Open main menu

Changes

no edit summary
As her best friends, Tess and Lola, stage an intervention, they remind her that all her exes have, with Ellie’s help, gone from having a multitude of problems to stand up guys - only for them then to dump her and be stand up guys for someone else. Richey, her newest boyfriend, is also a lame duck, according to her friends. But Ellie wants to give him a chance. So yes, he got a bit too drunk at a party. He might have even had a bit of coke. That does not mean he’s an addict, it doesn't mean he’s not the one for her. Does it?
Ellie is a typical nice girl protagonist. She likes to see the good in people, she is friendly, hopeful, optimistic. She is very likable likeable as a character, because even when you are agreeing with her more blunt and forward friends, Ellie doesn't come across as naïve. And she does have a bottom line, which she finds very quickly with Richey - who of course turns out to be a complete tool. What I liked most about Ellie was that she knows how to handle herself. Despite seeing the best in people, she knows how to handle to worst. Her boss, art-gallery owner Vaughn, is terrifying, a nightmare boss. But she knows to have the right level of backing away and standing up for herself. Ellie is sweet without being irritating.
Of course , she is helped out by the cool characters that surround her. They give her another edge. Ari, Ellie’s mum, is wonderful. We see her not only in present -day, helping Ellie through the tabloid terrors, but with Billy Kay during the relationship of which Ellie is a product. Ari and Billy’s relationship was reminiscent of some of Manning’s Young Adult fiction - with Billy being the epitome of a toxic boy. What kept me interested in their relationship was that Ari also had her moments, which makes the reader (and Ellie) suspect that perhaps Billy’s distance from them might have had something to do with Ari herself.
The story takes place in a hot and sticky London, as Ellie’s life is torn apart by the tabloids after Richey decides to sell his story. Or a very racy version of his story. Ellie gets pulled in all directions by greasy journalists, polished PR reps, and her father’s ambitious lawyer, David Gold. Ellie’s initial attraction to his charm is all set to become just as toxic as her mother and Billy’s relationship. The book has interesting comments on the celebrity culture of the press in England. I also really enjoyed the scenes of Ellie with her family, both her more traditional Jewish grandparents and her mother’s set of punk friends who are also family to Ellie. It showed just how important all kinds of family are, however unconventional.