Book Review: Catch Me If You Cannes

By Becky Gulc

I have loved both of the books I’ve read by Lisa Dickenson to date, The Twelve Dates of Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street, so I was so happy to get the opportunity to review her latest paperback release, Catch Me If You Cannes. Doesn’t it have a wonderful cover? It definitely has ‘holiday read’ appeal. So what’s it all about?

WARNING: reading Catch Me If You Cannes may result in embarrassing outbursts of belly-aching laughter on public transport. Romantic, funny and full of Cannes Film Festival magic, it's perfect for fans of Giovanna Fletcher, Paige Toon and Mhairi McFarlane.

Jess has decided it's time to get out of her comfort zone and live a little. So when her best friend Bryony, a journalist on a gossip magazine, is sent to cover the Cannes Film Festival, Jess decides to seize the day and go along for the ride. Two weeks of sun, glamour and exclusive entry into celeb-filled parties is just the kind of adventure Jess needs.

Reality soon bites though when Jess and Bryony find they're staying in a dingy hotel far away from all the action and Bryony's expenses budget barely covers a glass of local wine. Undeterred, the two women are determined to live like the elite and enjoy one fancy night out to begin their holiday. So what if they have to tell a few white lies along the way? It's just this once. No harm done . . . right?

Full of hilarious one-liners, sparkling blue seas and plenty of romantic moments, Catch Me If You Cannes is the story of two friends, a few white lies and one very sticky situation . . . (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon UK.)

This is exactly the kind of book I’d be wanting to take on a beach holiday with me. Unfortunately for me, I had to read it at home, but the good news is I still feel like I kind of had a holiday! The synopsis says fans of Paige Toon would enjoy this book and I couldn’t agree more. I love Paige’s books (especially for their escapism) and Lisa is fast becoming a firm favourite of mine, as well.

One thing I enjoyed about this book was the lack of build-up, no setting the scene in the UK before these friends head off on their adventure. Sometimes it can feel like books don’t quite get going until the characters reach their destination when you know it’s coming. That is not the case with this book; it’s full steam ahead - action-packed and a fun adventure in Cannes from the very beginning. In this sense, I enjoyed the mystique of Jess’s day to day life back home and what she might have wanted to escape from by going on holiday.

I loved the friendship between Jess and Bryony. Quite different characters, but so well suited, and their strong bond was clear throughout. It was their friendship, and the situations they got themselves into that made this a superb read. This is a very funny book. I’m not someone who often laughs out loud at books, but this was one of them. It also kept up the pace throughout and with this made me read it quite quickly; an easy quick read but in a lovely way!

The setting of Cannes was amazing I could clearly picture the characters there. The visit tying in with the film festival lends itself to all kinds of funny scenes with the people they meet along the way. Would love to see these characters have another adventure.

Thanks to Sphere for the book in exchange for an honest review. Visit all the stops on Lisa's tour!

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