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hayleybeale's review against another edition
4.0
Don’t you just love it when you read a really enjoyable book and then discover that the author has written loads more? That’s the case for me with Lindsay Kelk and On A Night Like This: a romcom that is both charmingly romantic and snortingly funny.
Fran is stalled in her career and in her relationship with her fiancé Stew. In an effort to make something happen, she takes a job as a PA to Juliette,a pop star, who is going to play the Crystal Ball, a mega party for the uber-rich.
Fran and Juliette quickly become friends, despite Juliette’s diva reputation, but then she abruptly ditches Fran and decides not to perform. Going against her every rule-following instinct but with her new mantra of ‘no regrets’, Fran goes to the ball where she meets the swoony Evan. You can work the rest out for yourself.
The plot is a little oddly balanced: the night of the Ball is a good third of the novel, rather shortchanging the build-up to it, when Fran gets to know Juliette which ends rather abruptly and the back end of the romance so that all of its requisite twists feel a bit half-hearted.
There is a lovely theme of female empowerment and of making sure you please yourself in your life choices instead of fitting into what other people want for you (though I felt the relationship with Stew was a little shortchanged because the Ball takes up so much time). Of course that’s not a startlingly original message but it’s nicely and organically done and I was rooting for Fran.
The romance is sweet but I never really felt that invested in Evan. He’s dreamy, of course, and kind and funny but I found him a little generic. It’s in the comedy part of the genre that Ms Kelk really scored for me. Ms Kelk has got the Mhairi McFarlane knack of specificity which brings some really funny lines (I was going to put a few in here as examples but really they only work in context). Of course many are very British references so I’m not sure how they’ll play with audiences unfamiliar with
Overall, for those who like their romcoms heavy on the com and the froth, this is an excellent choice.
Thanks to Harper 360 and Netgalley for the digital review copy.
Fran is stalled in her career and in her relationship with her fiancé Stew. In an effort to make something happen, she takes a job as a PA to Juliette,a pop star, who is going to play the Crystal Ball, a mega party for the uber-rich.
Fran and Juliette quickly become friends, despite Juliette’s diva reputation, but then she abruptly ditches Fran and decides not to perform. Going against her every rule-following instinct but with her new mantra of ‘no regrets’, Fran goes to the ball where she meets the swoony Evan. You can work the rest out for yourself.
The plot is a little oddly balanced: the night of the Ball is a good third of the novel, rather shortchanging the build-up to it, when Fran gets to know Juliette which ends rather abruptly and the back end of the romance so that all of its requisite twists feel a bit half-hearted.
There is a lovely theme of female empowerment and of making sure you please yourself in your life choices instead of fitting into what other people want for you (though I felt the relationship with Stew was a little shortchanged because the Ball takes up so much time). Of course that’s not a startlingly original message but it’s nicely and organically done and I was rooting for Fran.
The romance is sweet but I never really felt that invested in Evan. He’s dreamy, of course, and kind and funny but I found him a little generic. It’s in the comedy part of the genre that Ms Kelk really scored for me. Ms Kelk has got the Mhairi McFarlane knack of specificity which brings some really funny lines (I was going to put a few in here as examples but really they only work in context). Of course many are very British references so I’m not sure how they’ll play with audiences unfamiliar with
Overall, for those who like their romcoms heavy on the com and the froth, this is an excellent choice.
Thanks to Harper 360 and Netgalley for the digital review copy.
kaylareadsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.0
This was really cute and fun! I love Juliet and Fran’s friendship.
1madchild's review against another edition
4.0
i just adore carrie as a narrator, she has the best taste in narrated books. this one no exception. twists and turns and not at all what i was expecting. uplifting and fun plus relistic. i enojoyed how the main character didnt just fall into a celerbity lifestyle.
piripiri232's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
robynne_x's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
k8readstoday's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
emwilliams's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
mlinder18's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This was kind of boring, nothing about it drew me in and made me want to keep reading.
jillmlong's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a 2.5 stars for me. I think the cover made me think it was a full romance but it was more of a woman finding who she is and putting herself first. There was very little romance. I found the story was a bit repetitive.
helenpickett's review against another edition
5.0
Unemployed Fran Cooper is living in Yorkshire with her boyfriend of 12 years living in his grandmothers house that was left to him after she died.
Fran is bored having previously had an exciting job in London travelling the world as a personal assistant, a job she loved. She'd reluctantly agreed to stop the travelling when she became engaged to Stew and he now wants her to become a teacher. They're going through a bad patch at the moment but hoping that it is just a patch. Desperate for work in the run up to Christmas, she rings a previous agency who finds her a job working away but only for 5 days. As it is for such a limited amount of time, Fran signs the NDA agreement and travels to London to her interview.
She is successful in her interview and starts immediately complete with new wardrobe and a very concise instructions of how to be an assistant to celebrity singer Juliette. The job is to get Juliette to the island of Panarea in Italy to perform at the very exclusive Crystal Ball. The journey is via a luxury yacht. A simple task? Fran is thrown by expecting a difficult diva but instead found her so friendly that they both got very drunk together as if they were firm friends.
The following morning, Fran finds herself and a now very uncooperative and demanding Juliette with a hangover. Still, Fran has a job to do and when Fran goes ashore to fulfil Juliette's demands, she bumps into a handsome man. No time for handsome men, Fran rushes back to the yacht to find it gone. Stranded in Italy in the clothes she's stood in and no passport or money, Fran makes her way to the hotel to sit out and wait for a helicopter to wait and collect her. Uncharacteristically, Fran gate-crashes the Crystal Ball where Juliette was was supposed to be performing and sees the handsome man she bumped into earlier.
This is a funny light hearted read with likeable characters and romance thrown in too!
Fran is bored having previously had an exciting job in London travelling the world as a personal assistant, a job she loved. She'd reluctantly agreed to stop the travelling when she became engaged to Stew and he now wants her to become a teacher. They're going through a bad patch at the moment but hoping that it is just a patch. Desperate for work in the run up to Christmas, she rings a previous agency who finds her a job working away but only for 5 days. As it is for such a limited amount of time, Fran signs the NDA agreement and travels to London to her interview.
She is successful in her interview and starts immediately complete with new wardrobe and a very concise instructions of how to be an assistant to celebrity singer Juliette. The job is to get Juliette to the island of Panarea in Italy to perform at the very exclusive Crystal Ball. The journey is via a luxury yacht. A simple task? Fran is thrown by expecting a difficult diva but instead found her so friendly that they both got very drunk together as if they were firm friends.
The following morning, Fran finds herself and a now very uncooperative and demanding Juliette with a hangover. Still, Fran has a job to do and when Fran goes ashore to fulfil Juliette's demands, she bumps into a handsome man. No time for handsome men, Fran rushes back to the yacht to find it gone. Stranded in Italy in the clothes she's stood in and no passport or money, Fran makes her way to the hotel to sit out and wait for a helicopter to wait and collect her. Uncharacteristically, Fran gate-crashes the Crystal Ball where Juliette was was supposed to be performing and sees the handsome man she bumped into earlier.
This is a funny light hearted read with likeable characters and romance thrown in too!