Mike Bullen

A bit of chick-lit fluff that, now that I've had a few days to look back on it, was admirably plotted - there was never a dull moment, and the process by which secrets were revealed was complex but never confusing. As a holiday read it was great.

That said, I'm going to disagree with the front cover which declares "Move over David Nicholls". I'd respectfully suggest that Mr Nicholls doesn't need to move anywhere, as the style of writing - particularly where humour is concerned - resides several floors below. It largely relies on cringeworthy puns ("he kissed her with ardour... then ardour still") or stating the bleedin' obvious ("'What the fuck are you doing?' Amanda yelled, dispensing with niceties."). As for the bit at the start of chapter 14, where the narrative is clumsily hi-jacked to make a point about online petitions...nuff said.

If there is a theme running through the novel, it is unsurprisingly trust, in particular whether it is ever possible to forgive an unfaithful partner and whether forgiving an indiscretion makes it more likely to recur. In amongst the froth, there were some interesting points made, and chick-lit that makes me think is okay with me.… (more)