Newly single magazine journalist Chelsea Benson can't think of anything worse.
Your grubby small nephew torpedoing any chance of romance with the dishy guy you met on the plane...
Your eighty-five-year-old granddad chatting up ladies at the hotel bar...
Getting nothing but sarcastic comments from your older sister, who's always been the family favourite...
And all this is before your parents drop their bombshell.
Is a week enough time for the Bensons to put their differences aside and have some fun? Or is this their last ever proper family holiday?
It's been a number of years since we've had a new Chrissie Manby book so when I saw that A Proper Family Holiday was available to download on NetGalley I immediately requested a review copy from her publisher to read.
Jacqui Benson wants all her family with her to celebrate her 60th birthday so she decides to treat her whole family to a holiday together... so what could possibly go wrong when she along with husband Dave, Grandad Bill, daughters Chelsea and Ronnie, Ronnie's partner Mark and children Sophie and Jack all spend a week together in Lanzarote!
But it turns out that there's more behind Jacqui's desire to have the family together for her birthday as a deep hidden family secret is revealed...
A Proper Family Holiday was a hilarious tale of the dramas that ensue when four generations of a family go on holiday together especially when the two daughters have not spoken to each other for two years since falling out at a previous family get together.
At first I didn't really warm to Chelsea who seemed ashamed of her family but my perception of her changed as the story progressed, especially when her barriers came down and you got to see the more vulnerable side to her especially concerning her nephew Jack.
I loved the mix of characters throughout this novel, from grandad Bill who had some classic one liners right down to young Jack who stole the show for me. I'm sure we can all relate at least one of the characters to someone in our own family... I know I can but I'm not going to name and shame.
As the title suggests this book would make the perfect holiday read but it's not all sweetness and light as there are certainly a few darker topics covered too.
I was sad when the story came to an end but the great news is that this is not the last we'll hear from the Bension's as we'll be reunited with them in A Proper Family Christmas in November, I cannot wait to see what antics Chrissie has in store for them next!
This book is on my wish list, I would love to read it! It sounds really great!
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