This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Rules for a perfect life . . . Rule One: Do not ditch the man everyone says is perfect for you because he eats the last yellow jelly-baby in the bag. Rule Two: Do not move to a shack in the country to 'find yourself' and inadvertently become an object of ridicule for the locals. Rule Three: Do not fall for a man who has two children who hate you, a saintly dead wife you can never live up to and a mother who thinks you are the hired help. Maggie wants the perfect life – but if she keeps breaking the rules can she ever have it?
Having never read a Niamh Greene novel before I was unsure of what to expect when I picked up Rules For A Perfect Life. If you haven't picked it up yet then you really should and you can expect a damn good read.
First off, if you like the books of Sophie Kinsella, then it's a fair bet that you'll love this book; the first person writing narrative style is very similar with plenty of laugh out loud moments and a protagonist you can very quickly warm to.
Maggie's relocation from the city to village life, while being a plot-line I've seen before in chick lit, is full of witty observation and mortifying moments. The cast of characters in the village of Glacken are very well written, in particular the hilarious local shopkeepers Peg and Ted the old age soulmates and Edward's young daughter, Polly.
Altogether a sweet, bouncy novel that ensures I'll definitely be picking up Niamh Greene's next book.
8/10
Buy Rules for a Perfect Life from Amazon