The Life Daisy Devlin Designed : An Ex-Boyfriend, A Dream Project, A Perfect Storm . . .

Full disclosure, I have read Ms Black’s first book, this one is even better.

This little gem started with a wham bam here’s your man coming to wreak havoc and I loved it.

I don’t know if this was the plan or if I am just struggling getting older, but I really did feel like a thirty-something reading this so for that alone Sharon Black I am grateful.

It is impossible to discuss this book without giving away spoilers and if I did give any away you would be raging, I promise, so I won’t, however……… I will say the following which I have cleverly put in bullet points for your convenience – no need to thank me:

It’s very funny, that’s the first thing. It really is. The sister cracked me up and the bit about the Daddy at the party…. very lovely altogether.
There are moments that are so relatable they are slightly embarrassing to read (that could just be me and I mean in a good way!)
It moves at a great pace with very little time to get bored. I thought I might have to do a speed read through some of the interior design bits but thankfully Sharon Black didn’t do the usual diatribe fillers of lovely curtains and lovelier carpets. We knew her job was imperative to the storyline and that was enough. No feng shui was introduced to fill pages or images of dachshunds on cushions discussed, thankfully (and before anyone says a word I have two dachshund cushions).
Ms Black does a good and proper row with normal people brilliantly, not rom-commers, just normallerswhich I loved. She does the character thing terrible well, so she does. The bitesize horoscope storyline is genius.

Just so you know what it’s about without telling you too much, it’s a story about a woman who had a man and he broke her heart and then another man came along and he might break her heart but the first man comes back and he might break her heart again and then there’s the house, which is going to break someone’s heart and her sister….who breaks everyone’s heart on a daily basis.

That’s all you are getting because, and here is the winner winner chicken dinner part ……. It’s really clever. I mean that. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the books cleverness is what makes it so enjoyable.

This is not your usual happy every after and it all works out exactly as you thought (since chapter two in most cases) story. Its smart and it’s well thought out and it’s just not what you expect.