Ellie Andrews Has Second Thoughts

by Ruth Saberton

[Leah]

Ellie Andrews wakes up on the morning of her wedding panicking about the day ahead and wondering if she’s made the right decision about the man she’s about to marry particularly since they’ve barely seen each other since they decided to get married. Ellie then spends the majority of her wedding morning going back over the past few months, thinking over all the men to come into her life. There’s Marcus, a sexy politician, Xander, a rock star turned chef, Rupert, a very dull as dishwater lawyer and finally there’s Ellie’s teenage crush Jay. As the hours tick by, just who will be waiting at the top of the altar if Ellie manages to make it, that is.

Last year I read Katy Carter Wants A Hero, which was Saberton’s debut offering and I fell in love. The plot, the characters, the writing style and Pinchy the lobster all combined to give me a fantastic read. It was one of my favourite books of 2010 and it literally made me laugh. So when I heard Ruth had signed a new two-book deal, there was no one happier than me because I knew Ruth has the potential to become huge in the Chick Lit market. So you can imagine how excited I was to get a proof of her new book Ellie Andrews Has Second Thoughts and it immediately rocketed up my list of to-be-read books.

Ellie Andrews Has Second Thoughts is a fairly simple novel as Ellie wakes up on her wedding morning feeling very nervous about the day ahead. We then go back in time to learn the stories of the four men involved in Ellie’s life: Marcus, Rupert, Xander and Jay and how she met them, dated them, and how it all ended (if it did). We then regularly come back to Ellie on her wedding day before diving into more of the past and that’s how it continues until the end of the book. Like I said, a very simple concept, but with all the misunderstandings, all the stupid things that occur, the book is very much a page-turner. If Ellie wasn’t making a fool of herself by getting wenched up into a tree during an eco-protest despite being terrified of heights, she’s tipping curry all over her sister.

I absolutely loved Ellie. Seriously loved her, and that’s what Ruth Saberton does best, she gives us a heroine to root for. First Katy Carter, now Ellie Andrews, her ability to tap into the mind of a 20-something is brilliant and I always want to be friends with her characters. I did worry Ellie would spend the time moping over the men in her life in some sort of “Oh gosh, which one should I choose” Bridget Jones kind of way, but it’s not like that at all thankfully. Her best friends Sam and Poppy are brilliant, I loved Sam’s eco-warrior ways and Poppy was just downright hilarious. As for the men in Ellie’s life, I didn’t like Marcus or Rupert, I liked Xander just fine but I loved Jay. I wanted Ellie to end up with Jay right from the start, but of all the men Ellie might end up with, her relationship with Jay faces the most obstacles. One thing’s for sure, I didn’t know who Ellie was going to end up with.

Ellie Andrews Has Second Thoughts is written in the first person perspective, as with Katy Carter, and again, it’s written in a very simple format (but I assume despite how simple it seems it’s actually a nightmare to write, particularly when trying to keep it in the present tense – I can barely write my reviews in the right tense all the way through never mind a 100,000 word novel). Ruth Saberton is definitely an author to look out for. Her books are funny (proper laugh out loud funny), her characters are incredibly real and warm, and the writing style makes it easy to whizz through each of her books in a matter of hours. I barely wanted to put the book down and I’m so pleased that it was just as good as Katy Carter because I’d have been gutted if it wasn’t. I hugely recommend Ellie Andrews Has Second Thoughts and I can’t wait to read more from Ruth, she’s definitely an emerging talent in the world of Chick Lit.