Michelle Gayle - Michelle Gayle

Advantages: entertaining
Disadvantages: none

...'A cat. A flat. And a couple who think it's over'. I remember Mike Gayle from his agony uncle days at Bliss magazine, which is why I originally started reading his books. 'His 'N' Hers' tells the story of the relationship between two people called Jim and Alison. Jim and Alison met at university. They were together for years, purchased a flat together, got married and had a cat. Then they, very suddenly, got divorced, divided up their stuff and moved on with their lives. At the point at which the novel begins both Jim and Alison have new partners [Alison is about to get re-married] and both seem to be doing fine. That is until their cat [who has been living with Alison] dies. Alison contacts Jim to let him know what has happened and they meet for the first time in three years. This, naturally, makes them both reminisce about their... Read review

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Advantages: Funny, easy to read, true to life, page turner, written from character's perspective
Disadvantages: None, I love this book!

...It been a while since I read this book, and it is the first of Mike Gayle's books that I read, I have to say though, it really stuck in my mind and I remember thinking that it was one of the best books I had ever read, mainly because at the time the situation was very close to my heart! It's about a 28 year old guy called Duffy who know's that Mel ( his girlfriend) is the one for him, but things like trips to IKEA and dinner parties, baby talk and all the things that go with growing up and settling down begin to scare him. Is he able to get over his fears and become Mr Commitment? You will have to read it and find out. This is a really funny book, and it is written from the perspective of Duffy and not in a third person tense which I always love, as you can really get into the character more if they are telling the story. It is... Read review

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Advantages: beautiful, thoughtful, genuinly saddening
Disadvantages: honestly..........none !

...Despite being largely a fan of rock music, I do venture into the pop-rock section every now and then in hope of finding something to truly keep me listening. On previous ventures I have discovered Avril Lavigne and Katy Rose (unlikely to know her), but on the latest trip I discovered Michelle Branch. The difference between Avril, Katy and Michelle is that Ms Branch is a genuine singer-songwriter who can write the most beautiful ballad with just the swoosh of a pen. A household name in the States, she is yet to break the (appalling) mainstream scene in the UK, despite having more natural talent than 90% of the turgid tripe that you see gracing the singles charts this side of the pond. She has also gone on to duet with Carlos Santana and Sheryl Crow, a couple of songs that elevated her status even higher than it already was and she is... Read review

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