From Notting Hill with Love... Actually | Book Review

 -  It was okay 

    I finished this book quite awhile ago and I still cannot wrap my head around it. I am not completely sure if I liked it or not. I came to it with absolutely no expectations whatsoever. If I have to be completely honest I bought it only because of the name (I am obsessed with British films). I kind of knew that it would be lit-chick but I am fine with this, there is always a need of some light, easy read.    
    It started out quite funny, actually. The main character sounded funny without it being forced and I was intrigued. Soon enough I felt all the clichés creeping out on me. For example, her new ”best friend” Oscar is a homosexual man who owns a clothes boutique and a little fluffy dog. Do you see where I am going? Also, I love my films and I thought it was a brilliant idea to incorporate them in a novel, but… She used so many bits and situations from the big screen that it almost felt that it isn’t her work anymore, but a plagiarised essay. Her encounters with famous people were also far-fetched. Like you would meet Johnny Depp in a chocolate shop and he’ll start jabbering about his films? Or you see Hugh Grant every day on Southbank, drinking his coffee?    
    Now for the characters. Scarlett, the protagonist, is an annoying young woman who doesn’t know what she wants from life. She is marrying a man she doesn’t love to help her father. How stupid is that? So she flees to Notting Hill for one month in order to make up her mind. There she meets another man (what a surprise, eh?) and trouble starts from this point. What I really don’t like about Scarlett is her obsession with films. I, too, am in love with rom coms (and every other genre, to be fair) but she just takes everything way too far. 99% per cent of her thoughts are: 1. What film does this situation remind me of; 2. I love Hugh Grant, I wish my fiancée was like him; 3. I want to be a protagonist form Notting Hill; and so on, you get the drill. So she just keeps running around and making stupid decisions. Sean, her new love, is also a cliché, what a surprise. Luckily, he is not as annoying as Scarlett. He is rich, good-looking and sweet and nice to your friends, family, etc. Too bad he doesn’t exist.I am also a bit confused by the overall message of the book. I don’t want to spoil it or something so I won’t elaborate much, but basically she is telling us that it is okay to hurt people and do stupid, spontaneous stuff. Spontaneity isn’t necessary a bad thing, but in this case it just leaves you thinking “what the actual f. is she doing?”.      
     ‘If you love your rom-coms and you know your Mark Darcy from your Daniel Cleaver then you’re going to adore this” I agree to some extent. Maybe you will, but only if chick-lit is your only loved genre and reading is not really your thing. Still, don’t be discouraged to look it up, it might be your cup of tea.