Random Things Blog Tour – Book Review – A Moment on the Lips by J Taylor

“It is said that there are two types of people in this world: those who live to eat; and those who eat to live.”

Genre: Humour Fiction

Number of Pages: 336

Date of Publication: 4 November 2021

Publisher: Hecate

Rated: 5/5

My Review Summary: A heart warming journey full of love, friendship and support.

📖BOOK SUMMARY📖

“By losing weight they gained each other.

From debut author J Taylor comes a laugh-out-loud, heartfelt story about friendship, self-acceptance and discovering how on earth one goes about losing an awful lot of weight…

Etta Wilson has vowed to make a change. At five foot three and a size twenty, she’s had enough. Honestly, this has absolutely nothing to do with seeing her ex, Robert Ward, strolling around town, smitten with a new slim girlfriend.

So, Etta’s chucked the calorific cakes, thrown the takeaway in the bin and committed to cardio. She’s got nothing to lose – well apart from a lot of weight – but how hard can that be?

Nearly impossible, it turns out. Etta soon realises she can’t do this alone. Thanks to her colleagues at the Elm Lodge Care Home, she won’t have to. With their help, will Etta reach her goals? Or does a moment on the lips really mean a lifetime on the hips?

Love, laughter, and lasting friendships are waiting for you with the A Moment on the Lips diet club… A perfect read for fans of Suzy Quinn, Jill Mansell, Sophie Kinsella, Nick Spalding and Kirsty Greenwood.

This hilarious read will brighten up a gloomy day and warm your heart this winter.“

💭THOUGHTS💭

I wanted a light, chick lit read and when this one popped up on Random Things Tours I was thrilled to be given the chance to read it. It didn’t disappoint. It was a light, funny, comforting read and one that I will be recommending.

The writing was excellent and held my interest throughout. There were many different techniques used which kept my interest and stopped the story from becoming stagnant.

It was written from the point of view of the main character and every so often she would speak directly to you as the reader. This was an excellent way to really pull you in and make you feel involved with the story.

In between Etta (the main character) narrating there were also WhatsApp messages and other character conversations. All of these things happened either around Etta or directly involved her so she was a fairly reliable narrator.

The writing was humorous and light throughout, yet also managed to be profound and comforting at times. The last page of the book was particularly beautiful and I was left feeling very comforted.

What I also particularly enjoyed about the writing was the way that the characters spoke. One of the characters was Russian and so her conversation was written in broken English for example. In my opinion it added an extra layer to the story and made it more relatable.

Every so often there would be a break in the story and we would focus on just Etta or just one or two characters. It was rarely everyone all at the same time so you didn’t get too overwhelmed with everyone’s story lines at any point.

The book itself was split into 3 parts; starter, main and dessert then split into the different chapters. Some chapters were dated and had named places, whilst others just had a place or nothing at all. It was an interesting layout and one which gave it a good flow and pace. Chapters were often short, then very short, which helped with the pacing of the story and in turn keeping my interest. The chapters often ended on cliff hangers which encouraged me to carry on reading! If the chapter was slightly longer for any reason then it would be clearly split up.

The characters were all excellent. Each one was slightly different, but all were relatable. What I loved most was the love and support they all had for each other. At the beginning of the book they were just work colleagues that didn’t really know each other, but by the end they were close friends that regarded each other as family. It was lovely to read. Throughout the book you got to know each character individually and watch how they all grew together as a group and consequently as individuals. The messages of friendship, love and support really shines throughout the book.

Lastly the settings. There is a lovely mix of work, Etta’s beautiful home, her grandparent’s home, the other girls’ homes, the riding school, the hen do, the wedding, the list could go on. The settings were lightly described as it was the characters actions and conversations that we were focussed on. It was just enough to give us an idea of where they were and to give a good grounding as to what was happening with/to the characters.

Overall I loved this book. It was such a lovely comforting read, full of messages of love and support. I shall certainly be recommending it!

⭐Rated 5/5⭐

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