Anjali:
When we were approached to review this book, I was hesitant to say yes because I thought I couldn’t really give much input, as I don’t really read chick-lit. But at the same time, I was drawn to it and really wanted to read it because it pretty much sounded like my life (except the whole mysterious man on a train thing…or the having to flee the country in embarrassment thing…or…). I don’t actually read a lot of chick-lit, but I do watch a lot of chick-flicks, so that’s what I had to go on when I read this story. I really liked the story line, and though it was an almost ‘typical’ chick-flick-lit (a phrase I’m positive is going to catch on…) with a love triangle and ‘argh, who should I choose!?’ type of vibe to it, it was atypical in that it incorporated elements like a TV show in New Zealand, a bunch of dead rock stars, a hair salon in London and a mother on the look out for someone new. I guess the random elements like that surprised me (in a good way) and the whole plot stood out to me because Livi has connections with New Zealand, and England…much like I do…I think I just need to ride the subway more to find me a handsome man…
Laura:
This is tough to answer without giving too
much away! Yes and no. I will simply say that I was rooting for one person and
they didn’t win. However that did not surprise me as if you read between the
lines a little, the clues were there.
Laura:
In a word, yes. I especially loved the main
character in this story and I think that it mainly due to the events which
occurred prior to the start of the story. Livi has taken some knocks, she’s had
troubles and most of it has been in the limelight, however she’s got back up
and battled on. Other characters in the book are also relatable and I almost
felt like I could spot the different personalities of my own friends being
represented through various characters.
Anjali:
I found that there were a lot of characters, but even so, I
thought that Clarke did a good job at writing them so, even if they were just a
face in a sea of other faces, they still had their own personalities and their
own way of being. One or two of the characters made me think ‘really?’ on
occasion, but perhaps it’s because I haven’t really met anyone like them in
real life to know if they are realistic or not…if that makes sense. At the same
time, I found myself often thinking ‘that’s what I would have said!’ or ‘yup. I
would have done the same thing!’, so overall, I think the characters were
pretty life-like from the way their mannerisms are describe, the things they
said and the way their personalities came through.
Anjali:
All Over the Place is written in first person, and it’s done in such as way that is very easy to read and very…flowy, for want of a better word. I never used to like first person novels, but over the years I’ve grown used to them and now even enjoy it. I don’t think this book would have worked very well if it were told from any other perspective. I can’t really comment on how it compares or fits in to the chick-lit genre (or even romance genre), but as an ‘outsider’ to these types of stories, I can tell you that it was great to be able to just sit down and read, knowing I didn’t have to think too hard, or get my head around big confusing words.
Laura:
I read this book over around about 5 days,
and although I enjoyed the book I don’t think that, that was the only reason I
sped through it. The writing style can
have a big impact of whether I connect with a book. I found this one very easy
and quite relaxing to read, it didn’t challenge me and it didn’t matter if I was
tired and not giving it 100% focus because the words flowed in such an easy
style. That is one of the reasons I love
the chic-lit genre, it’s easy to read and therefore I do think that this book
fitted in well, a mixture of its writing style, characters and plot all suited
this genre well.
Laura:
I don’t think there was anything missing as
far as plot was concerned. If I could pick anything, I’d say I wish I could of
got to know Cam (Livi’s best friend) as character a little bit more although I
do understand that, that is a little tricky when the story is based in London
and Cam’s character lives in New Zealand.
Anjali:
I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and it appears to be
a bit hard for me to think of much. Perhaps it’s because I’m not that familiar
with what usually goes in a chick-lit/romance type book. But perhaps the fact
that I’m struggling to find anything, means there isn’t anything that was
missing. Having said that, in the vast list of characters, there were a few
people missing – a supportive already-married couple, a baby, any children at
all…We all know these people in our lives, so I wonder why Livi didn’t? But
perhaps I’m just being silly, and they weren’t actually needed at all.
Anjali:
As I’ve mentioned, I don’t read a lot of chick-lit, I’m more of a
fantasy/adventure type girl. Because of this, I don’t have many books (other
than, perhaps, Jane Austen) to compare All
Over the Place to. But I really did enjoy the story. It was a good length,
and it was fun and quirky with just the right amount of ‘ooo! What’s going to
happen next?’ to make it a fast paced book that was easily a ‘just one more
chapter’ story. I’ve given it four stars, and would recommend it to people who
like a bit or romance and chick-lit in their lives. Even those of you who don’t
really read chick-lit or romance – it was nice to read something completely
different for once and you should give it a go.
Laura:
I did really enjoy this book; I would not
have read a book in 5 days if I didn’t have a connection with it. I enjoyed
reading about the characters and going on Livi’s journey with her. I would
definitely recommend this to other chic-lit lovers, as it fills the category
perfectly and I imagine most readers will instantly adore
Livi.
All Over the Place was sent to Laura and Anjali by the author for review. However, both their opinions have not been influenced and are 100% their own. A big thanks to Serena Clarke for allowing us to review your book!
This was reviewed by regular reveiwers Larua and Anjali. Get to know them here.
Book description and cover from Goodreads.
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