#BLOGTOUR: My pear-shaped life by Carmel Harrington #5Star #ProvidedForReview #Gifted #CoverLove #MyPearShapedLife @HarperCollinsUK @fictionpubteam @HappyMrsH @annecater

I haven’t read nearly enough Romcoms or chick-lit novels this year, although I very much dislike the term – Chick lit. So when an email landed in my inbox about My pear-shaped life by Carmel Harrington I jumped at the opportunity to join the blog tour and read the book.

And I wasn’t disappointed. I absolutely loved it. LOVED IT.

Book Blurb:

Meet Greta.

She’s funny.

She’s flawed.

She’s hiding so much behind her big smile she’s forgotten who she is.

But Greta is about to discover that the key to being happy is…being yourself.

Greta Gale has played the part of the funny fat one her entire life, hiding her insecurities behind a big smile. But size doesn’t matter when you can laugh at yourself, right?
Until Greta realises she’s the only one not laughing. And deep down, she’s not sure if she’ll ever laugh again.

But Greta is about to discover that sometimes the best moments in life come when it’s all gone a bit pear-shaped…

Great book synopsis, right? And that cover #CoverLove! Simply gorgeous.

This was a book ALL about the characters, and was filled to the brim with a lovable bunch. I loved Greta. I loved Ray. I loved Billie. I loved Dylan and I loved Emily (Greta’s Mam) and the bowsies (Greta’s brothers). The story was good, but it was the characters that made it a 5 star novel for me. I related to Greta, my heart thumped along with Dylan and Ray and Billie were also something special. Carmel Harrington wrote some memorable, memorable characters.

My pear-shaped life was an easy book to read and enjoy. The writing was great, the pacing was perfect and the setting was amazing. The setting was just WOW! I now very much want to do an American road trip from Kansas to Las Vegas and see some of the wonderful sights along the way. I read the author’s note at the end were Carmel Harrington admits to doing the very same road trip that Greta does in the book and her love of the scenery shines through her writing. It was an example of the best use of research.

I also LOVED all the Wizard of Oz references and I loved the strong connection that Greta makes with Dorothy’s journey along those famous yellow bricks. For me, it just added another layer of enjoyment.

There was just so much I loved about My pear-shaped life.

And when I finished the last page I was both happy and sad. Happy because the ending had a great Happy Ever After moment and sad because I had no more time left with Greta and the gang.

It was a fantastic read. An uplifting read. A fun read and at times a serious read.

It wasn’t what I would describe as a light novel, as the plot didn’t shy away from difficult topics and dealt with drug addiction, issues around body weight and deaths of loved ones. But, it did have an overriding positive message of loving yourself and accepting yourself as you are – something I’m sure the majority of us could all do a bit more. I know I should be nicer to myself on occasion.

This was my first book by Carmel Harrington, but it won’t be my last. I have no doubt that My pear-shaped life is going to be a BIG smash hit. I certainly will be recommending it to anyone who wants a heart warming, brutally honest, happy read that will make them smile from ear to ear.

Have you read it? Are you a Carmel Harrington fan?

I received a copy of this heart warming book from the publisher, which was all arranged by the blog tour organiser – THANK YOU!

About the author:

Carmel Harrington is an exciting voice in women’s fiction – twice shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards, she has the potential to fill the Maeve Binchy slot with her warm, moving and deeply felt novels about family life. She’s extremely well connected in the Irish literary world. She chairs the Wexford Literary Festival and is on the panel of TV3’s Elaine Show. Carmel has a strong base in Ireland but her voice captures readers’ hearts all over the world and we’d now like to grow her in the UK and in Australia as well as accelerating growth in Ireland. Her stories are heart-warming, deeply emotional, and deal with some dark themes but are always ultimately uplifting.