Romance

I'm reviewing "If you were me" by Sheila O'Flanagan. Here's what I thought:

^^ Career girl, Carlotta, has been engaged to Chris for quite some time, and she pretty much knows where her life is heading, she knows what she wants and she is about to get it all- including marriage. But when she goes to Seville, she bumps into an old flame; someone who disappeared on her under odd circumstances leaving her broken-hearted. Suddenly, it would seem her life is not as perfect as she first thought. Now she must face the biggest dilemma of them all. What's a girl to do for the best?

^^ This book was
published in 2014, however, I recently picked up her latest book, and thought I'd try an earlier story, too.

^^ I've not read Sheila O'Flanagan before, but I do like to indulge in a romance or two, in between my crime and thrillers. (I need a less intense pace sometimes!) The amount of books she has written alone has intrigued me for quite some time, so here I am. Happily, I've discovered I really like her writing style and how easy it is to flick through the pages at lightening speed to find out the final outcome.

^^ My only complaint is that Carlotta kind of unrealistically took a massive gamble with her career, and it did not seem something a career woman, who'd worked so hard to get where she was, would do. Also, the author does like to go into a lot of extraneous detail of which was a little unnecessary.

^^ The style is very chatty and the will-they-won't-they romance is endearing. There are some lovely, memorable scenes and I rooted for Car
lotta to make the right choices. (Even if she didn't do as 'I' wanted!) Incidentally, there's a Chris Vs Luke flowchart which made me smile, it's so very businesslike. I know someone who's done that...

Overall: This is very much a family drama, as it is a romance. I can see why this author is so popular. "If You Were Me" is a very easy read, with lots going on and it would make a great beach book. ( )

How could I have forgotten, ever so briefly, what a delicious novel Sheila O'Flanagan writes!! I enjoyed this one immensely, so satisfying to curl up and devour this book from one of the best queens of chick lit.
Carlotta is soon to be married to Chris. Other than a snooty future mother in law, her life is perfect. Chris is an ophthalmologist and the love of her life, she has a very lucrative powerful job she excels at, and a wonderfully close best friend. But then a chance meeting with someone from her past throws her into a tailspin and she thinks maybe her life isn't all that she thought it was.
Luke lived next door, they were best friends for years until they found themselves moving on from that to having their first date when they were 15. And to Carlotta, it was magic. Luke said "I'll call you tomorrow". And then he and his family were gone the next morning. What happened? Where'd they go? A part of her always felt unsettled, the teenage love she remembered is intense, but she moved on. At least she thought she had. What is it about teenage love and the one that got away? Was it all in her head that she's glorified over the years or is Luke really the one. Is she going to risk everything for something that may not even be real.
I kept returning to the title "if you were me". I think what I would do might be different than what I would do say 20 years ago. Life is short, do we deserve to go after our happiness at the price of someone else's, when is it just cold feet?
I loved this juicy book. I loved Carlotta's drive, ambition and strength. I did not love Sive. Best friends are supposed to be there to support, and what about the girl code? I am pretty sure my reaction would not be the same as Carlotta's, long term friendship or not.
I think this book will appeal to a lot of women. It's fluffy, yet there's more to it than that. I need to go to my tbr pile (well, maybe not tbr pile, more like a room) and fetch me some more of Sheila's delights. ( )