Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Kelly Ann leaves behind her boyfriend, family and friends in Glasgow to live and work in a London hotel for the summer. But losing her luggage and fending off tube gropers on her first day isn’t a good start. Almost being arrested for stealing men’s underwear on her second isn’t any better. However she does manage to make friends, even though, to impress her new pals, she pretends to be older and more sophisticated than she is, with a doctor boyfriend. London life is fun, even though she has to work in a steaming hot kitchen all day. But her made-up life starts to get very complicated, and she has to rely on old friends to save the day.
You can order My Scorching Summer Diary, and read an extract from the book from Amazon UK by clicking on the book cover.
Reviews
“This looked right up my street, and I had high hopes. Just like I suspected, it was one of the best chick lits I have read this year! I love a good, easy going chicklit every so often, so when I saw this, I knew I would love it! Liz Rettig writes about London perfectly, and I can imagine just how daunting it must have been for Kelly Ann, all by herself in a strange city. To make matters worse, Kelly Ann has to suffer in a low paid job for harsh bosses in a boiling kitchen. Despite this, Kelly Ann and her new found friends still managed to have a good time partying at clubs untill the early hours of the morning. Normally, I never really laugh out loud because of a book, so was surprised when I actually giggled like an idiot whilst reading this. Kelly Ann was such a fun, witty character, and the embarrassing escapades she got herself in to were so funny my sides ached from laughing. Oh, and of course I was cringing, imagining if what happened to her happened to me! Every single one of Kelly Ann’s friends were enjoyable too. Liz, the teen psychiatrist, Theresa, the blunt Irish woman, Suzie, the Chinese gold-digger, the list goes on! Even Kelly Ann’s mum was hilarious with some of the things she came out with. Of course, most of these things were rude. . . Even the cover was fun, and each little image means something, with the boxers that Kelly Ann stole, the lollipop that two girls had a cat fight over etc. And the eye catching bright pink background just made it look even better. Along with the humour, there were also some more serious choices that Kelly Ann had to make. And if I was in her situation, I don’t know what I would have done. She’s also trapped herself in a web of lies, fooling everybody that she is more mature and sophisticated. I totally understood why Kelly Ann lied so much, just trying to fit in. But these lies were bound to catch up with her eventually. But in the meantime, the excuses she made when the truth almost spilled out were so outrageously comical it was unbelievable! She was also quite a good role model, in a strange way. . . Like being faithful, deciding not to smoke and explaining just how bad a hangover is. Teenage girls would really appreciate reading some diaries of Kelly Ann. This has been the best chick lit I have read this year, and it even beats the Georgia Nicolson series for me, and that’s saying something. There were really no faults with this, apart from how it wasn’t long enough because I’d finished it in a day. Still, if you are looking for a flighty, summer read full of Kelly Ann’s disastrous (but incredibly funny) adventures, pick this up! Big thanks for the publishers for sending me this fabulous book to review”.
Jessica, Book Review for Booked Up Bloggers, 16 April 2012
