Tuesday 8 August 2017

The Birthday That Changed Everything - Debbie Johnson



She wanted a birthday surprise, just not the one she got…

The last thing Sally Summers expected from her husband on her special day was that he’d leave her for a Latvian lap dancer half her age. So with her world in tatters, Sally jets off to Turkey for some sun, sea and sanctuary.

The Blue Bay resort brings new friends and the perfect balm for Sally’s broken heart in gorgeous Dubliner James. He’s just the birthday present she needs. And when the chemistry between them continues to spark as the holiday ends, Sally wonders if this is more than just a summer fling.

But James has scars of his own and Sally isn’t quite ready to turn her back on her marriage. This birthday might have changed everything, but what will the next one bring?

What did I think?

I've had this book on my TBR for quite some time and if I'd known how HILARIOUS it was going to be, I would have read it a lot sooner.  I am guilty of judging a book by it's cover in this case as I took from all the pink that it was going to be a bit of no-brainer chick-lit.  Don't get me wrong, I love the cover and it actually fits the story very well but I have to be in the mood for chick-lit, hence the delay in reading it.  So before I dig myself into a very big hole, and Debbie Johnson pours sand on my head, here's what I thought about the book.

The Birthday That Changed Everything is hilarious from the start whilst dealing with a heartbreaking storyline for Sally.  She has received an email from her husband, Simon, telling her that he is leaving her but asking her to pack his bag and iron his shirts for him before he goes.  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr what a total @&$£%0!£.  As if that wasn't a big enough kick in the virtual nuts, Sally is about to turn 40 and Simon has run off with a 19 year old Latvian lapdancer.  So she packs her bags and heads off to Turkey with her two teenage kids - scary Lucy and loveable big-kid Ollie.

After a mix up with the cases, Sally's holiday doesn't get off to the best start but being dressed as Naughty Nurse Nancy is quite an icebreaker.  She immediately fits in with a crowd of people who visit Blue Bay every year.  One of the crowd, James, is a mouthwatering piece of eye candy and he certainly got my heart racing every time he made an appearance.  He definitely wakes up Sally's snoozing libido but she's still reeling about Simon and doesn't want a holiday romance.  It's not long before James wears down her resistance but as time goes on both ex-partners reappear to put a spanner in the works.  With men literally cock-fighting over her, who will win Sally's heart?

Honestly, this must be the MOST HILARIOUS book I have ever read, although I did shed a few tears as the sun set on one of these wonderfully colourful characters that I had got to know so well.  There are so many fabulous characters but I always think it's funny that wherever you go there always seems to be a Geordie, so it was great to see Andrew the hunky Geordie firefighter make an appearance although I'm not sure which side he was batting for...  

I guffawed, chortled, snorted and howled through the whole story, mainly due to Lucy and her incendiary outbursts, known as 'proper radgies' here in the North East.  She scared the bejeezus out of me but I think she was my favourite character in the end.  I really would not have taken so long to read this if I'd known how funny it was going to be, and I should have known as it's not my first Debbie Johnson book.  All good things come to those who wait but fellow book lovers, don't make the same mistake as me - read this book now!  Make sure that you wear two pairs of knickers whilst reading The Birthday That Changed Everything as you are guaranteed to pee your pants.  

A perfect feel-good book for rain, hail or shine - escape to Turkey with Debbie Johnson and be prepared for some proper belly laughs.  

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:




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