Author: Nicola Doherty.
Publisher: Headline.
Genre: Chick Lit.
Release Date: September 25, 2014.
Source: Netgalley.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Purchase: Amazon UK
The second instalment in this hilarious, romantic and unputdownable five-part series. Perfect for fans of Lindsey Kelk's I Heart... novels.
Lily is an actress. At least, that's what she tells people, even though she's currently working in a call centre and her last big part was an ad for Sofa Warehouse. So when she's invited to her cousin Alice's wedding in LA, it's a dream come true. Alice's fiancé Sam is actually a Hollywood agent; how can Lily fail to get talent-spotted? There's only one problem; not only is Lily banned from mentioning acting, parts or producers to Sam, she's expected to spend the entire week doing wedding-related prep (read: chores) with Sam's boring groomsman Jesse. But Lily firmly believes that rules were made to be broken ...
Girls on Tour is an irresistible series of interlinked stories about four friends, ordinary girls who have extraordinary fun in faraway places. Expect the unexpected, the utterly hilarious and unforgettable, on this rollercoaster ride of love, laughs, surprises and sparks. You have a VIP pass to join each girl's adventure, so pack your bags and buckle your seatbelts, because just about anything is possible...
The Girls on Tour series started off brilliantly with Poppy Does Paris back in July and the next instalment, Lily Does L.A. was just as entertaining. Lily is a hopeful actress and thinks all her Christmases have come at once when she gets an invite to her cousin Alice’s wedding to Hollywood agent fiancé Sam. She sees it as the perfect chance to build her career but of course, nothing is ever that straight-forward. Instead, chaos ensues in true chick-lit fashion and this is a quick but very fun read.
There’s a great opening to this book with a scene with Lily working at the call centre. Liking to push her boss’ buttons a little too far, Lily ends up sacked, or quitting her job and this was very funny and the best way to start off the book. It made me laugh and at the same time it helped me instantly connect with Lily, setting the tone for the rest of the book. Lily was not an obvious likeable main character – she seemed to have the mentality of being a little selfish, especially when trying to progress her acting career, and she was quite good at making bad decisions too. But I love that we get to follow Lily on her journey and see her grow, rather than a lot of other books in this genre where the main character has few flaws and it’s all the people around her that need to change. I easily warmed to Lily’s sense of mischief and her tendency to not think before she acted and she was in no way a bad person – it’s just okay to not be perfect.
Nicola Doherty is one of my favourite chick lit authors for a reason and Lily Does L.A. only made me love her style of writing even more. This is a novella and not all of it is set in L.A., yet she did a great job at building up the setting so you can picture it and feel like you’re there, in amongst the palm trees watching everything unfold. I love authors who can really transport you to a setting and give you that holiday feel and this Girls on Tour series really achieves that. I also love Nicola’s character development. The girls in this series are fun and full of life and energy which really lifts your spirits and in Lily Does L.A., we’re brought some well-developed supporting characters too. Sam, Alice and Jesse were all built up well and we get a good picture of their personalities and who they really are, which is impressive given the size of the novel. The plot developed at a great pace, with nothing feeling too rushed or forced, and the ending was a little different to what I had been expecting but a satisfying way to end L.A., and I can’t wait for Maggie Does Meribel in December.
Review also posted on Goodreads | Amazon UK
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