Life hasn't quite worked out how Arielle Lockley imagined it would. Becoming the next Coco Chanel was always her childhood dream, but she's spent the past four years living a dizzying whirl of glitzy parties, luxurious holidays and daily shopping sprees - all paid for by boyfriend Piers - and not doing anything to make her Coco dreams happen.
When the recession hits, it's not just the economy that takes a tumble and Arielle finds herself living back with her parents, on bad terms with Piers, and having a CV that's as welcome as a pair of knock-off Jimmy Choos. And maybe it's the location, but she's also finding unwelcome thoughts of her childhood sweetheart are popping into her head...
What's a girl to do? Can Arielle figure out what it is she now wants to do with her life and move on, or will she be doomed to spend the rest of her life dwelling over her worst mistakes, stuck listening to her parents' embarrassing dinner table talk each night?
My thoughts:
To be honest when I first started reading I was a little unsure about the book as I didn't exactly find myself a fan of Arielle. So I was worried that I wouldn't connect with the character or story. However in no time Arielle really did redeem herself. I think she had her faults but they were made worse by how other people treated her. They allowed her to become a more spoilt person who depended on others.
Elle Field did a great job of building the character of Arielle. I really enjoyed seeing how she developed as a person. One of the characters I loved was her old friend Obelix. Even though they hadn't seen each other for a while it was as if no time had passed. A definite sign of a true friend. Piers was interesting as I went back and forth with my opinion of him. A special mention has to go to Felicity, I thought she was great.
The plot moved at a good pace, I was pulled into story right from the first chapter. Even though I wasn't necessarily a fan of Arielle to start with she was certainly an intriguing character. You could see this right from the beginning of the book when Arielle was on the train. I pretty much read this book in two sittings and stayed up late to finish as I couldn't put the book down. By the end I was definitely a fan and I really hope Arielle gets her happy ever after!
I would definitely love to read the rest of the books in the series. Elle Field has written some interesting characters and I can't wait to find out what happens next!
Overall:
Kept has a special charm, is fun and very entertaining!
Five stars from me!
Thank you to Elle Field who kindly sent me a copy to read and review. This is my honest opinion.
Thank you to Elle Field who kindly sent me a copy to read and review. This is my honest opinion.
Amazon UK purchase links for the Arielle Lockley series:
About Elle Field:
Elle Field writes coming of age romantic comedies, and is the author of the Arielle Lockley series and Geli Voyante's Hot or Not. She grew up in Yorkshire, then moved to Scotland to study International Relations and Social Anthropology at the University of St Andrews.
Elle now lives in London with her boyfriend and their cat. She's a massive fan of sunshine, giraffes, The Killers, Audrey Hepburn movies, playing Scrabble and tea. Oh, and reading, of course!
Find out more about Elle by reading her blog - http://www.ellefield.co.uk - or by following her on Twitter: @ellefie
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Thank you so much for reviewing Kept - thrilled you enjoyed it. :) x
ReplyDeleteThank you for sending a copy over and I can't wait to read the rest in the series! :-) Rae x
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