Leah
Written on Aug 30, 2009
I really enjoyed Celebrity Bride. It was very easy to get into and very easy to read as it’s told in the first person. It’s the plot everybody dreams of: going out with/marrying somebody incredibly famous when you’re a “nobody”. I have no idea how a famous person marrying a nobody actually works but thought Alison did a fabulous job portraying the celebrity lifestyle.
I found Kelly a bit irritating at first – her naivety was shocking and I couldn’t believe how easily led she was by Elody. However I warmed to her more as the novel progressed – especially how she was during the horrible time she had after the twist in the book (which, by the way, I didn’t see coming!)
As the book was told from Kelly’s point of view we didn’t really get to know the other characters, bar Elody (a stylist who becomes a friend of Kelly’s although I use the term friend loosely), that well. While the synopsis says it’s the wedding of the season and mentions a lot of talk of a wedding, I felt the wedding was more of a backburner to the novel. Especially since we didn’t start reading about the wedding until a fair way into the book. The book seemed more focused on Kelly entering into the world of Celebrity and how she dealt with that. It also focused on Kelly and Elody’s friendship (again, I use the term loosely) and how Elody tried to turn Kelly into someone she clearly wasn’t.
I felt Rufus wasn’t really in the novel, which was a shame, I would have loved more interaction between Kelly and he to see how they worked together outside their home. I also found the fact he was called a “bad boy” on the blurb to be completely strange. He didn’t come across that way at all.
It was a very easy read but it was the twist that really hooked me into the book. I was all ready to review the book saying how irritating I found Kelly when bam! the plot twisted and changed and all of a sudden Kelly seemed a much better character. I guessed the answer to the twist, though, I must say!
I really enjoyed the scenes in the rose garden Kelly and Rufus frequent (particularly near the end of the book). I also liked how the manipulation of Kelly by Elody was found out and, although I knew what Elody had done, liked the way it was written and how Kelly dealt with that. I liked reading of Kelly’s friendships, especially how difficult they became because of Elody, during the book.
It was a really enjoyable book – very amusing in parts. It wasn’t what I expected when I read the blurb on the back but I still loved it. I can’t wait for the sequel! If it’s as good as this one I know I’ll really enjoy it.
Rating: 5/5
I’d like to thank the publishers, Ebury, for sending me a copy to review!