Category: My Opinion

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Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

Of Captain America The Winter Soldier And The Amazing Spider-Man 2

What a treat for Marvel fans this year. Earlier on, we have the follow-up movies for Captain America and Spider-Man. Later, we will have X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy. Some of us who are fans of the online game Marvel Heroes have already planned to meet up and watch the upcoming X-Men together.

Captain America 2 and Spider-Man 2

3 years ago, my wife and I have watched the Captain America movie. I love his personality being so close to people on the ground. 3 years later set in modern time, Captain America is on a mission with Black Widow. The plot I must admit sounded complicated initially. Had I not been introduced to the Hydra organization thanks to that online game I am playing, I would have been pretty lost because I don’t read that much comic. As far as the story goes, S.H.I.E.L.D. is infiltrated and no one can be trusted. It is up to Captain America in leading the people out of the crisis. The villain turns out to be Captain’s best friend and now called Winter Soldier. This film has plenty of action as well as good plot twists. Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson are both charming on screen. What I found missing or what I really wish to see was some romance in the story, which is none. That leads to the second movie my wife and I have watched – The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

It is hard not to love Spider-Man. He is agile and funny. And he is popular. Andrew Garfield is the perfect actor for this role. There is a vulnerable side of his. But also possess an inner strength and determination that I feel lacking in the previous incarnations. Spider-Man is a super hero after all and he has to be strong. I also happen to like Emma stone as Spider-Man’s love interest. Gwen Stacy is not portrayed as some girls who are helpless without her superhero boyfriend. Being a real life couple may have explained the amazing on-screen chemistry. Plot-wise, this movie is not as memorable as Captain America’s. But I was thoroughly entertained and enthralled by the story between Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy.

Both are good movies. I can’t wait to watch the next two!

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Drama Movie Reviews

The Pill – Love the Dialog and Drama

The Pill is a 2011 American romantic comedy film starring Rachel Boston and Noah Bean.

I chanced upon this 2011 movie while exploring movies over Netflix that have Rachel McAdams in it (somehow, Rachel Boston appears as a ‘close match’).  I was intrigued by the synopsis and since I enjoy watching romantic comedy genre, why not give it a go?  The story is incredibly straightforward.  A man (Noah Bean) and a woman (Rachel Boston) has a one-night-stand.  In the following morning, the man is concerned that the woman may become pregnant and insists that she should take a morning after pill.  At the pharmacy counter, the man discovers that one pill has to be taken immediately while another, 12 hours later.  So, he has to find a way to hang out with the woman he barely knows for half a day making sure that she will take the pill.  And she has no clue that there is a second pill to be taken.  Meanwhile, the woman just comes out of a long relationship and the man actually has a live-in girlfriend to go home to.

I like The Pill because the film focuses on the drama and the dialog.  There is plenty of acting involved while the rest like backdrop, effect, and soundtrack is kept to the minimal.  It reminds of films like Before Sunrise whereby the actors keep on talking throughout the movie.  Everything is stripped to basic excepts character development.  Love it.  It is a lighthearted sort of movie and is not as unbelievable as some of the bigger budget Hollywood romance comedy.  It simply presents the possibility of falling in love.

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Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

The Hunger Game: Catching Fire – A Spontaneous Watch

The second episode of The Hunger Game.

In a rare occasion, I managed to have a decent eight hours sleep on Saturday.  I can count how many times that has happened in the past seven months with my one hand.  Jolly mood I was at, without having this wanting to fall asleep every other minute throughout the day, I made a list of suggestions on where to go for lunch.  My wife Cynthia has picked a Chinese restaurant in the airport called Crystal Jade, which is around 25 km from our home.  I was lunching at the same place the day before with my colleague June.  My wife asked if it was OK for me to dine in the same restaurant two days in a roll.  I am happy to.  June has planned to bring her family to Crystal Jade on Saturday for dinner.  Imagine her surprise if I was to tell her that I too have brought my family all the way to Changi for food.  The love we have for Crystal Jade, try not to underestimate.

I did not plan to return home immediately after our little excursion to the east side of Singapore.  After our sumptuous meal, I took out my tablet and secretly check out the movie schedule near our location.  The Hunger Game was showing in a cinema 10 minutes’ drive away from us.  I asked Cynthia if she has an appointment at four and she said no.  So I booked the tickets online and then told her that we were going for a movie.  Everyone loves a little surprise, once in a while.

It was the first time we visited the mall Downtown East.  If Changi – where I work – is far from where we live, Pasir Ris is even more remote.  I do not know what places of interest are in Pasir Ris.  Downtown East is one.  Pasir Ris Park – where we had our dinner later on – is another.

The mall looks different from the rest that we have seen.  We felt as though we were in Malaysia, or in Bandung Indonesia.  There is nothing too exciting inside the mall and the cinema only has four screens.  Perhaps that is the very reason why we still managed to get good seats so close to showtime.

Catching Fire is a two and a half hours movie.  It is a pretty lengthy movie, just like the first one.  At the end of last episode, both Katniss and Peeta from District 12 (I always thought he is ‘Peter’) have won the game – a first time in history to have two tributes surviving the game.  In this second episode, following the tradition, the winner or in this case winners have to make a tour through the districts and pay respect to the fallen tributes.  The concept is kind of odd to me.  I mean, there is this game whereby tributes against their will are killing each other in order to survive.  And in the end, the survivors visit the homes of the fallen ones to … I don’t know … to gloat?  To apologize?  To say, a battle well fought?  Only Panem can think of a sick tradition like this.

But here is the irony.  The movie has gone in great length dealing with character development that is lacking in action but essential in giving meaning to this meaningless game.  And then when the game finally came, I wasn’t sure if I really wanted it because it is so sick that I hate it.  I cannot pinpoint what I am attracted to.  Perhaps I wanted so bad to know how Katniss can beat the game again.  Other moral conflicts, I can deal with them another day.

When Katniss and Peeta are back in the game – think Survivor All-Star – the pace of the movie picked up tremendously.  It may not be as exciting as the first episode because I can more or less anticipate what is to come, it is still exciting to watch.

Like some other trilogies, Catching Fire being the middle episode sandwiched between a fresh beginning and a climatic ending is neither here nor there.  I wish the game was longer, the on-screen romance was more convincing and intense.  I can also understand that if it was so, it would look like a repeat of the first episode.  It is not quite an ending that concludes this second episode, but rather an opening for the third.  Since I am a fan of the franchise, Catching Fire is a must watch, for me.

After the movie, Cynthia and I have decided to have our dinner at Pasir Ris Park.  Long time ago, we used to frequent the place.  After the government has got rid of many of the eating places there (oh those BBQ chicken wings we so dearly miss!), we have stopped visiting.  On our previous visit, it was raining hard.  We still remember how all of us dinners squeezed into every last bit of shelter trying to have our meal without getting too wet.  The restaurant is by the beach and has an open area concept.  On Saturday, we have visited the same restaurant again.  The air was fresh.  Facing the beach in near pitch dark, it was rather romantic.  What a day.

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Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

Rush – What An Experience Back To 1976 Formula One

Rush, a F1 movie

As a Formula One enthusiast, this movie Rush is a real treat. Unlike Senna (2010) – also another great film on F1 but in a documentary style – Rush is a movie based on a true story between the two rivalry drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda.  All the elements of the sport are there.  Classic tracks, ear-bleeding engine noise, the flamboyancy of a F1 driver, how the technical knowledge a driver can bring an advantage to the team, the politics within the sport, the need to fight for a seat, the danger involved, and the sacrifices that the drivers and their families have made for that podium, and to be crowned the world champion.  Most of us would only see the sport as fast cars going round and round in circle.  Rush is a rare glimpse into what this sport is truly about.  While Formula One of today is a lot safer than in the earlier days, much of what is seen in this movie is still relevant.

The drama of the 1976 season is intense and part of it can be so gruesome that my wife has to turn away from the screen in the midst of the show.  The determination of winning a season above all sacrifices and this constant satisfaction of cheating death – something it is hard to relate but to a F1 driver of that era, that was all that mattered.  This movie is moving for me seeing how the two drivers fought against each other against all odds.  In the end, one may wonder what all of this are for.  To go down in history as one of the legendary drivers I suppose.  Some do live and die for the sport.

Both actors – Chris Hemsworth (of Thor!) and Daniel Brühl – act equally well.  Even to those who are not familiar with the sport (like my wife and my buddy), Rush is entertaining to watch.  If you wish to read more about Niki Lauda (ranked 9th as F1’s greatest driver by BBC), check out the link here.

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Book Reviews Fiction

The Silver Linings Playbook By Matthew Quick – An Engaging Read

An original story with unexpected plot

Let us begin with a quote from the book as it beautifully summarizes the theme of The Silver Linings Playbook.

“Life is not a PG feel-good movie. Real life often ends badly […]. And literature tries to document this reality, while showing us it is still possible for people to endure nobly.”

In my mind, the author does just that: telling us a story through Pat who believes that his life is a movie produced by God. With vigorous exercise and good behavior, God will eventually grant him a happy ending. One that reunites him with his wife Nikki. The story begins with Pat discharging from the mental institution – which he calls “bad place” – and slowly integrating back to his old life: his emotionally unstable father, his ever-loving mother, always-supportive brother, and best friend. No one tells him how long he has been away. He has no recollection on why he was locked up in the “bad place” and what has happens to his marriage. All he knows is that between Nikki and him, they are on “apart time”. His goal in life is to see through the end of “apart time” so that he can see his wife again.

Except, life is not as simple. There are good reasons why his mother has put away all his wedding photos, no one around him wants to mention Nikki, and Pat is having a hard time catching up what he has missed during his stay in the “bad place”.

It hurts to look at the clouds, but it also helps, like most things that cause pain. So I need to run, and as my lungs burn and my back rebels with that stabbing knife feeling and my leg muscles harden and the half inch of loose skin around my waist jiggles, I feel as though my penance for the day is being done and that maybe God will be pleased enough to lend me some help, which I think is why He has been showing me interesting clouds for the past week.

In the mist of all these confusion and necessary adaptation, Pat has met Tiffany who is recently widowed and is also mentally unstable. Since the story is narrated from Pat’s perspective, very little is known about the intention of Tiffany. She appears to be mysterious, yet another flawed character. The extract below shows an aspect of her character.

When [Tiffany] turns to face me, I think she is simply going to say good night, but she says, “Look, I haven’t dated since college, so I don’t know how this works.”

“How what works?”

“I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at me. Don’t bullshit me, Pat. I live in the addition around back, which is completely separate from the house, so there’s no chance of my parents walking in on us. I hate the fact that you wore a football jersey to dinner, but you can fuck me as long as we turn the lights out first. Okay?”

I’m too shocked to speak, and for a long time we just stand there.

“Or not,” Tiffany adds just before she starts crying.

The Silver Linings Playbook is engaging in a few ways. First, I have always enjoyed reading books characterized with flawed characters. Second, the emotion these characters are going through is complex. It is like taking a roller coaster ride reading this book. Third, the plot is unpredictable. It is hard to guess where the author is heading although there is a particular path I may wish the book would resolve. As a bonus, this book is so well planned that it may be worthwhile to read again and everything seems to make sense – from clouds watching to Tiffany’s abrupt entry to the story.

Back to the main theme of the story, The Silver Linings Playbook is certainly not a PG feel-good read. It is a heartwarming read reminding us the importance of stay positive and look for the silver linings in life.

Categories
Book Reviews Fiction

Suddenly Royal By Nichole Chase – How Would Kinsella Approach This?

Suddenly Royal

I thought all chick-lit are created equal. Then I realize that just because I love reading Sophie Kinsella‘s novels doesn’t mean that I enjoy reading any chick-lit. Believe it or not, I had no idea that Suddenly Royal is as such. The story line sounded like Princess Diaries, yes. The review seems ravishing. Some said they love how the author makes this story her own. Other said they love the twist within.

I don’t see any twist or whatsoever. It is a feel-good story that is predictable from beginning to end coupled with some steamy sex scenes that are neither tasteful nor artistic. When I read the followings, I knew I have picked up a chick-lit. One takeaway though, is that when you are hot and handsome, you can potentially get away with running your eyes up and down a girl’s body.

I shrugged out of my coat and that’s when I felt his eyes on me. Looking up, I realized Prince Yummy had indeed come for dinner. Jess and the undergrads had been wrong. He wasn’t yummy, he was delicious; a feast to be savored. Dark blond hair hung a smudge too long, eyes so blue it was like looking into the heart of a glacier. Built like the statue of David; the contours of his suit hugging every delicious muscle. Laugh lines around his mouth and eyes brought him into the realm of humanity, and gave him a personality. As his eyes ran over my face and down my body slowly, heat washed over my skin. When I handed the jacket to the maitre d’ i felt naked. There was something about his bright blue eyes that left me feeling exposed.

Samantha is a biology graduate specialized in raptor. She works hard for her degree and she has a father with cancer to take care of. Out of nowhere, the royal members of Lilaria (somewhere in Europe) have sought her out in America claiming that she is a royal descendant. Samantha has a decision to make. Stay in US or head to Lilaria claim her title and land. To spice up the deal, the Lilarian royalty has promised to provide good medical treatment for her father. At the same time, the crown prince of Lilarian seems to have fallen in love with her!

But here comes the dilemma. Samantha wants to finish her study and she thinks that falling in love with a prince is bad idea. Because … because she thinks the prince would need a queen who is … a royalty (and she is not?) and a born-and-breed Lilarian (since when a prince must marry someone from his countries?)

Throughout the book, I could not help but to think, how would Sophie Kinsella write this book? Here is my take.

Samantha would have a tough time integrating into the royalty circle since she is not born royal (unlike this story whereby she has no problem with the royal politics as a commoner). She would have a boyfriend but yet, intrigued by Prince Charming. Then, some evil force from within Lilaria would strip her title. Everyone including Prince Charming would despise her. And then, Samantha would do something extraordinary to save Lilaria from this evil force out of selflessness. There will be happy ever after between Samantha and her love interest.

Unfortunately, Suddenly Royal does not have this level of drama.

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Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

Pacific Rim on 3D Dolby Atmos Is Quite Something

This is a good one!

It may be too early to call it.  But Pacific Rim is my favorite movie of this year, thus far.  Initially, I thought it was just another Transformer movie.  I am glad that I did not give it a miss.  My wife, our buddy, and I have watched this movie on 3D Dolby Atmos.  The special effect looks great.  How 3D technology has matured.  The soundtrack composed by Ramin Djawadi sounds good too.  I have enjoyed the director Guillermo del Toro’s work on Pan’s Labyrinth and was curious on what he could do with colossal sized robots and monsters.  The detail that goes into the artwork is mind blowing.  Each frame is a treat.  You know how it is like for other similar movies whereby the robot or monster looks bigger in one scene than the other?  The relative size of these giant robots and monsters against the environment appears to be consistent.  The action sequence chewed the living cells out of my brain.  I was holding onto my seat’s arms (or rather my wife’s hand) throughout the 132 minutes of tense action.  Wow, it was breathtaking.

I am a fan of giant robots.  I love the Japanese anime movie series Evangelion.  Pacific Rim pretty much reminds me of Evangelion.  In that movie, the main character pilots a mecha to protect the world from mysterious creatures known as Angels.  In Pacific Rim, two characters are required to pilot a Jaeger (the giant robot) to battle against Kaiju (the monster).  Because of the mental load needed to control a Jaeger, two pilots of a similar physical compatibility are linked at the neural level in order to share the mental strain.  While the two pilots are mentally linked, they share with each other their deep memory and innermost emotion.  Their moves are synchronized too (by and large) like a choreographed dance.  This unique concept has caught my attention prompted me to watch it in a cinema.

Where do these Kaijus come from?  The lore says that these aliens live inside the core of our planet.  Once in a while, a portal or a mysterious passageway is open for the Kaijus to emerge and attack the coastal cities.  These monsters evolve over time to be more powerful and humans from different countries pool their resources to create monstrous robots called Jaegers to counterattack.  Despite all the effort, the situation remains dire.  Humans have one last window of opportunity to turn the tide and attempt to avert extinction.  The story of the movies set in this final hour between humanity and total annihilation.  While the story may not have much depth, the suspense and the rather unpredictable plot makes up for it.

Two more worthy mentions before closing off this entry.  The opening theme Pacific Rim features Tom Morello (guitarist of Rage against Machine and Audioslave) is memorable, blending rock sound into an orchestral sounding.  I also like the song played during the end credits and a couple of others.  Unfortunately, these tracks are not included in the official soundtrack.  It is a joy watching Rinko Kikuchi’s performance.  She is probably the one who stands out as a better actor.  All in all, an enjoyable show especially on 3D Dolby Atmos.  My wife and I are already thinking of getting the Blu-ray when it is out!

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Book Reviews Fiction

The Shoemaker’s Wife By Adriana Trigiani – As Emotional As Life Itself

An emotional novel

I do not recall in recent years reading a book that moves me as much as The Shoemaker’s Wife does.  It is quite possibly the saddest novel I have read, on par with Romeo & Juliet.  OK.  Not the entire book is sad.  The majority part of the story is a celebration of life and the journey of struggle and triumph.  But the sad part is really sad.  I have lost sleep reading this.  I fought hard not to cry inside a cafe reading this.  After I have finished reading the book, I felt like taking a day off from work and eating ice-cream from a tub instead.

In The Shoemaker’s Wife, Adriana Trigiani tells a story inspired by her grandparents Lucia and Carlo’s love and life story.  The setting is extraordinary.  It reads like an epic love story that only the magical hands of fate can weave.  Lucia and Carlo’s characters were born in Italy.  They met once in their homeland and parted way due to unforeseeable circumstances.  Somehow, they managed to meet again in America and then they got separated.  Each having their own relationships with someone else and yet, fate brought them back together time and time again.

This book is more than a story of love.  Set in the early nineties, Adriana’s grandfather was brought up in a convent together with his brother.  While his brother was a devout Catholic planning to be a priest, Carlo did not believe in God.  This sense of conflict between faith and non-believer is imbued deep inside and throughout the story, which is as real as life itself.  Meanwhile, Adriana’s grandmother was brought up from a poor Catholic family.  Being the eldest daughter, Lucia worked hard to help her parents to provide for the family and take care of her siblings.  Lucia must be one of the strongest female character I have come to read.  In order to give her family a chance to build a place called home, Lucia accompanied her father to come to America, a journey that almost killed her.

Once the backdrop has switched to America, the mood has changed.  It is hope and opportunity in the land of the America.  To read this part of The Shoemaker’s Wife is like reading what the American dream is all about.  Adriana Trigiani tells it through the eyes of the migrants.  Hardworking pays off.  So is innovation and the desire to dream big.  Those who made it live in luxury and richness.  New friendships are made.  Alliance are formed.  People look out for each other.  America is a dream for many and many have found a new home in America.

In as much as it is a tale of hope and dream, it is also a tale of life and death.  Going through the two world wars, relationships and what holds dear to the hearts have become ever more precious.  My heart weeps for what the characters have been through.  It is emotional because behind every closed door, behind every happy face that we see everyday are the untold stories of struggle and sorrow.  How much you can feel for the characters would depend on what you have experienced in life thus far.  Having said that, I have gained more insights on what others may have been through under their unique circumstances.

I can imagine a lot of research has done prior to this project.  All the details of the past – be it as the town and architecture, food and music, costumes and fashion, mode of transportation and the then-state of migrants – are vividly described.  There is this surreal feeling that it is as though I am seeing the nineties through Lucia and Carlo’s eyes.  I do not know how much of the story is authentic to author’s grandparents’ lives and how much of it is crafted with wild imagination. Adriana Trigiani has done something smart about the approach.  She has used characters with different names to represent her grandparents.  Therefore, she can have the artistic license to fill up the gaps without getting into the question of: Did her grandparents really do that?

All in all, The Shoemaker’s Wife is a fulfilling read.  It is as emotional as life itself.

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Book Reviews Fiction

Warm Bodies By Isaac Marion – The Book Or The Movie? Which One Is Better?

Warm Bodies is both a book and a movie.

I have watched Warm Bodies the movie with my wife and my friend.  We love it.  The concept of a zombie falling in love with a human girl in a Romeo and Juliet-like setting is so unique and fun.  The date of the story is unknown.  It begins some time in the future when worldwide conflict has resulted in the collapse of our civilizing giving rise to a new breed of ‘human’ – the zombies or the Dead.  The Living lives in fear, hiding inside closed walls isolated from other pockets of survivors.  Once in a while, the humans send savaging team out of the city and collect essential items that may still be of use to the Living.  Zombies meanwhile have developed this hunger to eat human flesh and to relive human memories by eating human brains.  This may sound like a horror story but it is not.  One day, during a hunting trip, R the zombie has done the unthinkable (zombies can think?) and has taken Julie the human to his home of the Dead.  Not knowing exactly what to do with her, R’s first task is to teach Julie how to blend in.  Those who have seen the movie may agree with me that this is perhaps the most memorable scene of the show.

I walk and she follows, stumbling along behind me and groaning every three or four steps.  She is overdoing it, overacting like high school Shakespeare, but she will pass.  We walk through crowds of Dead, shambling past us on both sides, and no one glances at us.  To my amazement, Julie’s fear seems to be diminishing as we walk, despite the obvious peril of her situation.  At a few points I catch her fighting a smile after letting out a particularly hammy moan.  I smile too, making sure she doesn’t see me.

This is … new.

It is this new feeling that has started to change R.  That to kill or not to kill, he has a choice.  His hunger can be overcome.  Love – in the context of care and reaching out to one another – can induce change from within.  And that change can be infectious, affecting those who have witnessed or heard of the union between the two different worlds.

While R may have lots of words in his head but few to speak of, Julie has a certain character attitude that fits well in such a bizarre setting of humans and zombies.  She has come to term with the current situation.  But unlike other humans who are holding onto status quo, she has hope for a better future.  That a cure can be found.  The whole situation can be reversed.  Humans can once again live freely in the open with a future.

“I guess I talk a lot of shit about Perry [Julie’s boyfriend who was eaten by R], but it’s not like I’m such a shiny happy person either, you know? I’m a wreck too, I’m just … still alive.  A wreck in progress.” She laughs a quick, broken laugh. “It’s weird, I never talk about this stuff with anyone, but you’re … I mean you’re so quiet, you just sit there and listen. It’s like talking to God.”

The author has done a great job in portraying a world of end time through Julie’s eyes.  Each day could be one’s last day to live.  It is a lot easier to forgive given such circumstances.  Books and pictures have become essential in preserving memory, and humanity.  While the overall backdrop is gloomy, the book is not without hilarious moments so brilliantly weaved into and light up the story.

The scene as Julie and I make our way out of the airport [full of zombies] resembles either a wedding procession or a buffet line … The unnatural silence of a room full of people who don’t breathe is surreal. I swear I can hear Julie’s heart pounding. She is trying to walk steady and look cool, but her darting eyes betray her.

“Are you sure about this?” she whispers.

“Yes.”

“There’s like … hundreds of them.”

“Keep you safe.”

“Right, right, safe, how could I forgot.” Her voice grows very small. “Seriously, R … I mean, I’ve seen you kick ass, but you know if someone decides to ring the dinner bell right now I’m going to be sushi.”

The story takes a turn when it is R’s time to enter the human world, with Julie and her friend Nora trying to keep him safe.  And it is where the movie deviates more from the book.  In the movie, the plot has turned into an action scene with humans and zombies fighting against each other and against the skeletons.  In the book, the author explores deeper into R’s mind, juxtaposes R’s narration with Perry’s memory, his imaginary dialogue with Perry’s soul, and his new dreams and illusion.  This clever transition between these branches of subplots makes the book less of a linear read.

Do I like the movie or the book more now that I have seen and read both?  I would say that the filmmaker has done a good job in transforming the story into something more action oriented while preserving the author’s sense of humor.  The book dives deeper into emotion and the various human conditions – something that probably has to be read than seen.  In short, watching the movie and reading the book gets the best of both world.

Categories
Book Reviews Fiction

Wedding Night By Sophie Kinsella – A Double Dose Of Chick Lit In One Volume

A new novel by Kinsella!

Oh.  I am such a Kinsella fan.  I have read every book of hers.  Good or bad I … take it like a man.  OK.  Her books are mostly good.  Always a hilarious read.  One time, while reading Wedding Night inside a Starbucks, I have to squeeze myself real hard so as not to laugh out too loud in public.

Typically, her books start out with a flawed female character going through some girl crisis.  Much of the limelight would be on the girl characters and there is little character development on the male counterpart.  But, these are chick lit.  You know what you are in for.

Wedding Night is different.  It is still a Kinsella book.  Lots of emotional moments making it a page turner aside, there is something special about her latest novel.  First, the narration is told not from one female character but two.  The switching between the two main characters is seamless and not predictable.  It is like a double dose of chick lit in one volume.  Second, there is character development for the male characters.  Third, it is not some trivial crisis that the characters are going through.  It is about real life dating, marriage, and career and the struggle like we may have experienced in our lives.  The moral of the story is that at times when we are stuck, the best foot forward may be to let go, be free and lifted, and open to new possibilities.

Back to the story, Lottie is very certain that her boyfriend Richard is going to propose one evening inside a restaurant.  But instead of a wedding proposal, his big question involves a trip abroad.  Lottie is totally crushed and has decided to walk away from the relationship.  Out of nowhere, one of her ex-boyfriends Ben turns up.  Following a pack that they have made in their teenage years, they have decided to get married immediately since they have both hit thirties and are still single.  To avoid falling into the same relationship mishap like in the past, Lottie wants to go the old fashion way – no consummation of marriage before the wedding night.

Meanwhile, Fliss – Lottie’s elder sister – is undergoing a bitter divorce.  She is furious that her little sister is again rushing into something crazy after yet another breakup.  So, Fliss is going all out to stop this wedding night from happening, which is going to be in a Greek island, a place where Ben and Lottie first met.  At the same time, Lorcan – Ben’s colleague – also comes into the picture as he fears that his friend’s hasty decision would ruin his career.  An unlikely collaboration between the bridesmaid and best man, Fliss and Lorcan fly all the way to Greece and intend to talk some sense into this new couple.  To top it up, there is always Richard in the background who may have a regret or two.

An overall entertaining read, a must for the Kinsella fans.