Escape for the Summer (Escape, #1)

by Ruth Saberton

[Leah]

Ruth Saberton is one of my favourite Chick Lit authors – as soon as she burst onto the scene with the hilariously funny Katy Carter Wants A Hero, I knew she was a Chick Lit writer to watch! She’s published novels under many different guises, but I must prefer her Ruth Saberton moniker, her real name (I think!!!). It’s been a couple of years since her last release Amber Scott Is Starting Over so I was very excited to be offered the chance to review her latest novel Escape for the Summer. I’d heard so much about it on Twitter, when it was originally called Rock Chicks, and I love nothing more than a big, fat summer read. It could very well be the read of the summer, because it was bloody brilliant.

Escape For The Summer is a bit different to Ruth’s previous novels – it focuses on three main characters, instead of the usual one. And she’s made the switch from a first-person narrative to a very enjoyable third-person narrative. I’m always a fan of first-person narratives, as I can sometimes find third-person too impersonal, but some authors just seem to have the magic touch that makes third-person work, and I’m pleased to say Ruth is one of them. It’s quite a lengthy novel, taking over 6 hours to read according to my Kindle, but it never lags, never falters. There’s always something going on in the novel, and with three leading ladies, that’s a wonderful thing! As the novel isn’t published by a traditional publisher, I was a bit worried – I mostly find boutique published books to never quite live up to my expectations, but Escape For the Summer delivered on all fronts and was perfectly well written; the Notting Hill Press imprint really is a great half-way house between traditional and self-publishing.

We’re introduced to three very different ladies – Andi, Angel and Gemma. Andi and Angel are sisters (not that you’d know it, since they’re opposites in every way!) and Gemma is Angel’s room-mate. All three find themselves at a loose end – Andi loses her job, her boyfriend and all of her money; Angel loses her job and Gemma is told to lose weight otherwise her agent will dump her (Gemma’s an actress, see). When Gemma learns footballer-turned-reality-TV-star Callum South is filming a new weight-loss show in Rock, Cornwall, Gemma thinks it’s perfect for her – she can go down to Rock, lose the weight needed and start starring on the telly again! It’s as if it was written in the stars, and because Angel is desperately on the hunt for a rich man she decides to tag along, too, and because Andi has nothing better to do, she goes along for the ride as well. All three ladies are very down on their luck, but they’re hoping one fantastic summer in Rock is all it will take to bring them everything they’ve ever wanted.

What I loved about Escape for the Summer is that the girls did indeed find exactly what they were looking for – it just wasn’t what any of them had expected, but it was exactly what they all needed, depending on their situations. I loved the characters from the off – they’ve all got such distinctive personalities that it was very easy to tell them apart, and I very much had a soft spot for Gemma. She’s like me – although I’m not an actress, I am a bit overweight and I love my food and I struggle and say I’m going to diet all the time, so I felt a natural affinity with her. Andi initially seemed like a workaholic, but I actually liked that she was willing to try and claw her way back to solvency, and not just sit in the caravan and wallow. On my first impressions of Angel, I expected to dislike her – see her as a gold-digger, just after one thing and one thing only, that thing being money, but she surprised me most of all. Sure, she was looking for a rich guy, and that’s never particularly right, but she was smart and I felt she went on the biggest journey in the novel, learning that it isn’t always about money, and sometimes love can surprise you even when you’re not expecting it.

The absolute for me, apart from the wonderful characters (and they were truly wonderful – even the men were sweet; Jonty in particular had my heart, I didn’t much care for Laurence, he seemed a bit of a cold fish for me, and Callum just seemed perfect for Gemma, although his attitude a couple of times was a bit off-putting) was the setting! I have never in my life been to Cornwall, and I’m going to have to tell authors to stop setting their books there, because it sounds AMAZING. It sounds like a holiday destination, all beautiful beaches and sunny skies, and cafes serving fish and chips. It just smacks of the perfect place to spend Summer, as if nothing bad could ever happen in Cornwall. I must one day spend some time there, because it sounds magical and out of this world. I absolutely loved Escape for the Summer, whenever I was reading it, I felt like I was there with Andi, Angel and Gemma, following them on their adventures. I very much admire anybody who ups from the bad situations and go and make something better and this book had that in spades. Ruth Saberton has proven once again why she remains a favourite author of mine, and this novel was very much worth the wait. It’s warm, witty, and wise, and is set in the most perfect location you could ever set a book. I can’t wait for her next novel, she’s flipping brilliant!