I am a big fan of the author Mike Gayle and have loved everything that I have read by him. Therefore I was really looking forward to reading The Life and Soul of the Party and I was not disappointed in the least. This is a really great book!

There are many different reasons for throwing a party - New Year, birthdays, anniversaries, house warmings, people leaving and even funerals - and through the course of a year the characters in this excellent book by Mike Gayle experience all of these. In fact, the book is split into six parts each focusing on a different party.

The main characters in this book are a group of thirty somethings who have a long shared history. Chris and Vicky are a couple; as are Cooper and Laura. Melissa used to be with Paul but they each have new partners now who sometimes feel a bit like outsiders when the group of friends are together. This book charts a year in their lives, full of highs and lows, and by the end, all their lives have changed considerably and their friendship truly tested.

From the very first page I was completely hooked. The book is very easy to read because of Mike Gayle's very relaxed style. Also the characters seem so real and likeable - I almost felt as if I was reading about a group of my own very good friends. Because I felt like this I started to care what happened to them and found myself rooting for things to turn out well.

I loved the way that the story centred around the six different parties. Each one had a different focus and various things had occurred in the meantime which made it very interesting to see how the characters have moved on. Emotions and expectations varied greatly at each event depending on the state of the different relationships and this was fascinating.

Also, each party was divided up by the different characters each telling their own small part of the story. As it was all written in the first person this could have been confusing, but I did not find it so at all. This is because each character is different with their own viewpoint and Mike Gayle very cleverly changes his style depending on who is telling the story. I was also very convinced by all the characters and he is very adept at narrating from either the male or female point of view.

Mike Gayle tells such a good story in all of his novels and this one is no exception. Although, I would probably describe it as a light easy read, it does tug at your emotions and I have to confess that there were one or two moments when I was close to tears as I was reading. It's an absorbing read from start to finish and when I reached the last page I had that slightly disappointed feeling that it was all over. To me, that is definitely the sign of a good read!

The paperback version of this book is currently available on Amazon for £4.40.

A similar version of this review has previously appeared under my name at www.thebookbag.co.uk