'odd'. Adam and Cat's first kiss came out of nowhere, in fact I was convinced he was dreaming because it felt so out-of-context. There were other times later in the book.
Fanny felt overdrawn to me. How winning a dream wedding can be steamrollered into a reality TV show and sponsorship is beyond me - and whilst it was believable that Cat could be bullied into doing/believing these things I found the later stuff out of character and frankly unbelievable
I also thought the "surprise" was telegraphed too much.
But, those are the negatives. I enjoyed the book and would read another by Ms James.
Cat works in an architectural savage yard as office manager. Her stand-up comedian boyfriend/fiancé has decided he doesn't want to get married and appears to have disappeared off the face of the earth. Which is unfortunate because Cat has won a dream wedding at a country house.
Adam is a builder/house restorer who proposed to his girlfriend at the theatre and was cruelly rejected.
Cat and Adam seem to be living parallel lives swirling around each other.
Despite their individual misery and heartbreak Cat and Adam are attracted to each other, or at least can't stop thinking about each other. Adam buys things from her yard, they meet at the country house where Cat's prize wedding will be held and Adam is converting the stables into a spa.
This was a fun, quirky English romance complete with loser boyfriends, friends who are more like frenemies, and self-absorbed ex-girlfriends, not forgetting the overbearing PR woman Fanny and her lovely dog.
There were just a few places which felt 'odd'. Adam and Cat's first kiss came out of nowhere, in fact I was convinced he was dreaming because it felt so out-of-context. There were other times later in the book.
Fanny felt overdrawn to me. How winning a dream wedding can be steamrollered into a reality TV show and sponsorship is beyond me - and whilst it was believable that Cat could be bullied into doing/believing these things I found the later stuff out of character and frankly unbelievable
Spoiler
having finally got Fanny to admit that Cat doesn't owe her a lot of money for refusing the prize, Cat and Adam agree to almost non-stop promotion for Fanny in other matters, including carrying video cameras around 24/7 and having the video posted on YouTube.I also thought the "surprise" was telegraphed too much.
But, those are the negatives. I enjoyed the book and would read another by Ms James.
serendipity_viv's review
3.0
Originally published on www.serendipityreviews.co.uk
Imagine winning your dream wedding, only to discover you are now groomless! A frightening prospect for anyone, so it isn’t surprising that the main character Cat, panics just a little. She has always dreamed of the most amazing wedding, so you can’t blame her for going along with it, hoping that a groom might land in her lap from nowhere. How fortunate for her that one does and what a charmer he is.
The story appears in a calendar format rather than a diary, as each new chapter is a new day in the lives of Adam and Cat. Told from alternate viewpoints, you watch helplessly as they get used and spat out by their respective spouses, until they find each other. A gorgeous weekend in the stunning and beautifully described Italian setting, seals their blossoming friendship, only to find the glue wasn’t permanent by the time they returned home. Slippery exes have a habit of screwing everything up and one in particular makes their relationship a little difficult.
I enjoyed the plot of the story and some of the characters. Unfortunately one in particular really annoyed me and I found it difficult to ignore her. Fanny drove me mad. She was so bossy and rude in the first half of the book that I found it really difficult to believe her complete transformation by the end of the book. She really just didn’t gel with me. Also Cat wasn’t a favourite with me either, she comes across as very weak and easily led. I wanted to give her a good shake to realise earlier on what an awful choice Jack would be especially when she takes him back so easily.
I loved Adam, from his first step onto the page – even if he was a bit of a romantic fool. I’m always wary of people who rush into marriage and is this book there are a few characters who get swept away with the romance of it all far too easily for my liking. However, if Adam should fall from the shelf, I would happily swoop it to put the broken pieces back together. His gentlemanly ways of paying for everything and opening doors, caused my heart to flutter just a little.
Other than finding certain characters annoying, the book was enjoyable. The story was warm and funny, showing just how wonderful and romantic it can be when you find the right person to spend the rest of your life with. A quick and easy read, with a fairy-tale ending.
Imagine winning your dream wedding, only to discover you are now groomless! A frightening prospect for anyone, so it isn’t surprising that the main character Cat, panics just a little. She has always dreamed of the most amazing wedding, so you can’t blame her for going along with it, hoping that a groom might land in her lap from nowhere. How fortunate for her that one does and what a charmer he is.
The story appears in a calendar format rather than a diary, as each new chapter is a new day in the lives of Adam and Cat. Told from alternate viewpoints, you watch helplessly as they get used and spat out by their respective spouses, until they find each other. A gorgeous weekend in the stunning and beautifully described Italian setting, seals their blossoming friendship, only to find the glue wasn’t permanent by the time they returned home. Slippery exes have a habit of screwing everything up and one in particular makes their relationship a little difficult.
I enjoyed the plot of the story and some of the characters. Unfortunately one in particular really annoyed me and I found it difficult to ignore her. Fanny drove me mad. She was so bossy and rude in the first half of the book that I found it really difficult to believe her complete transformation by the end of the book. She really just didn’t gel with me. Also Cat wasn’t a favourite with me either, she comes across as very weak and easily led. I wanted to give her a good shake to realise earlier on what an awful choice Jack would be especially when she takes him back so easily.
I loved Adam, from his first step onto the page – even if he was a bit of a romantic fool. I’m always wary of people who rush into marriage and is this book there are a few characters who get swept away with the romance of it all far too easily for my liking. However, if Adam should fall from the shelf, I would happily swoop it to put the broken pieces back together. His gentlemanly ways of paying for everything and opening doors, caused my heart to flutter just a little.
Other than finding certain characters annoying, the book was enjoyable. The story was warm and funny, showing just how wonderful and romantic it can be when you find the right person to spend the rest of your life with. A quick and easy read, with a fairy-tale ending.
book_tangled's review
3.0
This is one of the times when i wanted goodreads to introduce "half" star as my rating is- 2.5
Ok, i did finish it in a couple of days but it was just because i didn't having anything else going on and didn't wanted to start a series...
The story is about Cat, Our lead who has been chosen as a lucky winner of a marriage competition and now will have a perfect "Hi-Fi" wedding. The only problem? She doesn't know where her fiance is.
Our main male protagonist is not the Fiance but Jack, who is a builder and has been heartbroken by his girlfriend when she refused his engagement.
Now, as i've written the Blurb in my own words it does sounds good But well.... I guess the novel was not? At Least not that good that it got 5 stars from the other reviews of the book that i've seen.
This is a minority reviews guys.
Now, the things that I liked: cat's friends- Bex and Tess, they were funny and light. Fiona: The person who was handling the competition and the ending. That's it!
COMING TO THE CONS: I didn't like the main Protagonists! I mean the novel is cut by at least half the stars when you s=don't like when either one of them, right?
So, Cat: she was flat, boring and idk... just not interesting at all. I mean who goes to her Fiance in one call when he shows up your doorstep after months when you are going to a place on weekend! She was just clueless in majority of the book for me. at least.
Adam: He was better than Cat, that's for sure! He was sweet but that's it, it's the only word that comes in my mind when i think about him. i didn't find any depth in his character.
THE SO CALLED LOVE: The couple fell in love while spending a weekend together. That's it. I mean i believe in love at first site but screaming your feelings to each other that quickly is something else.
###
Now, This may not be the perfect read for me,
i guess if you like sweet romance where there's more outlook on the side subjects as well like their profession, friends, etc then sure you can pick it up. It did have a nice wedding int he end, ergo .5 stars for it.
Ok, i did finish it in a couple of days but it was just because i didn't having anything else going on and didn't wanted to start a series...
The story is about Cat, Our lead who has been chosen as a lucky winner of a marriage competition and now will have a perfect "Hi-Fi" wedding. The only problem? She doesn't know where her fiance is.
Our main male protagonist is not the Fiance but Jack, who is a builder and has been heartbroken by his girlfriend when she refused his engagement.
Now, as i've written the Blurb in my own words it does sounds good But well.... I guess the novel was not? At Least not that good that it got 5 stars from the other reviews of the book that i've seen.
This is a minority reviews guys.
Now, the things that I liked: cat's friends- Bex and Tess, they were funny and light. Fiona: The person who was handling the competition and the ending. That's it!
COMING TO THE CONS: I didn't like the main Protagonists! I mean the novel is cut by at least half the stars when you s=don't like when either one of them, right?
So, Cat: she was flat, boring and idk... just not interesting at all.
Adam: He was better than Cat, that's for sure! He was sweet but that's it, it's the only word that comes in my mind when i think about him. i didn't find any depth in his character.
THE SO CALLED LOVE: The couple fell in love while spending a weekend together. That's it. I mean i believe in love at first site but screaming your feelings to each other that quickly is something else.
###
Now, This may not be the perfect read for me,
i guess if you like sweet romance where there's more outlook on the side subjects as well like their profession, friends, etc then sure you can pick it up. It did have a nice wedding int he end, ergo .5 stars for it.
heynatheynat's review
2.0
Mopey girl, Cat, enters fairy-tale wedding competition for herself and self-obssessed boyfriend. She finds out they win after he has done a runner.
Adam - a moody but overly clingy guy who loves to propose gets rejected by his girlfriend and vows that he'll never love again.
The two meet and well...you can guess what happens!
Easy to read incredibly cheesy.
Adam - a moody but overly clingy guy who loves to propose gets rejected by his girlfriend and vows that he'll never love again.
The two meet and well...you can guess what happens!
Easy to read incredibly cheesy.
nickimags's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Just finished this for the third time and it was just as good as the first time!
Loved this audiobook.
Just finished it and could listen to it all over again. Fanny Gregory of Super Dup Promotions was hilarious, my sweet, my angel! ☺
Loved this audiobook.
Just finished it and could listen to it all over again. Fanny Gregory of Super Dup Promotions was hilarious, my sweet, my angel! ☺
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