If you’re looking for a story to wind away the summer days, then Harper Collin’s Summer in Mayfair by Susanna Constantine might just be for you. Throughout this eBook, you follow the new life of Esme. She has just left her upper-class luxuries where things have always come easy, to a world of work, where responsibility begins to become an important part of becoming a grown-up and a way to detach herself from her dysfunctional family.
You see her having to adjust to having no money of her own, and relying on her monthly paycheque to last out, whilst trying to navigate through the parties and hangovers as she discovers what it means to be a friend and to have friendships that really mean something.
Her story starts when she leaves the space of Scottish Highlands, along with her beautiful home and housekeeper, to the compact living of a London flat right above where she is due to start her new job at a hip set Gallery.
Her story is full of celebrity connections and twists and turns along the way, as she uncovers the real Esme, through a whole load of mishaps and toil as she tries to steer her way through her new life chapter.
What did I think of the eBook?
Within the first few pages of this eBook I couldn’t put it down, however, once I reached around three chapters in, I felt I knew enough about the characters and was started to waver slightly. But as I was about to consider putting the book down, another twist occurred that managed to keep my interest.
The book is really well written with lots of details allowing you to get to know not only the characters but the nooks and crannies of where they live work and party. I found most of the characters really interesting, and a few annoying, but I suspect that was the point.
Esme is a complex character, with a deeply routed back story making her choices in the book hard to swallow at times. I think we see how she grows throughout the story making rash decisions that completely change the course of the narrative and makes for a surprising outcome.
The other characters are at times somewhat stereotypical, with a short for money bar worker and a posh little rich girl, that seems to behave in the way you often see them portrayed. Although I liked these two characters, I felt it was a shame that you didn’t get to know them beyond these stereotypes.
You also have a few celebrity drop-ins throughout the book. I feel that really they are unnecessary, but I suppose add a little bit of intrigue to Esme and her family background, and how connected she is and has been throughout her life.
Although I enjoyed the easy reading aspect of this book. The story just didn’t captivate me as much as I expected it to. There were snippets where I thought, oo this looks to be getting interesting only to be slightly disappointed that they were over so quickly. Overall I would say its a nice read, but perhaps slightly too detailed at times which made it feel very long.
About the eBook
The eBook is currently available via Harper Collins for £4.99, the paperback copy retails for £8.99.
Publisher: HQ
Format: eBook
Number of pages: 350
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0008219729
About the Author
You might recognise the name Susanna Constantine from the early 2000s when she was part of the fashion duo Trinny & Susanna. Thinking back to ‘Not What to Wear’ is super nostalgic and was a loved program of mine. Susanna worked on the show for around five years and then went onto to do other fashion-based programs with Trinny still firmly by her side. Beyond this she and Trinny have written several style advice books and following on in 2017 Susanna wrote her first novel, After the Snow. Secret, scandal and shame.
Review by: Lex Ward
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* We were sent a copy of the eBook for free in return for a review. All opinions are our own.
19 comments
I haven’t gotten used to reading on ereaders yet! I still love the feel and look of a real book. I mostly read biblical fiction
It takes time but once you get used to it, it is very convenient especially if you are travelling for a few weeks and don’t want to carry all that book weight with you
This sounds like an interesting read, it is always good when you find something that means you don’t want to put it down because it keeps throwing different twists and turns at you.
Absolutely agree, a book like that is what I love
We’ve been doing a lot of reading over the lockdown and like one that captures our imagination, sorry to hear you were slightly frustrated but it sounds like a good read in the end
Yes in the end everything came together
doesn’t really sound like my cup of tea. I like to read more gripping books. But I never knew that Susanna had even wrote a book
This sounds like an interesting read. I can remember Susanna from “Trinny & Susanna” but I had no idea she’d written a novel!
She has written quite a few already Samantha, worth checking her website out
Oh what a shame it wasn’t quite as gripping as you’d hoped. I’ve read good reviews before of Susanna Constantines books. Mich x
Hopefully, my next book of hers will be much better
Loving all your book reviews. I like how honest you are and it is really helping me to decide which e-books to actually bother reading x
Thank you Melanie, we have been on a book roll this week
Sounds like an interesting read to me. I am happy that there is an eBook format. I will check it out soon. Thanks for the review.
You are welcome, yes please do check it
What a shame it didn’t capture you as much as you hoped it would. Sounds like an interesting book nonetheless and I hadn’t realised Susannah Constantine was writing books now!
I did not know as well, she has actually written quite a selection of books surprisingly
Wow, that sounds like an interesting book to check out. It’s been a while since I last read a book and I miss it.
So glad you think that always nice to escape into a book