Books Read: Pippa Wright - The Gospel According to Drew Barrymore

Esther and Laura have been best friends since they were seven, when Esther was chubby and Laura was already perfect. So much has changed since then - school, boyfriends, drink, experimental hair-dye, university, jobs, London, babies - and their friendship has changed just as much, but they are still close, still inextricably linked to one another. 

So when Esther is told that Laura has gone missing, she leaves everything behind - including her husband and small child - to fly to San Francisco and trace her friend's last movements. All she has is an email from Laura: 'I'm channelling Drew Barrymore, as ever. The Gospel, right?'

In trying to understand why Laura has disappeared, and what on earth Drew Barrymore has to do with it, Esther needs to look back. Back at the secrets woven into their friendship and the truths she's avoided facing for so long.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

When I first saw The Gospel According to Drew Barrymore on NetGalley I was intrigued by the sound of it so requested a copy on NetGalley but was then surprised by a copy turning up unexpectedly in the post so I was obviously destined to read it.   However, sadly the book simply did not live up to my expectation and I really found it a chore to read, the fact that it took me almost two weeks to read when I normally read a book within a couple of days says it all,

The story revolves around best friends Laura and Esther who have been there for each other since they were young and their mutual love of Drew Barrymore films helps to bond them too. Over the years their lives might have moved in different directions but their strong friendship has remained despite the distance so when Esther learns that Laura has gone missing in Napa she leaves her husband and baby son at home and flies off to America to try and find her....

So as I said this had such good promise, the concept of close friendships and being there for one another to the extent that one friend would leave her young family behind to go and search for her friend is admirable.  On paper it would be the type of story I would normally enjoy but instead I can't put my finger on why I found myself unable to read more than a chapter or two at a time.

Normally I don't mind when a book swings back and forth from the past to the present as it all adds to the drama but in this case I just found it such hard work and by the time we finally got to see why Laura had disappeared it was a real anti-climax and I was left with the feeling of was that it?!

This has probably been one of the hardest reviews I have ever written as I hate being negative about books as know how much time and effort the author has spent writing the book in the first place.  I have read a couple of Pippa Wright's previous books in the past which I really enjoyed which is why I really wanted to like this one but sadly it's a big fat NO for me... Sorry.