Revelry

by Lucy Lord

[Leah]

Lucy Lord’s debut novel is meant to be THE novel of 2012. At least for me it was. As soon as I read about the novel on the Bookseller I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. So when a copy of the novel arrived I was ecstatic. I read the little short story prequel, Party Night, which whetted my appetite even more and I dived into the book, expecting an epic, debauched read. Yep, it was full of debauchery and it certainly lived up to THAT promise, however it wasn’t anywhere near as epic as I expected it to be.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very readable novel as we read all about Bella and Poppy and their various friends and families exploits. However, it was all a bit seedy and it’s also startingly predictable. We basically read about a group of 30-somethings acting like 20-somethings – getting drunk, sleeping with anyone, taking drugs as if there’s no tomorrow and just to make it worse, they’re all ridiculously beautiful and it’s meant to be cool rather than sad and stupid. The way Bella and Poppy act, it makes the novel just feel distasteful, especially Poppy’s actions. It also seemed that despite the series being a trilogy, everything happened in this one book. It makes me wonder just what will happen in the following two books that means each book won’t just be another repeat.

I just didn’t get it like I probably should have. It sort of left a bitter taste and I just couldn’t care less what happened to any of the characters, although I will say Bella did have a glimpse of a decent person in her and I probably will read Vanity, because it’s the kind of series you do need to keep reading. Because there IS something there. It’s strange, but it’s true. Don’t get me wrong, I read it fairly quickly, and I enjoyed bits of it, but there were bits that were just plain wrong and a bit too much, if that makes sense. I do think it will be a massive summer read but I also think it only real appeals to a certain reader, rather than having mass appeal.