We’re back from a long break with an appropriately holiday-themed frothy read! Twenty-something Lizzie would very much like to become accustomed to a more luxurious lifestyle- but having been fired from her last job, cheated on by her fiance, and lodging with an old friend, she’s starting over. Fortunately she lands on her feet and joins a travel agency, quickly increasing her responsibilities and becoming involved in the launch of a Spanish hotel near her mother’s home in Marbella. Throw in a handsome, successful new man, and Lizzie’s life becomes busier and more complicated than she’d like.
Kooks for your Kindle?– The book’s supporting characters were its strength, friend and landlady Mel being a nice relaxed contrast to Lizzie’s focused personality. Lizzie’s social climbing Mum demonstrated how not to raise daughters, but having finally found true love she began to mellow. Lizzie’s love interest Edward was well written and a good match for her, although not around for the Spanish parts of the book. Lizzie’s sister Stella had her own problems; being a few steps ahead of Lizzie she’d married her rich husband and was not satisfied with her lot. However the guilt of an affair was too much for her.
The Bella-Swan-Pathetically-Self-Sacrificing-Factor– Lizzie was an odd character; glamorous, single-minded, optimistically charging through life believing she can achieve anything, and mostly succeeding. I didn’t find her particularly likeable at times, occasionally materialistic, judgemental and a little spoiled. However I do like a strong leading character, and can accept the faults that create one up to a point.
Painting a picture for your paperback?– The action begins in London, but really gets going once Lizzie begins her fortnight working in Marbella, where events take a turn for the bizarre. It’s a definite holiday read, with an additional foray into Ireland included.
Evaluation of your eBook?– On the plus side, it is fast paced and keeps enough grip on the reader to carry you to the conclusion. While there are some unexpected exploits (especially the night at the spanish club), the main big twists are easy to see coming. Having said that, it didn’t play out totally as I’d expected. The main issue for me was the rather clear need for a good edit: A few mistakes in word use and grammar don’t bother me (happens to the best of us!), but the whole book felt a little disjointed which can take the reader out of the story. Scenes seemed to stop partway through, and while the time-skipping kept the story moving, the jumps could have been smoother. The perspective was unusual; for most of the book Lizzie told the tale herself, until a quarter of the way through when we suddenly had a third-person chapter about her sister. These popped up occasionally for the rest of the book, but might have blended better if they’d started earlier.
Frothy Ranking: 2/5 cocktails.
Can be obtained from:
UK: Amazon for only £1.02
US: Amazon for only 99c
