Books Read: Twelve Days in May by Niamh Hargan

Lizzy Munro is working at the Cannes Film Festival, in a job that involves a lot more admin than red-carpet glamour.

There, Ciaran Flynn is the man everyone is talking about: heartthrob of the moment and director of the most romantic movie of the year.

What nobody knows is that twelve years ago, they were best friends . . . and they haven’t spoken since.

But when Ciaran’s film runs into trouble, there’s only one person he can turn to.

Is twelve days enough to save not only Ciaran’s film, but also the spark he and Lizzy once shared?

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I'd like to thank Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour and Harper Collins for my copy of Twelve Days in May to review via NetGalley. 

Twelve Days in May is the debut novel from author Niamh Hargan and as the title suggests it's set over a 12 day period in May during the Cannes Film festival. The story features two characters who are both at the festival for work, Lizzy to represent the Scottish Film Board and Ciaran, a director who is there for the premiere of his latest film.

A chance encounter brings them into contact with one another and it's clear that they have a shared history that didn't leave them on the best of terms which instantly intrigued me and made me want to know what exactly had happened that they were no longer on speaking terms. But when Ciaran needs help, Lizzy is prepared to put their past aside and be there for him in his time of need and over time they are able to rebuild their trust in one another to establish a new connection. 

As the story progresses we get to see snippets of their budding relationships, both in the present day but also when they first met each other during their gap year in Bordeaux 12 years ago. I also really enjoyed getting to see the drama surrounding Ciaran's film, the military organisation needed by Lizzy to stage her ceilidh event as well as a behind the scenes look at the red carpet treatment at premieres.  

I really liked both Lizzy and Ciaran in equal measure, normally when I read a book with two main characters I find myself favouring one over the other but that was not the case here. At first Lizzy has her guard up and was wary and it's only as we get to know more about her and the invisible walls that she uses to protect herself start to come down that we get to see the real Lizzy. There was one moment featuring paparazzi photos where we got to see the raw and vulnerable side of her character and I'm sure that any of us would have felt the same in that position. As for Ciaran, he appeared to be the quintessential cheeky Irishman with charm and good looks but he too showed us a more vulnerable side to his personality when his livelihood is threatened. 

My only niggle, and it's a small one, is that I wish there was a distinction between the chapters set in the past and present so that it didn't feel quite so disjointed as one minute you'd be reading about events in the current day and the next you're in the past. 

Overall I did enjoy Twelve Days in May and look forward to reading more by Niamh Hargan in the future.