An Almost Perfect Holiday, by Lucy Diamond {Book Review}

Don’t fall over, but…book lovers of the world wide web… I am NOT reviewing a thriller today! *gasp* I know…. Who am I and what have I done with Simone, the gal who only reads books that include murder and blood, with a side of supernatural? It is I….really.. don’t send the police! Okay…. I was sent An Almost Perfect Holiday about 2 weeks ago… and whilst the synopsis sounded great, we all know this isn’t my go-to genre. I was faffing around about picking it up, and actually tried to read this twice before I decided to go for it. To embrace a different genre, no expectations….and to just read…. Did I regret giving up a full day of my life to read these 470 pages?? Read further to find out.

What is An Almost Perfect Holiday about?

An Almost Perfect Holiday is a warm and witty story of friendship, family and hope, by the Sunday Times bestseller Lucy Diamond.

The holidays are here, and down in Cornwall Lorna’s cottages are fully booked. The sun loungers are lined up beside the swimming pool, the sky is blue and a new set of arrivals are on their way . . .

Em’s planned the perfect break with her teenagers plus her new boyfriend, George . . . but now his difficult six-year-old is coming too. Will their romance survive the realities of parenthood?

Maggie’s hoping a seaside holiday will bring her and her daughter closer together, but when her ex makes a surprise reappearance, it changes everything. Can she trust the man who broke her heart?

Olivia has escaped the domestic grind, only for the past to catch up with her. Maybe the time has come to confess all – if she can find the courage . . .

Meanwhile, the teenagers are running wild and love is in the air. With friendship, heartache and secrets in the mix, will this holiday turn out to be a scorcher – or simply too hot to handle?

My review

Characters and storyline

Okay, boy did this book have a lot of protagonists! I’ll try to keep it short….

We have Em, divorcee with 2 teenagers….who is now dating, which is all new and exciting for her. Her kids however are not about that PDA life!

There’s Maggie, mom of teenager Amelia, who is still reeling from her divorce 14 years ago.

We have Olivia, who has just had enough…. of her kids, her husband….feeling like her life is meaningless. She is all of us at some stage in our life….she also happens to be holding onto secrets and baggage of the past.

Lastly, we have Laura and Roy, owners of the delightful cottages, where all these woman and their families end up on holiday in Cornwall.

My Thoughts

An Almost Perfect Holiday is definitely not my typical read, but I found the cover so inviting and delightful, that I just had to give it a go. I was a bit put off by how thick the book is…470 pages, for family drama, seemed a bit excessive to me! However, I didn’t even feel the 470 pages while I was reading it. The writing is so light and Lucy is such an amazing storyteller….that I felt like I was there in the scene, just observing these women. Like a movie, in 3D, in my head. I think that’s the mark of a really talented writer.

The book touched on SO MANY relevant issues, dealing with divorce, abandonment issues, death, adoption, post natal depression, friendship, the facade that all is perfect on social media….and more. I found myself laughing, chuckling…and full out crying too.

All the things she’d ever wanted to tell him: hopes, memories, words of love. It was not enough, this one-sided conversation, it would never be enough.

This scene in the book literally just broke my heart. If you’ve ever lost somebody, you’d know how frustrating those one sided conversations are. I also could relate so much to how the person in this scene, relives those last moments before hearing about the death of her loved one. Every year on the anniversary of my dad’s death….I start watching the clock. I can remember what I was wearing, who was with me when I got the call. How fast we drove to get to him, flagging the ambulance down… This part of the book, I just thought was so real. For me, it’s been 14yrs….and this was just so true to my experience.

My critique?

I’d probably say that the book could be trimmed a bit w.r.t the pages. I did skim a bit at places, but not a lot. There was some repetition as characters relived the past or the things that they were thinking about. Also I thought the mothers could be a bit angrier…with their kids, with their exes…. I would never, in real life, be able to contain my feelings and be so calm about some of the happenings in their lives. Drop an f-bomb, punch a wall, yell at those damn kids….lol. I think that would have painted just a bit more of a realistic picture of life for me. The book is a bit on the frothy side….if that makes sense.

My rating

An Almost Perfect Holiday has a Goodreads rating of 4.17 stars out of 5….and I myself am rating it at a solid 4 stars. This is the perfect holiday read, something ‘light’, but also really deep. Lucy tackles difficult issues with a light writing style….but it will leave you thinking and feeling and glad you read it. I think if you’re a fan of Marian Keyes, you’d definitely enjoy this. This book definitely took me by surprise, in a good way…and I did not regret motoring through the 470 pages! Are you a fan of this sort of story?

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by Pan Macmillan SA in exchange for an honest review.