Author / Rebecca Haslam

Posts by Rebecca Haslam

I'm travel and culture mad, and nothing more than theatre shows, gigs and fun times.
by Rebecca Haslam

Dolly Alderton Puts A New & Relatable Twist on Romantic Fiction with ‘Good Material’

I personally have found it quite rare, particularly in recent years, that a female author has a male protagonist at the heart of their stories. That, to my mind, makes Dolly Alderton quite special. Her latest book, ‘Good Material’, centers around Andy, a 35-year-old still searching and waiting for his big break in comedy, who finds himself dumped by his girlfriend of close to four years, Jen.

In an age of constant social media scrutiny and attention, where it seems anyone can follow anyone (knowingly or otherwise), the fact that Andy engages in some serious cyberstalking will no doubt hit a nerve with some readers, notably any who have been targeted in such a way, and more viciously than in this book.

As someone in their late 30’s themselves, I found myself relating to many of Alderton’s comments and quips – the daunting realities of affording rent and other essentials, the desire for a sudden boost in career being two – but my favourite related to the feelings single (and childless) individuals can/might feel when they turn up at the homes of friends who have little ones. I have two nephews and two nieces, and many of my friends are settled down with families so I really felt THAT moment and description in particular.

I’ve also always been single, but have seen several relationships around me implode. “The Flip” as Dolly calls it is not something I’m personally familiar with, but I have absolutely no doubt that it does happen and has done to many – inclusions such as this are one of the many things that make Dolly and her writing so relatable to such a wide audience. The characters in Dolly’s work are well written, layered and come across as people you or I know or might come to know at some point in our lives; even as a single woman I could and can identify both Andy’s and Jen’s.

The way the book ends (no spoilers) also surprised me. While the rest of the book plays out from Andy’s perspective, it closes on Jen’s. This “flip” adds a new dimension to the story, as – as we all know – no relationship, past or present, can be or ever is entirely one sided. At the same time, the ending proves Alderton isn’t afraid to throw the conventional romantic fiction ‘rule book’ out of the window and establishes her as one of the best fairly new writers around.

by Rebecca Haslam

The Catch by Amy Lea is the perfect Springtime Rom-Com Read

I always love discovering authors, and The Catch proved to be an ideal introduction to Amy Lea. Her latest book is the third and final instalment in her Influencer series, but I personally found it works and worked well as a stand-alone read too, which is how I enjoyed it.

As a Brit, I always like seeing stories that are set in countries other than my own, so Lea got a big tick in my metaphorical book for setting this tale in Canada, somewhere I’ve only visited once almost two decades ago. I personally live in a decidedly rural area where fishing by the canal is a common sight, so I was considerably amused to see the protagonist of the story, Melanie Karlesen, find herself having to stay at an inn in a rural fishing village. The owner of the inn, Evan Whaler, is someone I immediately took a dislike to but I warmed to him as I turned the pages, and as his connection to and with Melanie took a rather complicated, somewhat typical rom-com style turn while the pair, together with Evan’s cousin, worked to fix some decidedly difficult familial relationships.

Now I have to admit, I’m not a particularly big believer in romance (at 38, I’ve always been single), but I am an absolute sucker for the slow-burn kind which is exactly the type which Melanie and Evan ‘engage’ in. Far too often, I’ve found that the development of relationships in stories like this come across as far-fetched and unrealistic – the romance between the central pair in this book is exactly the opposite. They go from being testy and unfriendly with one another (I’m looking at you here, Evan!) to enjoying more and more of each other’s company, particularly after occasions where Evan’s family interfere as only family can and do.

To say much more about The Catch would be to give spoilers and I hate spoiling surprises for people so I’ll end with this – if you love small town set stories with a strong, opinionated and considerably feisty woman at its heart, wrapped up in a believable and genuinely touching rom-com bow, this is the perfect book for you.