It’s very rare to find a book
that is both comedic and has a decent story line. As a youngster, I went
through the Bridget Jones phase and never did I think I would find a book that
resonated with me in the same way. Growing up, I thought I was very much a
Bridget Jones kind of girl – clumsy, unfortunate and ready to make a fool of
myself at every possible opportunity, through absolutely no fault of my own, of
course. Having been treated to Oh My
God, What a Complete Aisling by friends Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen has
changed my view – I am not a Bridget, I am very much an Aisling.
Aisling is the girl that plays it
safe – Aisling wears kitten heels for comfort’s sake, the daughter of a hardworking
farmer and a country girl through and through. She has a solid group of friends
both at work in the ‘big city’ and in her hometown and has had a steady,
long-term boyfriend for a good while. After a romantic getaway turns into a
hellish break after she realises that her boyfriend is –never- going to propose
to her, she decides that enough is enough and ends the relationship. Breaking
up with John gives her the push she needs and after about five minutes of
deliberation, moves in with her friend in the centre of Dublin and sets about
living as a newly single woman. Add in a work based scandal and a new potential
love interest and things really have started to spice themselves up for ‘vanilla’
Aisling.
Aisling is a hilarious character
and I really found myself attached to the characters – once I got used to the
Irish names, that is! You can’t help but love Aisling and her story, feeling
sorry for her when she is at her lowest points and yet excited when the good
things happened. The book is laugh out
loud funny but has a heart-warming touching side, dealing with deeper issues
such as grief and the different ways it is shown. I absolutely flew through the
pages, finishing it in the course of an afternoon and wish I could go back to
the beginning and reread it all over again for the first time.
Thanks to Jenny at Penguin for
arranging the tour and for my copy of the book – I would recommend it to lovers
of Bridget Jones (or not!) alike. Definitely a 5 star read.
