3 Star
Faye Dobson has lost her sparkle. Living on film star fantasies and vague memories of a marriage that once was, she can’t help feeling that life is passing her by. She dreams of being whisked to Paris for dinner, making three wishes at the Trevi fountain and having sex under the stars. But the wrinkles are multiplying, her husband’s passion is for plumbing, and the nearest she’ll get to Rome is a take-away pizza.
So when Faye meets Dan the gorgeous Australian surfer guy working in the local deli she can’t help but wonder what it would be like to see the world. He is blonde, tanned, ten years younger and bakes the most amazing lemon cake. Unlike her husband Dan actually listens to Faye, his smile makes her feel fizzy inside, and when he smiles... Oh. My. God.
But is Faye being silly? What would Dan see in someone like her? Even if he did have feelings for her, could she give everything up to be with him?
Kathryn - 3 Star
I enjoyed this story for its voyage of self-discovery. Faye is quite clearly despondent about the state of her marriage. She and her husband have more than just drifted apart and there is beginning to brew a feeling of drudgery and discontent. Much as she has attempted to reignite the feelings they once had for each other, she is now clearly at the point where there is nothing left to salvage. Their daughter has left home and there’s nothing holding her in the marital home. It was nice that Sue Watson didn’t really paint the husband as the villain- simply as someone engrossed in his own life. It actually made it easier for the reader to accept Faye’s decision to move on. You can’t really blame her, especially when you realise her passion for life has been re-discovered by Dan, the man running the local deli. How can she possibly ignore this flesh and blood male in comparison to the fantasy life with various Hollywood actors playing in her head?
My favourite character, apart from Faye, was probably her daughter. I was impressed with her support of her mother and the encouragement she gave her. Best friend and boss at the salon is a great source of the sillies throughout the novel but you can tell that they deeply care for each other and want the other to live life to the fullest. There are many giggles during the book, watch out for the “Vajazzle” scene, was seriously worried that poor Faye was going to give up- but to her credit she stuck it out when I would have run for the hills!
I liked Faye. She was just the right side of adventurous without being unbelievable. It was lovely to have her open up her life to something new and I enjoyed the world at her feet.
Thank you to Bookouture for our review copy. All opinions are our own.
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