Book Review : The Boot Camp by Kate Harrison

Title : The Boot Camp
Author : Kate Harrison
Publisher : Orion (2nd Aug 2012/3rd Jan 2013 (PP))
Source : Sent by the publisher for review, thank you!

Three women, each with a reason to change their lives. But will they survive the next seven days . . .?

How far would YOU go to feel good about yourself?
It's New Year and three desperate women begin the toughest week of their lives . . .
No booze, no carbs, no men, no excuses.

Steph invents puddings for a living - now the only part of her body she doesn't hate is her wrists. Will she prove to herself - and her ex - that she can change?
TV presenter Darcy is living the dream - yet haunted by nightmares of a single night where she made the wrong choice. Can she let go of the past?
Mum of three Vicki is under doctor's orders to lose weight - but it's not the only burden she's carrying.

Three women, seven days . . . and one last chance to change their lives for good.

Kate Harrison has been an established author for some time now, but till yesterday, I have yet to read any of her books. I really like the sound of a boot camp-style book as it's a totally refreshing idea to the titles in the market these days.

When my copy of The Boot Camp arrived, I started on it immediately. I know, I'm such a cover connoisseur, I fell in love with the cover! The Tiffany blue of the cover really caught my attention in the bookstore the other day so it worked its magic! I wanted to snatch it and run over to the cashier to buy it then I remembered I am already reading it! Silly me, no?

What I thought about it:
Since this is the first book I read about Kate Harrison, I didn't know what to expect so I just dived in and read it. Once I started on it, I was immediately transported into the book. The boot camp-military camp style of the book was a really clever idea as it's completely new and no one has written about it before. I found it really nostalgic as I went to serve for national service, so I could really relate to most of the things in the book.

The book follows three characters, Steph, a twenty-something food economist who has a big heart and zero-level of confidence, Vicki, a mother of three who has a secret haunting her for some time now and finally Darcy, a TV presenter who had a troubling past and fear of being replaced by some younger. The book is written from all three heroines' perspective, so it gives readers a chance to learn more about the characters.

My favourite character has to be.. Steph! Though she doesn't find herself attractive (because of her self-deprecating attitude and constant bullying of her ex-boyfriend), her big heart and kind demeanour makes up for that. At the end of the book, I just wanted to give her a massive hug and congratulate her for being such a wonderful, friendly person. I really adore Rebel Wilson, the Australian actress/comedian, so I imagined her as Steph!

It's a boot camp, so there's bound to be a few others. The other minor characters are quite a colourful bunch and they make a lovely addition to the book. The character who was my least favourite had to be Darcy, sorry to say. I found her really cool and detached from others, maybe because of tough exterior she needs to maintain or her painful past.

The flow of the book is pretty upbeat and fast-paced. As the chapters are split between the three main characters, so readers get to read the book from different sides of the story and that has to be an advantage for us readers. The downside is, I never really connected with the other two characters, Vicki and Darcy. I was pleased with the way the book was written but I would really like to read more about them, instead of focusing all on Steph.

Verdict:
I really enjoyed this book. It was funny, exciting and an escape from reality! The ending was totally unexpected but I was really glad it ended that way. For Kate Harrison's readers, another fabulous novel by her. If you have yet to read any of hers, then why not start now? It's out now in paperback!

Rating : 4/5

REBEL WILSON as Steph.
Really adored Rebel in Pitch Perfect so it came naturally, a gorgeous, kind person as Steph!

KATE HUDSON as Darcy.
After watching Something Borrowed, the name Darcy kind of stuck onto Kate Hudson for me!

BROOKE ELLIOTT as Vicki.
Vicki is a loving, sweet and lovely person and the first person who came to mind was Brooke Elliott, the leading lady in Drop Dead Diva!