Perfectly blending romance, fertility and dogs, this story centres on best friends and partners Scarlett and Shannon who run a dog business together. Scarlett is married to Shannon’s best friend, Rufus, while Shannon harbours a major crush on “Mr Darcy” - a man she sees in the park but lacks courage and confidence to approach him. The business is doing well, with Scarlett providing dog training and Shannon providing dog walking, but Scarlett and Rufus have been struggling to conceive. After several months of trying, they go to a fertility specialist to be tested, but discover their plans aren’t going to develop as they had hoped. The stress puts a major strain on their marriage and thrusts Shannon into the middle.
I really enjoyed this story as I got to know Scarlett, Shannon and Rufus. I got a really good sense of Scarlett’s frustration over her pregnancy woes and her feelings of anger and resentment towards pregnant women. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting all of Scarlett’s dog training clients - both the four-legged and two-legged ones. The secondary characters bring interesting layers to this story with their own personalities and voices. I felt more connected to Shannon and could relate to the awkwardness she feels and was cheering for her to find her happiness. I especially liked her attraction to “Mr Darcy” and am hopeful there is a story for Shannon in the future.
If you want hours of entertainment when you read, you can’t go wrong with Michele Gorman. She writes great characters you can easily relate to and care about with storylines that are so entertaining, you can get lost in the book for hours. I highly recommend this book for sappy romantics like me looking for a wonderful story as well as people who like their romance mixed in with four-legged characters or characters struggling with everyday issues and sensitive relationship problems. (SH)
Best friends and housemates Catherine, Rachel and Sarah are all single, but not too sure whether they’re really ready to mingle. Finding Mr Right isn’t an easy task and there are quite a number of strange guys out there. So, when Catherine convinces her two friends to join her own matchmaking website, RecycLove, Rachel and Sarah are curious to see what it will bring them, especially since you can only sign up together with an ex...
Match Me If You Can is definitely one of Michele Gorman’s best novels so far. The book ticks the box for numerous things an entertaining romantic comedy novel should have such as great characters, several interesting storylines, a comfortable and well-paced writing style, and of course a lovely dose of romance. The chapters are told from the different perspectives of the three main characters which really provides the reader with an insight into their lives and thoughts. Catherine, Rachel and Sarah are relatable and realistic female characters, and I think many readers will be able to recognise certain situations or feelings. I have to admit both the title and the description of the book resulted in me expecting a bit more focus on the matchmaking aspect (and the original idea of ‘recycling’ your exes) but I certainly wasn’t disappointed by how the story turned out instead. Overall, this is another fabulous read by Gorman; a relatable, fun, amusing and light read that will be enjoyed by any chick lit/rom-com fan out there. (JoH)
Carol is the daughter and sister everyone would love to have. She has a high demand job in the securities industry as an analyst and her days are long and stressful. In her spare time she organises her family's lives which leaves her no time for herself. After offering to help her friend find a significant other, she simply does not have enough hours in the day left. Carol is falling apart but she wants to please everyone and cannot say no.
Michele Gorman has done it again, she is a fantastic storyteller and brings her stories to life for me. I felt for Carol, trying so hard to be the dependable one and not wanting to let anyone down, but she did not realize she was letting herself down most of all. This explores a great family dynamic and when everything comes to a head, what will Carol do? It's a great read - Michele Gorman does not disappoint! (KARM)
When friends Katie, Pixie, Ellie and Jane decide to relish life instead of attend depressing Slimming Zone meetings each week, they do so by forming The Curvy Girls Club, a group devoted to enjoying life no matter what size you are. With Katie as its president, The Curvy Girls Club takes off and becomes a real enterprise, with paying members and widespread recognition. However, when Katie begins to drop weight and experience life as a thin person, Pixie, Ellie and Jane wonder if she is really the right person to represent a group devoted to larger-sized women.
I really enjoyed this story. The characters are diverse, yet endearing and completely real; I know someone like each one of these women. Their struggle with weight and acceptance is universal and to read a story about great friends helping each other through their ups and downs is really heartwarming. (LEK)
Bella Summer, known to all as B., embarks on a journey of self discovery when she realises that her life has become stagnant. Her decade-long relationship with boyfriend Matthias comes to an abrupt end when she concludes they were never in love. Her reliable consultancy job has caused her musical career to take a back seat, so she decides to take control of her life, and with the help of her best friends, goes on a search for true love, happiness and a successful singing career.
I really liked B. as a character. Her big realisation about her relationship drew me into the story from the beginning. When she decides to become serious about her musical career, it really begins to take off and she is quite an inspirational character in that she takes a huge leap of faith in order to follow her dreams. Her friends were brilliant, my personal favourite was Frederick, and I felt that they really added to the story. B.'s love life after Matthias consisted of a series of men, none of whom were fatally flawed but weren't quite right for her, which I felt was true to real life. I had my eye on a certain man who I thought was perfect for her, and I was slightly disappointed when they didn't get together in the end. Michele Gorman has an excellent style of writing that keeps the plot flowing effortlessly and keeps the reader engaged throughout. (LO)
Hannah is no stranger to rash decisions - she moved from America to London on a dare, where she met the charismatic Sam. Now she's decided to move to Hong Kong because Sam has gotten a new job there. Starting over in another new city is hard, and particularly so because Sam has been posted to a position in another country. Despite having her best friend move over to live with her, Hannah begins to have doubts. Sam didn't technically ask her to move with him, and the long distance is taking its toll on their relationship. When things start to go wrong in the dream job that she landed despite the odds, she begins to wonder if she can make a life in Hong Kong after all, or did she make a terrible mistake? The protagonist Hannah is humorous, witty and relatable, I fell in love with her from the beginning. The descriptions of Hong Kong were particularly well written. A funny, feel-good read. (LO)
Hannah has decided on a whim to move 3000 miles away from her life in
America to start a new life in London. However, Hannah is in for a shock when she realises the cars drive on the other side of the road, she doesn't know the lingo at all, she has trouble making friends, and she can't find a job. Then things take a change for the better - but not before a few disastrous mishaps - when she meets a man who gets her a job at his company. She finally makes some friends, but on the downside, the boss is a certified bitch. What can she do? She has no other choice but to deal with it and soon she moves into a house with three Australian men who like to walk around half naked. Not that she minds really, but it's a shame that she has no feelings for any of them. In truth, she's really smitten with the man who got her the job. Trouble is, he's married. Will Hannah ever find her true love and will she be able to settle down in London?
This is a hilarious book, full of romance and laugh-out-loud situations
that no woman would want to be in. Hannah is a smart and sassy character, looking to make her way in the world - though maybe she should have prepared a bit first before jumping on a plane to Britain. Though all in all, that makes her all the more admirable and fun to travel along with on her journey. (AS)
