Tedious page flicker
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I don't know whether it's fair to review a book you haven't read in it's entirety but I have flicked about a lot and really, really tried to read it. I found Ceri a hard character to like or even dislike; she was just very flat to me. The writer tries too hard and to me the humour is just not funny. I also found the dialogue a bit artificial. "Oh Ceri", Jess said, "that'll cost you a fortune!". Straight out of Enid Blyton or was it First Term at Mallory Towers? I'm stuck with this on holiday. It's going in the pool.
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Just awful - disappointing!
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I must say I am very very disappointed with this book! After just reading my best friends girl and the chocolate run and absolutely loving them - I couldnt wait to read it and I have to say how disappointing it was! It just seemed to go on forever about nothing to be honest - I would recommend her other books but this one was awful - dire infact! The only thing I can say is that Dorothy has definitely got better since writing this her first book so I will continue to read any new books she has out!
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Fluffy light quick reading
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I wavered between 2 stars and 3 stars for this book, but feel that 2, or 2 and a half is most fitting.
It isn't an awful novel, but neither is it particularly memorable, affecting or stunning.
The writer is obviously enjoying herself but I just felt that the style lacks something, even though, having read the
back cover and found out a little about the novel and writer, I had an idea of the sort of story I was expecting.
I somehow hoped it would still be a little deeper, and have more flow and development.
But I don't want to be completely negative about it. I did finish it, (albeit I rushed it a bit and kind of wanted to move on) and I was interested enough to want to know how it all turned out for all the characters. Certainly it improved in the second half of the book for me.
The main character, Ceri, is likeable and is independent and interesting, to an extent.
The surrounding cast somehow never quite become fully rounded characters though.
Ceri decides on a major change in her life, and moves from London to Leeds, and through the course of the novel we hear how her friends and acquaintances confide their deepest secrets in her, but she feels she has no one to really listen to her wants and needs. It transpires that love is happening all around her, often with her help, to everyone but her.
I have never watched the tv series 'Angel' so her frequently mentioned obsession with the lead male star was a bit lost on me! I have spent a lot of time in Leeds so it was nice to hear a lot of the old familiar areas mentioned in the novel and enjoyable to have something set there as opposed to London.
I am looking forward to something grittier again for my next read though.
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reader
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i have read dorothy koomson's other books and really enjoyed them. in particular my best friends girl. this one however was awful i found it really a pain to read and was so dissapointed
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A little bit ridiculous...
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'My best friends girl' - fabulous. 'Marshmallows for breakfast' - wishy washy. 'The Cupid Effect' - Just awful!
What is going on with DK? I'm afraid to pick up her next novel for fear of what I'll find!
The story of Ceri, who arrives in Leeds to begin a lecturers post, it starts out bland and proceeds to a just ok. Passable, even. But then you throw in her boring obsession with the TV series 'Angel' (I just dont get the relevance...) and the fact that - ta daaah - she's Cupid and the whole thing just goes rushing downhill at a frightening pace. Ceri, as a character, was fairly likeable (Angel obsession aside of course) and in fact, most of the characters in the book have a likeability to them but the plot and the soul of the book are severely lacking. I did finish the book, as it limped wearily along, and I think this was largely because I hoped it was going somewhere. Unfortunately, it wasn't and by the time I realised it, I was more than half way through and finished it purely because I'm tenacious like that.
My advice - give it a miss...
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