Should she stay in London and start her own advertising agency with her best friend and potential boyfriend Charlie? Or should she head to exciting Milan to pursue both a new career as a photographer and a new man, the enigmatic and elusive (and highly irritating) Nick?
For the first time, Tess has to choose between the life she always dreamed of and a future she never imagined possible. With her heart and her head pulling her in different directions, Tess has to make a life-changing decision about What a Girl Wants."
Rating: 5/5
You can buy What A Girl Wants as an eBook or a paperback now.
One of the highlights of my summer is Lindsey Kelk bringing out a brand new book! This is the second in her new series featuring the fabulous lead character of Tess Brookes, following on from the brilliant first novel last summer called About A Girl. I adored Lindsey's I Heart series, so it's been great to have another series to get my teeth into. The last book left everything quite open so I was looking forward to getting back to it and see what Tess was going to get into next. I have to say how much I love the cover as well - it's really bold and bright, and certainly makes it exactly the sort of book you'll want to stick in your beach bag for a good old read in the sunshine this summer!
Tess knows she has to make a choice. However, it's definitely not going to be an easy one to make, knowing she will upset someone whichever path she chooses. She has to choose between her best friend, and now potential boyfriend too, called Charlie, with the pair of them aiming to set up their own business and possibly pursue a relationship, something Tess has thought she's wanted for years. But then there's the chance of a lifetime to go out and work as a photographer in Italy, and meet the man who she's also fallen for, journalist Nick. The job is a dream, everything Tess has always wanted, but her loyalty to Charlie is making her wonder if she is doing the right thing. Which choice will Tess make, and will it be the right one?!
I loved the fact that the book begins exactly where About A Girl left off, with Tess returning from her escapades in Hawaii. She's back in London and facing up to everything that has happened since, and the consequences of her actions while she's been out there too. Poor old Tess can't seem to do right for wrong, and manages to get herself in all sorts of issues, even when she's meaning things to go well. Right from the beginning, there's lots of hilarious, laugh-out-loud moments and I was really in love with the book from the beginning! The main crux of Tess' dilemma is whether she wants to be with Nick or Charlie - after About A Girl I was definitely #TeamCharlie, but I have to say I was changing my mind a bit to #TeamNick after this book! Neither man was ideal really, neither a real hero of the book, but both had their positives and negatives.
The majority of Tess' story is set in Milan, where she is doing some photography work for her pal Walter, who first appeared in About A Girl. I loved having familiar characters come back again, and it was nice to read yet another travel-based setting. Milan sounded amazing, with Kelk's descriptions making it sound beautiful, especially the palatial home in which Tess finds herself living, along with her crazy yet very enthusiastic best friend Amy. She made me tired just reading about her - how is anyone that perky all the time?! However, she is brilliantly funny, and tried to really cheer up poor indecisive Tess. The fashion parts of the book too are brilliantly written, with descriptions of clothing really coming alive on the pages - I'm not especially into fashion and clothes but even I enjoyed reading these parts. The story as a whole is really enjoyable, Tess has to be one of the unluckiest people ever though!
For me, this is a fantastic follow-up novel to a brilliant start in a series. I can't wait to keep reading and find out what other mishaps Tess can get herself into, and whether she's really going to end up with Nick or Charlie - or perhaps somebody different altogether! Kelk's writing as usual is a joy to read - light-hearted, witty, very funny and had me engrossed every time I picked the book up. Tess, Amy and co are a fantastic cast of characters you'll fall in love with - even if you haven't read the first book, this one is just as enjoyable and gives you enough information about the first story so you don't miss out, although of course I'd recommend you start with About A Girl. I loved every part of this book, it was great to read a story set in beautiful Milan and with some hilarious goings-on too. Brilliant fun.
I definitely loved this as well, especially the ending. Without spoilers, it really surprised me, which is rare with chick lit endings.
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