Lovestruck

by Julia Llewellyn

[Leah]

When the ever so lovely Julia Llewellyn offered me the opportunity to review her pretty new novel Lovestruck, I was chuffed to pieces. It has the prettiest book cover I've ever seen this year (just LOOK at it), and I love books about movie stars. It's the celebrity stalker in me. The nosy cow, who wonders how the other half lives. They're always the best tales, getting to peek into the lives of the rich and famous, even more so when one half of the couple isn't even famous and has to deal with her husband's fame, as is the case here with Rosie and Jake, and I thought Julia did such a fabulous job with the novel, as I really, really enjoyed it.

Lovestruck is actually my first ever Julia Llewellyn read, although she has numerous novels to her name, though it certainly won't be my last, because she's a fantastic writer. At the beginning of the novel we get a brief glimpse into Rosie and Jake's life when they first started dating, and it's blissful. The kind of love between the pair that you dream of having yourself. Sigh. But when we pick back up with them, it's not all smooth-sailing. Sure, they have just bought a fantastic, massive state-of-the-art house in The Village, thanks to Jake's rising star as an actor, but Rosie feels alone. It's just her, and the kids, and we all know making friends is hard whenever you're over the age of, say, 10. It's even worse when you're dealing with Richie-Rich-type folks, who think nothing of spendings thousands on baby shower gifts. So while it may seem totally awesome to be married to an actor, we actually get to see the other side of it - the loneliness, how it's pulling Rosie and Jake's marriage apart, and it was sad.

Whenever you think about how the other half live, you don't expend to feel sorry for someone like Rosie - who doesn't have to work, who spends her time looking after her kids, and can go and buy a beautiful Vivienne Westwood dress without blinking, but I actually feld sad for Rosie. It's clear the move is taking a toll, and she's working with a new breed of people; Jake's working all hours and when he's around he's spouting about a move to LA; and her best friend Christy is more concerned with being Jake's agent than Rosie's friend. I just felt so sad for her, that this dream of living in a big, fancy house, with no money worries wasn't as perfect as it seems, proving time and again that money isn't everything (though it WOULD be nice, I confess). The saddest part was seeing Jake and Rosie's marriage disintegrate, as the pages wore on. For two people so happy at the beginning, the innocence was gone, the honeymoon over, and Jake started acting quite fake. He was a bit too big for his boots, he forgot where he came from, and it was super disappointing.

I really enjoyed Lovestruck. Julia Llewellyn has a fantastic voice, and I felt so bad for Rosie whilst I was reading the novel. Fame clearly isn't all it's cracked up to be, and it was nice to get a look in to a life where only one half of the couple is famous, and how the non-famous person copes. Rosie was so warm and inviting, and her love for her Nanna almost had me in tears. Her Nanna also almost had me in tears with her cool comments and the way she called everyone "lover". I really enjoyed the novel, and I look forward to trying all of Julia's previous novels, it's hard to believe I've never read a book from an author I've enjoyed so much. Lovestruck is a wonderful novel about marriage, about fame, and about how the grass most definitely isn't always greener on The Village side...This review was originally posted on Girls Love To Read