The Time of My Life - Tilly Tennant

Author: Tilly Tennant

Narrator: Louise Williams

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Rating: 1.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: I did NOT have “the time of my life” reading this. But to those who like their romcoms to be on the sillier side of fluff, this will be a good choice.

Story Synopsis:

Bonnie, thirty-five year old single mum to fifteen year old Paige. Her long-time partner (and Paige’s dad) walked out on them two years back and she’s been struggling to make ends meet. This doesn’t stop her from dreaming about a hot boy-band singer. When she actually gets the chance to meet her crush, she is on cloud nine. Will things work out as per her dreams? There are many more aspects to the plot but this is where it all begins.

The story comes to us in the first person pov of Bonnie.

Where the book worked for me:

👌 The cover is gorgeous.

👌 The narrator of the audiobook is outstanding. Ooh, and the audiobook is just 8.5 hours long – Phew!

👌 Three characters are loveable – Max, Linda, and Jeannie. (Also, the only three characters in the book with a modicum of common sense.)

Where the book didn’t work for me:

😒 There are two kinds of romcoms – one where the proceedings are sweet and you love what’s happening though you know what’s going to happen. The second is where the plot is thoroughly illogical and there are ridiculous ideas and farfetched twists that don’t make sense to anyone with a bit of brainpower. This book is in the second category.

😒 There are two kinds of romcom leads – one who is a loveable girl making the best of her mind and heart either to get a partner or to progress in life. The second is a gorgeous female who does nothing with her brain, takes the silliest of decisions and yet moans about her situation when things go from bad to worse. Bonnie is mostly in the second category.

😒 When I requested this book, I thought it would be a story of a celebrity crush coming true. The blurb looked so appealing in this regard! What I didn’t know is that the said celebrity was just 23 years old. I have no issues with older woman – younger man romances, but it should be written believably. In this story, the whole attraction comes off as fake and abrupt and silly. Why would a successful young popstar suddenly and inexplicably lust after a single mom 12 years his senior, no matter how gorgeous she is?

😒 There are three guys in the story – the celebrity, the ex-partner, and the delivery man at the greengrocer’s where Bonnie works. With three potential lover boys, there should have been at least a little confusion about who would win Bonnie’s heart finally. But no, the champion is as clear as day.

😒 There is a great amount of stress on appearance. Bonnie is so gorgeous that everyone can’t help being attracted to her. All the characters are not just described in detail based on the looks but their appeal is supposed to be more because of their physical qualities. There is also some body-shaming. (“People with bottoms as big as Manchester” supposedly because they eat multiple times a day - really? *eye roll*)

😒 The character sketching is so poor except for the details on everyone's looks. For instance, the whole book goes by without us even knowing why Bonnie is working at the greengrocer’s as a low-paid assistant at age 35.

😒 Paige’s character is the worst written. She is supposed to be fifteen but there’s no consistency in her portrayal. Sometimes, she acts as a teen (not in a good way) and at other times, she is shown to be almost childlike. Her sketching is so ad-hoc that even by the end of the book, I didn’t know what she was really like, though she has such a major role in the story.

😒 Almost every single decision taken by Bonnie made me wanna whack her head with a frying pan à la Tangled’s Rapunzel.

😒 There are some twists in the story. Not one of them made sense. I can’t reveal much without going into spoilers but I was rolling my eyes at almost every scene from 40% onwards.

The book will be good for fluffy-chicklit lovers. People like me should learn a lesson and stay away because even when reading this genre, we use our heads more than our hearts. To be honest, my heart didn't like it too. There were no "awwww" moments, something that is a must for every chicklit if I have to enjoy it.

Recommended for those who know how to turn off their left-side of their brains and enjoy a "light" book "lightly".

1.5 stars. (1 star for the narrator, 0.5 stars for the three characters I liked. 

Just so you know, the book was originally published in 2014 under the title “Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn”. Good the name was changed because Holden Finn isn’t the be-all and end-all of the story.

My thanks to Saga Egmont Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “The Time of My Life”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook. So sorry this worked out badly.