This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Ever feel like everything that happens to you is your fault? Welcome to the life of Delia Moss.
Delia spends her life perpetually blaming herself for the things that go wrong – her boring job with colleagues she can’t stand, her boyfriend sleeping with someone else and finding out via a misdirected text message and a run in with an online troll called Peshwari Naan that leads to her leaving her job at the local council. Delia blames herself for all of it, but with a sprinkling of wit and a jazzy wardrobe, Delia might just turn out to be the hero of her own life.
I first discovered Mhairi McFarlane a few years ago with the release of her first novel You Had Me At Hello. Not only did I love the title (I’m an old romantic!) but the story within the book ticked all of my heart-shaped boxes. However there is something clever about Mhairi’s writing, she manages to weave together wonderful characters, interesting plot and most of all … make me laugh. Her style of humour reminds me of a mash-up between Jenny Colgan and Joanna Bolouri (author of The List) and it always has me laughing within the first few pages.
Delia is endearing and funny – I loved all of the descriptions of her wardrobe and how she stood out amongst her boring colleagues at the council. The tales of office politics also made me laugh out loud. I enjoyed Delia’s narrative and her frank account of what was happening was thoroughly entertaining throughout. When she proposes to boyfriend Paul, in what she hopes is a romantic situation, she isn’t prepared for his unenthusiastic acceptance or the discovery of a text message sent to her but meant for someone else – his girlfriend – who’s a student, blonde and appears to be in love with her new fiancé. Awkward. The aftermath of this is awful. Every time I found myself muttering “Poor Delia” under my breath, I had to remember I was talking out loud, to no-one. But being the girl that she is, Delia decides to take charge of her life and moves to London temporarily to stay with best friend. Emma a high-flying lawyer who shares my passion for champagne. She gets a new job and begins to create a new life for herself, but then Paul pops back into her life, apologetic and claiming he’s made a mistake. And Delia begins to consider whether she’s made the right choices.
I loved all of the characters in this book. No matter how minor or computer generated (Peshwari Naan), the dialogue between them is witty and flowing and the relationships between them interesting and enjoyable to read. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Delia and Brother Ralph, a loner with a simple life and a love of computer games. The scenes between them were subtle and showed the strength of brotherly/sisterly love. I could relate to Delia’s struggle and really felt for her at times. Paul often genuinely seems to want to sort out their relationship and make up for the mistake that he made, but Delia is constantly torn.This book isn’t predictable; there are twists, turns and laughs along the way that you won’t expect and there is enough to keep any reader on their toes. Women’s romantic fiction is an overflowing pool of fantastic authors and to stand out amongst them can be difficult, but Mhairi McFarlane, now on her third novel, is witty and unique. A joy to read.
8/10