Book Review: The Good Girlfriend's Guide to Getting Even by Anna Bell

"When Lexi's sport-mad boyfriend Will skips her friend's wedding to watch football - after pretending to have food poisoning - it might just be the final whistle for their relationship.

But fed up of just getting mad, Lexi decides to even the score. And, when a couple of lost tickets and an 'accidentally' broken television lead to them spending extra time together, she's delighted to realise that revenge might be the best thing that's happened to their relationship.

And if her clever acts of sabotage prove to be a popular subject for her blog, what harm can that do? It's not as if he'll ever find out . . ."

Rating: 4/5

I am a big fan of author Anna Bell, and again was thrilled to be asked to review her brand new book The Good Girlfriend's Guide to Getting Even. I was even more excited to see that Anna had mentioned me in the acknowledgements at the end - it's always lovely to see an author appreciate what us bloggers do! So, I got stuck into this, expecting as usual another brilliantly funny read! The blurb sounded really funny, like the sort of escapist read I could do with, and it didn't let me down!

Lexi was a really funny character, and made me laugh from the very beginning. I know some of the things she did were perhaps a little childish, and yes, she should have confronted her boyfriend Will but that wouldn't have made for a very good or funny book would it?! The fact Lexi did things I would never have even dreamt of meant it made me laugh, and I was sure at every turn she was going to get found out, and make things even worse for herself! I understood she was cross that her boyfriend seemingly lied to her about being poorly to miss a wedding for a football match, and the way she found herself in this revenge spiral was quite amusing, even though her friends weren't exactly supportive of her actions!

Will seemed to be the character that we, as readers, were meant to hate. He was completely sports mad, to the detriment of their relationships at times, and I did feel sorry for Lexi in this regard. He couldn't seem to see that his obsession was upsetting her either, so I think the pair would have benefitted from actually being honest with each other once in a while! However, I did feel sorry for him a little bit when Lexi started to exact her revenge, because he genuinely seemed clueless about how all these unfortunate things kept happening to him, and never seemed to suspect Lexi at all!

Anna Bell's writing in this book is really on point, and she keeps the pace up all the way through the story, allowing the characters to develop well, and Lexi's plan to go as she hopes, while all the time you are aware that at some point she's going to find out, and the longer it goes on, you know the eventual reveal is going to be even worse for her! As the book hurtles towards the end, I almost didn't want to read it because I just knew it was going to get pretty awful before it could attempt to get better! There are some scenes set in Barbados, and Anna writes these wonderfully, it was great to picture the country, the beaches, and the luxury hotel Will and Lexi find themselves in.

While I think some people might find this book a bit silly, and get annoyed with Lexi's revenge plot, I actually found the whole thing really enjoyable, and definitely laughed out loud quite a lot as I was reading! I stayed up late a few nights reading this, because I didn't want to put it down - I was desperate to find out what Lexi was going to come up with next, and if and when poor Will would find out what she had been up to! A laugh-out-loud, funny, escapist read that will surely leave you with a smile on your face... and perhaps a bit of a warning to sports mad men - don't ignore your girlfriend for your sports, and if you do so, it's at your own peril! A great read!

Book Review: The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart by Anna Bell

"Abi's barely left her bed since Joseph, the love of her life, dumped her, saying they were incompatible. When Joseph leaves a box of her possessions on her doorstep, she finds a bucket list of ten things she never knew he wanted to do. What better way to win him back than by completing the list, and proving they're a perfect match? But there's just one problem - or rather, ten. 

Abi's not exactly the outdoorsy type, and she's absolutely terrified of heights - not ideal for a list that includes climbing a mountain, cycling around the Isle of Wight and, last but not least, abseiling down the tallest building in town ...Completing the list is going to need all Abi's courage - and a lot of help from her friends. But as she heals her broken heart one task at a time, the newly confident Abi might just have a surprise in store ... "

Rating: 4/5

You can buy the book now.

I have really enjoyed several books by Anna Bell in the past few years, so was pleased when her new publishers Zaffre contacted me and asked me if I'd like to review her brand new title The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart. Anna's writing always features such fantastic character, and I find her stories very easy to read, and enjoyable. The cover for this book is lovely, and certainly would have attracted me to read the book had I not been lucky enough to have been sent one. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and here's why I would recommend it.

The story focuses on Abi, who is trying to get over her recent break-up with boyfriend Joseph. She hadn't seen it coming at all, and is completely heart-broken. When he drops off a box of her belongings back at her flat, she finds Joseph's own bucket list, and comes up with the genius plan to complete the list herself, thereby showing Joseph what a match made in heaven they really are. The only problem is most of the thing aren't really Abi's cup of tea - climbing the Spinnaker tower, riding a bicycle, and abseiling... three things Abi couldn't hate more. But she's determined to complete the list and prove to Joseph they belong together. But is Abi about to find that the list is going to lead her down a different path altogether?!

I have to say I wasn't overly keen on the idea of the story at first - the idea of someone being so desperate to get their ex back that they'd make themselves incredibly unhappy doing so sat a bit weirdly with me, but as the story went on, I warmed to the idea and why Abi was doing it. I did like, however, that when her friends uncovered what she was doing that they weren't afraid to tell her it was a silly thing to do, but Abi was so wrapped up in the fug of trying to win Joseph back at any cost that she just couldn't see how truly crazy and nonsensical she was being!

In a way, I did admire Abi for having the courage to go through with the things on Joseph's bucket list, because I would have screwed it up and put it in the bin if it were me! She really threw herself in cycling, along with her new friend Ben who decides she needs some help with her riding ability, windsurfing, abseiling and all the other things. Certain tasks, like a day trip to Paris, make the list a little more appealing to Abi, but overall it really wasn't her. I really enjoyed the cycling part of this book, mainly because we got to see lots of the lovely Ben, one of my favourite characters in the book. He's so kind, encouraging and helpful I just wanted Abi to see him for what he was, and leave Joseph well behind in her past!

As well as the main story of the bucket list, there's a bit of extra drama thrown in at Abi's workplace, where things she has been working hard on for her new clients keep disappearing, and begin to threaten her job. This was a nice break from the main story, and allowed us to see more of Abi in a different light, and I very much enjoyed this part of the book. This is a really light-hearted feel good read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. There were great characters, some real laugh-out-loud moments, and I did love Abi by the end of the book, she was certainly unique and full of madcap ideas, and god love her for giving it all a go! Anna Bell's writing is wonderful to read, and already I'm looking forward to the next book from her, this is definitely a must-read for summer!

Book Review: Don't Tell The Brides-to-Be by Anna Bell

"With a baby on the way and her business starting to boom, has Penny finally found her happily ever after? 

Things are looking up for Penny Robinson. She's kicked her gambling addiction and even started her own business: Princess on a Shoestring, an all-inclusive service for brides-to-be looking to pinch pennies on their big day. Between family fights and wardrobe calamities, wedding planning is no piece of cake, but Penny's got it all under control. That is, until a rival planner decides to take her down—one hard-won bride at a time. Now Penny must fight to save her reputation and her livelihood before it's too late. But when a romantic weekend away has some unexpected consequences, Penny's expectations for her career are brought back down to earth with a bump."

Rating: 4.5/5

You can buy Don't Tell the Brides-to-Be as a paperback or an eBook now.

I read my first book by Anna Bell last year, when I read the second book in her 'Don't Tell...' series called Don't Tell the Boss. I really enjoyed that book, and was pleased to receive the third book in the series to review called Don't Tell the Brides-to-Be, complete with a really pretty blue cover that drew me in straight away. I was looking forward to catching up with these characters again, seeing the next step in Penny's life, and the story certainly didn't disappoint, I really enjoyed it!

Penny's new business Princess on a Shoestring, her wedding planning on the cheap venture, is going well and she's booking more weddings than she ever expected. Her husband is thrilled for her, and the pair finally feel like their marriage is on track. When Penny meets a rival wedding planner at a wedding fayre, and finds her to be less than nice, she realises she has to toughen up and keep her brides to herself, never mind the competition. But just as she sets her plans in motion, Penny making a discovery that threatens to ruin everything she has built up so far, and Penny has no idea how she is going to cope...

As I said before, I have read the previous book, but not the first one in the series, so you can certainly read this as a stand-alone, although it does of course work better if you read its predecessors first. There is plenty explained throughout the book though, so you shouldn't feel too lost when you are reading, and are able to catch up with what has happened before. I loved Penny once again, she's a brilliant lead character, always optimistic, determined to make her new business work, and her marriage too, and she never fails to make me laugh. Even when things look like they are going badly wrong, she's still determined to plough on and make the best of a bad situation, even if that means keeping a few things to herself.

The development of this story was really well done, and I liked the twists and turns it took as the book went on. I don't want to discuss too much about the plot, because I enjoyed reading about it as it unfolded, Suffice to say, however, Penny doesn't perhaps deal with the revelations in the best way, although you can understand her worry and nervousness especially as she has a fledgling business to take care of. There was a sweet sub-plot about her husband Mark's grandmothers illness, and this was a more serious storyline, it was well written and very emotional, it made me tear up occasionally as I read it and was a good addition to the story, we certainly saw a different side to Penny and Mark throughout this storyline.

Yes, the plotline was simple, and perhaps the obvious place for the series to go after the previous two books, but that didn't stop  me enjoying it at all - in fact, quite the opposite, I loved it! It was nice to see Penny working hard and making a success of her business, and the rivalry going on with the posh wedding planner was really quite funny too, I liked how Penny was determined not to let her win! The mentions of all the different wedding ideas going on were brilliant too, everything from a woodland wedding to an adult soft play idea, it's all in there! I hope this isn't the last book in the series, and we see more about Mark and Penny going on from the things in this book and how things work out for them! Anna Bell's writing is brilliant, so easy to read and the plot was so enjoyable, I couldn't put it down. A brilliant, light-hearted read that I loved.