Yours Truly by Kirsty Greenwood

5 Star

Newly engaged Natalie Butterworth is an easy-going girl. She’ll do anything for a quiet life and if telling a few teensy white lies keeps her friends and family happy, then so what? It’s not like they’ll ever discover what she’s really thinking…

Until one night, thanks to a pub hypnotist, Natalie’s most private thoughts begin to bubble up and pop out of her mouth. Things get very messy indeed. Especially when some sticky home truths offend her fiancé.

Natalie must track down the hypnotist before the wedding is officially cancelled. So along with bad influence bestie Meg, Natalie finds herself in the Yorkshire Parish of Little Trooley - a small village bursting with big secrets, nosy old folk and intriguing Wellington-wearing men.

When the girls get stranded in the village with no means of escape and no way to break the hypnotist's spell, Natalie is forced to face the truths she has been avoiding her whole life...

Kindle

 Lydia - 5 Star

Move over Sophie Kinsella and let Kirsty Greenwood wiggle in beside you. Yes, this is an incredibly bold statement, but Greenwood's debut novel, Yours Truly, is so similar in voice and style to Kinsella that I couldn't wait to shout it from rooftops, so I bumped all my other reviews to post this one. I loved every word, and you will too. Seriously funny, fast paced, with perfect comedic timing, Yours Truly has brilliant characters to root for and a fabulous storyline. This is chick lit at its best. Pick this one up NOW!

Meet Natalie Butterworth. She likes to keep the status quo. She tells everyone what they want to hear. Then one evening out with her bestie she's accidentally hypnotized to never tell a lie. Only she has no idea. She returns to her cozy, secure and peaceful life with new fiance, Olly, and when he asks her a question, she answers, a brutally honest assessment flying from her lips that's far from complementary. Astonished, horrified, and dismayed at her outburst and offending her finance, Natalie Butterworth discovers she can't stop telling the truth and her perfect life begins to unravel.

This novel is absolutely hilarious. I laughed so hard I cried, I giggled throughout and I couldn't help but smile at Natalie's adventures and got more than one 'who's the nutter?' glance on the subway as I tried to control my laughter. I'm fairly certain Yours Truly is the funniest book I've ever read. Period. What could be funnier than having a main character that has absolutely no control over the truth spurting from their mouths when asked a question? Even the little white lies we all tell each other to protect those we love are blurted out as the truth, never mind the bigger things we may want to keep to ourselves. The possibilities were endless and I frantically flipped pages to see the trouble Natalie's truth telling would get her into and whether she would find the hypnotist in the tiny village of Trolley before it was too late to salvage everything she loved in her life.

I love novels where the heroine realizes that life isn't quite what she wants it to be and then pushes it forward in the right direction, regardless of the kind of shove she gets. You can't help but root for Natalie. She's really lovely, even with her pushover ways. I loved seeing her growth and realizations. I enjoyed the ending. I teared up. I really enjoyed it! Really. Got that yet?

No?  Ok, here's more: I loved the tiny English village, the dreamy bartender, her bestie Meg and even her overbearing sister and mother. The entire cast of characters was well drawn and delightful. Holy Foccachia is my newest, most favourite phrase, especially with the need to eliminate foul language around young parroting nieces and nephews.

Yours Truly is a fabulous debut from Kirsty Greenwood. Fans of Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series and Lindsey Kelk's I Heart series will love this one. This book should be made into a movie. Really.

I can't wait to see what else Kirsty Greenwood gives us next!

FYI - This novel is heavy on Britishisms, so if you're not familiar, it may detract from your enjoyment. I've read so much British Chick Lit that it didn't deter me, but wanted to throw that out there. You can always read the preview on Amazon. 

Thanks to Kirsty Greenwood for our review copy.
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