I'm not really sure the point of this book. It didn't really go anywhere and the main character was really unlikable. I definitely wanted more from the plot.

1 Star

I tried. I really tried. I didn’t like any of the characters, the plot felt silly, I couldn’t get into it. It was a did not finish for me. I think I need to stick to thrillers and mysteries so it could be this just isn’t my genre.

This book was a little bit out there for me and was just okay. I didn't realize it was the second in a series and maybe if I'd read the first one, I would have liked this better.
Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Wish I could say something nicer about it.

I didn't realize that this was actually apart of a series so I am going to pass on this one as I don't know when I can get to it.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this.

Enjoyable, fun piece of escapism from Wendy Holden. Our protagonist, Laura Lake, is off to the countryside be put her investigative journalism skills to the test. An entertaining, relaxed Summer read.

“London, for the time being at least, had lost its allure. Formerly the focus of all her ambitions, it seemed to have much less to offer these days.”
Thank you to #Netgalley and #HeadofZeus for the free review copy of Last of the Summer Moet for my honest review.

Laura Lake works at a popular magazine in the UK. Everything at work is turned upside down when her boss leaves and her adversary takes her bosses place. She is forced to find a story that will put her back on top. She hears about this little village that is literally off the grid where many important people in all fields live or go on their holidays.

This story is about her quest to get the story and the craziness that ensues. She enlists her friends and uses her contacts to hide her identity and get as close to the action as possible. There is also an element of romance and a love triangle throughout this novel which brings a little more the story which I ABSOLUTELY love.

This is my first Wendy Holden novel and it certainly will not be my last. I give this book 4 stars and already have the other Laura Lake novels on my TBR.

Enchanting read with lovely and engaging characters. New to me author and I can't wait to read more of her books.

The plot and theme just didn't appeal to me, although it is not a poorly written book. Just not for me.

I wanted to love this book, but there wer just too many characters for me to follow. The plot was kind of far fetched, and I got lost, which should not have happened since this wasn't a complex read. I think it will find its audience, however, it just isn't for me.

Too many characters and a hard to follow plot made this one a miss for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

***I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for this opportunity.***

This was a great book. The story was captivating and kept me interested throughout. Can’t wait for more from this author.

Though this book was entertaining, it was not for me. The story line is very far fetched and hard to relate to. There are many characters to follow in extremely, lavish lifestyles. Though the life of the main character Laura is ever entertaining, its hard to imagine in real life.

If you are looking for a book to escape to or imagine yourself ina n lavish world being best friends with the lead in James Bond, this is for you. If you want something relateable....this may not be the book for you.

I couldn't really get into this one. The plot was too far-fetched for me and there were too many characters, so I couldn't feel invested in them.

Last of the Summer Moët, Wendy Holden

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:, Women's fiction, General fiction (adult)

Women's Fiction? Once more – why? Why alienate a good section of possible readers.

My bad, I missed that this was a part two, and that I'd read the previous book about Laura. That was a three star for me, and I noted that though I enjoyed Wendy's stories years ago either her writing or my tastes have changed.
This story is if possible even more OTT, frenetic and at times plain silly. There's a point when poking fun at a selection of folk in humorous, and then there's trying to ram fun down readers throats( you Will laugh!! Everyone else has... ) that's the vibe which came across here, I like subtle humour, what this book delivers is a thin story peppered with not just oddball eccentrics, but totally off the wall unreal characters, and situations that are so extreme as to be impossible to believe. If that's what you like in a story good for you, you'll love this book. I don't. I gave up at about 40%, skimming through to see if there was any change but not finding enough to hold my interest and continue.

Stars: Two, a DNF for me. If you like overdone humour and situations that are really OTT you may love this story, I can see others already do. My taste doesn't run that way though so it was a fail for me.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publisher

Do you happen to work in a place where your co-workers are called Carinthia, Demelza and Thomasella? Does the running of your business give “The Devil Wears Prada” a run for the money? Does the menu at your work lunch comprise “Beef aged in Himalayan salt caves served with After Eight gravy”? And do you live opposite a shop selling beard oil made from reclaimed fatbergs? Congratulations, you have entered the wacky, absurd world of Laura Lake, sub-editor of “Society Magazine” and now catapulted into the editor’s seat by the fact that her boss after a nipple-flashing incident, has been prescribed some quiet ranch time to reassess her relationship with alcohol.
With character names such as “Prudence Handjob”, the writing is precariously teetering on the cliff edge of the puerile ridicule, but.... you can thoroughly enjoy it if you take it for what it is: a hyper-hyperbolic mickey-taking and an over-the-top, off-the wall mad-cap romping gallop through a caricature of not-so-polite “society”.

Laura Lake is back! And as fun, daft, ridiculous, far fetched, warm, witty, silly and enchanting as ever! Read it!

Sharp and witty, this book has an unexpected ending but was pleasurable throughout. A perfect beach read.

Just because I thought this was too out there for me doesn't mean you won't like it- it's a fast read with a big cast of characters (led by Laura) and an intriguing premise. At the same time, however, it's also undisciplined. I had not read the first book but I don't think that was a problem. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Try this if you want broad humor.

Let me start by asking whether I’m the only one who thinks the cover text with this book is wrong? It says that Lulu left London to go and live in Great Hording, but has to call Laura to help her. The person who wrote this obviously didn’t read the book. Without spoiling anything I can say it is the other way around: Lulu buys her new house in Great Hording because she is not allowed to stay in the local hotel if she doesn’t own a house in the village – strange, but that is Wendy Holden for you. So Lulu buys a house in Great Hording. This is about halfway the story.
I’m a big fan of Wendy Holden and have reread most of her books, but somehow I missed out on the first Laura Lake book. Last of the summer Moët can be read as a standalone although I will go and by the first book soon – I really loved the character of Clemency Makepeace. Not because she is such a lovely person, but because she is bad in a typically Holden-way.
This book is for the most part a typically Holden book, with typical characters. The nice, educated and determined girl journalist. The handsome boyfriend ánd the other handsome guy. The horrible female boss. The outrageous friend. The little village. The silly names. And somewhere, underneath all this, a story. I’m happy I’ve enjoyed Holden’s other books because The last of the summer Moët is not at all easy to grasp if you don’t know your way around in Holden’s universe. I for me was a little disappointed. Although all ingredients are there, it feels like the result is a little bit off. There is just too much going on and everything, and I mean everything in this book is a little more over the top than is actually funny.
I hope Wendy Holden will write more books like Bad Heir Day and Pastures Nouveaux, to name a few of my favorites. They have the same ingredients but the result is so much better.

Thank you Head of Zeus publising and Netgalley.

I wanted to like this book. The description contained all of the lightweight elements I was looking for in a vacation read-lifestyles of the rich and famous, magazine writer trying to uncover it all. Sounds perfect, right? But this book fell short for me in so many ways. It was quite confusing and difficult to read in places, was incredibly unrealistic (even for a book about a secret community for the famous), and overall not that interesting. An average-at-best book.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.