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Katy Colins

Autor von Destination Thailand

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Once again UKCarina & NetGalley have come up trumps and given me the opportunity to review Katy's third book in the series and its as fab as the other two.

I love the fact that I can feel I am actually in the locations that Katy writes about, I love the romance and most if all I love the humour. This is such a fun, exciting, romantic travelogue
 
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TheReadingShed01 | 1 weitere Rezension | Feb 25, 2023 |
At my ripe old age, I really feel the need to go backpacking after reading this book of Georgia's adventure. The story is so wonderfully written, it had me smiling too. An all in all great read
Thank you so much to Carina UK and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book
 
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TheReadingShed01 | 1 weitere Rezension | Feb 25, 2023 |
In the third instalment of Katy Collins’ popular series ‘The Lonely Hearts Travel Club’, Katy explores what happens when a couple with differing priorities enter a televised competition filmed in Chile.

-- What’s it about? --

Georgia and Ben have just moved in together (they’re still unpacking), so she’s stunned to discover an engagement ring lurking in her boyfriend’s belongings. Georgia’s been engaged before – and been brutally ditched before her wedding – so she’s naturally wary of taking such a large step. Should she be bolder? Clearly Ben thinks they’re ready, even if a trip to Ikea has caused a table-shaped dent in their newly discovered domestic harmony.

This couple also run a business together, so there’s plenty of potential for friction, especially when they’re introduced to the three other couples competing for the cash prize Ben believes their business so badly needs. As for the other couples, it’s quickly clear that Ben and Georgia might not be the only couple with problems…

Can they win the competition? Can they agree on a way forward for their business and their relationship? And what will happen to these four couples in rugged Chile?

-- What’s it like? --

It’s classic chick-lit peopled with a typical cast of characters: an anxious heroine who’s not sure if her partner is really Mr Right, a couple of best friends whose ‘help’ can lead to trouble, and a leading man who refuses to talk about the important parts of his past. Add in a couple of glamorous TV people (the gorgeous female presenter, of course, prefers to recognise Ben’s presence if she can avoid acknowledging Georgia’s existence) and a father who knows he’s failed his son, and there’s plenty happening to keep the story ticking along.

It’s the classic relationship struggle where both partners make mistakes (she reaches assumptions that cause friction; he refuses to discuss the causes of the friction) and have to be prepared to say they’re sorry if their relationship is to survive. There’re a few diversions into the other couples’ problems, which helpfully reassure Georgia that her potential Mr Right is at least not Mr Scam-artist, Mr Put-Upon, Ms Gold Digger or Mrs Impossible-To-Satisfy.

I’m not convinced that the definitions at the beginning of each chapter really added anything to the book, and the birthing scene was rather clichéd, but I can completely imagine this as a film and understand why one reviewer nicknamed Collins ‘the backpacking Bridget Jones’. This worked well as a standalone book – I never felt like I was lacking any information from the previous books or that I was being fed information purely to ‘catch me up’ – but I imagine fans of the series will find it more enjoyable as they will already have a lot invested in these characters.

-- Final thoughts --

The activities in Chile, and indeed the descriptions of the setting and culture, are mildly entertaining and it made a refreshing change for me to read a story where no-one was murdered or even mildly tortured. Indeed, Georgia informs us that, ‘This was worse than waiting to find out who was being voted off The X-Factor.’ so I can only agree with Heat magazine’s assessment that this is ‘perfect escapism’.
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brokenangelkisses | 1 weitere Rezension | Oct 20, 2016 |
I was looking for something light and funny to read and my internet trawling suggested that this book would fit the bill. After all, who doesn’t enjoy books that travel to exotic, warm locales in the middle of winter? I’d also heard that this book had been compared to Bridget Jones and I adore Bridget, so I thought dropping $10 on the paperback was worth it. Note that I wouldn’t classify this as a romance novel, so don’t jump to any assumptions just because it’s published by Mills & Boon in Australia. Destination: Thailand is the first in The Lonely Hearts Travel Club series and it’s more of a regaining your confidence/finding your feet book (although I suspect that there will be romance in later stories).

The book follows Georgia, who was dumped almost at the altar by her fiancé. He’s found another woman and she’s pregnant. Georgia’s bestie Marie jets her off to Turkey to get her mind off things where Georgia begins to list the things she hasn’t done, which is travel extensively. When she returns home to Manchester, Georgia loses her job in a quite unbelievable way (I reckon the unions wouldn’t have been impressed by that one) so the fates align for her to take some time off. She meets Tricia in a travel agency, who books her a tour, but ends with a mysterious suggestion to go to the Blue Butterfly on a small island if things get too much. It doesn’t take too long for things in vein to start happening.

First of all, the tour is a mess with barely liveable conditions, bitchy roommates and drunken times. Then Georgia meets Dillon who looks to her that he might be more than just a holiday fling (to everyone else, he looks like trouble). Can she make it to the Blue Butterfly to heal herself? What will happen when reality bites?

I’ve heard that Georgia is based on experiences Katy has had herself, but I can’t comment as I haven’t read her blog. (I will be after I’ve finished this review though as I like Katy’s open, nothing off limits style of writing). I liked the idea of going off to find yourself post heartache but at times Georgia is a total dill. I’m surprised she didn’t have her passport stolen because at times she made some idiotic decisions. She was too trusting at times (hello Dillon and his conniving ways) and a bit of a doormat when it came to the passive aggressive taunts of one of her roommates. She also did the whole ‘got so drunk, did things I can’t remember/believe’ routine. I’m pleased to say that she did grow as a character throughout the book, so hold tight while she makes those mistakes. We don’t learn too much of her pre-travel days, so perhaps she was just really sheltered and restrained. I didn’t find Georgia annoying though as she’s upfront about her mistakes and the ending of the book is pretty hopeful. I think it helps that Georgia doesn’t ruminate on her errors or the things that happen to her – it’s done, finished and time to move on. She’s not Bridget, but she’s able to hold her own.

The style of writing is open and pretty funny at times. Some of the events could be considered clichéd, but Katy Colins makes them sound unique and integral to the story. It’s easy to continue reading – you won’t be tempted to put the book down. The supporting characters are also done really well – fleshed out and individual from the ultra-fun Marie (if she had a series, I’d read it) to the slimy tour leader Kit. I’m looking forward to hearing more about the Lonely Hearts Travel Club girls, who I’m sure have some trips up their sleeve and Stevie, Tricia’s godson. I’ve already bought the next book in the series (Destination: India) to see what happens to Georgia next as she’s reinventing her life and enjoy an armchair ride through the country!

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
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birdsam0610 | 1 weitere Rezension | Jul 9, 2016 |

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Werke
10
Mitglieder
64
Beliebtheit
#264,968
Bewertung
4.2
Rezensionen
4
ISBNs
32
Sprachen
3

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