The Naughty Girls Book Club - Sophie Hart
Published: 06/07/13
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 400
Ok. So I am a bit of a prude when it comes to erotic fiction. Ever since the 50 shades wave I’ve been pretty sick of the sight of erotic books. They’re just not my thing. I tried to read 50 shades but found the writing to be appalling and the subject matter really wasn’t my cup of tea. When I saw this book I automatically scoffed at it and regarded it as another piece of rubbish that only desperate and lonely women read.
However, I decided to stop being such a stuck up cow and give it a go, after all, for 99p you can’t really go wrong!
I downloaded it and started reading and from the first few pages I was hooked.
Estelle runs a cafe called Cafe Crumb but the recession is affecting her business and with small, independent businesses around her closing down, she realises she needs to do something to boost her sales. Estelle is inspired to start up a book club in the cafe where people can come and discuss books whilst eating Estelle’s homemade cakes and drinking pots of tea. The first meeting is attended by a small but eclectic group of people. There is Sue, a retired sixty something who is bored day in day out, Gracie, a feminist who isn’t shy to voice her opinions, Rachel, a bubbly secondary school teacher who wants to find something more to do with her spare time and Reggie a shy, PHD student who is carrying out research for his thesis. During the first meeting they discuss Tess Of The D’urbervilles but they quickly all decide that they want to read something a bit more interesting. Ten Sweet Lessons is a new book that is topping bestseller lists and causing a stir around the country so they agree to give this new erotic book a go. After that, they start to read just erotic fiction from all eras and they begin to go on their own journeys of discovery.
I loved this book for the pure fact it was about real, working women. Not some teenage virgin who gets shown the time of her life by some sadistic man. The female characters were so strong and independent that I fell in love with them all. Whilst sex is a prominent aspect of this book, there isn’t a overwhelming amount in it. This isn’t the kind of book that has graphic sex scenes every few pages, this one is more of a chick lit with a few saucy scenes thrown in.
The character development throughout this book is wonderful. I adored the journeys the different characters went on; especially Sue and Reggie. Each character learnt over the course of the book about themselves and what they really wanted out of life and each of them worked towards making their needs and desires (not just sexually) a reality.
The pace of this book was perfect, it wasn’t slow at all and I constantly wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next to these characters. Each chapter flowed nicely into the next and none of the writing felt forced. Sophie’s writing style instantly grabbed me and I loved the ease with which I could read this book.
I would recommend this book to everyone. Even if you hate erotic fiction like me, or you don’t think it’s ‘your thing’ I urge you to read this because it will totally change your mind!
This, in essence, is a beautiful story about five people discovering what they want in life and falling in love set against a backdrop of erotic fiction history. A brilliant, brilliant book. I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for more from Sophie.
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 400
Ok. So I am a bit of a prude when it comes to erotic fiction. Ever since the 50 shades wave I’ve been pretty sick of the sight of erotic books. They’re just not my thing. I tried to read 50 shades but found the writing to be appalling and the subject matter really wasn’t my cup of tea. When I saw this book I automatically scoffed at it and regarded it as another piece of rubbish that only desperate and lonely women read.
However, I decided to stop being such a stuck up cow and give it a go, after all, for 99p you can’t really go wrong!
I downloaded it and started reading and from the first few pages I was hooked.
Estelle runs a cafe called Cafe Crumb but the recession is affecting her business and with small, independent businesses around her closing down, she realises she needs to do something to boost her sales. Estelle is inspired to start up a book club in the cafe where people can come and discuss books whilst eating Estelle’s homemade cakes and drinking pots of tea. The first meeting is attended by a small but eclectic group of people. There is Sue, a retired sixty something who is bored day in day out, Gracie, a feminist who isn’t shy to voice her opinions, Rachel, a bubbly secondary school teacher who wants to find something more to do with her spare time and Reggie a shy, PHD student who is carrying out research for his thesis. During the first meeting they discuss Tess Of The D’urbervilles but they quickly all decide that they want to read something a bit more interesting. Ten Sweet Lessons is a new book that is topping bestseller lists and causing a stir around the country so they agree to give this new erotic book a go. After that, they start to read just erotic fiction from all eras and they begin to go on their own journeys of discovery.
I loved this book for the pure fact it was about real, working women. Not some teenage virgin who gets shown the time of her life by some sadistic man. The female characters were so strong and independent that I fell in love with them all. Whilst sex is a prominent aspect of this book, there isn’t a overwhelming amount in it. This isn’t the kind of book that has graphic sex scenes every few pages, this one is more of a chick lit with a few saucy scenes thrown in.
The character development throughout this book is wonderful. I adored the journeys the different characters went on; especially Sue and Reggie. Each character learnt over the course of the book about themselves and what they really wanted out of life and each of them worked towards making their needs and desires (not just sexually) a reality.
The pace of this book was perfect, it wasn’t slow at all and I constantly wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next to these characters. Each chapter flowed nicely into the next and none of the writing felt forced. Sophie’s writing style instantly grabbed me and I loved the ease with which I could read this book.
I would recommend this book to everyone. Even if you hate erotic fiction like me, or you don’t think it’s ‘your thing’ I urge you to read this because it will totally change your mind!
This, in essence, is a beautiful story about five people discovering what they want in life and falling in love set against a backdrop of erotic fiction history. A brilliant, brilliant book. I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for more from Sophie.
Laura