Friday 6 February 2015

Review ~ Rachel Does Rome by Nicola Doherty.

Title: Rachel Does Rome.
Author: Nicola Doherty.
Publisher: Headline.
Genre: Romantic Comedy.
Publication Date: February 5, 2015.
Source: Bought.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Purchase: Amazon UK

The fourth instalment in this hilarious, romantic and unputdownable five-part series. Perfect for fans of Lindsey Kelk's I Heart... novels.

What do you do when your boyfriend of two months cancels Valentine's Day?

If you're Rachel, you book a last-minute trip to Rome. Together with her friends Lily and Maggie, she's planning a relaxing weekend of culture and cappuccinos to take her mind off men altogether. But when she bumps into a figure from her past, Rachel finds herself on a Roman Holiday that features Vespa rides, hot tubs and some very unexpected consequences ...

Girls on Tour is an irresistible series of interlinked stories about four 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...





Rachel Does Rome is book four in the Girls on Tour novella series and I’m sure I’ve been repeating myself throughout my reviews of the series but I bloody loved this one too. Nicola Doherty can write anything and she always leaves me with a huge smile on my face. It’s been an uplifting series with real, relatable characters, and it’s been nice to read books which feel more honest than the rest because nobody’s life is perfect, as much as fiction sometimes tries to make us believe that. From seeing Rachel completely loved up with Oliver in Maggie Does Meribel, her going away for Valentine’s weekend with her friends and not Oliver was not what I would have expected from her book. Her boyfriend is away for Valentine's and she's cool with that, or so she makes out. Instead she heads out on holiday with her new friend Maggie and Maggie's friend Lily, and their newfound friendship was the highlight of this book.

I felt that maybe Rachel Does Rome was more slowburning than the others but not in the way that it became an issue. Instead, we really get to learn about Rachel’s character and how she’s quite different to what I was expecting from her cameo role in Maggie Does Meribel. Rachel is a bit of a worrier and an over-the-top planner, to say the least. She kind of reminded me of myself and I wanted her to relax a little because it’s not healthy to need to have everything planned so strictly and be anxious about how everything is going to turn out. I loved her character because I could identify with her and as the story picked up about a third of the way through, seeing her character develop and Rachel being a bit more easy-going was refreshing to read, especially because it allowed her to have a better, more entertaining time in Rome. Plus it would have been a shame otherwise because this book would then have missed out on that moment with that hot tub and I loved that part!

Though this was Rachel’s story, Maggie and Lily were involved for most of the novella and I loved being able to see how their life had changed, or not changed, after the end of their individual books. I have loved every one of the girls in this series and so I love seeing them feature again. Rachel, Maggie and Lily together meant lots of chaos and lots of fun and I enjoyed how they bonded and got along so well and Nicola’s charming writing almost makes you feel like you’re a part of their holiday and the other friend alongside them. Lily and Maggie were bubbly characters and sympathetic to Rachel’s problems but more importantly, always up for a laugh to help make her feel better and this book had so many funny moments, I couldn’t help but think about how I wanted to be the fifth Girl on Tour!

Picking my favourite book of this series so far is way too difficult for me, I can't do it, but Rachel Does Rome has my favourite ending. The holiday was a bit of a learning curve for Rachel and you could tell she could find herself with a lot to take from Rome, as well as a good time with her friends. The moment a figure from Rachel's past turned up, I thought the book became unpredictable and I wasn't sure how things would transpire but I adored the way this one ended. I've loved Poppy Does Paris, Lily Does L.A., Maggie Does Meribel and now Rachel Does Rome - so I'm very excited to see all four of the girls together in The Girls Take Manhattan.




Review also posted on Goodreads | Amazon UK

2 comments:

  1. That is an amazing review. I love statement of how much you loved it. Out a smile on my face.

    ReplyDelete

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