The Bridesmaid Blues

by Tracey Sinclair

[Lynn]

A romantic comedy set in North East England, I was chuckling to myself right from the off, as I dived into The Bridesmaid Blues.

Luce is a Geordie, a Bridget Jones kind of lass. She's single, carrying a few extra pounds thanks to her lack of exercise and bad diet. When her friend Jenna announces her wedding to Michael, she's happy until she finds out his brother Jamie will be his best man...her ex. Still, she has six months to win him back or find a new man...no problem. Until, Hali, a long lost friend from her time in London asks her to be a bridesmaid too!

Some of the references to years gone by had me laughing out loud and cringing simultaneously...after all, I was partying during the Eighties!

...a man in a jumper so hideous Noel Edmonds would have burnt it, a spiky mullet hairdo (with the white-blonde highlights which were known at the time as 'tips'...)

Coming from a northern English city, I related easily to the settings and the pace of daily life as long-hidden memories to my own past exploits suddenly re-emerge from a dark corner of my memory. Ms Sinclair's writing flows, injected her heart-felt descriptions of Newcastle and topped off with humorous dialogue kept me flipping the pages as fast as I could read.

“I thought they had a northerner ration going on in here, one per office or we'd gang up and nick the stationary supplies! Go on then, pull up a chair, stick a stapler in your handbag and make yourself at home.”

Luce is a heroine you easily empathise with. A young woman, not as confident as you think who is single and suddenly surrounded by friends pursuing their Happy Ever After, when she has no significant other. It's the beginning of the end of life as she knows it when talking weddings and preparations take priority. With no airs and graces, what you see is what you get with Luce and it's refreshing if a little sad sometimes.

Set in the present time, the narrative manages to inspire nostalgia. I don't usually choose to read books set in and around my own neck of the woods; where I lived and grew up. However, I'll definitely seek out more such titles as their familiarity adds an unexpected sentimentality I heartily enjoyed and didn't know I missed. However, this novel has broad appeal and it is a must-have holiday read wherever you choose to relax...you won't regret it!

***arc generously received courtesy of the publisher***