A Girl Called Summer by Lucy Lord

Island life is just one step away…

A new start… Bella and Andy have escaped the rat race for the sun-drenched, relaxed lifestyle on the island of Ibiza. But with a run-down house to make habitable and a distractingly gorgeous neighbour, is their island idyll all that it seems?

A holiday adventure… Tamara Gold has been Hollywood’s most notorious car crash since she was a child star. Now clean and sober, and engaged to Tinseltown’s hottest leading man, it seems like she’s finally conquered her addictions, if not her bratty behaviour. But a summer in Europe with all the hedonistic lures of Ibiza beckons…

 A girl called Summer… Summer Larsson has always known Ibiza as home: a haven of hippies, yoga and healthy eating – and loneliness. But in Bella, she’s found the friend she always needed, and when Bella’s glamorous Hollywood friends come to visit, it looks like she might have found true love as well…

This could be the summer that everything changes…

I am loving all the Summer reads out this year, all these gorgeous covers are calling out to me and A Girl Called Summer by Lucy Lord is no exception. I was a little worried about reading this book as I have read Revelry but I haven’t read Vanity but luckily having now finished this book I can tell you that although the book has the previous characters in this book it can still easily be read as a standalone book but hey why not treat yourself to the others to get to know the characters first ( yes you have guessed it I have just brought Vanity!)

Bella and Andy have uprooted and moved to Ibiza with their adorable daughter Daisy. As they embark on the restoration they need things to hurry along as their good friends Poppy, Ben, Jack, Damien and Natalia are coming out for a visit and Bella is eager to impress her high flying friends.

Summer knows Ibiza like the back of her hand and she soon strikes up a solid friendship with Bella and she is looking forward to the arrival of Bella’s friends but she never could have guessed that the pool party would change her life.

This was so hard to put down as there was always some new drama occurring on the next page! It is a Summery Sexy and Scandalous read with some absolutely crazy and fun characters. Summer is a great character who despite some trying times in the past is such an energetic live wire who just seems to love life and she was a perfect main character along with her lovely friend Bella who is a little mellower but still someone you would want as a friend. But the one character who had me hot under the collar had to be Jack. There is a hell of a lot of characters in this book so it did take me a while to get to grips with who was who and who was with who.

There is something for everyone in this book, it covers some more delicate and emotional topics as well as have that modern vibrant storyline too with scandal, drugs, romance and sex. The sex scenes were very tame and just a lot of OH GOD and FUCK ME rather than graphic steamy scenes so if you are after a total bonk buster this isn’t for you!

I will definitely be reading more by this author ( Vanity next!) make sure this book is on your holiday TBR pile this Summer.

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Revelry by Lucy Lord

Revelry seems to be the most anticipated book by a debut author this summer. The cover of this book reminds me of my old school days when I was buying Club Ibiza and Hedkandi albums as the cover looks similar to their covers with the bold bright letters set on a dark back ground, in my opinion it is an appealing cover and very fitting for the storyline.

One summer can change everything… What happens when a friend breaks the one rule that should never be broken? Best friends Bella and Poppy are living the dream – Notting Hill glamour, Shoreditch lofts, exclusive parties and drop-dead gorgeous men. But sometimes living life to the max catches up with you, and even the strongest friendships can be pushed to the limit. Poppy, Bella and their friends spend the summer having as much fun as they possibly can – from the hedonistic escapades of Ibiza to doing Glastonbury in style. But amongst the laughter come tears, betrayal and backstabbing and one devastating decision threatens to bring it all crashing down. And, once the sunglasses have come off, Bella is forced to question if her lifelong friendship has been broken beyond repair.

The book gets off to a quick start introducing us to all of the main characters of this book who are holidaying in Ibiza, all of them seem to be at that point in their lives where they are care free and enjoying their lives to the max. Although we see a lot of each character the main story revolves around friends Bella and Poppy. I wouldn’t say I warmed to either of their characters which I think is because I have nothing in common with either of them and yet I still found them great characters to read.

The group of friends hang out at various locations including Glastonbury and when the characters are at these places the descriptive writing is great you really feel as though you are there with the characters it is quite clear that the author must have had some personal experiences in these places. Relationships are put to the test in this book and the author creates a shocking storyline which was unpredictable and it was this that kept me turning the pages.

This book really isn’t one for the faint hearted! The book contains a lot of swearing ( especially the C word) which I have to say although I swear like a trooper at times I was still shocked each time it came up and my partner wondered what I was reading when he looked over a couple of times and see the same word over again! There is also a constant use of recreational drugs which is probably my grudge with the book I have read many books where some of the characters take drugs but it seems to play a big part in this book. There are also many crude sex scenes so this really is a book like marmite, you will either love it or hate it!

Revelry is the first book in a Trilogy and I will pick the next book up as I think Revelry has created a good foundation for a follow on I am just  hoping that the characters will develop more in the next book and that the use of continual drugs starts to fade.

Looking for a book full of Glitz and Glamour, Sex and drugs then this is the one for you!

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