Book Review:: The Greatest Love Story of All Time by Lucy Robsinson

Title: The Greatest Love Story of All Time
Author: Lucy Robinson
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 496
Review by: Catriona

It's Fran's thirtieth birthday and things are good . . .

She's bluffed her way into a Very Posh Job and her outlandishly handsome and talented boyfriend Michael is escorting her to the Ritz with a bulge the shape of a ring box in his pocket.

But something has gone wrong. Very wrong. By the end of the evening Fran is howling in bed with a bottle of cheap brandy and one of Michael's old socks.

In her quest to figure out why her life has suddenly gone down the pan, Fran comes up with a failsafe plan: live like a badger, stalk a stranger called Nellie and cancel her beloved Gin Thursdays in favour of drinking gin every night. But then Fran's friends force a very different plan on her and it's nowhere near as fun. How could eight dates possibly make her feel better?

But eventually she agrees. And so begins the greatest love story of all time . . .

Catriona's Review:

One of the reasons I loved this no so much is because it went completely against my expectations. I bought it on audiobook and so I didn't read the blurb, I just went on the title to decide what it might be like. Instead of straightforward romance, this book provides romance, friendship, sex, and extremely clever comedy! Initially I was worried I wasn't going to be able to get into the novel because it starts in the midst of main character Fran and her friends rallying round her in her hour of need. I felt a bit like I had just joined a party here everybody knew each other and I had to catch up quickly, but once I had indeed caught up, got the know the characters, I was instantly involved in this fabulously funny tale.

I really liked the characters in this novel and the relationships between them. I think that main character Fran is a very real representation of what one might feel like if they had been unexpectedly dumped rather than proposed to on their thirtieth birthday. She has to deal with issues of alcoholism, nepotism, and other everyday trials and tribulations of thirty-something women. The fact that the characters and issues contained in this novel were so realistic meant that I found myself, gasping in parts, laughing in others and completely shouting down one of the characters towards the end of the novel when they were blatantly lying to another character!

One of my favourite things about this novel was the Internet dating messages that Fran receives when friend leonine makes her join a dating site. Again these were so true to life, it was hilarious, this author has obviously done her research well into this area and I found myself waiting for the next message that Fran would receive from possible suitors as if it were me on my own dating profile, waiting for the next message! I also really really loved the character of Glaswegian Dave (despite the fact that the narrator of the audiobook could NOT do a Glaswegian accent in any way, shape or form!) he is however, an amazing character, straight to the point, yet lovely and completely out for what is best for Fran! I'm sure any reader will warm to him straight away.

Have thoroughly enjoyed this novel, laughed, grasped and 'awwed' my way through the entire thing, I really look forward to reading Lucy Robinson's next offering. I am sure this will be a sure fire hit with any reader, and certainly a case of 'you shouldn't judge a book by its cover'!