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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I adored this book, and thought the dual POV of sisters was so original. Normally dual POVs are the couple, but it was such an interesting spin to have it as the sisters.
I was hooked from the first page with the narrator, and I loved how nostalgic it felt with the 00s references, and the narrator definitely felt like the classic 00s rom-coms. I could really relate to Jemma, and found Clara a bit annoying at first but came to love her as we got to understand her more, just like Jemma did. The characters around them were fleshed out too, and it really felt like you were in the story with them, cheering them on.
I liked that I was kept guessing about who E was, and kept on theorising throughout. I definitely thought it was Mack at one point, and then thought Mack was Milo’s brother but how wrong I was! I did see from the event that Milo was E, but loved how his and Jemma’s identities were revealed to each other.
I also love that we don’t just get Jemma and Eliot’s story, we get Jemma and Clara’s, and Clara and Harry’s. I loved seeing how the friend group took in and embraced Clara, and showed different types of love and relationships. The focus wasn’t just on one couples story, and that makes it all feel so much more real and believable.
This book truly feels developed and nuanced, and like the characters are all real people. I love romance books, but sometimes they can feel a bit one dimensional and the love stories a bit unrealistic. This is not the case with Book Boyfriend; you see the messy and the real alongside the romance, and it left me with a giddy feeling as I turned the last page. This is my first Lucy Vine book, but will certainly not be my last!
I was hooked from the first page with the narrator, and I loved how nostalgic it felt with the 00s references, and the narrator definitely felt like the classic 00s rom-coms. I could really relate to Jemma, and found Clara a bit annoying at first but came to love her as we got to understand her more, just like Jemma did. The characters around them were fleshed out too, and it really felt like you were in the story with them, cheering them on.
I liked that I was kept guessing about who E was, and kept on theorising throughout. I definitely thought it was Mack at one point, and then thought Mack was Milo’s brother but how wrong I was! I did see from the event that Milo was E, but loved how his and Jemma’s identities were revealed to each other.
I also love that we don’t just get Jemma and Eliot’s story, we get Jemma and Clara’s, and Clara and Harry’s. I loved seeing how the friend group took in and embraced Clara, and showed different types of love and relationships. The focus wasn’t just on one couples story, and that makes it all feel so much more real and believable.
This book truly feels developed and nuanced, and like the characters are all real people. I love romance books, but sometimes they can feel a bit one dimensional and the love stories a bit unrealistic. This is not the case with Book Boyfriend; you see the messy and the real alongside the romance, and it left me with a giddy feeling as I turned the last page. This is my first Lucy Vine book, but will certainly not be my last!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jemma is happiest when lost in a book, especially her favourite romance about fictional characters George and Julianna, Too Good to be True. It is a book she has reread many times, but her most recent revisits have become something much more - for within the pages of her beloved library book edition, a mystery person has been sending her letters, and their shared love of novels has helped Jemma to come out of her shell in a way she never thought she would... to the point where she thinks she might be open to a romance of her own.
But then Jemma's quiet life is disrupted by the arrival of her chaotic twin sister Clara, who has been foisted upon Jemma and her flatmates, Harry and Salma. The sisters have never been close, and have hardly spoken for five years after Clara characteristically ran off to America to escape from her problems. Everyone is desperate to find out what she has been up to, and why she has suddenly reappeared, but Clara is set on another new start and is keeping her secrets to herself.
When Too Good to be True is adapted for television, Clara insists that the flatmates all sit down to watch it. In Jemma's eyes, everything about it is wrong, especially the choice for leading man, Milo Samuels. But Clara is smitten, and becomes obsessed with finding out all she can about him - and how she can meet the man she is certain is The One.
Told in perfectly pitched alternating chapters from twins Jemma and Clara, a pair who could not be more different, Book Boyfriend is a joyously uplifting rom-com crammed with luscious literary references - and it has a really nicely crafted mystery at its heart too.
I loved Jemma from the beginning, as her passion for novels is deliciously relatable for any dedicated book lover. Her secret correspondence with the mystery letter writer is beautifully woven into the story, and I really did not have a clue where the trail would lead until the heart-warming ending!
Whirlwind Clara takes a bit more getting used to, and I did find her a bit much for most of this story. But as usual, Vine knows what she is about. As the layers of story are peeled away, you learn how both sisters have been shaped by their experiences, and how this impacted their relationship. Clara gradually grows on you, and when the moment comes where her heart really lies, I was just as swept away by her happy ending as I was for Jemma's.
There is a fabulous supporting cast in this book, and the interactions between the characters provide so many golden moments of heart and humour. Vine does a great job of portraying the complicated relationship between sisters too, and I really enjoyed how the story explores how they have both been hiding from life in different ways.
This was a light and entertaining book, perfect as a summer read. It was such fun spotting the book references sprinkled throughout, and the theme about book adaptations totally missing the mark spoke volumes - I am overjoyed to see that the 'correct' version of Pride and Prejudice gets a mention... thank you Lucy Vine!
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Jemma has lived a thousand lives through books, in fact the only life she isn’t living is her own. That is, until the day she finds a note from a stranger in her favourite library book. When she replies, the pair begin a longhand conversation about their love of novels that sees Jemma finally coming out of her shell. Is she ready to fall in love for the first time – with someone she’s never met? Meanwhile, her sister Clara is focusing all her energy obsessing over a hot new actor, starring in the TV adaptation of Jemma's favourite book. Soon, Clara is reading every interview, trawling his social media, and following him to showbiz parties in the hopes he’ll notice she’s The One. As the sisters fall hard for two men they’ve never met, it’s time to ask the question: can either relationship survive the real world?
One thing you can always guarantee with a Lucy Vine book is the smile that stays on your face throughout, they just can’t help but make you happy! Mix that in with a character who loves books and you’ve hit the jackpot!
The comical prose in Lucy’s writing is laugh out loud funny at times, I always enjoy how the author’s personality influences her characters, making them all ones you’d want to be friends with. I was rooting for Jemma from the start &, despite Clara being an annoyance at first, I really enjoyed the development of her character throughout, alongside the fabulous Harry & Salma too.
Are there elements that are a little predictable? Of course BUT I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, this title being a fabulous emotionally fuelled journey of love, friendship & family connections. I adored how everything falls into place at the conclusion (no spoilers!) and overall left me with a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Another great read and the perfect summer read for book lovers - also please do read the acknowledgments, loved Lucy’s approach here!
One thing you can always guarantee with a Lucy Vine book is the smile that stays on your face throughout, they just can’t help but make you happy! Mix that in with a character who loves books and you’ve hit the jackpot!
The comical prose in Lucy’s writing is laugh out loud funny at times, I always enjoy how the author’s personality influences her characters, making them all ones you’d want to be friends with. I was rooting for Jemma from the start &, despite Clara being an annoyance at first, I really enjoyed the development of her character throughout, alongside the fabulous Harry & Salma too.
Are there elements that are a little predictable? Of course BUT I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, this title being a fabulous emotionally fuelled journey of love, friendship & family connections. I adored how everything falls into place at the conclusion (no spoilers!) and overall left me with a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Another great read and the perfect summer read for book lovers - also please do read the acknowledgments, loved Lucy’s approach here!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book! It was so lighthearted and funny. The characters were so relatable.
I would totally recommend this book if you want a relaxing rom-com to read. I was laughing throughout!
Also it was my first book my this author and I feel as if I need to read more books by her :)
I would totally recommend this book if you want a relaxing rom-com to read. I was laughing throughout!
Also it was my first book my this author and I feel as if I need to read more books by her :)