Sadly, not one for me. I will try and be generous and assume that I’m just too old for it now, but I felt that what the publisher claimed was ‘razor-sharp’ was nothing of the sort. There was no plot to speak of and I just didn’t take to either of the main characters.

Late last year I read a book that was billed similarly but by Ellie Pilcher, and that was much better and resolved in a more satisfying way. To be quite honest I would not even recommend this as a holiday read as it was far too bland.

Well, that was a bit disappointing, although it was a quick read and a bit superficial. We all can relate a bit with Emma who is the main character of this books. She's on her thirties and stuck in a mediocre job. I just feel that the author didn't add much of a story in it. Nothing really happens here. Despite of that I had an enjoyable reading, it wasn't a favourite though.

Is this a book or a mirror? Taps into something that so many people feel, and writes about it perfectly

Easy to read, funny and likeable characters. I enjoyed this book!

Best friends Clementine Twist and Emma Derringer share a love for writing and dislike for their day job – Emma is a PA for an advertising company and Clem is a receptionist in a nightclub. Emma writes her own blog and hopes to have some of her stories published while Clem is a screenwriter looking for a producer for her script and hoping to pay her way out of her stepfather’s house.

I liked how Clem and Emma’s friendship stays strong even through difficult times. Throughout one-night stands, ex-boyfriends, weddings and pregnancies, Emma and Clem are always there for each other. The novel is enjoyable and well-paced, and Emma and Clem are likable and relatable as two young women still trying to figure out what they want for their lives. I didn’t get a real feeling about the other characters in the novel but I quite liked Yasmin, Emma and Clem’s friend, who at the beginning seems annoying and snobbish but turns out to be a quite funny and good character, and Paul, Emma’s friend and flatmate, who is always there for her and whose ironic remarks and childish behaviour made me smile. This is a humorous and sharp novel about friendship, growing up, and finding a place in the world.

Two young women in their twenties, two dreams. Emma dreams of working as a writer, she blogs about her life with quite a remarkable success, but actually she is stuck in an advertising company where she has to be creative in the dullest of imaginable ways. Her best friend Clementine Twist has just returned to London from a Year in New York where she attended Columbia film school to become a screenwriter. The feedback to her work is throughout positive, but back home she has to secure her living and moves back in with her parents and accepts a job as a receptionist of a club. Only their friend Yasmin seems to get it all right: she’s got a fancy job that she exerts successfully and the wedding with Mr Right is just around the corner. The more goes right with Yasmin the more seems to go wrong for Emma and Clementine. When does the adult life they always dreamt of finally start?

Lauren Berry really managed to catch the mood of women at the end of their twenties. Emma and Clementine are full of energy and passionate about what they love, but somehow life is in their way and they are stuck between mundane everyday-life problems. Reality and dreams seem to be many miles away from each other. Even though they are good at what they want to do, the chances just do not come to really show the world what they are capable of. The necessities of the world keep them from just indulging in their creativity, bills have to be paid, food has to be bought, so the need to earn some money is overwhelming and paralysing.

What I liked about the novel is the fact that even though the girls could easily give up and despair, they somehow stick to their dream and they have a certain sense of humour not to take themselves and their lives too seriously. Many scenes are quite funny – as long as you just read them and do not have to live them through. Even though it is at times quite close to being chick lit, the author can keep some seriousness in the story and the fact that her protagonists find themselves in the same situation as masses of young women who can surely identify with them, gives the novel an actual relevance.

Everyone can relate a little bit to Living the Dream's protagonist, Emma - She's almosts thirty, stuck in a marketing career, and the only good thing about her love life is that it provides quality content for her blog. I really enjoy books where they incorporate relevant things such as blogs and Youtube. I would have loved to have seen some of Emma’s writing incorporated into the book. After me other reviews, a common complaint is that nothing really happens in the books, that there’s no story, which is somewhat true; But that doesn’t mean the book is any less entertaining, following Emma day-to-day, laughing and cringing with her.

Berry gets the bits about working in the Creative Department spot on, something I can really relate to. The chapters where Emma is at work is where her narrative becomes very revealing. A lot of women feel similar frustrations to her and it is comforting to see a character struggling with them. Dissatisfaction with jobs is common theme in these young-woman-in-big-city books and you can happily predict that, by the end, they will have the career of their dreams.

The other main character, Clementine, was overshadowed by her best friend’s story. I kept on expecting to find out so much about her and why she is the way she is but in the end, it is up to the reader to make assumptions about her. Considering she is the more ‘fun’ one, I expected far more hijinks from her than Emma. When they meet up with their friend Yas, it is funny to see this caricature of woman, something which adds humour to an otherwise realistic book. Emma’s ‘work friend’, Hillary, turns out to be the best friend of all. After they click on their first meeting, Hillary is the voice of reason in Emma’s hectic life, helping her with sensible advice and junk food.

I thought Berry’s portrayal of abortion was really inspiring - it’s a topic that hasn’t shed its taboo completely yet, so the frankness of the writing was interesting. Emma knew exactly what was right for her and did she wanted to do. The people she need supported her and any criticism of her was ignored. You really feel for her on her journey as it dawns on her that she is pregnant, going to the doctors, and finally having the procedure. The subject is handled well.

One unavoidable criticism is the problematic language towards other women: Emma and Clem seem to have trouble describing other women with kindness or neutrality whether it be their friend Yasmin, or the "PR bimbos' It is so frustrating to read women putting other women down. It’s seems ridiculous in this day and age, that women are pitted against one another, even in writing, and even by another women.

Finally, the ending! Getting here was easy, with Berry's lively writing carrying you through the book, easily stepping from one character to another. I was glad when Emma's life wasn't amazingly perfect at the end, with all of her problems solved on the last page; she doesn't have a boyfriend, or the perfect career, but she has her dad, her mates, and cheap rent - what more could you ask for?

A really funny read that I found myself featuring in, in so many ways. The story is quite standard but keeps you gripped the whole way! The characters are believable, the situation even moreso, and there was good character development throughout.

I would happily read the next book from Lauren Berry and I look forward to seeing where this book goes!


Full review to follow on blog soon!

Fantastic fun and really made me laugh. Like Fleabag in book form but more kind-hearted and likeable. Loved it!