Libby is stuck in the 80s – she wears shoulder pads, leg warmers and fluoro; she listens to 80s music non-stop and she even runs a retro shop called Pretty in Pink. So her friends stage an intervention in time for her birthday – she is to undergo a 21st century makeover and date some new men. Meanwhile Libby is facing eviction from her store premises and is still desperately missing her former boyfriend, Ollie. This is a funny and bittersweet story with a loveable heroine, and plenty of pop culture references to reminisce about. I loved the Breakfast Club dating challenge and Libby’s work sidekick, Jasper, had me at “likes Green Day”. But sometimes the 80s references were a bit forced and I really wished it took me longer to figure out the Ollie scenario. Overall it’s an entertaining read that most readers will find, like, totally awesome.
Kensington has just got engaged to advertising sales manager Bradley but as usual her family is too busy to pay attention. Indeed when her sister-in-law Ren announces she's expecting a baby, the engagement party becomes a combined celebration. Meanwhile, Kensington's ex-boyfriend Shane comes back into her life and to win an advertising account, she has to re-enact some of the most memorable scenes from rom-coms, including Pretty Woman, Sleepless in Seattle and Dirty Dancing. With lots of funny moments and a clever premise, this is a promising debut which will particularly appeal to people who love romantic movies. And I would so be a regular at Shane's rom-com restaurant!
