Author : Chrissie Manby
Publication date : 21st June 2012
Publisher : Hodder
Source : Sent by the lovely author herself, thank you!
Rating : 4.5/5
Sophie Sturgeon can't wait for her annual summer holiday. Not only will it be a week away from work, it will be a chance to reconnect with her boyfriend Callum.
So this upcoming trip to Majorca is a big deal. Sophie's spent a lot of time getting ready. She's bought a new wardrobe. She's been waxed to within an inch of her life. She's determined she and Callum will have the best time ever.
Then Callum dumps her, the night before they're due to leave. In a show of bravery and independence, Sophie says she'll go to Majorca alone - but in fact, she hides in her London flat. But when her friends, family, and even Callum seem so surprised and delighted at her single girl courage, Sophie decides to go all out and recreate the ultimate 'fake break' . . . with hilarious results.
First and foremost, I would like to thank Chrissie Manby for being so lovely by sending me a SIGNED review copy. Bless you, lovely lady! I discovered this book on Amazon, which instantly caught my eye! The cover's gorgeous, the perfect summer read, from the looks of it! But I don't think the contents will be so "summery" after all.
The night before flying out to Majorca with her boyfriend, Callum, Sophie was dumped by that no-good wanker (Sorry!) and left her devastated. She had two options, stay home and wallow or show that she's an independent woman and enjoy the summer in the Majorcan sun alone. What made the book interesting was, why not do both? Prove that you don't care about being dumped and enjoy the holiday.. at home! The idea appealed to me, especially all the crazy antics Sophie would get herself into, as book blurb stated "with hilarious results".
Sophie was a really down-to-earth heroine, which most reader appeal to. She seemed really warm and sweet, though when being dumped, she was described as being "too clingy". Sadly, I found she lacked self-confidence, often because she thinks too lightly of herself; why would Callum, handsome and gorgeous, eye candy to every female, would want her? I mean, probably it's a bit hard to believe, but I feel her being with Callum was doing no good for her confidence. Then as the story progressed, I felt Sophie's character began to change and mature, something I'd like to call "character progression". Aside from Sophie, I really enjoyed her sister, Clare's presence in the book, which gave the sisters a chance to bond. Then there was Evan, Clare's fiancé, who was a bit of a bore with the finances, but was a real sweetheart, and Tom, the lovely paramedic, who was a really charming bloke. Secretly, I thought he and Sophie would make a fab couple! Not to leave out Sophie and Clare's mother, who has Twitter, only for some very inappropriate reasons, though what she tweeted was a total laugh!
Though there were a few exciting bits in the book, which I WON'T write about, but it was an enjoyable read. Unfortunately, for me, the beginning of the plot was a bit slow, but it managed to pick up after a while or it would have been a bit dull. The book had the perfect setting of a summer read, what with the sun, beach and cocktails Majorca had to offer, I just felt relaxed with the book!
All in all, I'm glad, I read it and enjoyed it. Chrissie managed to describe Majorca through Sophie's eyes perfectly, its sunny vistas, gorgeous azure blue Mediterranean Sea and the picturesque view really made me feel as though I was in Majorca myself, albeit sounding cliché, but true. I was contemplating whether I should give What I Did On My Holidays a 5/5, but I'm afraid due to the slow start, I would be lying to myself. Sorry, Chrissie!
Follow Chrissie on Twitter (@chrissiemanby)
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