Sunday 24 July 2016

Book Review - Goodbye Ruby Tuesday by A.L. Michael

Amazon UK
Title: Goodbye Ruby Tuesday (The House on Camden Square, Book 1)
Author: A. L. Michael
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Carina
Publication Date: 29th April 2016
Rating: 4 Stars


Four friends have become three. But that’s only the beginning.
Ruby, Evie, Mollie and Chelsea were the bad girls at school. But Ruby was the baddest. Evie fought her anger, Mollie fought her mother and Chelsea…well, Chelsea just fought. But Ruby set her sights on a bigger stage. And together, they dreamed of a future where Ruby could sing, Evie could make art, Mollie could bake, Chelsea could dance – and all of them could finally feel at home.

A decade later, the girls are reunited for the funeral of Ruby, who took the world – and the charts – by storm, before fading too soon. And Evie doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry when she learns that Ruby has left them a house on Camden Square – the perfect place for them to fulfil their dreams. But does she dare take the plunge, and risk it all for one last shot at the stars?

What an excellent start to what promises to be a truly enjoyable series. I can't help but admire Evie, Mollie and Chelsea for wanting to make something more of their lives than the small town they great up in. They have all craved escape for various reasons, but it took for their school friend's death, Ruby Tuesday, for them to do anything. 

Ruby left her girls, a house in Camden, where she used to go to write songs, so that after her death they could use it to turn it into the arts centre they used to dream of when they were younger. However since Ruby has been out of touch with them for years she doesn't know just how different their lives turned out from their plans. 

I loved seeing the flash backs to when the four were all at school together, and I almost shuddered at the home situations they had. One girl has an alcoholic mother, one has a gangster dad, one was passed from foster family to foster family and the other has a unfeeling, conman father who was continually unfaithful. 

And yet in spite of their circumstances the girls are determined to break free of their town and not turn into their own parents, with various degrees of success. 

This is a fabulous story of friendship, and I loved seeing where the plot would take me. Mollie has a 10 year old girl who is almost certainly the star of the book, and I loved hearing whatever she had to say. There is one main love interest, and he is a bit moody, but very good with his hands, I just wish I had got to know him a bit more. 

This is the first book in the The House on Camden Square series, and I am already greatly looking forward to reading book 2, to see how the story progresses. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Carina for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

1 comment:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...