This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
REVIEWED BY JULES ABSALOM
Ever wished you could make-over your life?
Make-up artist Stella is an expert at helping other people change their images, but when it comes to transforming herself, she doesn't even know where to start.
So when her new friend, glamorous Hollywood actress Marina Ray, summons her a movie set in California, Stella can't resist the chance to start afresh – it is the land of sunshine and opportunity after all!
But are they really friends or does Marina have an ulterior motive? What is the secret that both women are hiding about the nautical (but nice) men in their lives? And what will it take to really make both of their California dreams come true?
In a Pacific Coast journey that takes in Los Angeles, the world's most romantic ranch and California's very own castle in the sky – this story of friendship, long-distance love, kissing (and making up) is the perfect escapist read.
“Every morning before I even open my eyes I make the same wish: please let this be the day that something happens.”
Stella has a life that she doesn’t love, she is lonely and stuck in a job that is slowly turning from her dream into a daily grind that passe the hours, stuck working under a contract that she can’t break free from. Well, that is until she meets Marina Ray, superstar and maybe less of a diva than people suspect. My favourite relationship in California Dreamers wasn’t the love interests, which were everything you’d expect from Belinda Jones – steamy and a bit saucy, but the friendship that grew between Stella and Marina. Marina gave Stella what she needed in a huge career changing boost, but they were both lonely in their own ways and I don’t want to sound clichéd because their story didn’t read that way, but they turned out to be one another’s rock.
This book surprised me as I didn’t guess where the story was going, a lot of the time in chick lit it is clear who the characters are going to end up with, which isn’t usually a problem as it is the journey that is the fun part. But California Dreamers had me changing my mind who I thought might just make a perfect match for Stella and who I really wanted her to end up with. The ending was perfect, it did of course have its last bumpy moments with a few added twists and turns, as the path to love and happiness is never an easy one in any chick lit world. However, when it all came to the end I had a huge smile on my face and even though I am dying to tell you who really sweeps Stella off her feet you will just have to read California Dreamers for yourself to find out!
Makeup, sunshine, fabulous locations, a holiday romance and finding out the lengths that love can endure – what more could you want in a summer read? Definitely a new favourite of mine.
9/10
MORE ABOUT CALIFORNIA DREAMERS
VISIT BELINDA JONES' WEBSITE