I am a huge Jenny Colgan fan, however when she writes as Jenny T Colgan it seems there is a difference. This book revolves around publicist Holly Phillips who is 'unlucky in love'. It revolves around Superhero Ultimate Man. At this point in the story my interest seriously took a hammering but I continued to persist with it. Its certainly a kind of 'poke fun' at the Superhero thing which was amusing but the author definitely hs a different style of writing and storytelling which I found strange.

An interesting and amusing romp, somewhat predictable but superhero plots always are. Yes, that's right, it's a romantic comedy about a girl and a superhero, Ultimate Man. It's cute, quirky and I thought our protagonist Holly was well written with depth. It's a fun romantic take on good vs evil.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

Cute romantic comedy with quirky characters. I liked this book a lot, There's just something so lovely about picking up a book by Jenny Colgan, you know from the moment you start reading that there will be laughter and fun as well as a few more serious moments.

I love Jenny Colgan's books. This was a departure in genre to the ones I have read before. It contains superheros. romance, humour and very touching in parts. I got used to the superhero element and enjoyed reading this one.

This is another review courtesy of my mum, who is a lover of Jenny (T.) Colgan's books.

Having read many of Jenny Colgan’s books, I looked forward to Spandex And The City, expecting much the same format as the others:- a gentle, albeit predictable, story of a woman starting on a new path in her life and finding romance on the way. So I had a bit of a shock when I started to read Spandex And the City. (I hadn’t realised that this particular novel was written by Jenny T Colgan, not Jenny Colgan.  Same author, just very different styles).

Spandex And The City is set in a busy city and centres around unlikely heroine Holly Phillips, who has an unfortunate talent for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Holly is stubborn, often sarcastic but brave. Aided by the hero of the story, a masked figure clad in purple Spandex called Ultimate Man, whose path she unwittingly continually crosses, Holly sets about defeating villain Frederick Cecil, as he tries to take down the internet. Yes, the names are daft but so is the plot!

The focus of the story is on Holly, more than the hero or villain. She is girl next door type, who reluctantly finds herself being rescued by Ultimate Man and ends up falling for him. Jenny’s Colgan’s writing is easy going and relaxed, but also playful, fun and very entertaining. There’s lots of humour and tongue in cheek sarcasm, great if you just want a bit of escapism and to be amused.

Spandex And The City is an entertaining take on a superhero vs villain, good vs evil tale with a happy ending. It is refreshingly different, ridiculously far-fetched and romantic. But huge fun!

4.5 stars for being so hilariously funny, brilliant and a little bit mad.

This book is out of this world...

Or should that be involved in some kind of industrial accident that gave it super powers??

I really, really loved this book. I am a big fan of Jenny Colgan but I'm an even bigger fan of Jenny T Colgan. This book has the usual mix of fun, humour and romance but with the added bonus of Ultimate Man. Yep we're in super hero territory.

Have you ever wished you could be involved with a super hero or have you, like main character Holly, realized that actually being romantically linked to a man who wears a purple costume and is on a mission to use his superpowers to save the world is a little bit rubbish. Saving the world is admittedly more important than going on a date but being ditched is no fun, the costume is kinda naff (does everything really need to be purple) and let's face it you're going to end up as the damsel in distress. On the other hand though, if you're single in the city with not many options you could probably do worse.

I absolutely loved how Colgan poked fun at the whole superhero world and how completely unimpressed Holly was by Ultimate Man. It had me giggling away on more than one occasion but is oh so true. Holly was a brilliant character and very relatable. She's a little bit ditzy and seems to spend an awful lot of time embarrassing herself but she knows what she wants and despite having no powers she's willing to get stuck in.

The romance is pretty sweet and funny as you would expect but there are also a few unexpected complications and bit of a love triangle which makes it a little bit unpredictable. It's by no means certain how it's all going to end. The whole superhero vs his nemesis storyline is fun and I loved how Colgan managed to sneak in a little dig at our current obsession with technology. If I had one minor niggle (and it is very minor) it's that I thought some of the action scenes could use some work. It may just be me but I found it a little confusing trying to figure out what was going on.

Overall though I absolutely loved it. It may not be for you if you're looking for Colgan's usual cosy food related romances but if you don't mind something a little bit different and a lot funny I'd definitely recommend.

I received a copy of this from the publisher via NetGalley. This has in no way influenced my review.

I have read this author before and this book was very different to ones previously read, however I did enjoy it with some laugh out loud moments.

Hmmm I don't know what to think of this book.... It's so so so SO different from the other books from Jenny Colgan that I have read in the past. So different. And therefore I was disappointed. It was still chicklit but chicklit version spiderman or superman. Yes it was like reading a superman's book but for women ;-) or should I say girls because really this story was way too childish for me. The way it was written was too childish, and the characters as well. But I read the entire book because it was still pretty addictive and you want to know what will happen. That's why I have given this read 3 stars instead of 2 stars. I hope the next Jenny Colgan will be more like her usual books because usually I adore her books!

This is an odd one for me. On one hand I'm a huge Jenny Colgan fan. Yet on the other books about super heroes really aren't my bag. Yet it when I stopped trying to critique it and enjoy it for what it was - a fun, light hearted read that was a little out of the ordinary, I kind of enjoyed it.

A Hilarious take on a superhero book, this book has all the key factors. Good guys, bad guys, a guy in a cape and the bumbling side-kick (although she doesn't know it!) A book full of laughs and a good light-heartened read for when life gets too much.

Cute romantic comedy with quirky characters.
Superhero parody with elements of Superman and Batman specifically. The setting had a Gotham-esque ambiance to add to the overall superhero/vigilante illusion within the narrative.
While the story was humorous the plot itself was a little on the obvious side, especially if you have a weakness for superheroes ;)

I laughed out loud throughout this whole book. Jenny Colgan is the Queen of laughs.

Honestly, I am not a big fan of superheroes adventure type books or movies but this was an entertaining, lighthearted, fun read. I ended up skipping a lot due to the lengthy narrative. I do enjoy the witty, quirky banters, the romance, and the very interesting character - Ultimate Man.

A lovely tale of Ella and her aunt's ice-cream business. Despite appearing sugary sweet on the outside, this is a tale with greater depth with family secrets a plenty. Several complex characters add colour to the story , interspersed with great ideas for ice-cream flavours.

Although I was pretty certain how this story would turn out, i did enjoy the telling. It evokes memories of summer by the sea.

An enjoyable story 4*

I really do love Jenny's books and find her writing so easy to keep reading in one sitting. I found it hard to put the book down once started.

Thanks for the chance to read this

Want something different? Want a good laugh? Then this is the book for you. I read it in one go - it's non-stop and hysterically funny!

Holly is a lovely character and "Ultimate Man" is wonderful! I could see him so clearly in his purple costume and really wished I could find one like him!

Jenny has a great sense of humour and this really comes through. Perfect light read!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I got this one off Netgalley, it was one of those impulse requests you do when a book sounds like it’s going to go either way based off the summary. I’m still of two minds about it. On the one hand it was a great light read with a quirky fun look at the other side of superhero story. The story of the ordinary person in a city where there is a super hero and the city is filled with criminals. It was also a romance and I do feel like it was the romance which let this book down, which is bad coming from me as I am a huge fan of romance.

I loved the humour. It read as having a wry British humour and it was great. Our MC, Holly, is so not interested in her BFF trying to push her into a romance. Especially not when it involves her imparting her sage knowledge since she is in a committed relationship so knows it all. Instead, she'd rather be at home in her pyjamas, eating too much food, and watching bad reality TV (who can't relate to that feeling?). So, you can imagine her annoyance when she is forced to approach a hot guy to avoid grief and it ends up with her being tossed over the bar by him and an armed robbery by 'the bad guy' which ends with her having a photo of her arse in the paper... especially as she was wearing knickers which were past their best. She then proceeds to be the focus of the bad guy and in a strange sort of not relationship with her cities favourite super hero. I mean, life as a single girl in the city is difficult enough without adding in a maybe romance with a super hero whilst trying to pursue a normal life herself.

So many things about this book shouldn't have worked because it was so ridiculous and I think that's why I enjoyed it. It was very much a humorous take on the super hero genre which has become the focus of so many movies and TV shows of late. Holly wasn’t enamoured with our hero… and she wasn’t much impressed by the bad guy either. She honestly wished for some peace and quiet.

There were a few things I disliked, though. The humour and fun storyline was great. It wasn’t a serious take on the superhero genre, it was just fun. But the romance felt a bit forced. I didn’t get any chemistry there at all. I honestly would have been happier without the romance, if she had just been friends with Ultimate Man (yes, that is his superhero moniker). I felt like Holly in any kind of relationship was a bit like a teenage relationship of everything being OTT. Holly blew everything out of proportion and really was a little too self-centred in the relationship (but then, so was he). The pair definitely didn’t mesh well together. Just… I could see it coming and I liked it but it really added nothing for me at the same time. Isn’t that weird?

If you’re looking for a slightly ridiculous read then this is the book for you. It can never be taken seriously and whilst it won’t be for everyone or for every reading mood if you catch it at the right time it is a great book to enjoy.

I enjoyed Spandex And The City. As a man in my 60s, I'm not really in its target audience, but a great title and a friend's recommendation persuaded me to try it and I'm glad I did. I thought it was funny, engaging and rather exciting in places.

Jenny Colgan (whom I hadn't read before) has produced a comic mash-up of a rom-com and superhero adventure and done it very well. It is narrated in the first person by Holly who works in a dull job in the PR department of the mayor's office in the fictional US city of Centerton - which has its own superhero in Ultimate Man. ("I mean, seriously? Ultimate Man?" "Well, all the good names had gone.") He's a Batman/Superman type who rescues Holly from a supervillain a couple of times and a will they/won't they love story begins. It could have been awful, but Colgan has a lovely touch so the story is humorous with exactly the level of irony needed to be witty, the dialogue is excellently done, Holly is a very engaging protagonist and there's some genuine excitement and some rather thoughtful content in places.

This isn't intended to be Great Literature, but it's a very well-written and entertaining book which I enjoyed a lot. It would make a great beach read! Recommended.

(I received an ARC via Netgalley.)

The premise of this story is an interesting one. PR girl Holly Phillips doesn't think much of Ultimate Man, particularly after his antics leave her a trifle embarrassed.

Set in the fictional city of Centerton it is a most amusing story particularly once she finds out the true identity of Ultimate Man. However there is another guy who is trying to create chaos, but he has his reasons too.

It certainly made for a highly enjoyable story.