Book Review

Pear Shaped

*WARNING- PLOT RUINER*

First of all, can I just say congratulations to whoever designed the cover for this book. The colours, the illustrations, the font. THE TITLE. Hell, this book had £4.99 off me before I could say ‘shallow’.

Judge me for judging a book on its cover if you will, but this is actually, a very good book.

If you’re in to puddings, that is.

Sophie Klein is a pudding developer, London girl and independent woman *mmmm hmmm ya’lll*

Then she meets millionaire James and they live happily-ever-after. Right?

Wrong.

For James commits, in my pudding-loving opinion, one of the ultimate sins against independent women.

He says that despite the fact she’s funny, and talented, and intelligent, she just, well….doesn’t look right.

Like 100 times.

And then he says he can’t be with her because he doesn’t find her attractive. Because she is a size 10, five-foot-something and not a size 2, six-foot-something Russian model.

I know sistas.  That ageing, podgy millionaire needs a clip round the ear.

One thing that made me enjoy this book, I think, was the amount of rage it made me feel. It sounds wrong doesn’t it, but who doesn’t love a good temper-tantrum every now and then?!

I FEEL RAGE because no matter that James is an *in my humble opinion* arrogant, delusional bastard who checks out other women and let’s face it, probably cheats on numerous occasions, Sophie TURNS A BLIND EYE.

If it was up to me, she’d have kicked him to the kerb by page 52.

But I guess that’s the point of the book. And it would be a pretty short book if she did get rid of that imbecile by page 52, wouldnt it?!

We’ve all been in the situation where we watch our friend make a huge mistake, be mistreated by someone, talk it over for hours and hours with you……and then walk right out the door back to the same old shit. And a lot of us have probably been in the situation where we are that friend, too.

This book makes you think about what you’d tell yourself, if you were your friend.

I really liked Sophie as a character- she’s smart, witty, hard-working, and she deserves better.

The book is a realistic portrayal of falling in love- it’s written in first person, and we ask the same questions that Sophie does. That butterfly feeling, one minute being on top of the world, the next worrying and jealousy- then wondering why you’re acting like a paranoid old shrew.

I won’t ruin the end for you. Because you should read this book.

All I’ll say is, it’s funny, sad….and will make you want to go to and spend a ridiculous amount of money on desserts.

I raise my New York cheesecake to you, Stella Newman, for this is a fantabulous debut novel.