Picture courtesy of a google search, because I couldn’t not include this fabulous piece of screenwriting.
I put Hot Mess on my Christmas list after seeing it on Twitter. That was basically it. It sounded like the kind of thing I wanted to read – because it sounded like the kind of film I like to watch. In fact, a lot of it reminded me of that one film that I think has Amy Schumer in it where she dances in a cheerleader outfit at the end.
I didn’t expect for it to make me feel so sad.
Let me rewind and say that this book is HILARIOUS. There are some truly excellent lines in there, and it made me giggle out loud on many occasions. But the relationship between Ellie and her dad broke my heart. I was not warned about this before reading! So, dear readers, if you want to read this book, don’t do it a few months after your own mum has died and you’re a bit worried about your dad being lonely.
That aside, this book did not disappoint. It was exactly the sort of thing I wanted to read, exactly the sort of thing I would usually watch.
The characters were believable, and went through ‘real life stuff’. I know this seems almost non-essential to write, but what I mean is that the characters behaved like people I know and experience every day. One of the things I struggle with on the rare occasion I try to write, is making my characters talk and behave like normal, real people. 10 POINTS!
The plot was normal. By normal, I mean, it makes me want to jump up and down and just shout THIS IS REAL LIFE, THIS IS WHAT REAL LIFE IS LIKE!! And that’s not a bad thing. 10 POINTS!
Despite being generally quite pleased that I’d picked such a good book to read (pat on the back for me!), I did find it a bit lacking. I’m not sure where, or what, and I can’t pinpoint what I would do differently, but there was just something…not there. Like a cherry bakewell without the glace cherry on top: still good (and you’d still eat more than one, let’s be honest), but not quite ‘complete’. Although perhaps this is because it does remind me a bit of that film with Amy Schumer in it, and of course there’s the inevitable Bridget Jones comparison. But… none of this is a bad thing, and I’d still take this book and put it in the hands of anyone who needs reminding that it’s okay to be a bit of a hot mess.
Hot Mess is now available from Orion.
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