This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Verity Wilde
Ellie Rigby is sick of disastrous internet dates. After eight months of hopeless matches she decides to take control – and sets up her own dating agency. She reckons she can help other people find their Mr or Mrs Right and keep a look out for her own happily ever after. But life is never that simple when affairs of the heart are involved is it?
It’s Got to Be Perfect was a self-publishing success and has now been picked up by Mills and Boon and given a physical release. It’s funny and very readable. Haley Hill’s past life running a dating agency means that the passages about Ellie’s match-making exploits are very believable and I almost found myself wishing that I was single again so that I could go to the parties that she was throwing for her clients!
However I wanted a bit more insight into Ellie herself and what had launched her into the world of internet dating in the first place. And when Mr Right showed up, I didn’t think that we saw enough of him and her together before the novel moved on to the Next Stage to really be able to buy into them as a pairing. And I know that sounds cryptic, but to say any more is a bit of a spoiler and I don’t want to ruin it! I also wanted more background and time with some of the secondary characters who occasionally felt a bit two dimensional.
But those issues aside, I thought It’s Got to Be Perfect was frothy and enjoyable – it’s a bit late in the season for summer holidays – but if you’re heading off for some winter sun or to the ski slopes, this would be a great choice to slip in your suitcase. And I know that I’ll be looking out for what Haley Hill writes next.
7/10