This is an enjoyable easy read. I would have given it four stars but the treatment of fatness jarred with me a bit. I know it can be a health issue and one of the main characters was certainly too big, but it all just felt a bit as if losing weight was the answer to everyone's problems. I realise that the author didn't meant to convey that, but it came across like that a little.The relentlessly modern first person style spread across all three main characters started to grate after a while too as there was too little to differentiate them apart from their jobs. I enjoyed The Beach Cafe rather more than this book overall. This is my first Lucy Diamond book in which I have read, so I cannot compare with her other book but what I can tell you is I WILL be reading her other books soon if this one is anything to go by. I popped to the library this morning and saw this book in the new section. It looked like your typical pink girlie chick-lit easy read which is just the kind of book I wanted for my first day off in the sun this year. And yes I have spent all day reading it and have finished much to my disappointment! There are three main characters in this book who all come together after chapter 8. Each Chapter is told from one of the girl's point of views. We first meet Maddie who is a married mum of two, over weight and works for a radio station. Her problem is her horrible boss does nothing but put Maddie down and is rude and spiteful to her. It is during one of the radio broadcast that Maddies's boss lets the nation know that Maddie is going to be "fighting the flab" which is the first Maddie has heard of this, just another dig at poor Maddie but an almighty blow. It is when she attends Fatbusters that we meet the other two main characters Jess and Lauren. Jess is a beauty therapist who again is overweight. She is engaged to Charlie but Charlie has put the wedding off for a while as he wants Jess to lose weight. Charlie does nothing but make Jess fell low about herself she feels fat and ugly. This doesn't help when Jess also gets the same reaction from her temporary boss at work, who is constantly on her case about how her appearance is not professional. Jess decides she will have to do something about the weight and joins Fatbusters. Lauren works for a dating agency lonely hearts. She has recently split from her husband who had an affair with her work colleague, so Lauren is very bitter about love. Since splitting from her husband Lauren has gradually put more and more weight on and feels it is time she finally done something about it in attempt to find new love. The relationship between the girls comes across they are all after the same result and they all try to help each other through this time but different and difficult events happen in each of their lives which could jeopardise there weight loss success. Nearly every woman has at some stage decided they need to lose weight I can hold my hand up high to that statement and you usually feel so alone so to watch the connection the girls have in this book you can see what a support it can be. All three of the girls are your usual average kind of girl so you can relate to the story. None of the storyline is too far fetched so you almost feel as if you are reading about their real lives. The only thing I didn't like in this book is the character Charlie but we are not meant to like him as a person anyway. He is not a nice character in anyway and you just hope the whole way through that Jess will find the confidence in herself to walk away and go it alone. He is such a vile man. I would highly recommend this book and I cannot wait to read her other books I just hope they are as good as this one. The book has a good mixture of humour , love and relationship, in some places quite sad parts. This book really has helped me get the focus to try harder on my diet although now I want a Pandora bracelet!!!! (you will understand once you have read the book!!!) Overall this is a thoroughly enjoyable read as you can tell as I read it in a day, I really could not put it down.
What do You think about Diätpralinen (2010)?
I liked it, the ending was a bit abrupt but as far as chicklit goes it had all the elements!
—Chip
