This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Amanda Keats
The Perfect Location heads to Italy to follow three female film stars as they begin shooting a new film. But behind their glamorous facade, the three women are all battling to keep secrets hidden and fighting with their own demons. Rose is recovering from a nasty divorce that has left her confidence shattered. Sapphira is hiding her addiction and Calypso is trying to break free from her over-bearing mother and prove her own worth.
The book is a seedy, behind-the-scenes look at a gorgeous Italian film set and often feels like you're reading the 'truth' behind all the celebrity magazines. Reading The Perfect Location is like having a really good gossip with friends and brings with it all the romance, drama and scandal you would expect. It's a fun, naughty journey into the apparent life of a celebrity.
The real downside of The Perfect Location is that it can't quite decide what it is. The book jumps between dark and scary to cheesy and overly-sentimental as the drama and relationships unfold. There are some horrifying moments of sexual assault, drug addiction and intense adult themes and language. These are immediately followed by cheesy romantic lines, soul-searching schmaltz and self-empowering speeches. Both of these are written well but the jumping to-and-fro is jarring and results in a story that just doesn't flow consistently. When someone swears during a schmaltzy section or when someone starts getting overly cheesy when something horrific has just occurred, it feels wildly out of place.
The ending is also alarmingly outdated. Though an effort is made by Forster to show the women sorting themselves out before they begin any relationships – and in that, they do, to a degree, come across as strong, empowered women – their 'happy ending' is measured by their marital status, not their self-worth.
The Perfect Location had the perfect location, characters and set-up. Sadly, the muddled story left a little to be desired in the execution.
6/10