Until one night, thanks to a pub hypnotist, Natalie’s most private thoughts begin to bubble up and pop out of her mouth. Things get very messy indeed. Especially when some sticky home truths offend her fiancé.
Natalie must track down the hypnotist before the wedding is officially cancelled. So along with bad influence bestie Meg, Natalie finds herself in the Yorkshire Parish of Little Trooley - a small village bursting with big secrets, nosy old folk and intriguing Wellington-wearing men.
When the girls get stranded in the village with no means of escape and no way to break the hypnotist's spell, Natalie is forced to face the truths she has been avoiding her whole life...
Review: This is a light-hearted, funny, fast-paced debut novel by author Kirsty Greenwood. I didn't really now an awful lot about this novel when I downloaded it, but was recommended it and so thought it would give it a go. From the moment I picked it up, I was totally drawn in and instantly hooked. I read half of it in one sitting alone it was that compelling. The kind of fast paced-writing reminds me a little of Bridget Jones's Diary or the Shopaholic series, and the character of Natalie is always getting into the kinds of scrapes and capers that the main characters in those other novels do, and yet somehow, she discovers the strength within her to triumph in the end.
The supporting characters in this novel were also very strong. I found some of the interactions with Natalie's fiancée Olly a little difficult to read. I wanted to shout at Natalie that she shouldn't be letting him treat her like that and that she could do so much better for herself! But then that just shows how much greenwood draws her audience in.
Some of the things that happen in the story I found a little difficult to believe, but once I got involved in the kind of fairly tale aspect of the having been hypnotised storyline, I found the less believable things a lot easier to take on board. There is a moment where a break up is described in this novel and the author delivers such a perfect line, that just describes wonderfully the way you feel when you get that text or phone all telling you it's over, this was a totally winning moment of the novel for me and shows explicitly how in tune with her characters Kirsty Greenwood is... 'I hold the phone in my shaking hands, it feels heavy and clunky, like a phone from 20 years ago.'
This was definitely a quick read and something that I would recommend for anyone looking for a light-hearted read with a good strong storyline and a host of characters that will keep you hooked until the end. Readers should be warned that they may find themselves finishing the book in two or three sittings, you get so absorbed by Natalie's tale. A great debut novel!
No comments:
Post a Comment