Paperback : 389 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Fiction
Publisher: Penguin 2012
Source: Tywyn Public Library
First Sentences: 'Zulekha Forbes opened her curtains and peered out on to the back garden. For the first time since she'd returned to England it wasn't raining and the sun shone clear and strong through the window of her old attic bedroom where she'd hoped to never sleep again.'
Review Quote: 'Engaging and entertaining' Evening Standard
My Opinion: I was expecting something more romantic than the trials and tribulations of the protagonists family life.
This was an easy read and although it is the first one I have read by this author I did not enjoy it enough to be adding her back catalogue to my wishlist. Sorry it was just not satisfying enough for me, although the idea that love can be found in just a few minutes if you meet your soul mate was an interesting theme, the content did not really live up to the title for me. Maybe I just interpreted the blurb incorrectly, but I was expecting something more romantic than the trials and tribulations of the protagonists family life.
Zu Forbes is back in London with her father and brothers after spending time travelling to try and sort out the emotional baggage she has carried around for years. In fact since her alcoholic mother first made her teen years a misery she has been a very mixed up young lady unable to make commitments in her life. She needs to sort her life out and come to terms with her past if she is ever to find happiness for herself, her father and brothers. These are issues she needs to deal with if she is ever going to be able to travel again without feeling guilty about how lonely her father is. Her problems may be partially solved when she unexpectedly finds herself working for a dating agency, with an opportunity to sort out her Dad's love life. This would of course leave her free to run away from her own demons with a clear conscience. However it is no surprise that nothing goes according to plan and there are some witty and comic scenes involving trips to the Ukraine, drug abuse and dominatrices!
There is enough going on in this novel to make it worth picking up and reading if it is a light easy read with some humour that you are looking for.
This might be the first time I have read a book by this author but it is in fact the sixth that she has had published, for those of you that might be interested I have included links to all her novels on Amazon.
The Love Trainer (2004)
If I Were You (2006)
Amy's Honeymoon (2007)
The Model Wife (2008)
Love Nest (2010)
Ten Minutes to Fall in Love (2012)
Author Profile
As Julia Llewellyn Smith she writes regularly for The Sunday Telegraph, the Sunday Times and many other publications, having been a journalist for nearly twenty years. Julia lives in London with her family and considers that patience, humility and a sense of curiosity about the world around you are essential attributes for a writer.
The biographical information and photo used in this post are with thanks to the following websites, where you can also find more information about the author and her writing.
Julia Llewellyn - Author Interview Penguin Books - Author Interview Julia Llewellyn Books - Lovereading
Julia Llewellyn Books - Amazon Twitter - Julia Llewellyn
Hi Linda. Thank you for the review. I don't think I will put this on my To Read list. I liked the cover and I liked that first sentence. I do hope that David is gradually starting to feel a little stronger.
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