Name: For Once in My Life
ISBN: 9781786814951

Colleen Coleman

This bucket list could change your life! Twenty-nine-year-old Lily Buckley planned to be happily married and in her dream job by now. Instead she's been single since being left at the altar three years ago, and works at her local paper, writing about two-foot-long courgettes at the summer fete and a dog who looks exactly like Chewbacca. Not quite what she was dreaming of. So when Lily's given the opportunity to write her own column it's exactly what she's always wanted - except what she has to write about. She has to do one thing every week that scares her.

An Absolutely Perfect Laugh Out Loud Romantic Comedy

For Once in My Life

‘What an engaging story! I laughed out loud… Couldn’t put it down! You need to read this.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars Twenty-nine-year-old Lily Buckley planned to be happily married and in her dream job by now. Instead she’s been single since being left at the altar three years ago, and works at her local paper, writing about giant vegetables at the village fete and a dog who looks exactly like Chewbacca. Not quite what she was dreaming of. So when Lily’s given the opportunity to write her own column it’s exactly what she’s always wanted – except what she has to write about. She has to do one thing every week that scares her. With encouragement from sexy colleague – and adrenalin-junkie – Christopher, Lily agrees. From sky-diving to haunted houses, Lily is going to be pushed to her limit. And since heartbreak has left her afraid of falling in love again, her growing feelings for Christopher might just push her past it… But then her mum has a crisis, her column is the only thing keeping her – and her colleagues’ – jobs afloat, and Christopher’s ex arrives with her sights set on a romantic reunion. Suddenly jumping out of a plane is the least of Lily’s problems… Can she save her family, her friends, and her heart – or will Lily let her fears hold her back? An uplifting, feel-good story about friendship, romance, and finding the hero inside yourself. Fans of Marian Keyes, Mhairi McFarlane and Sophie Kinsella will love Colleen Coleman! What readers are saying about For Once in My Life: ‘Love, love, love this book… I absolutely adored it and devoured it in one sitting… So bloody funny. It will make you laugh until your belly hurts… It is beyond awesome, I freaking loved it.’ Chelle’s Book Reviews, 5 stars ‘OMG I loved it! It’s brilliant!!!… Hilariously relatable… Move over Beyoncé… Love the sass!’ The Writing Garnet, 5 stars ‘A five-star read that will make you get your bucket list written… The end blew me away… A fantastic read and one of my favourites by this author… This is definitely one of those reads you need in your life.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘For Once in My Life had me feeling so many things!… I read this so quickly… I was dying to know how everything would end… This book had me feeling happy… I love reads that make you sit there with a smile on your face! … It was so fun going on this journey with Lily… I was rooting for her! This is a great read for taking on a holiday, or when you just want to feel all of the happy-butterflies in your tummy.’ Goodreads reviewer ‘Laugh out loud… The perfect chick-lit book.’ Pink and Dizzy ‘A wonderful read… The attraction between them was very real feeling… Fabulous humour… Perfect… A wonderful, fun-filled story.’ Jeannie Zelos, 5 stars ‘Made me laugh out loud… Such a wonderful, fun read. Would definitely recommend!’ NetGalley reviewer ‘What a gorgeous read!… I really enjoyed this and would really recommend it… I love the concept of bucket lists and Lily takes this and embraces it fully and through it changes her life. Great read!’ NetGalley reviewer ‘So enjoyable to read… One of my favourites of the year. A lot of what Lily said really resonated with me and made me really think!’ The Cosiest Corner, 5 stars ‘A very fun story… Lots of laughs.’ My Life as a Dog Bed ‘Romantic, fun… An enjoyable and easy read.’ The Suspended Step ‘Great fun… Would definitely recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer ‘A great read… I recommend this book.’ Obsessed With Fairy Tales ‘I laughed out loud and cried.’ Goodreads reviewer

An absolutely perfect laugh out loud romantic comedy

Lysh (She/Her)

**Non-Spoilery Summary**

When Lily is dumped by her fiancé....at the church....on their meant-to-be wedding day, she us understandably distraught. Not only that, but she finds out that he has been cheating on her with none other than her best friend/bridesmaid. She retreats from the world and her insecurities about love and friendship by disappearing into the background at her new job at a tiny newspaper company in her home town. With a mother on tour, constantly judging her, and the paper on its way down the drain, for once in her life, Lily must take a chance and make drastic changes to get what she wants. She meets dreamy Christopher and they set off on their adventurous antics to save the local newspaper from becoming redundant in a modern world. This novel is filled with fun and quirky characters who will make you giggle every step of the way. They have a surprising amount of growth for a romantic-comedy pairing; though their relationship still flourishes far too quickly. The pacing is fast and the writing style is neat and sophisticated. It is highly entertaining and a modern take on romance. The relevance and strength of plot fall short, but who needs that when you can have a happy ending?

**Spoilery Review**

Characters - 8/10

I LOVED THESE CHARACTERS SO MUCH. The introduction to 29-year-olf Lily was hilariously saddening. As a result, I was hooked. There were so many little quirks along the way that reminded me of myself. Then you have Christopher, her cheesy and sexy love interest. They were realistic in the sense of being modern characters with modern problems. Whether their actions and thought processes were logical isn't so important in my view. The point of a rom-com is to follow an unlikely and 'fairytale' set of circumstances to a happy ending. They stole my heart and made me giggle. 

Character Growth - 8/10

There was a surprising amount of growth for Lily and Christopher. Although not always believable, it was meaningful for the characters and had a modern twist. Their reactions were appropriate for the most part. The speed at which their relationship blossomed was not at all realistic, but that is the nature of the genre. 

Writing Style - 7/10

As simple as this writing style was, I actually really enjoyed it. It flowed well and the detail was enough to add a life-like element to the fictional tale, whilst still remaining engaging and moving the plot forward at a good pace. 

Pace - 8/10

The beginning of this novel was highly engaged. It really pulled you in with a shocking sob story and then moved into a rather hilarious, boring and normalised life. I found that this effected the pace in an interesting way, as it slowed but was still moving with momentum and purpose. The detail and plot points were just enough - although the relationship developed far too quickly and out of the blue, but that is the nature of the genre. It was creative and there were a couple of unpredictatble plot twists, which is unusual for a romantic comedy. 

Strength of Plot - 5/10

Really? Plot making sense in a rom-com?? Nah. But that's not why you pick it up! There were no 'plot holes' as such, but it wasn't a realistic series of events. 

Entertainment - 10/10

Lots of fun! I certainly laughed out loud, as promised, and I remained interested from start to finish. 

Individuality - 7/10

I haven't read any other romaces, other than YA style, but this is certainly out of the box and modernised as far as I can tell. It reads like a movie. 

Thought Provoking - 2/10

Um, no. Unless you are reminded of hunky men you work with or mother issues?

Relevance - 2/10

Is ther a purpose to this text other than entertainment? Probably not. Is that ok? Absolutely. It's ok to be irrelevant sometimes. I often am. 

Ending - 8/10

100% predictable, but I would have been upset if it hadn't been! It was fun and entertaining, with all loose ends tied up. 

TOTAL = 65/100 = 4 STARS

This B-grade book would make a great B-grade film.

For Once in My Life An Absolutely Perfect Laugh Out Loud Romantic Comedy

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