The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance by Kirsty Greenwood
Published 9th April 2015 by Pan Books
Read in April 2015 as part of #paperbackmonth
Available now to buy from; Amazon, Waterstones and all other good bookshops
The Blurb:
Jessica Beam is a girl who knows how to party. Only lately she's been forgetting to turn up for work on time. Or in clean clothes. Down on her luck, out of a job and homeless, Jess seeks the help of her long-lost grandmother.
Things aren't going well for Matilda Beam, either. Her 1950s Good Woman guide books are out of print, her mortgage repayments are staggering and her granddaughter wears neon Wonderbras.
When a lifeline from a London publisher arrives, the pair have an opportunity to secure the roof over their heads - by invigorating the Good Woman guides and transforming modern, rebellious Jess into a demure vintage lady.
The true test of their make-over will be to capture the heart of notorious London playboy Leo Frost and prove that Matilda's guides still work. It's going to take commitment, nerves of steel and one seriously pointy bra to pull this off . . .
The Review:
The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance is one of those books where you love the characters, you love the story and you have a laugh. It's a bit like Bridget Jones meets Mean Girls.
The story follows Jessica Beam, a modern girl who likes pear cider and loves to have fun, as her luck goes downhill and she embarks on a spontaneous journey to find her grandmother. Although Jess isn't a character who I can relate to personally, she does remind me of a friend who also loves to party and I can't help but love her character.
Although it seems like it's Jess' crazy party antics that always make her life go downhill for a while, Summer is one suspicious character and I really didn't like her from the off. Summer is one of those 'friends' who you really can't trust but feel obliged to as they've helped you out before.
Once Jess' life seems to have took a turn for the worse and she tries to bounce back in true Jess style, she spontaneously makes the decision to find her grandma (Matilda Beam) and this is where her life becomes that bit more interesting.
Both Jess and Matilda are in a tight spot but with some quick thinking thanks to the presence of a publisher it becomes a ladette to lady makeover for Jess using Matilda's 1955 Guide to Romance and some help from Peach (Matilda's assistant), and a race against time to enchant the seemingly arrogant and self-obsessed Leo Frost (Artist. Thinker. Man.).
I absolutely adore Peach as she is a character who I can relate to and she brings out the best in Jess. Peach is a lovely character and loved seeing her friendship with Jess blossom.
I absolutely loved reading this book which made me laugh out loud and occasionally go "OMG" or swear at some of the characters (though "Coarse language must never cross the lips of a well-bred Good Woman"). I loved learning the vintage tips to love and romance but Jess proves that these are modern times we live in so they don't necessarily always work.
It is definitely a feel-good book with the right amount of quirkiness.
A quirky, comical, feel-good book which is a definite pick me up.
Happy book birthday to The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance and I hope it is a wonderful publication day for Kirsty,
Aimee x
Published 9th April 2015 by Pan Books
Read in April 2015 as part of #paperbackmonth
Available now to buy from; Amazon, Waterstones and all other good bookshops
The Blurb:
Jessica Beam is a girl who knows how to party. Only lately she's been forgetting to turn up for work on time. Or in clean clothes. Down on her luck, out of a job and homeless, Jess seeks the help of her long-lost grandmother.
Things aren't going well for Matilda Beam, either. Her 1950s Good Woman guide books are out of print, her mortgage repayments are staggering and her granddaughter wears neon Wonderbras.
When a lifeline from a London publisher arrives, the pair have an opportunity to secure the roof over their heads - by invigorating the Good Woman guides and transforming modern, rebellious Jess into a demure vintage lady.
The true test of their make-over will be to capture the heart of notorious London playboy Leo Frost and prove that Matilda's guides still work. It's going to take commitment, nerves of steel and one seriously pointy bra to pull this off . . .
The Review:
The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance is one of those books where you love the characters, you love the story and you have a laugh. It's a bit like Bridget Jones meets Mean Girls.
The story follows Jessica Beam, a modern girl who likes pear cider and loves to have fun, as her luck goes downhill and she embarks on a spontaneous journey to find her grandmother. Although Jess isn't a character who I can relate to personally, she does remind me of a friend who also loves to party and I can't help but love her character.
Although it seems like it's Jess' crazy party antics that always make her life go downhill for a while, Summer is one suspicious character and I really didn't like her from the off. Summer is one of those 'friends' who you really can't trust but feel obliged to as they've helped you out before.
Once Jess' life seems to have took a turn for the worse and she tries to bounce back in true Jess style, she spontaneously makes the decision to find her grandma (Matilda Beam) and this is where her life becomes that bit more interesting.
Both Jess and Matilda are in a tight spot but with some quick thinking thanks to the presence of a publisher it becomes a ladette to lady makeover for Jess using Matilda's 1955 Guide to Romance and some help from Peach (Matilda's assistant), and a race against time to enchant the seemingly arrogant and self-obsessed Leo Frost (Artist. Thinker. Man.).
I absolutely adore Peach as she is a character who I can relate to and she brings out the best in Jess. Peach is a lovely character and loved seeing her friendship with Jess blossom.
I absolutely loved reading this book which made me laugh out loud and occasionally go "OMG" or swear at some of the characters (though "Coarse language must never cross the lips of a well-bred Good Woman"). I loved learning the vintage tips to love and romance but Jess proves that these are modern times we live in so they don't necessarily always work.
It is definitely a feel-good book with the right amount of quirkiness.
A quirky, comical, feel-good book which is a definite pick me up.
Happy book birthday to The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance and I hope it is a wonderful publication day for Kirsty,
Aimee x