Suddenly Single - Carol Wyer (Blog Tour)

Date of Reading: 10/04/2019

Author: Carol Wyer

Publisher: Canelo

Publication Date: April 8, 2019

Source: NetGalley

My Rating: 4.5/5

About the book:

When bestselling romance author Chloe Piper’s marriage implodes a week before Christmas, she flees her cheating ex and the village gossips for the solitude of the newly built Sunny Meadow Farm and the company of her hapless dog, Ronnie.

But Chloe is soon pushed out of her comfort zone. Because with a lively development building crew – headed up by charming Alex – and a larger-than-life neighbour determined to make Chloe’s love life her pet project, Chloe finds herself in a whole new world of chaos…

This enthralling romantic comedy of self-discovery and new beginnings is perfect for fans of Kirsty Greenwood, Colleen Coleman and Marian Keyes.

My Review:

      I have just finished this amazing novel and whooping around with excitement, so please excuse me if this review comes out to be incoherent. This is Wyer's second book that I have taken up (no, I didn't read her detective novels) and is surely going to be on my favourite shelf. More than fiction, I will categorise this under self-help which is made genuinely interesting with the inclusion of a story.

       Our protagonist, Chloe Piper, is not just shy, she is suffering from social anxiety disorder. She is afraid of facing people and her knees buckle whenever she is confronted with too much attention; she even avoids supermarkets, scared of mingling with a crowd. She is a character I could pretty much identify with and that is not because I have this anxiety disorder (not that I have checked). But extreme shyness is equally horrible and the worst thing is there is only one cure: confront your fears and stop running away, as Chloe demonstrates. Help is sure to be at hand when you are ready to help yourself. Yes, this is one of those stories which perfectly portrays the message of Paulo Coelho.

      I am not fond of novels which include a lot of brooding, but here it felt completely natural. Since Chloe is not that talkative and keeps on thinking about the same things, the novel it seems has cleverly reflected her character. And the singleton group . . . I have only one word for you guys, AWESOME! 

        On the whole, this story has reminded me a lot about what I need to do. Because in spite of all the New Year pledges, I still run a mile if I am asked to be on the stage. So, Chloe, I know you are not real, but you are an inspiration to each introvert in this planet. I might be making a wild guess here, but it is possible that the author is also talking about her own writing experience through Chloe, and if that is the case, there could be someone who inspired this heroine.

      So what are you waiting for? I hope this review has given you enough incentive to run to the library. Another fabulous gem from Carol Wyer that should not be missed.

Meet the author:

As a child, Carol Wyer was always moving and relied on humour to fit in at new schools. A funny short story won her popularity, planting the seed of becoming a writer. Her career spans dry cleaning, running a language teaching company, and boxercise coaching. Now writing full-time, Carol has several books published and journalism in many magazines.

Carol won The People’s Book Prize Award for non-fiction (2015), and can sometimes be found performing her stand-up comedy routine Laugh While You Still Have Teeth.