20 March 2017

Book Review: The Singalong Society for Singletons by Katey Lovell

"A charming, feel good novel about the healing powers of friendship…and Frozen!

Monique and Issy are teachers, housemates and lovers of musicals! Their Friday night routine consists of snacks, wine and the Frozen DVD. So when Monique’s boyfriend moves to America for a year and her sister Hope moves in because of her own relationship woes, Friday nights get a new name… ‘The Singalong Society for Singletons’!

It’s a chance to get together, sing along to their favourite tracks from the best-loved West End shows, and forget the worries of work, relationships and love (or lack of it). But when Issy shares the details of their little group further afield, they get some unexpected new members who might just change their opinions on singledom for good…"

Rating: 4/5

Another book I have had sat on my Kindle for a few months now is the debut novel from author Katey Lovell. I loved the cover for this book as soon as I saw it, and the book sounded right up my street too. The main characters of this story are Monique and Issy, a couple of teachers who like to let their hair down when the school week has finished. Together with their sister and another friend, the group sets up a Friday night movie club, and you can probably guess what it's called! With a couple of new male additions, the group gathers steam, and enjoy lots of movies every week, with a lot of singing along the way. Will Monique decide she wants to wait around for her boyfriend's return, or is singledom becoming an attractive prospect?

The idea of this book is great, and sounds just like something I would be up for! I'm not one for going out, but I do love a good movie night in, and I don't mind some singing being thrown in too! The movies mentioned throughout this book are ones we would all have heard of, although there were a few in there that I haven't personally seen. Of course, there were the obvious ones like 'Frozen', 'Mamma Mia' and 'Chicago', but there were some of the old classics in there too... 'Singing in the Rain', and 'Grease' make an appearance, and it made me want to watch some of these again for myself.

I loved the addition of some male characters into the book too, and the fact they enjoyed the musicals as much as the girls was great. Clearly there was some chemistry there between Ray, Liam and a couple of the girls, and I enjoyed watching it play out, hoping that they might have a happy ending despite the fact I knew Mon was waiting around for her boyfriend to return from America from a year long job transfer! I was surprised she waited behind for him, especially given the things she saw on his social media, but there we go, each to their own!

This book was a really fun read from start to finish, and I thoroughly enjoyed Katey Lovell's writing. As well as the fun elements of the movies and the singing, there were some more serious things going on as well, such as Mon and Issy's jobs as teachers, something I enjoyed reading about especially as I work in the sector myself. There was also their friend Connie's trip abroad, Issy's personal secrets she really doesn't want to reveal, and Hope's relationship dramas thrown in. I loved the friendships between the women, they were genuine and caring, and I loved how supportive they were of each other. It was a joyful read from beginning to end, and I loved it. I will definitely be looking for more from Katey Lovell. I can definitely recommend this for a light-hearted, fun read to leave you with a smile on your face!

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