Living La Vida Loca by Belinda Jones
I've been really looking forward to reading this book after falling in love with Belinda Jones' books after reading Into the Blue. It wasn't easy to put on my *to-be-read-on-holiday* pile of books, but I knew it would be worth the wait, and it was!
I was basically hooked from line one and couldn't put it down until I had read the last page. For me it didn't feel like the normal, often shallow, chick-lit. And even though it really is the perfect beach-read with all the exotic places, the dancing, the hot guys and the mojitos it is also much more than that. It has a deeper layer that draws you in. It isn't just about dancing and travelling to Argentine, Spain and Cuba. It isn't just about filming the Reality Tv Show and it isn't just about Love and Romance. For me this book represents a journey to find yourself. About self-esteem, epiphany and standing up for yourself. About believing, believing in life and dreams. About letting go, really letting go, the difficulties about feelings and emotions. But most of all it is about friendship.
This really summarizes this book for me: " What do you do when you realise that you're not good enough to have your dreams come true?" - "You have to come up with new dreams." (Belinda Jones 2010, Living La Vida Loca, p.24)
I really like Belinda Jones' writing. It's so real in the descriptions. You can see the exotic places, feel the textures of the dresses, hear the music, feel the warm breeze, smell the spices. It draws you in. When the heroine is talking about wanting to experience the 'perfect dance' you almost get jealous, longing, suddenly wanting one of your own. But later you realise that you actually get one too, while reading, you can feel it, almost touch it.
To sum it all up, it's a perfect summer read, not too heavy and deep in the story/plot but not to fickle and shallow either. It's fun but also makes you realise a few things. The ending was sadly a bit rushed, but that doesn't diminish the book in the whole.
Great review! I haven't read anything by Belinda Jones yet, but I'm definitely going to give her a try over the summer! :D
ReplyDeleteThank you! I just adore her books, perfect for the summer!
ReplyDeleteI also adore her books. I bought every book she wrote. She's my number 1 !!! My all time favourite is Out of the Blue, immediately after is The Paradise Room!! Exactly like you said, it makes you feel that you really are in those exotic places. After reading The Paradise Room, I start browsing how much would it cost me to go to Bora Bora, (where the story took place) but unfortunately i cant afford to go there. Maybe one day:)
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