Book Review - No Dream Impossible by Nigel May

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Title: No Dream Impossible

Author: Nigel May

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied Copy

Publisher: Grosvenor House Publishing

Publication Date: 4th September 2025

Rating: 5 Stars

Willkommen, bienvenue and welcome! It's time for the newly launched musical celebration that is the Eurowide Song Contest, debuting in the unglamorous city of Ermpit in Rottimoldovia at Europe's most easterly tip. It's like Eurovision, but it's not...

Lifelong fanatic and walking Eurovision encyclopaedia, Jemma La Vie is the UK's first ever buoyant Eurowide hope. Plucked from obscurity, her childhood dreams of taking part in a national song contest have come true as she finds herself standing centre stage, with the hopes of her nation on her proud shoulders.

But in the week leading up to the final, a sinister set of events sees contestants dropping down dead before a single vote has even been cast. There's something shady going on and it seems it's not just a few dodgy notes onstage being murdered. Will Jemma actually survive to fly the UK flag at Eurowide on final night or meet her Waterloo? And if she does survive, will there be a douze points in sight?

No Dream Impossible by Nigel May is a fun, camp and murderously saucy whodunnit story based loosely on the greatest telly show on earth. But this isn't Eurovision - this is Eurowide. A must for hardcore Eurofans - dive on in - there's enough celebrities and classic Eurovision mentions to keep even the most obsessive of songfest aficionados squealing. It's a glittery tongue-in-cheek world of dazzling divas, dodgy dance routines and deathly dealings. With added Russian grannies and hamster wheel too, of course...some things will never change, whatever the contest.

And the Douze Points go to... Nigel May for No Dream Impossible.

This is totally a love letter to Eurovision, and its funny, its camp, its entertaining, it's bonkers, there is a higher than expected body count for a European song contest, and I was almost surprised by who the murderer was (but the mystery aspect is more of a side plot to be honest - give or take the fact that more people than you would anticipate bite the dust). 

Jemma La Vie is flying the flag as the UK entrant, and she is definitely no puppet on a string, as she makes her mind up to do her best at the new Eurowide contest. There are references to Eurovision everywhere, from the name of the new stadium that is hosting in a totally made up Eastern European country, to familiar surnames or first names. 

I mean the Swedish entry is Bjorn Bjork, the Irish are clearly modelled on Jedward,, there is the a massive Diva of an entrant.  There are all the gimmicks you could ever hope for, as well as Jemma who has the most insane amount of Euro knowledge and can give you facts about just about every entrant ever or their song! 

It's all just ooh ah just a little bit bonkers, but so realistic, with all the rehearsals, media commitments, postcards being filmed, hidden secrets and fan events.   Unfortunately Jemma isn't totally walking on sunshine, as it didn't feel like a particularly sunny country, but neither is she a toy, as she does what Daniel her PR guy asks. 

Daniel who might be slightly distracted by Igor the bodyguard, while hoping the Char Grills, Jemma's BFF and backing singer, doesn't do anything too stupid. Unlike Jemma how manages to make an enemy with the journalist from Rottimoldovia, who I took an instant dislike to, too - he's rude and is the opposite of everything that Euro singing contests are about. 

This is not a book that is taking itself seriously, nor should it. It's just good old fashioned fun, with a good amount of sex, some smelly German rockers, a bickering Turkish folk duo, new friends, old tunes, a hero worship of Sandra Kim and a whole lot more besides. 

If like me you are a Eurovision fan, then this is 100% a book for you.  And you may even pick up on even more of the references than I did, as I'm positive there are more than I spotted!  

This is just a pure joy to have read, and reminds me of how much I always loved Nigel May's bonkbusters when he was writing those! You could tell the author was having a total disco ball of a time writing his very own Waterloo, while dancing Lasha Tumbai, while dreaming up his own Euro Fairytale. 

Thank you to the author for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.