I was given this debut novel by Catherine Bennetto, and I devoured it quickly! It had the right amount of quirkiness, drama and amusing moments that kept me glued to the pages!!
Title: How Not to Fall in Love, Actually
Author: Catherine Bennetto
Genre: Womens Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance
Emma has a job in television which is distinctly less glamourous and exciting than it sounds. She’s managed to claw her way up the ranks from Tea-Maker and Rubbish-Collector to 2nd Assistant Director (heavy on the ‘assistant’. Even heavier on the ‘2nd’).
So when she finds she’s accidentally very pregnant and at the same time accidentally very sacked (well, less accidentally: she did tell her boss to stick his job up his bum), she knows things are going to have to change.
Luckily she’s also accidentally the heir to a lovely cottage in Wimbledon, with a crazy Rottweiler-owning octogenarian as a neighbour and a rather sexy boy as an accidental tenant. But this baby is coming whether she likes it or not, and she needs to become the sort of person who can look after herself let alone another human being – and quickly.
So when she finds she’s accidentally very pregnant and at the same time accidentally very sacked (well, less accidentally: she did tell her boss to stick his job up his bum), she knows things are going to have to change.
Luckily she’s also accidentally the heir to a lovely cottage in Wimbledon, with a crazy Rottweiler-owning octogenarian as a neighbour and a rather sexy boy as an accidental tenant. But this baby is coming whether she likes it or not, and she needs to become the sort of person who can look after herself let alone another human being – and quickly.
To be honest, the cover of How Not to Fall in Love, Actually would throw me off, but the good people at Simon Schuster Aus sent it to me, so I thought I'd give it a second look. After reading the description where she accidentally gets knocked up, splits with the father of the baby and puts up with a crazy neighbour, I certainly was intrigued!! And it wasn't anything like the romance reads that I usually pick up, so I think that's why I enjoyed it so much!
Emma was such an interesting character to read about! She went through some tough times, but she always managed to pull through. There were moments that made my heart ache for her as she had to deal with life altering decisions and the betrayal of those she kept close. She was such a kind person and saw the best in everyone around her. She was also close with her family, even if they tested her patience at times.
I met a lot of interesting characters throughout Emma's journey: her quirky neighbour always looked out for her, Emma's mother was a bit self absorbed, her sister was always there for support, her accidental house mate seemed to keep her smiling, her aunt always spoke her mind and her uncle kept her grounded.
How Not to Fall in Love, Actually was entertainment plus from cover to cover! There were so many amusing scenes that made me laugh or smile. I loved seeing Emma grow into a stronger person throughout the book, even though this was not the life she had planned. She struggled with her feelings, and was a little self absorbed herself at times as she dealt with the huge comedy of errors her life had become. There was even a touch of romance that grew throughout the story that I loved as well. I'm looking forward to reading more books by Catherine Bennetto in the future, she's found an instant fan in me!
Complimentary copy provided by Simon & Schuster Australia in exchange for an honest review.
This quote is a little longer than I usually share, but it gives you a great taste into Emma's crazy life and the beautiful writing of the author!
‘Lying to Mum is completely stressing me out. I can't make Ned sell the ice cream vans now; it sounds like he's doing really well. Uncle Mike is going to find out at some point that his son was not in a Disney-style movie about friendly cats from the afterlife and I just don’t think I can take his disappointment when he finds out Archie is starring in a slasher zombie guts-and-bra film. And what if they find out I nearly lost Archie at the lake? They’d never trust me again. I’m about to have a baby and I don’t know if I even trust myself!’ I sucked in a big breath. ‘And even though all of that is really major stuff, the thing I’m most sad about...’ I sniffed back a tear ‘...is my sister. I miss her so much I feel nauseous.’Joe remained quiet, stroking the top of my head. ‘I’m afraid of doing this alone.’‘The baby?’‘Everything. The life ahead of me. All of it.’‘You think you’re alone?’ Joe said, leaning back to look me in the eye. I nodded.Joe smiled. ‘What am I, a figment of your imagination?’‘No.’ I looked up at him and began to cry. ‘I’d have imagined you with better hair.’Joe pulled me into a hug and waited for my sobs to subside.‘Everything’s going to be all right, you’ll see,’ he said, giving the top of my head a kiss.I sat up and wiped my cheeks. ‘That’s it?’ I said. ‘That’s your advice?’Joe leant forward and scratched Brutus under his muzzle. ‘Yep.’ He smiled.Paperback Pages 352-3
Hosted by Anna @ Herding Cats & Burning Soup
Catherine Bennetto was born in New Zealand to a British father and Kiwi mother. She studied a variety of things at University, including Design and Biomedical Science, before settling on a career in television production.Catherine, her husband and their two young boys have spent the past few years being permanent residents of nowhere - going where the work takes them. They’ve lived in Australia, England, the Caribbean, Hungary, Malaysia and South Africa, and have learnt some useful tricks for entertaining children along the way.
In 2013 she gained a place on Curtis Brown Creative's inaugural online novel writing course. How Not to Fall in Love, Actually is her first novel.
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