Saturday 20 July 2013

Guest Book Review: Kathryn O'Halloran - The Bad Girls' Club

Reviewed by Lisa Bentley

The Bad Girls' Club: it's about sex, it's about dares, but most of all, it's about friendship! 

Imogen, Juliette and Beth have had a gutful of the manipulative Poppy so, when they are seated together at her wedding, their resentment not only unites them but pushes them into a risqué prank.

Their problems go much deeper though. Imogen has major body issues and a lousy track record with men, Juliette is stuck in a dead-end relationship with her dead beat boyfriend and Beth is so busy trying to impress everyone else, she's got no idea what she really wants.

It's time to take drastic action.  It's time to rebel.  It's time to become Bad Girls.

They band together to form the Bad Girls Club and, through a series of brazen dares, push the limits of their sexuality.

But are the girls ready to finally take the final leap that will have them branded as bad girls for real? To save the club, and each other, they each have to publicly acknowledge their darkest secrets.

Imogen, Juliette and Beth all have one thing in common. They love to hate their friend Poppy. Poppy is the epitome of the girl who has it all and boy does she lord it over everyone. She has Imogen, her PA running around after her; her childhood friend Juliette being at her beck and call and she lords her perfect life over her cousin Beth. No wonder they hate her.

At Poppy’s wedding the girls decide that enough is enough, they will no longer be manipulated by dear old Poppy, they are going to take control of their own lives. And so The Bad Girls’ Club is born. 

Each week, one of the girls is given a more racy and daring task to do; and each week, as the dares get bigger their friendship gets closer. 

Ok, the nitty gritty. This is fun, frisky and a little bit risky but definitely an interesting debut from 
Kathryn O’Halloran; one that can be devoured in one sitting. Even at their worst, the three main characters are still likeable and you do get swept up in their crazy hair-brained schemes; you begin to wish that you were having a few illicit adventures of your own.

The one downside to the novel is that I never really felt settled by it. I didn’t know where I was 
supposed to be. At times the settings that O’Halloran described were distinctly American and she would talk about dollars etc. However, rather unsettlingly she would also place her characters in dingy old men’s pubs, and have them eating distinctly British food like stew or talk about British publications such as NME. It was geographically ambiguous. 

Overall though it was entertaining; it may not be the book that changed your life but it may just be the book that changes your day. And if you like the thought of a book that is a crossbreed between an adult version of Mean Girls and The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants then The Bad Girls’ Club is the book for you.

I'd like to thank the author for sending us a copy of this eBook to review.  Amazon link: Kindle 

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