Scan barcode
A review by portybelle
I Followed the Rules by Joanna Bolouri
5.0
I have seen this book described as a modern day Bridget Jones Diary and, like that book, it is certainly full of humour and wit with a main character you will just love! This is one of the funniest books I have read for ages. There are laugh out loud moments on pretty much every page! Cat Buchanan is such a brilliant character that I just couldn’t put this book down, wanting to read more about her search for love following ‘The Rules of Engagement’ set out in a book by ‘Guy Wright’ – a great pseudonym for a Glaswegian writer. (You need to say it with a Glaswegian accent!)
As I said, Cat is a great character – feisty, with a love of swearing, horror stories and country music. She also has fiercely protective love for her daughter, Grace, who also came across as a young lady with her own mind! Living across the corridor from her sister, who is forever trying to set her up with suitable men, Cat is trying to find love following the break up of her relationship with Grace’s father but never quite seems to find the right man. She decides to follow ‘the rules’ and write about her experiences in her weekly newspaper column.
Joanna Bolouri’s observations of family life are spot on – what mother can’t sympathise with having no privacy to go to the loo when your kids are wee? – and Cat’s conversations with her friends, particularly Kerry and Rose, are brilliantly funny too. Cat has to meet with Guy Wright as part of her research for her column and is surprised and rather shocked to find she actually already knows him rather well! The scenes that follow between them are comedy genius as he tries to convince her that following the rules to the letter will help her snag Tom, the handsome dentist, as her boyfriend. I was so involved with the characters’ lives that I almost googled his dental practice to see what he looked like, when Cat suggested to Kerry that she should!
So does following the rules bring Cat the happy-ever-after she is looking for? Well you couldn’t possibly expect me to ‘kiss and tell’ could you – that would definitely be against the rules of blogging! Be warned if you are reading this on public transport on the way to work, you may very well find yourself getting some funny looks as you snort out loud with laughter! A great, funny and feel-good read – I loved it!
My thanks to the publishers Quercus for providing a review copy via Netgalley.
As I said, Cat is a great character – feisty, with a love of swearing, horror stories and country music. She also has fiercely protective love for her daughter, Grace, who also came across as a young lady with her own mind! Living across the corridor from her sister, who is forever trying to set her up with suitable men, Cat is trying to find love following the break up of her relationship with Grace’s father but never quite seems to find the right man. She decides to follow ‘the rules’ and write about her experiences in her weekly newspaper column.
Joanna Bolouri’s observations of family life are spot on – what mother can’t sympathise with having no privacy to go to the loo when your kids are wee? – and Cat’s conversations with her friends, particularly Kerry and Rose, are brilliantly funny too. Cat has to meet with Guy Wright as part of her research for her column and is surprised and rather shocked to find she actually already knows him rather well! The scenes that follow between them are comedy genius as he tries to convince her that following the rules to the letter will help her snag Tom, the handsome dentist, as her boyfriend. I was so involved with the characters’ lives that I almost googled his dental practice to see what he looked like, when Cat suggested to Kerry that she should!
So does following the rules bring Cat the happy-ever-after she is looking for? Well you couldn’t possibly expect me to ‘kiss and tell’ could you – that would definitely be against the rules of blogging! Be warned if you are reading this on public transport on the way to work, you may very well find yourself getting some funny looks as you snort out loud with laughter! A great, funny and feel-good read – I loved it!
My thanks to the publishers Quercus for providing a review copy via Netgalley.