Chasing Charlie tells the story of Sam, an assistant director involved with tv and adverts and not having much luck with her love life. When she literally falls at the feet of her first love Charlie, having bumped into him and landed unceremoniously in a puddle, she becomes obsessed with him and decides to see if the flame can be rekindled. Her friends all think this is a very bad idea particularly her flatmate Mara and Mara’s twin Ed, who has been secretly in love with Sam for years.
Sam was a flawed but believable character. She loves her job and is really good at it but her salary slips through her fingers as soon as it’s earned! She faces the embarrassment of her credit cards being declined and is often bailed out by her friends and family. She is behind on her rent and contribution to the bills and flatmate Mara is understandably starting to lose patience! She is a kind person though and I couldn’t understand why she was so keen to get together again with the sleazy but very handsome Charlie. In her pursuit of him, she gets herself in all kinds of embarrassing situations and she isn’t listening to her friends advice. At times I wanted to shake her and at times I wanted to take her aside and say ‘now look….’. Even she begins to wonder who she is and what she really wants deep down.
I found myself drawn to Sam’s friend Claudia. Claudia is successful in the corporate world, very glamorous and has enjoyed lots of relationships with lots of men. She is currently attracted to John ‘Tightpants’ from her office and they have had a brief liaison. However, Claudia has some health worries just now that she’s not keen to share with her friends but will have to reveal to the men in her life. Apart from being friends with the others, her story seemed slightly more disconnected and yet I liked her a lot. She seemed a courageous person who wasn’t afraid to admit to her mistakes and I liked her developing relationship at a time she thought it couldn’t be possible.
I enjoyed this book and the chapters written from the different characters’ viewpoints made them well rounded. Ed’s emails to his friend were particularly revealing showing the reader exactly what he was thinking and feeling about Sam. The strength of Sam, Mara and Claudia’s friendship is well and truly put to the test throughout the book but the bonds of friendship are what sees them all through in the end. This emphasis on friendship was, for me, the real heart of the story.
My thanks to Black & White Publishing for giving me a copy of Chasing Charlie to review. It is already available as an e-book with a great introductory price of only 98p and will be published in paperback this Thursday, 21st April. You can order a copy here: Chasing Charlie
From the back of the book
When unlucky-in-love Sam bumps into her first boyfriend, the charming but roguish Charlie, she falls head first for him all over again. Even though he broke her heart, she’s determined to win him back – even if she has to chase him all over London…
Sam’s friends have their doubts about whether cheating Charlie is really the man for her, but they have their own problems to deal with. Uptight Mara is struggling to trust anyone after a bad break-up; sexy corporate go-getter Claudia has her self-confidence rocked after a health scare; and sensitive, intelligent Ed, has been secretly, hopelessly in love with Sam for years…
As Sam chases her lost love like a woman possessed, getting into ever more outlandish situations and making a fool of herself in the process, she finds herself wondering just how far she’ll go to win Charlie back. Or will she finally see what’s right under her nose?
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