The Time of My Life - Cecelia Ahern

Seeing as I'm going to have a bit of spare time over the next week or two, I went to Dymocks and purchased a supply of books to see me through my husbands extended hospital stay (unfortunately some of them were Virginia Andrews, but I need something so trashy that it makes me smile). I'll read where I can and try reviewing them to keep my mind off of things. 

I'll start with a book I read over Christmas that I wasn't going to review until I got home from 4 weeks away. I don't know when we'll be home now, so I may as well get started. 

I started reading Cecelia Ahern when her novels became popular maybe 5 or 6 years ago. The first few were great (P.S I Love You, If You Could See Me Now, Where Rainbows End) but when I got to A Place Called Here I stopped reading. It was BAD. It's been years since I read anything she has written and when I was in Target (picking up very last minute Christmas presents) I noticed The Time of My Life and thought: it's time for a second chance. 

If you don't mind, I'll use blurb from the publisher (Harper Collins) for this one as I read it about 2 weeks ago.

'Lying on Lucy Silchester′s carpet one day when she returns from work is a gold envelope. Inside is an invitation - to a meeting with Life. Her life. It turns out she′s been ignoring it and it needs to meet with her face to face.

It sounds peculiar, but Lucy′s heard of this before. Anyway, she can′t make the date: she′s much too

busy despising her job, lying to her friends and avoiding her family.

It turns out that Lucy′s life isn′t what it seems. Some of the choices she′s made - and stories she′s told - aren′t what they seem either. From the moment she meets the man who introduces himself as her life, some of these stubborn half-truths are going to be revealed in all their glory - unless Lucy learns to tell the truth about what really matters to her.

From a big family dinner to an extraordinary work crisis, from chasing after a long-lost boyfriend to learning what home really is, Lucy Silchester has an appointment with her life - and she′s going to have to keep it.

Touching, warm, funny and poignant, Cecelia Ahern′s new novel explores what happens when you ignore your life.'

I'll be blunt and say the first few chapters almost made me throw it in the trash. I was filled with

disappointment. But I persisted and it paid off. I was so surprised. It wasn't a knock out, but it was very funny, thought provoking and pretty well written. The main character Lucy was very believable and it was hard not to like her.

After P.S I Love You and Where Rainbows End, Cecelia took her novels in a bit of a different direction and wrote stories that were a bit out there. If You Could See Me Now was the first of her books following this direction and she pulled it off. A Place Called Here is where I called it quits. But it seems she's got her groove back. I suppose I can't judge too much because I haven't read all of the books she's written, but these are my observations from what I have read. I may go back and try the others again. 

I would definitely recommend reading The Time of My Life. It was well worth it, and I'll be reading more of her work from now on. 

I have to shuffle my hubby back to the ward now for his night time tablets, so I'll leave it there. 

Until next time...

Sam I Am