This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
An ex-lover, a fake lover and an ambitious plan. Be careful what you wish for…
Samantha Brooks’ boyfriend Jamie has made a big mistake. One his friends, family and Sam herself know he’ll live to regret.
Jamie is loving, intelligent- and a free spirit. After six years in one place, doing a job he despises, he feels compelled to do something that will tear apart his relationship with Sam: book a one way flight to South America.
Sam isn’t giving up without a fight. With Jamie still totally in love with her and torn about whether to stay or go, she has five months to persuade him to do the right thing. So, with the help of her friends Ellie and Jen, she hatches a plan to make him realise what he’s giving up. A plan that involves dirty tricks, plotting and a single aim: to win him back.
Only, by the time the tortured Jamie finally wakes up to what he’s lost, a gorgeous new pretender has entered Sam’s life. Which begs the question… now he’s hers for the taking, does she still want him back?
This book has been on my To Read list since the synopsis was released on Amazon months back. I always look forward to reading a Jane Costello book; the stories are consistently funny, with twists and turns that never fail to keep me hooked. And the fact that this book was released in hardback first shows that she has reached the big leagues as an author. Excellent work, Jane!
All the Single Ladies stars Sam. Sam has just been told by her boyfriend of six years that their relationship is over because he’s decided to go to South America for God knows how long. We find Sam distraught and stuck at the side of the road because her car has broken down. I couldn’t help but have a giggle at the situations these heroines always find themselves in.
As the story developed though, I found myself getting annoyed with Sam – she seemed a little too desperate. Of course she’s devastated by her break-up, but some of the scenarios she concocts to try and gain her boyfriend's attention were a little too far-fetched for me (although I did find the inflatable bra bit hilarious, I think there was actual snorting involved). I know that this was the main body of the plotline, yet the more I read the more I wanted to jump into the book and shake Sam’s shoulders and tell her to get a grip.
I did, however, find myself drawn to Sam’s two best friends, Ellie and Jen. I thought they were very funny, and the storyline involving Ellie was quite emotional and hard hitting. It’s rare that I take to supporting characters in a book more than the protagonist, yet with All the Single Ladies I found this to be the case. Don’t get me wrong I very much enjoyed the book – it was great. I just found that I only really started to enjoy Sam towards the end.
Overall I enjoyed this novel and I look forward to hearing about Jane Costello’s next release.
7/10