Laura Lake is living the dream: editing a fancy society-fashion mag in London, dating dashing Harry, best friends with multi-millionheiress Lulu, etc. For all its UK setting and characters, the plot-base is very American current political intrigue, with nary a mention of Brexit.

This seemed to be written for quick thrills and giggles, with LOL-grade cleverness, like "she was the very opposite of incognito. She was ultracognito." On the other hand, there were also inconsistencies and contrivances, but I don't think Wendy Holden's readers mind (for example Laura madly scribbling her notes at an interview with the world's biggest celebrity, at Buckingham Palace, without a photographer or an assistant, just scribbling notes by hand). And while I find it interesting that French people avoid bad breath by drinking champagne with ice in it, I did not enjoy the constant repetition of Laura always being hungry at mealtimes, and how very French that is.

Laura Lake is back with Last of the Summer Moët, a terrific new adventure that is sure to have you roaring with laughter with its superb blend of wit, humour and charm!

In the cutthroat world of celebrity magazines, you are only as good as your last scoop and nobody knows this better than reporter Laura Lake. Uncovering the latest scandals and filling one’s pages with juicy exposes and jaw-dropping exclusives is the only way to stay at the top of your game and Laura can certainly not rest on the laurels of Society magazine, the glossy she’s currently working for. Always on the lookout for a shocking new story to titillate her readers, Laura thinks that she has struck journalistic gold when she discovers a super-exclusive English village populated by the very rich and immensely famous. This exclusive could make Laura’s career and send Society’s circulation figures through the roof, but how is she going to get access to the English countryside’s best-kept secret? Enter Laura’s best friend, Lulu…

When good-hearted Lulu announces that she fancies spending some time in the country, an elated Laura jumps at the chance to accompany her. The door to this beautiful rural idyll populated by film stars, artists and filthy rich politicians was barred shut to Laura, but now thanks to Lulu, it has opened enabling her to access the deepest and darkest secrets of the celebrities living there. Laura cannot help but marvel at the villagers’ penchant for travelling via helicopter, the £100 sourdough loaves flying out of the deli and all the glamour, excess and decadence that are part and parcel of their everyday life.

Laura is determined to write an exposé so scandalous that it will have the whole nation reaching for their smelling salts, but will she manage to achieve her objective before her identity is revealed and before the world’s poshest pub quiz unleashes an even more shocking political scandal?

Last of the Summer Moët is an absolute riot from start to finish! Wendy Holden is on sparkling form with this irrepressible and irresistible comedy starring the resourceful Laura Lake, her hilarious friends and co-workers and a wonderful cast of eccentric characters that leap off the pages. Sparkling with fun, mischief and drollery, Last of the Summer Moët is a delightful read from a writer who stands shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Jilly Cooper and Helen Fielding when it comes to writing first-class romps that never fail to entertain.

Fun, frisky and feel-good, Last of the Summer Moët is bound to be another surefire best-seller for Wendy Holden!

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

This was a really brilliant book, I enjoyed every little page of it.
It was so funny I had tears of laughter so may times.
I really loved the character Laura she was fantastic.
Once you start reading you will not be able to put this down it is seriously good!

Laura Lake is back with a bang and this time she manages to get herself into even more crazy situations in LAST OF THE SUMMER MOËT by Wendy Holden.

As acting deputy editor of glossy magazine, Society, Laura Lake is determined to make the most of being in charge so when she discovers that there is a village in the English countryside that plays host to some of the wealthiest celebrities and politicians in the world, Laura jumps at the opportunity to enter this privileged society, courtesy of her wealthy best friend, Lulu. With the locals making themselves known, insane escapades and hilarious deeds and misunderstandings, Laura will never have a dull moment, and as for her love life, well that's another disaster entirely ...

LAST OF THE SUMMER MOËT by Wendy Holden is a book that will make you laugh out loud, roll your eyes at the mad-cap positions Laura and the rest of the characters will find themselves in, and simply cheer you right up on these cold, wintery days. While there are a lot of characters to keep a track of, this didn't bother me and I enjoyed it all the more for it. Most of the drama and action in this story is a bit off-the-wall but that's what I loved about it!
​
LAST OF THE SUMMER MOËT by Wendy Holden is a novel that will make you laugh and suck you into a world of unbelievable wealth and craziness and I thoroughly enjoyed it!!! I can't wait for more from Laura Lake.

I had never read anything by Wendy Holden before, and so when I was sent an email about this book by publisher Aria, I KNEW I had to have a listen on my Kindle app. Of course, I had heard of Wendy Holden, and had heard she wrote fun books. This book is right up my street- glamour, fun and "summer" in the title! A perfect read/ listen for a cold January day or night.

I was even happier when I saw it was part of a series. I still have to find (and listen to) a copy of book #1 somehow as whenever I listen to a series of books, I like to try and listen to every book.

Laura Lake is the deputy editor of Society, a high-end glossy fashion magazine. She is in charge after her boss is off work with stress and exhaustion. The book oozes with glamour. Laura finds herself in Great Hording, a village for the most elite people in society when she has to help her BFF Lulu. I really liked Laura right through the book and the way she handled everything that happened to her.

Her boss (Corinthia) reminded me of Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. I was really looking forward to seeing what Great Hording would be like. The descriptions in this book are good, and Laura's character is well fleshed out, but we don't get to know too much about Lulu. What does come across is how wealthy she is due to being a billionaire. I didn't like Kikki Cavendish much. I liked Caspar and was hopeful for love between him and Laura.

All in all, there's certainly an ecclectic mix of characters in Great Hording.

The real downside of this book was that I felt there were too many characters who were not developed enough. I did debate as to whether that many characters were even needed in fact.

Finishing on a positive note, Great Hording's surroundings and atmosphere were well-represented. As expected of a wealthy village. there are high-powered people: judges and a MI6 member to name a few.

Last of the Summer Moët had me laughing out loud and I finished the book in a day. This is a quick read/ listen, and the pace really keeps the book interesting.

Huge thanks to Wendy Holden and Aria for my ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. As well as a review, I was pleased to take part in the blog tour for the title.

I really enjoyed this book.  I especially loved the characters created by Wendy, they were an eclectic bunch to put it mildly!  The main character seems a lot more 'normal' and is surrounded by an amazing bunch of people but she is able to bring a reality to the whole thing which I liked.  The story has a nice pace to it so doesn't ever get tedious or boring and the ending is great.  I really enjoyed Wendy's style of writing and it is lovely to see she is from Derbyshire, the same as me!

This was the second book about the main character, Laura, and I will definitely be reading the first at some point, but as a standalone book I would still recommend it to all.

Book Club Question
DESCRIBE THE BOOK IN THREE WORDS

Witty, colourful and fast-paced

This is such a fun read – warm, witty and I defy anyone not to giggle all the way through!

Laura Lake has the weirdest colleagues and even more outlandish friends and I loved every one of them. Wendy Holden is an author I have read previously – oops, some time ago – but her talent in choosing wild and wacky names for her characters hasn’t diminished one bit and she follows through with her fabulous descriptions of some very strange characters indeed! The basic storyline is good, but the embellishments are what makes this story GREAT.

I had the strangest moments working out characters genres – it’s really not so easy to decide whether ‘Wonky’ is male or female and as for ‘Vlad’ .. well, read the book and you’ll see what I mean! Would I recommend this – you bet! Give yourself a treat and line this one up .. you’ll raise your spirits, laugh out loud and have the best time!

My thanks to publishers Head of Zeus for approving my copy via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the Publisher, Aria for this copy given in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Melanie from Aria for organising the Blog Tour.

This is the 2nd book in the Laura Lake series. You don’t need to have read the first book, but for continuity it does make sense to have done. I have to admit, I haven’t read the first book, Three Weddings and a Scandal, but only because I didn’t realise it was part of a series until I began to read it. I think it would have been better to have read it, as I didn’t understand some of the back story.

Laura Lake is deputy editor for Society magazine. On the hunt for a “super” article she has discovered a super-rich and exclusive village where many stars and celebrities own weekend retreats. The village is highly exclusive and the villagers don’t take kindly to outsiders. Luckily for Laura, her best friend Lulu, a logo-obsessed socialite has a mansion there and Laura sees this as the ideal opportunity. Can she get her story written before the other villagers work out who she really is?

Laura Lake is back! The story was a bit confusing for me initially, as I hadn’t read the first book in the series, but once I found my feet and settled in I was treated to an enjoyable high society romp around the countryside! There are lots of characters and many of them are delightfully over the top! The story was a good pace and it kept me interested until the end. Writing was well thought out and it had its very funny moments!

A nice easy read, perfect for lazing around on a summer day!

This is the first Wendy Holden book I've read and I wasn't disappointed. It's clever and funny, the characters are great and I loved the ending. Don't worry, no spoilers! It's just a great story that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, convinced you know whats going to happen and laughing out loud as you get drawn into the plot.

An amusing, quirky novel about the doings and misdoings of an elite, unadvertised English seaside town as told by Laura Lake, deputy editor of "Society" magazine.

I rated this 4 but it is more of 3.5. I enjoyed it too much to give it a 3.
Laura Lake, deputy editor of Society magazine, has the opportunity to act as editor for her magazine and intends to turn the magazine around and secure her position with a good story. However her arch enemy Clemency is back in the office and is vying for the same position.
Throw in the conflict with Clemency, the language problems of her friend Lulu and the activities of the larger than life characters in the village Laura is hoping to write about and you have a story that will make you laugh.
This large cast of character and winding plot is a bit difficult to follow at times but the scenes the writer created kept me reading. From breast baring at a restaurant to wrong names being called in award ceremonies and an actor who knocks himself off; this novel is humorous. Her descriptions were hilarious too- lips are described as two slugs having a spasm, cheek bones jutted out like plane wings and someone had a love life like the spin cycle on a washing machine.
Will definitely love to read other books by this author.

Wendy Holden’s Last of the Summer Moët is a fun and quick read. However, there are too many characters, and the plot is sometimes too far-fetched.

Our heroine is Laura Lake, deputy editor of the glossy Society magazine. On the hunt for a big story, she discovers a top-secret village for the British elite. Great Hording is an elaborate country retreat for famous writers, government ministers, film stars and even the head of MI6. Laura infiltrates the village with the help of Lulu, her billionaire friend. As Laura writes her exposé on the village, she also juggles competition from an old enemy at work and two romances with a mysterious sort-of boyfriend who keeps disappearing and a slimy actor who plays James Bond. Meanwhile, devastating secrets come out about the inhabitants of the village but it’s not Laura’s doing.

The plot is jampacked with romantic entanglements, the absurdity of the high-fashion world, conspiracies and, of course, each villager in Great Hording trying to outdo one other with their shenanigans. Holden mostly handles the various strands of the plot pretty well. I do like that the separate storylines come together eventually. However, the ending feels rushed and I would like to see more development on the ways in which things are interconnected.

Laura is a great and well-developed character. She is humorous and resilient. I adore Lulu, the over-the-top heiress who is funny and sweet. However, it becomes tiresome to understand her speech and I wish there had been less focus on translation. I also want more depth for Lulu. I’m not impressed with Laura’s love interest Harry whose mysteriousness doesn’t really make him intriguing.

There are also too many characters and it is difficult to keep track of them. Although many are pitch perfectly ridiculous, I sometimes could not tell one bizarre rich person in the village from another. However, I do love the silly names like Caspar Honeyman and Bouncy Castle.

Additionally, the descriptions are sometimes too much. While I appreciate how Holden uses details to reflect and enhance character and setting, the overly intricate descriptions are overwhelming and sometimes unnecessary.

Last of the Summer Moët is a light read that will keep you entertained. I admire Holden’s creativity, but I did expect more from the book. While the novel is humorous and nicely-paced with some memorable moments, the plot can be too absurd. However, I do like the book and I wouldn’t mind reading more Laura Lake books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Back of the Book: 

Laura Lake, deputy editor of glossy mag Society, has been promoted to the hot seat while her boss recovers from 'exhaustion' in rehab. finally she's in charge, but who can she share the free jollies with ?

Not her international glamour-puss BFF Lulu, who's left Knightsbridge for Britain's poshest village. Lulu's busy living the good life at her new pile Riff's, an ex-rock star's ex-country mansion.

But not everything in her guitar-shaped garden is lovely ; Lulu's attempts to join the hunt, act in the panto and grow the biggest marrow are blocked by the snobbish locals.

Who does she call on for help ? Journo extraordinaire, Laura Lake ...



What I think : 

Laura Lake is back !

She's now reached the heady heights of 'acting' editor of fabulous mag 'Society'. Her boss has a few 'problems' and has gone into 'rehab' to sort them out. Laura is finally where she should be, at the top !

Sometimes however, it gets lonely at the top. Best friend Lulu is nowhere to be seen, she's left town and is living it up in the country, in Britain's poshest village no less !  She has a fabulous new mansion. But why are the locals so snobby and unfriendly ? why wont they let Lulu join in anything ?

It seems to Lulu like she needs a bit of help, time to call in her BFF Laura Lake ....

Well, what can I say ? It was lovely having the Lovely Laura and pals back in this newest novel, getting up to god-knows what ! Some of her antics are hilarious and she always seems to mess things up.

However I did find this last serving slightly far-fetched and not really all that true to life. I thought the village characters were OK but quite unlikable. however as usual very well written.

The book was OK, a nice bit of very light reading after all the heavy thrillers I've been reading of late.

I give it 7/10.



Published on 01/02/18 by Head of Zeus.

A big Thank you to Melanie Price and Netgalley for the digital review copy of the book.

This was an okay book it was not as good as the other books by \Wendy Holden.
The ending seemed rushed and it would have been nice if the story could have had a better ending.
I couldn't relax in to this book and it was because I have read Wendy Holdens books in the past I thought this would get better.
It seemed silly in places and the book was hard to follow I really did not know what Lulu was on about half the time .
It was a bit of a let down not Wendy Holdens best book sadly.

Laura Lake is back in a whole new adventure that starts at the hilarious and moves onto the sublimely ridiculous, with one of the most farcical plots I have ever read.

It is so far fetched on so many levels that all I can do is applaud the imagination and creativity of the author for coming up with it in the first place, and for the most part elements of the story made sense.

The ending which could have been brilliant, felt incredibly rushed, and I'm left with a sense that the series will just get arguably sillier and sillier in its storylines of what Laura is trying to investigate.



I would have loved to get to know any of her off-on men in her life better. I did enjoy all the increasingly weird features ideas for Society magazine, some of which are definitely verging onto the bizarre.

Dependent on your sense of humour this is a book that could be described as hilarious, it just didn't quite hit my funny bone. I did enjoy Laura's best friend Lulu, but after a while all of the mispronunciations started to get mildly annoying, as I was having to try along with Laura to work out what Lulu was talking about most of the time.

Although this didn't work particularly well in places for me, I can fully appreciate just much work has been put into writing this book, complete with all the new characters of the village Laura was investigating. Unfortunately so many of the villagers and Laura's colleagues just were unlikeable.

After the brilliance of Laura Lake and the Three Weddings (or whatever the current title is) I was just left disappointed by this one unfortunately.

Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.