This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Is Gracie in love for the very first time? You know that bit in The X Factor, when the singer tells everyone about the rocky road they travelled to pursue their dream? Well, that's Gracie Flowers' story. Gracie is very focused for a woman of almost twenty-six. Her favourite book is 'The 5-Year Plan: Making the Most of Your Life'. And her five-year plan is going very well. That is, until she is usurped from her big promotion by a handsome, posh idiot; she is dumped by her boyfriend; and discovers her loopy mother is facing bankruptcy. Hormones awry and ice cream over-ordered, a dream Gracie thought she'd buried ten years ago starts to resurface. A dream that reminds her of the girl she used to be and everything she wanted to become.
I'll get straight to the point. I ADORED this novel. My favourite chick lit books are usually those with a stand out heroine who stays with you long after you've turned the final page. Gracie Flowers was one of those characters. Easily up there with Becky Bloomwood from the Shopaholics and Angela Clarke from the I Heart series; sweet estate agent Gracie really is the star of this show, and the perfect vehicle for Lucy-Anne Holmes' awesome observational wit.
Unlike a Virgin's comedy is tempered, though, with a several story-lines that really tug at the ol' heartstrings. In particular, Gracie's relationship with her troubled mother and grief for her late father often had me in tears, which is embarrassing when you're sat on the bus.
The romantic plots of this novel were wonderfully executed. I genuinely had no idea who Gracie would end up with until the very last minute (and cried AGAIN when I found out who it was, but I shan't spoiler you!) and there were so many twists and turns, I couldn't put the book down.
Lucy-Anne Holmes is clearly a new superstar on the romcom scene. Unlike a Virgin was an utter breath of fresh air and I wholeheartedly recommend it to you all.
9/10