Zoé-Lee O'Farrell's Reviews > Take A Chance On Me

Only Carol could write a rom-com and let her darkness seep in through the pages! This story has a heartbreaking opening where we meet Charlie and her plight in life. She has split from husband Gavin, albeit amicable after what they have been through but Charlie, she is in a rut.

Disastrous dates have left her alone and most days she is fine but she has lost her sparkle. After being slightly sozzled on New Year’s Eve at her best friends Mercedes house, they write a list, a bucket list of sorts and a clever idea, they swap lists. Charlie, so drunk and hungover does not remember it but she gets her groove on with doing these challenges. One that I would love to do is the shark tank, but enough said on the matter.

For me, this book has it all. A woman who has lost her way, she needs her sparkle and we see her on an adventure of Challenge Charlie where she is trying to raise funds for the Hospital Radio that will not be able to carry on if they don’t raise the money pronto.

I loved getting to know Charlie and I loved her journey. She did so many things I would love to do!! Zorbing, zip-wiring to name a few. She is someone I could so easily relate to, she has such a fantastic set of friends who are there for her and build her, she just needs to see what they see. I think that we all fall foul of this, no one is willing to admit what people see them is a fact.

HOWEVER! Yes, I had to shout then! Despite all this wonderful frivolity and fun, and you can’t read this review without me mentioned the wonderful Bert! He is a parrot and just the best. Despite this, Carol and her darkness are seeping in, you can see the dark smoke tendrils moving into Charlie’s life, trying to grab her and well things could very nearly go a different way! Nail-biting times to be had and I was not expecting that in the book. Don’t get me wrong this does not last long, but throughout the book, there are hints to what could be happening. I think this added to a layer to the book which you don’t normally get in romantic comedy books!

I haven’t met a main character of Carol’s that I did not like yet and Charlie will have a special place for me. Charlie could be me! She could be any one of us. Life is ridiculously too short and I think I need to start making my bucket list a reality!

Take A Chance on Me is most definitely perfectly titled. It is a book that will take a hold of you from the start, it is engrossing, light, funny and quite poignant. Charlie needs to take a chance on herself, she needs to trust the people around her and realise that she deserves a chance, she deserves love and she deserves her sparkle.