If I were you I'd read this book (If I Were You - Julia Llewellyn Smith)

Member Name: Emily_09

Product:	If I Were You - Julia Llewellyn Smith
Date:	16/08/09 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great characters and story

Disadvantages: Possibly price, a bit predictable in some areas

Although I used to be a great reader of a wide variety of different books at school, as I have got older my reading tastes have become much more limited and nowadays chick lit makes up about 80% of my bookshelf. With this in mind, 'If I were you' seemed to fit this genre perfectly and after reading the book over 3 days I wasn't disappointed.

I chose this book simply because it resembled the novels that I normally enjoy, the two women carrying handbags on the front of the cover a giveaway that the story wouldn't be too dark or harrowing. On the back cover the paperback book is priced at £6.99, although on Amazon you can get it for £5.99, or even cheaper if you buy a used copy. This may be a little more than people are used to paying for a girly read, however it's worth it in my opinion, not least because the novel is thick enough to last you over a weeks holiday if you're not a constant reader like me.

The most important characters
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Natasha: One of the two main characters, Natasha is a career minded woman who pretends not to need a man in her life. Working for a high profile television company, she seems to have everything, however she is constantly envious of best friend Sophie's seemingly perfect life.

Sophie: The other main character, Sophie is more concerned with being a domestic goddess and starting up a family than her career prospects. Stunningly gorgeous, she is a favourite with the men and envied by best friend Natasha, however her life isn't as perfect as it seems and her desperate and needy attitude towards men often makes her miserable. Probably the most likeable character as the reader is given an insight into her feelings and emotions and sympathises with her desire to be a wife and mother.

Andy: Sophie's boyfriend at the start of the book. Kind and generous, Andy doesn't live up to Sophie's hopes of marriage when he refuses to propose to her.

Alistair: Married love interest of Natasha, fobs her off with promises of committment. The least likeable character for me as you just know that he will always be unfaithful and will never change.

Olly: Very rich and successful. Starts off as Sophie's friend but becomes a lot more. Olly is pompous and socially insecure, unless at a posh dinner or ball.

Lainey and Marcus: A couple who are good friends of both Natasha and Sophie. Marcus used to be Sophie's stepbrother and they are still close. The couple marry at the start of the book and the reader is taken through the ups and downs of their marriage.


The Plot
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So much happens in the book that it's hard to describe the plot without giving too much away but here is a brief overview:

The novel follows the two lives of both girls as they struggle with various problems and situations. The main plot revolves around their love lives as they experience drama after drama.

Natasha's story is centred around her relationship with Alistair and her constant attempts to make him fully hers. There are many points in the book where she feels that she has succeeded in doing this, but once a love rat, always a love rat and it soon becomes apparent that the relationship is going nowhere.

Sophie's main storylines also centre around her relationships and involve her realising that certain partnerships will never work. She battles with the dilemma of whether being with someone because they can look after you and treat you well isn't always enough and by the end of the novel she has learned alot about love and herself as a person.


What I liked about this book
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The main thing that I liked about 'If I were you' was that I found it really easy to relate to the two main characters and what they were going through. Although they seemed to have alot of dramas in their lives their stories were never unrealistic and always very believable. After researching Julia Llewellyn Smith I found out that much of the plot and some aspects of the characters are based on her own experiences and this is very apparent in her writing.

I really liked the fact that the plot was so varied and contained lots of twists that kept me intrigued throughout. I also felt that the ending was very effective as, without giving too much away, the author fast forwarded a few months to represent the change in the lives of the characters and I felt that this was a much more prominent ending than dragging out the stories to the bitter end.

Although there are some quite serious dramas in the plot, there is also a lighthearted tone and the witty attitudes of both Sophie and Natasha, coupled with the very funny way in which the author represents certain situations often made me laugh-out-loud. For this reason I would really recommend this book as a light-hearted read, maybe on holiday or just when you want to chill out with a good book.

What I didn't like (not much I have to say!)
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From a female perspective I didn't really like the fact that the two main character's lives were centred around settling down and getting married. I'm all for relationships but it seemed like they couldn't function without men and I felt that a bit more girl power was needed to show that women don't need men to be happy.

I also found it a bit frustrating when the characters made certain decisions that you just know will end in tears. This made some parts of it predictable, however the unpredictable twists made up for this.


Overall I'd really recommend this book. It's mainly aimed at women so I don't really think men would appreciate it but i really enjoyed reading 'If I were you' and just wish that there was a sequel!

Summary: 9/10