Alice's Review: The Time of My Life

Summary:  Lucy Silchester keeps receiving this strange appointment card and sweeping its gold embossed envelope under the rug. Literally. She busies herself with a job she doesn't like, helping out friends, fixing her car, feeding her cat, and devoting her time to her familys dramas. But Lucy is about to find out that this is one appointment she cant miss, when Life shows up at her door, in the form of a sloppy but determined man.  Life follows her everywhere - from the office, to the bar, and to her bedroom - and Lucy learns that some of the choices she has made and the stories she has told arent what they seem. Now her half-truths are about to be revealed, unless Lucy tells the truth about what really matters to her. ~powells.com

Review:  I love Cecelia Ahern.  One of my greatest blog moments was a Q&A session I did with her two years ago after the release of her novel The Book of Tomorrow. (Read it here.)   As you can guess, I had high hopes and expectations for The Time of My Life.  I’m happy to say, Ms. Ahren delivered once again although it didn’t quite start out that way.

Oh, Lucy.  What a character!  When I started the novel, I felt like I was trapped inside someone’s mind that had ADD and was highly delusional.  I had a difficult time warming up to her or generating enough interest in how Lucy would go about changing her life.  Frankly, I had a difficult time liking her.  She was a pathological liar and with each page, my distaste for her grew.  Then something interesting happened.  Lucy began to reveal herself, her true self to me and my opinion of her changed. When she was avoiding life, I couldn’t help but dislike her.  As she began to be honest with herself, I started cheering for her and finally understood what made her tick.

Some things were predictable and typical of Chick Lit.  Ms. Ahern follows the recipe of successful novels:  A dilemma, unrequited love, friends that stick with our heroine though thick and thin, and of course, blooming love.  However, she does it with her own twist.  This twist is Life in the form of a man with an office and secretary who helps Lucy put herself back together.  And it’s a pretty fun journey.

The Time of My Life should be at the top of your summer poolside reading list. It’s entertaining, funny, and uplifting.  You’ll fall in love with Life too.  This novel won’t change your life, but it will allow you to escape it for a little while as you spend some time with these truly interesting characters.

Final Take: 3/5