I noticed a book that my hubby was after getting available in Tesco so when I also saw this book too in the book offer, it made sense to buy them both together as this is one of my favourite authors and I was very excited to be able to buy it.


The author:
Jane Fallon has written three other books which are 'Getting rid of Matthew', 'Got you back' and 'Foursome' - I completely loved all of these as they were easy to read yet had elements that are true to life. They also had small bits that were quite amusing too so Jane Fallon has succeeded in her books now being classed as those that I would instantly buy without worrying that I wouldn't enjoy her style! Her first book is now also being turned into a film starring Jennifer Anniston which I am really keen to see!
Jane Fallon is an English writer and her partner is none other than Ricky Gervais - she is also known for writing TV programmes such as This Life and Teachers.



The plot:
Abi has always been the plainer of the two sisters; the academic one with the brains and the one who tries to think of others and see the best in people. Considering she has lived in the shadow of her older sister Caroline or Cleo as she is now known, since the day Cleo was headhunted to be a model when she was sixteen, it is surprising she has still managed to be such a nice person!
When her sister rings her up out of the blue to ask if she wants to come and stay for the summer, Abi can hardly say no, as this may be chance to regain the closeness they once had when they were young girls and get to know her nieces and brother in law better. However, Abi is in for a shock as soon she is the one looking after her nieces whilst Cleo has other things to do and she can see how unhappy her brother in law is. It looks like having the beauty, wealth and fame isn't making Cleo happy even after all these years and soon Abi starts to wonder who exactly is the ugly sister?


Characters:
I was instantly able to take to Abi as a person because she is very down to earth, mature and has good morals. I liked that the author had created somebody who even though she is all these things she is still a fun person who also knows how to have a laugh and therefore is pretty much the girl next door type character who many people would be able to relate to. I also found it easy to relate to her in the sense that she wondered if she had missed out on some big calling in life and couldn't work out what to do with herself. Overall, I liked Abi as she wasn't too nice to the point of being too good that she wasn't somebody a reader would be able to relate to but, she wasn't ever nasty or horrible. The only thing I sometimes did feel was that she let her sister walk all over her a bit too much!
Cleo was a character that I guess the author wants you to dislike and this was fairly easy in the way she came across as being self-centered and stubborn as well as generally not treating the people around her very well at all. I think the author did a very good job of creating two characters that contrasted like this as it makes the book so much more interesting than if both sisters had been fairly similar apart from that of their looks.

Price:
The book was part of the on-going offer in Tesco and so it cost me £8 for two books making this one just £4. For a brand new book I think this is good value. You can also pick this up in various other shops and online. The actual RRP is £6.99 so I feel I picked it up at a good price indeed.


Overall opinion:
I once again really enjoyed Jane Fallon's work. The book had an interesting storyline with the two sisters who have no relationship and I felt this was something I could also connect with as my husband has a very rocky relationship with one of his brothers so I felt it was particularly easy to understand how frustrated Abi felt at Cleo.
I liked that the book wasn't just about romance and dealt with important family issues and I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. I couldn't work out what was going to happen because I felt it was gearing up to an eventuality but, wasn't sure if the author would pull it off as I felt it was a strange situation for Abi to be in. I can't really explain more as this would give too much away of the plot but, I felt in the end that the author sort of left the ending open to interpretation. Not in a bad, cliff hanger way but, more of an ending that the reader can choose which way you think the characters will go.
I did really enjoy this book, just as I did with all her other books and I will of course, be recommending it. I am already looking forward to reading the next one she brings out.