Perfect Mayhem: The Perfect Disaster Series by Aimee Horton

Length: 216 pages

Please note that the cover image leads to a universal Amazon buy link for the book

What they say: Bridget Jones’s Diary meets The Nanny Diaries in this Amazon UK Best Seller!

The only thing Dottie Harris loves more than her gin & tonic is her family. Most of the time. From her hapless-but-well-meaning husband to her two energetic bundles of joy, Dottie certainly has her hands full. And she’s tired. So tired.

With quips like “How do sleeping babies know the minute you sit down?” this modern-day diary will have you laughing—when you’re not crying with empathy, that is!

Dottie tells it like it is: the good, the bad, and the eternal piles of dirty laundry.

Previously published as Survival of the Ginnest

The Review: So you’ll know already what a huge fan I am of Aimee Horton’s (Review of Survival of The Christmas Spirit is here ). I adore her straight cut tell it like it is humour about family life and generally finish her books wishing I had another of hers close to hand so I could keep going.

As you can see above it is Dottie Harris’ story and  is pretty much told through social media-so the way you’d see someone’s Facebook posts. I loved this idea but had to admit to being a little disappointed at the fact it was just her posts and not the resulting comments that came underneath. That being said it made it read like a series of one liners, and such a fast, enjoyable, easy read that it was more like finding a magazine that had something enjoyable on every page.

In terms of content it seemed like this book was tailor made, with references to The Apprentice,Dragons Den, Project Runway and One Born Every Minute and then Katy from I Can Cook and ‘hello puppy calling,’ making me almost jump around in excitement (what that makes me I don’t know!) The humour was spot on and the scenarios were such that I nodded along, in some cases experiencing similar occurances as I read! This is one for the parents whose kids sometimes drive them nuts, then minutes after making them wonder when bedtime is, want to hug them and tell them they love them. It’s for people who appreciate houses which are manic and crazy and messy and loud but always fun. Really really enjoyable and I can’t wait to get to Ms. Horton’s next book:)
Rating:5/5

 

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The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard by Robert Bryndza

Length: 310 pages

Please note that the cover image leads to a universal Amazon buy link for the book

What they say: Coco Pinchard always dreamed of being a successful writer, but then life got in the way. She married young, had a son, and put her dreams on hold… But now she’s forty, and her first novel is about to be published! Her husband Daniel has greyed nicely into a silver fox, and her son Rosencrantz is all grown up. Shouldn’t it be time to enjoy life?

That is, until the annual family Christmas when her hideous in-laws come to stay, and Coco opens her gift from Daniel. It’s not the jewellery she chose, but an iPhone. This marks the start of Daniel’s mid-life crisis and Coco catches him in bed with a younger woman.

The iPhone becomes a confessional, and as Coco’s life unravels, she documents her seemingly endless (and often entertaining) run of bad luck through emails to loyal friends Christopher, an ageing trustafarian, and Marika, a slightly alcoholic schoolteacher.

Then Coco meets the hunky Adam and she’s back in the world of dating as a single forty-something. Read the emails that tell the heart warming and often hilarious tale of Coco picking up the pieces, in this fun, feel-good Romantic Comedy.

The Review: I had heard so much about this series of books from Robert Bryndza, in the first instance from  Facebook posts Bookaholic Holly from Bookaholic Confessions (excellent blog-check it out) and, always being in search for chick lit I was very tempted but then I Read The Girl in the Ice and The Night Stalker and Mr Bryndza was somehow cemented in my brain as a thriller writer and so that was it. Then one day I began to see different parts of the series on special offer and started to buy them up. One of the first books that jumped out at me when I signed up to Kindle Unlimited was this book and  I saw it as a sign that I had to cop on and get moving (yes I do put this much thought into books!).

So, I’ve always loved reading books where you find out what’s happening through emails or a diary and this was no exception. We begin with a description of Coco’s  christmas that had me ready for a great book from the get go-“Rosencrantz” ( that’s Coco’s son) “picked up his nan, Ethel, from her nursing home, and she began with the usual, ‘This might be my last Christmas’ before inviting herself for Christmas next year, and Easter, and Mother’s Day … ”

The book sees Coco, author (yay!) of Chasing Diana Spencer, an, um, alternative look at the royals, who is doing some book promo and hoping her book will hit it big. After a perceived too frank interview, Coco is shunned from the book world and has to try to figure things out. Throw into the mix some issues with her husband Daniel and her son, a struggling actor and you get pacing and a story that keeps your eyes glued to the screen. The characters were exellent, I’m not going to mention  too many but Ethel was epic (and I don’t use that word lightly), in particular there was a gorgeous  letter that she wrote to Rosencrantz (who I also really enjoyed) that I re-read after,  and Chris was so lovely, and of course Coco was such a legend, strong and inspiring. The most excellent thing about this book was how brave it was, it didn’t just make you smile, it made you giggle, titter, and snigger too! It was very much in the ‘Carry On’ style in places, and yet the perfect balance of seriously over the top inappropriateness was equaled with good old fashioned ‘it’s the way you tell em’ humour. I loved it all and can’t wait to get to number 2.
Rating:5/5