What Fresh Hell

by Lucy Vine

What do you get if you cross a dozen drunk hens with one shiny Butler in the Buff?

Meet Lilah Fox. She's on the hen do from hell. Then she gets a message (44 of them, actually) from her best friend with big news: she's getting married in six months. Oh, and Lilah's her maid of honour. Which means she just got signed up for:

- A military schedule of wedding fairs and weekly planning meetings

- Excel spreadsheets and endless hen emails

- All the enforced, expensive fun you can imagine...

What fresh hell is this?

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Romance, Book Club, Humor, Comedy

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 8, 2018

About the author

Lucy Vine is a writer, editor and the bestselling author of Hot Mess, What Fresh Hell, Are We Nearly There Yet? and Bad Choices. Her books have been translated into sixteen languages around the world, with Hot Mess optioned for a TV series. She has been nominated twice for the Comedy Women In Print Award and hosts the podcast and live event series Hot Mess Clubhouse, celebrating funny women. Her journalism has appeared in international publications, including Grazia, Stylist, heat, Fabulous, New, Now, Marie Claire, Glamour Online, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Telegraph, The Sun, and The Mirror. She lives in Cambridgeshire.

Reviews

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Release Date: March 8, 2018
Genre: Chick Lit
Actual Rating: 4 stars

What Fresh Hell is the perfect spring read. It captures the busy wedding season impeccably and has characters any female can relate to. Oh, and I don't want to forget the laugh out loud moments that are thrown throughout the novel! I laughed a lot while reading this one. Ladies, this is a great book to anyone who loves books based around the wedding season.

Lilah Fox is living a perfectly serene existence. She has a great job, a nice boyfriend, and a handful of friends that all girls hope for. Unfortunately, this serene existence is coming into an upheaval because it's WEDDING SEASON. These weddings (and there are many) are taking over Lilah's life (and her bank account). And then a bombshell is dropped. Lilah's best friend Lauren is getting married... IN 6 MONTHS! And she wants Lilah to be her maid of honor! Lilah agrees with gusto- who would say no to be the right hand (wo)man for her best friends nuptials? To bad she doesn't realize what a nightmare it's going to be helping her friend plan her wedding.

Liliah is up to her ears in taffeta, penis straws, and late night wedding calls. Her friends wedding has taken over her life and is proving problematic for her personal life as well. Her boyfriend is getting fed up with her not being able to say no, her parents are fighting non stop, and the bridezilla is putting her needs in front of everyone elses. So what's Lilah to do? Well, you would have to read this hilarious novel to find out!

If you are looking for a hilarious chick lit novel for the spring, then I very much recommend reading What Fresh Hell by Lucy Vine. It reminded me much of Sophie Kinsella's earlier books with a bit of Marian Keyes thrown in.

[Inn Auni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is there a category of frustrating-enjoyable read? The book was well written but the characters were annoying. I kept reading till the end because I wanted Delilah to stand up for herself, which she did towards the end. I was about to start hating on Franny for being a hypocrite until she herself mentioned she was entitle to it for being a senior citizen. Damn, I want that kind of right too. This is not the book that I will want to read for the second time but, I also want to keep it in case I wanted to in the future. Being indecisive is so not me and I blamed Delilah for this.

I met a bridezilla recently, you know the kind of bride-to-be who think she's right at all time even though her decision was plain stupid, and yet I continued helping out, not for her but for my mother. And yes, I so 'get' this book. At this point, I just wanted to tell the soon-to-be-husband to elope with someone else more deserving. In fact, I think he was having second taught already.

Back to the book, for future reference, hopefully, the writer can minimize the inner monologue of the MC, because who think that much?

[Justkeepreading · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book in parts was really good and rather funny. But it was also completely and utterly annoying. Can someone please tell me why at each wedding which I might add had their own unique qualities did they all have the same food, salmon, chicken etc. Every wedding I have been too I’ve had different food. It’s rarely the same at every single wedding! I’m sorry but that started to really wind me up. Also some of the characters in this book were the most selfish, annoying people I’ve ever read about. Usually this is my favourite kind of book, give me anything with a good romance and about weddings and I’m usually sold. But I’m really sorry this just really frustrated me. Grrr

[Julia Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious.

[Fabulous Book Fiend · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you loved Lucy's last book Hot Mess then you will love this book, and it is even funnier than Hot Mess. If you loved Bridget Jones's Diary, then you will love this book, and this is even funnier! I know, I went there but this book was such a romp from start to finish. I laughed out loud, I identified with the main character, and most of her Friend so much and I just loved every minute.

Lilah is a great main character for this novel because she is just like all of us. She has set her life up, she has a boyfriend and a decent job but sometimes she hates that job and she's not sure her relationship is quite right for her, but at the age of 28 she really feels as if she ought to have it altogether. What she does have is great mates and she wants to be there for them and support them, especially when it comes to their big day.

The weddings, this story revolves around several (and i mean several) wedding that Lilah has to attend, sometimes as a bridesmaid and sometimes as a guest. We've all had those years when you have a zillion weddings to go and and the hen dos and the outfits and the wedding presents that go with them. You loose your bank balance, your sanity, and as happy as you are for your friends, you loose your life somewhat. Its a great premise for a book and Lucy Vine really pulls this off incredibly well, prepare for hilarity at every turn!

As i probably mentioned in my review of Hot Mess, Lucy Vine also writes down what we are all thinking. This is amazing and i defy anyone not to love her writing style, particularly when lines such as 'Fuck you Gwyneth Paltrow' and 'without a bra, these are already somewhere around my vulva'. There are also some really touching family moments in this book and its great to have some secondary storylines surrounding family and friendship running alongside Lilah's main issues.

I really enjoyed this novel. Lucy Vine doesn't censor her language so if swearing easily offends you then this might not be for you. But if you've ever attended a wedding, or had one of those years where everyone you know is getting married, if you;re questioning pretty much anything in your life even. Then this book is for you-enjoy the laughs!

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had some problems with this one, because Christ, are we really doing a "here's what happened to them all" at the end? Did we need that, you couldn't have left us on that actually quite nice last chapter? And dear God, for about 70% of the book Delilah is a massive pushover who I wanted to shake some sense into and her friends were just so selfish and self absorbed. I'm thankful that it does get rectified and we see our three main characters develop for the better, but that had me frustrated for a while.
I like that the concept of FOMO is pointed out, because it is a massive thing in the society we live in now, what with social media able to keep us informed of literally almost anything and everyone. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to scream at Delilah as she throws her savings down the drain on gifts and outings for people she doesn't really like.
I appreciate how Will and Delilah's relationship isn't restored at the end of the book, because it actually feels like taking a step away from it is what's right for Delilah and it addresses some the issues the relationship had. But then we had to force in the flirting from Mr Canid, which I called the moment Delilah laid eyes on him. The whole thing just turned me off, it just felt jammed in there to highlight the fact she wasn't sure she was over Will. (And of course, in the where are they now section Will hates him.)
This book's one to go for if you've just finished a heavier read and need some more lighthearted fun in your life, but understand that the plot's rather easy to spot from a mile away.

[Charanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars! I have to be honest that I liked this a little less that Lucy Vine's stellar debut "Hot Mess" but that didn't make this book any less enjoyable. I was laughing merrily throughout the book and the humor is, like its predecessor, a big draw. But what gave "Hot Mess" more depth was behind the sarcastic facade of its protagonist was a struggle to cope with bereavement. This book has far less emotional depth, but what it doesn't have in terms of an emotional story line, it more than makes it up with extremely interesting characters! I loved Franny, I think I loved her even more than Lilah. I am not too much of a fan of doormat heroines and Lilah spends 75% of the book being one.

Franny and Joely's loud uncouth mouth made for a lot of humorous lines - some of the swearing might even offend some readers, but it had me rolling in laughter. Things starts to unravel when Lilah's best friend Lauren gets engaged and plans the wedding of the century in less than six months! Lilah has spent most of her life pleasing others. I feel the author has deliberately made this character a diametrically opposite one to that of her debut book, where the main character there is a bit selfish, Lilah doesn't have a selfish bone in her body and she is always trying to attend all weddings, answering all calls, planning all that needs planning -except she doesn't seem to ever put herself in front. She virtually ignores her relationship with the harmless Will. Her only big joy in her life is her granny (the awesome Franny) and her Mensa level intelligent granny friends - FuddyDuddy United and their righteous journey to save their building from being torn down by the council, was more interesting than the record number of weddings Lilah attends.Maybe because, it is to this cause, that Lilah finally develops a backbone and confronts all her problems in life one by one and stands up for herself. Those parts were a joy to read. Although I did like the little notes about each wedding she attends :)

Throw into mix her crazy AP job for a quiz show, her even crazier parents, an absentee brother and pronunciation obsessive "rival" in the council, the book moves on entertainingly. Lucy Vine also seems to be a fan of unconventional endings, this one too ends on a slightly ambiguous note - although the epilogue goes some way to explain where the intent is at! :)

[Laura Doe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had seen both reviews were people loved this book and others found it pretty annoying and far too girly, so wasn’t sure what I would think but kept an open mind. It ended up being such an easy read, and one that I didn’t want to put down (and tried to power through after a long day at work but ultimately had to give in to sleep!).
I found the little wedding notes inserted in between some of the chapters both quirky and funny, and it took a few of them for me to realise the food was exactly the same at all of the weddings. I also liked how her gifts got less and less extravagant the further through the book we got (the coins in the carrier bag being my favourite).
It’s very relevant, and I think most women will know what it’s like to feel pressured into going to every hen do (even if there are multiple for the same person) and every wedding that you are invited to, because you don’t want to upset anyone and hope that they will do the same for you when it’s your turn. And this book deals with that feeling while also making it clear that it’s ok to say no (most people aren’t invited to as many as Lilah is in one year though!).
I loved the email exchanges about the hen do, as we all know nobody reads the emails properly and someone will always ask a question that has already been answered! I had to really laugh at the parents phone calls to Lilah, and some of the insults they used really did entertain me.
It was predictable what was going to happen in some ways, but I think that’s what made it such an easy, enjoyable read for me. It was one that didn’t need much concentration for me to follow (unlike my previous few books) and it still had a good storyline.
I will definitely be looking at more of Lucy Vine’s books in the future!

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone who has lost a whole summer going to endless weddings. Really funny and enjoyable.

[Grace Culham-Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty slow going and predictable. Good for the beach as a lighthearted read.

[Jenna Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliantly funny book which many woman can relate to. Lilah is stuck in an endless loop of hen parties and weddings of her friends.

The book accurately describes the awkwardness of going on holiday with a group of women you don’t know other than the bride-to-be, and the insane things you have to do as maid of honour. The characters are realistic, and I’m sure readers who have been in similar situations will recognise many of them.

Thank you to the publish and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

[Bethany Lewin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down my favourite Lucy Vine book! It was the first i’d read from her and I was immediately hooked! So so funny, like had me in tears kind of funny.

[Agi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read and adored Lucy's debut novel last year, I was really looking forward to her next book, you know, the dreaded second novel. And when my review copy arrived, I couldn't hide my excitement and yes, I won't be lying when I say I started reading it with great, great expectations. I mean, Lucy Vine has set the bar very high with "Hot Mess" but I was also absolutely sure she's going to pull it off with "What Fresh Hell".

I love stories about weddings. The more hilarious weddings, the better. Maybe because I am just like the main character Lilah - never dreamt of big wedding, meringue wedding dress and hundreds of guests. But I do love to read about such weddings. So this book follows Lilah, navigating through the many nuptials she keeps being invited to, together with juggling her job and private life - which, as it's going to turn out, is not that simple! Then there is also THE wedding the plan - no, not her own but the one of her best friend, so it's probably even more important than your own one. We see what Lilah is putting herself through, starting with hen dos, through panic buying presents and outfits to destroying your private life. There are also only so many ways of doing a spreadsheet for a wedding plans, right? And there are bridezillas and bridezillas, right? Lucy Vine brings this all to a different level, full of sarcasm, humour and hilariously funny moments.
Some of the best parts of the book were the weddings that Lilah has attended, the short summaries of them - hilarious guys, hilarious. And she also very soon finds out that there are only so many wedding gifts you can think about.

And! Under all this hilariousness and humour the author touched upon some important things as well, and I think the most meaningful was the journey of our main characters. I loved seeing how Lilah develops, grows and matures, how she learns to say "no". Yes, at the very beginning I thought, oh my, girl, get a grip pretty please, stand for yourself, stop being such a doormat. I was really truly afraid that I'm not going to like Lilah. But very quickly I found myself growing very fond of her, and understanding her character so very much, with all her fears of missing something, of being left out. You know, she was really honest about this, and I liked it. It was like watching Lilah turning into this Hulk or whatever his name is, going stronger and more confident and I wanted to stand up, applaud and cry "go, girl!". It took her some time, I must admit, but it didn't bother me because, you know what, she was such a lovely person, she wouldn't say boo to a goose and while it could be annoying, it was so well put into words, the author has created her character brilliantly, as well as the other ones of course! They were all big - mouthed and loud but they were so real in what they were doing and saying and they made me laugh.

It was a quick, fast - paced read, what with all the hen dos and their adventures! You could think, really, how often can you read about hen dos, but Lucy Vine has written them in a brilliant, refreshing way and even if some of them were your very typical dos, there were also some that totally took me by surprise, made me laugh out loud and ended in a very unconventional way. Brownie points to the author for turning predictable into full of surprises.

It was very, very honest, incredibly sharp - observed, very spot - on and hilariously funny. Sexy and filthy. bold. It brought wedding planning to another level, guys. It was full of embarrassing situations and the "oh no, no way, she didn't do/say this" moments (Joely. I'm thinking about Joely here. Especially). "What Fresh Hell" was a story with a great range of characters, old and young, also touching upon some more serious issues, such as eventually learning to say no, that kept me so entertained! And I really liked the mini epilogue at the end of the book where we were informed what has happened with all of the characters - brilliant idea. Highly recommended!

Copy provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.

[Ailsa · Rating 2 out of 5]

What Fresh Hell is a contemporary fiction book about Lilah, who comes home from a horrible hen do, sick of weddings, only to be asked to be a bridesmaid for one of her best friends. In fact, her whole coming year seems to be full of people getting married. It's all putting a lot of strain on her relationship with her boyfriend, and her finances. Add to this some problems at work and with the old folks social group she helps to run, and Lilah really isn't having a great time.

I have to say, I didn't love this book. A lot of the so called 'friends' who Lilah goes to hen parties with, or sits with at weddings, seem completely horrible and I couldn't understand why she was willing to keep putting effort in to those friendships when the other people were treating her horribly. I also got frustrated with Lilah herself over how much she's neglecting her boyfriend. He clearly really loves her, and is trying to do nice things for her and carve out some alone time for the two of them together, but Lilah is completely oblivious to that. She consistently puts him last, and I didn't like that.

It's a relatively light story, about the ups and downs of friendships, the importance of friends, and how the wedding industry can affect some people so much that they seem to turn into a completely different person. I think a lot of people will enjoy this as a light, funny, read-on-the-beach book. Perhaps in a couple of years when more people I know are getting married, I'll find it a bit funnier, but at the moment I like to think that if anyone in my friendship groups was treating others the way some people in this book do, they would be called out on their nonsense. 'Friends' who treat you like crap and take advantage of you are not friends. Despite my problems with the book, though, it was well written, and I will keep an eye out for more of Lucy Vine's books. I'm giving What Fresh Hell 6 out of 10.
[First posted on my book blog; link in my profile. I received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]

[Noemi Proietti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twenty-eight-year-old Lilah Fox is having a very busy year. Her job as a producer assistant is very demanding, her divorced parents call her all the time to complain about each other, and she has one wedding after another to attend, including all those hen dos. Things get even busier when her best friend Lauren gets engaged and turns into a bridezilla, wanting Lilah's complete attention night and day. Meanwhile, her boyfriend Will is feeling neglected and her bank account is dwindling. When will Lilah find time for herself? And when will she learn to stop being such a people pleaser?
I loved Lucy Vine's first novel, Hot Mess, and I loved this one even more. It's sharp, accurate, and so hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing, especially at the hen do scenes. I really liked Lilah, she's engaging, smart, and very funny - the kind of girl you wish you had as a friend. This is a refreshing, witty, and enjoyable novel, a complete page-turner!

[Kat (Bookish Blades) · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest? I don't even know. I mean, the book was okay. I enjoyed some parts of it more than others. It was funny, but sometimes the jokes were just too forced and kind of cringeworthy at some points. And all the stuff with the weddings was a bit weird as well. Especially because they have the same food at every single wedding? I won't say I have been to a lot of weddings, but there was different food on every wedding I've visited so far. Is this different in the UK? And I found most of the characters to be annoying. But, a good thing: one of them was a plus sized model with much confidence and much beauty. So there's that. And I liked her the most. She was just really cool I guess. And Lilah, the main character is not really developing, except for the last few pages where she makes a character jump instead of a development. Just. I wasn't that much of a fan, but I enjoyed a lot of parts anyways.

[librostef · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book quite frustrating to be honest. White privilege at its finest, throwing in stereotypes of other cultures left, right and centre and what Nigerian woman would ever utter the word c***? It was cheap, at least do better research if you’re going to include other cultures. The end annoyed me the most with the Nigerian fraud. I mean, is that all Nigerians are known for in the media? So bored and over the cheap stereotypes, do better. This is a book for white people, by white people.
There were some good bits, it was obvious where the story was going to go and very over the top. I did enjoy reading it for the most part but was disappointed with a lot of it.
I really enjoyed Hot Mess though and think Vine is a good author, there were just some parts that ground my gears.

[Gem ~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think it must be me but unfortunately I really didn't connect with this story or the main character at all. I saw the comedy in all the wedding antics and bridezilla moments but it didn't make me FEEL anything and I lost track of what was happening as the main focus, after 50% I just gave up as it clearly wasn't for me

[Caitlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every character and event included in the book was SO over the top cliche/stereotypical that I just didn't care about any of them at all, and a lot of the time, found it to be quite cringe inducing. The characters just did NOT behave like normal human people act/speak/relate to one another.

I'm usually a fan of this kind of book as something quick and easy to read but this was unbearable.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book and it made for an easy read. However, it was very predictable and not innovative or different. Despite a few amusing moments, the majority was rather unrealistic and a little annoying. I wanted to like it more than I did.

[Gabrielle S · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay this was one of those books where you wonder why she is friends with her friends because they are all awful. Everyone was awful. This is what I get for impulse buying a book because it was on offer at the airport.

[Claire Carr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing

Not as funny as it lead you to believe. Very irritating and unnecessary in parts. The only thing I enjoyed was the conversations between the main characters parents which unfortunately were few and far between.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a complete impulse buy on Kindle and I read it after I read Save the Date and was in the mood for more wedding books. This was a little different from Save the Date because weddings do not get a good rep in this book but it was still fun as hell anyway.

What Fresh Hell is about weddings and how they can be a major source of stress and how expensive the day can be as perfection is strived for and never achieved and how much pressure there is to be married by a certain time in life. I would say that this book is from the perspective of a woman in her late twenties and the main characters are all women, so this is a mostly female point of view on weddings. I loved seeing the main character talk about how expensive it was to go to all these hen dos and weddings because yes, it really is! The emails as she was trying to organise her friend's hen do were just so realistic and made me just as irritated with the people replying as it would do in real life.

The main character, Lilah, was more than a little frustrating as she was just such a pushover, not wanting to rock the boat and unable to say no to everything. However, this was a completely acknowledged fault in the book and I loved how she overcome it, but not before she hit rock bottom. I also loved the fact she wasn't in a relationship at the end of the book but she was much happier than she had been before and it was a little up in the air. The love triangle wasn't solved at the end of the book and I adored that.

This book also has one of my most favourite scenes about weight loss. The main character, Lilah, is slimmer now after she had a nasty break-up and lost her appetite. She has gone to a friend's wedding and every school acquaintance has commented on how much 'better' she looks now and she is thinking about how uncomfortable this makes her.

​I also can't stand this assumption that I must've hated myself back then. Like, I must be sooo relieved not to be that persona anymore. Yes, sure, I hated the way people treated me when I was bigger, but I didn't hate my body. I don't understand how people like Petra think fat-shaming my pervious self - the person I lived as for about twenty-six years - will make me feel good. It just makes me feel humiliated and sad to hear how much they didn't like my previous body. How much more they prefer this version of me. It makes me look at my life before in a different way, like I was wrong and broken. And now that I've 'rectified' myself, I will be finally be allowed out into mixed society.

And I hate knowing that I'll carry this knowledge with me if I put the weight back on. Which is, y'know, statistically pretty likely.

I loved how losing the weight wasn't a big positive thing for Lilah and how when she was happier at the end of the book, she was starting to put the weight back on. It was one of my favourite mini-subplots going on in the background.

This was a fun, fast-paced book and I would definitely recommend it. 4 stars!

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, despite not being able to relate to the main character in any way, shape or form. I have never attended a wedding since my own and have no great urge to do so and the thought of a hen do brings me out in hives - so much so I just plain didn't have one. From friends that have been on them and casual observance in a local seaside town I have to say that Lucy Vine has hit the nail on the head about the extravagance of them and the sheer inanity of them is well described with a humour that tickled my funny bone and did make me snort rather unattractively on more than one occasion. No mean feat as most supposedly humourous books leave me rather flat.

The intensity of Lilah's relationship with her friends and family is on point and makes it all feel somewhat relatable. The little asides for each wedding she went to, with their identical menus and sliding scale of presents as she plunges further and further in to debt are a joy. Sadly the numerous cultural references make this a book which will date rather rapidly and I probably caught this one at the right moment in time for it to feel fresh and fun rather than dated and hackneyed.

The story is told at a rather fast pace and you do have to race to keep up sometimes, but I suppose that speaks to they way most of us live our lives these days. Including the pre-ponderence of the use of Reply All to the frustrations of everyone concerned. Everything is all rather throwaway these days and ultimately this story is too but boy did it entertain me and put a genuine grin on my face - for that alone it deserves 5 Stars.

The characterisations are carefully wrought and bring the characters to life on the page. I think we all know a people pleaser like Lilah, or a Bridezilla like Lauren. Joely comes out of it all rather less well being self-centred and only seemingly concerned about superficialities but somehow it all works. Whether or not you like the characters is pretty much irrelevant and I found they all irritated the heck out of me most of the time but I still enjoyed every word on the page.

[Amy Gillings · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you need a feel good book, or a little pick me up then this is the book for you!!

Such a lovely little read

Lilah (short for Delilah as her dad is a massive Tom Jones fan) is a massive do gooder. A ‘yes man’. Someone who never puts herself first, the book follows her as she spends every weekend at a different wedding or hen do, watching her bank balance creep further and further into the minus. Putting herself, her relationship and her friendships on the back burner.

This book shows how much ‘self care’ is needed. A little me time is necessary to actually function!! It’s reminding people to be a little bit selfish, and that it doesn’t make you a bad person if you are every now and then. Yes be there for our friends and family as much as we can. But don’t loose ourselves in the process. Learn to say no when you need to.

We all need to be dickheads at one point to be able to stand on our own two feet and stick up for what we are passionate about! We need to learn to not just go along with what everyone else wants just because we are nice. This is something that I need to take from this book as I do find myself remembering everything for everyone else, apologising to people to keep the peace when really its them that’s in the wrong, and constantly hiding how I really feel to make sure everyone around me is okay.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started this in the hope it would be a light hearted read but in the end I just became irritated with the triviality of it all.
Delilah is in her late twenties working as an assistant producer of a quiz program and seemingly surrounded with dozens of friends or acquaintances all getting married in the same year. This means Delilah must attend numerous hen dos as well as weddings. When her best friend announces she is getting married Delilah finds herself as chief bridesmaid and organiser of the hen do for her to.
As things progress she becomes more agitated by the spiralling cost attached to all these wedding hen dos as well as the time spent away from her long suffering boyfriend. Adding to the mix is trouble at work and an additional problem of the community centre she helps run being shut down.
I wont deny there are some laugh out loud moments but so much of the story was just too ridiculous and frankly unbelievable - would anyone's parents really behave like Delilah's? She stresses that she is growing apart from her boyfriend but then goes off on yet another hen do - which like all the others she doesn't even enjoy. I ended up wanting to sit the character down and give a good talking to;
I have enjoyed various 'chicklit' books in the past as a bit of escapism but this was just a step to far away from the real world for me.

[Hannah Clarke (Love Books Actually) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find my reviews on my blog!
https://lovebooksactually.blogspot.co...

I really enjoyed Lucy Vine's debut novel 'Hot Mess' so when I saw this one I couldn't wait to start it. If you enjoyed Hot Mess I can promise you this one will not disappoint, like Hot Mess Lucy's writing is very clever and the stories are really very relatable! This book had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion.

What a year for Lilah Fox, demanding job as an assistant producer, stuck in the middle of her divorced parents who hate each other and see nothing wrong with slating each other to her, a brother who only appears when he needs to borrow money, endless hen nights to attend, following all the weddings and not forgetting the wedding gifts to be bought leaving her bank account in the minus, trying to find time to keep her relationship to Will alive and now to top it off her best friend Lauren announces she is engaged and lucky Lilah is the maid of honour... I feel exhausted just typing all that!

I really liked and believed in the character of Lilah, she is your typical woman in her late twenties, trying to please everyone and not being able to say no. There were times when I wanted to jump into the book and shake her as I could see she was taking on too much.

So Lilah's now maid of honour to her best friend Lauren.
Lauren... what a blooming nightmare bride! I fear that there are many Lauren's in this world and I really hope I wasn't a Lauren myself! I think there is something about weddings that bring out the bridezilla out of everyone!

The number of hen do's in a year was ridiculous but not surprising... Lucy describes them all really well, they had me giggling and thinking 'oh my Christ!!' on many occasions, my favourite one being the juice hen party!!

All planning meetings, hen party's and weddings aside this book takes on a deeper story of Lilah. Trying to keep everyone happy is causing Lilah's private life to suffer and at some point something has got to give and Lilah needs to take back control of her life and start saying NO!

All in all this book is brilliant, funny and at times over the top but that just makes it even better!

Thanks Lucy for another fab read!

[eileen fothergill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A riot of a story

Delilah has an excessive lifestyle, which includes accepting every invitation she ever receives.She has many friends ,a live in boyfriend ,non stop bickering divorced parents .a thankless job and not much support . Story revolves around the fact that her generous nature makes her very much used and when her world comes crashing downshe can finally see it for herself. A few home truths need to be shared and always being the problem solver she finds that difficult to do ..The book shows us the type of person she is ....she just wants to please everyone and although it's overwhelming she tries to persists until her world comes crashing down .Can there be a light at the end of the tunnel and can things ever return to how they were before .It's also shows us that even though she knows she's running on empty she just wants to be a yes person and fit in .Finally realising what needs to be said and done she makes a stand telling everyone exactly how badly their behavior is and how let down she is made to feel .Book is funny and laugh out loud also shows the vulnerability of life .I gave it 4*

[Siany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

I have read a couple of similar books recently and they have been terrible. Lots of push over characters with horrible friends who take the mick. In fact, the last one I read, I couldn’t even finish.

However, the one had better characters as a whole and that kept me reading.

The main character Lilah starts off as a bit of pushover but reading throughout you know she has a backbone and you can feel it rising the more you read.
The hen party/weddings, as ridiculous as they were, were also funny and I imagine fairly accurate. The only part I really couldn’t relate to was the putting myself into ridiculous debt to cover the costs of these “parties”.

Overall this was a lighthearted read, perfect for a lazy beach read or in my case lazy Sunday afternoon.

I hadn’t read anything from this author before and I found this to be very well written and had some laugh out loud moments. I would definitely consider reading more from Lucy Vine in the future.

I am only a little bit jealous that I don't have a grandmother like Franny because she sounds like so much fun!

Read and reviewed courtesy of Amazon Vine

[Aubrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved, loved, loved this book. It was fresh, fun, witty, and engaging. And I related to Lilah so, so much. 

Lilah is a people pleaser, and fairly scared to stand up for herself. This was - and still is sometimes - me entirely. She gets panicky and anxious about confrontation, and cannot stand to be put on the spot. She's also over-extended, and stressed the fuck out. 

All of this resonates with me so, so hard. But, like me, Lilah does hit her limit. And when she does, it is absolutely beautiful. There are few things I love more than a person standing up for themselves when the entire world is trying to keep them down. 

But also. Weddings are bullshit. There. I said it. They are absolute bullshit. I am so, so glad that my partner and I eloped. And that is all I am going to say about that. 

Despite relating so much with Lilah and her anxieties and insecurities, this book is ultimately a fun, banter-filled, witty read. Reading it was so much fun, I wasted absolutely no time getting the Hot Mess ebook, also by Lucy Vine. I also kind of can't wait to jump right back into this book again.

But I'll hold off. For now. I've got other things to knock off my TBR list.