Book 13, Day 47: From Notting Hill with Love... Actually

I should really keep on top of this blog when I finish reading a book. I'm in the middle of writing 4 posts from over the last couple of weeks and I'm struggling to remember what I read when and do maths. The day for this is probably wrong, but hey, lesson learnt. For now anyway.

But that's not the point, the point is that I read From Notting Hill with Love... Actually by Ali McNamara. This is the first of a trilogy of which I actually read the second book first. It's illogical and was somewhat confusing at the time, but From Notting Hill to New York... Actually introduced me to the fantastical life of Scarlett. Literally. She lives her life in fantasies, constantly daydreaming about the movies to the point it disrupts her daily life and more importantly her relationships with her family.

That is where From Notting Hill with Love... Actually begins. Scarlett is feeling more detached from her fiancé David and her constant comparisons with film scenes and daydreaming about living her life like a Hollywood film is getting in the way of their relationship. At both her friend and her dad's suggestion, she takes some time away to think about things. House-sitting for a month in Notting Hill gives Scarlett time to breathe and sort her life out. Or so her family thinks. Secretly Scarlett hopes that going away for a while, especially to Notting Hill, will provide her with proof that she can live her life like the movie characters in all of her favourite rom-coms, as well as discovering more about her mysterious mother along the way.

As the title and Scarlett's mission suggest, this novel is full of movie references. Some are understandable, I mean who hasn't once dreamed of being whisked away by [insert name of popular actor here]? However, the story did become rather predictable and unbelievable at times. Even for fiction where the unexpected happens, bumping into Johnny Depp buying chocolate in Paris was a step too far for me. Nonetheless, the book was very enjoyable and some of the characters more than made up for a few disappointments, especially Oscar St James, Scarlett's new gay best friend.

If you want generic chick-lit or a feel-good book with many references to popular culture then this is for you. I like it because I can get whisked away into this fantasy world and it's a good one for reading while soaking in the bath. Having now read the first two books of the trilogy, the final one will definitely be coming up soon.