From Notting Hill with Love... Actually by Ali McNamaraMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a cute chick-lit with a nice gimmick of using rom-com's as plot devices - mostly Hugh Grant movies. It was an easy read and provoked a few laughs. Fun adventure. Recommend as a library book or discounted book.
The negatives of the book could be worked out with some good editing and another draft. Specifically:
- the few side characters are not used in a balanced manner and are not really given a sufficient enough story of their own even though they were all far more interesting and better developed than the main characters
- you have to suspend belief a little to frequently - that being that the internet and private investigators apparently do not exist. Thankfully, the adventure is fun enough to keep doing that, but it is distracting
- (SPOILER) the obvious romantic lead is not developed very well as a character. He is very one-dimensional. This is obviously so that the "twist" towards the end works. However, except for his use as a rom-com figure you never really get to know or like him
- (SPOILER) the fiance is written as the "bad guy" right from the beginning. He is not given any depth or any reason for us to understand why she is being drawn to him, except for a rather unfair, unsavory one. The twist towards the end is weak because of it
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