Goodbye Ruby Tuesday by A. L. Michael
Published: 29th April 2016
Publisher: Carina UK
Pages: 243
Available on Kindle
Rating: 5/5
Blurb
Four friends have become three.
But that’s only the beginning. Ruby, Evie, Mollie and Chelsea were the bad girls at school. But Ruby was the baddest. Evie fought her anger, Mollie fought her mother and Chelsea…well, Chelsea just fought. But Ruby set her sights on a bigger stage. And together, they dreamed of a future where Ruby could sing, Evie could make art, Mollie could bake, Chelsea could dance – and all of them could finally feel at home.
A decade later, the girls are reunited for the funeral of Ruby, who took the world – and the charts – by storm, before fading too soon. And Evie doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry when she learns that Ruby has left them a house on Camden Square – the perfect place for them to fulfil their dreams. But does she dare take the plunge, and risk it all for one last shot at the stars?
Review
Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday is the first book in A. L. Michael’s new
series The House on Camden Square. The story starts as friends Evie, Mollie and
Chelsea meet up at their old friend Ruby’s funeral. The funeral has brought
them all back together in their home
town of Badgeley where they all grew up on the estates at the wrong side of
town and were never expected to amount to much. While reminiscing about their
teenage dreams of escaping the small town and making it big in the arts they
are given a letter from Ruby’s one-time foster mum who said Ruby had left it
for them.
On opening the letter the girls discover that Ruby has left
them the last few months lease on her rented building in Camden and in the
letter she urges them to take a chance and go after their creative dreams by
opening a gallery and workshop for the creative arts which can be accessible to
anyone.
Each of the girls have different reactions to this. Evie is
very excited as she longs to get away from her mother and conman father who
keeps drifting in and out of their lives whenever he wants money. She’s the
most creative of the group and has a way of making things happen so sees this
as an amazing opportunity. Mollie is more reluctant as she has ten-year old daughter
Esme to think of, but a chance to get away from alcoholic mother is one she has
to take. Chelsea doesn’t seem to like the idea at all, but then she’s managed
to get away and make a new life in London and doesn’t seem to want her old
friends to be part of it.
When Evie finally convinces her friends to make a new start
they’re in for a few months filled with hard-work, fun and laughter and even a
little romance. Can they finally make their dreams come true?
I loved everything about this book, it’s the perfect easy
going read and had me feeling nostalgic for my own old school friends and our
teenage dreams. Evie, Mollie and Chelsea are all wonderful characters who seem
to work well together and make each other stronger. My favourite character
though had to be Esme, Mollie’s young daughter. She was the perfect cheeky
ten-year old, wanting to have fun but also having moments of being incredibly
sensible and grown-up, which made for some brilliant conversations with her
mother and Evie.
I love the way flashbacks to their teenage years have been
included as this explains what happened to Ruby and how she influenced their
teenage lives and how each of the girls ended up where they did before Ruby’s
funeral.
I also loved the romance that developed in the story. I
thought it was very well written as it had all the makings of a real
relationship, including romance, sex, arguments, misunderstandings and those
clumsy moments you have in a new relationship.
Goodbye Ruby, Tuesday was a great read and has me very eager
to continue with the story in the next book as I’m longing to find out what
happens next for Evie, Chelsea and Mollie. It’s book full of fun with some
emotional parts which are just deep enough not to make the story too heavy. It’s
a book I think anyone who remembers their teenage dreams should go and read.
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