Publisher: 12th March 2021 by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter
Pages: 400 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: contemporary, women's fiction, chick lit
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Synopsis:
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Ruby Graham’s verdict: I want to live in Oz, where danger is defeated by friendship, your dreams are always in glowing Technicolor and you can get a pair of absolutely gorgeous ruby slippers simply by landing a house on a hag!
Luke Devlin’s verdict: Flying monkeys? Seriously?
The late Matty Devlin was so much more than Ruby Graham’s boss. He was her best friend, her father-figure, and she is showcasing a series of his favourite classic movies at the independent cinema in Notting Hill which was his life’s work … and of which she is now part owner.
Matty left the other half of The Royale to his nephew, Luke, the elusive Manhattan property developer and rumoured son of a Hollywood icon.
It’s all beginning to sound like the plot of one of Ruby’s beloved films until it becomes clear Luke is no more interested in swooping in to save the crumbling Royale than he is in talking about his famous father. He’s bad-tempered, cynical, and he couldn’t care less about the cinema!
But saving The Royale is about far more than just Matty’s legacy. The Royale is the only place where Ruby gets to live in a world of dreams and happy endings, a place where there are no lost causes, and where falling in love is just like in the movies … or is Luke about to change all that?
My Thoughts
‘Movies are like life, if you look hard enough. A good movie can allow you to walk around in someone else’s shoes and also help you escape your problems, at least for a little while.’
Ruby has recently inherited half of The Royale movie theatre after the sad passing of her friend, mentor and father figure. Apart from badly being in debt, the other fifty percent beneficiary of the cinema is Luke - the son of two famous movie stars who has no time for the movies or movie lovers. Thus proceeds the tale of love/hate relationships with the requisite happily ever after. There are, however, certain endearing qualities to this read that make it stand out.
Of course there will be the predictable encounters (loads of explicit sex!), followed by numerous mullings and musings ... yet thankfully there are little snippets of something deeper and richer. It certainly is not all fluff as there are some painful and poignant themes. The strongest for me was the backstory of Luke and the life he led with famous parents and how that formed the man we see today. Tied into this is the mystery behind why he would be left part ownership of the cinema in the first place. Ruby was also a solid character and I really appreciated her story arc - one of strength tied in with her growth over present security - a win for me.
All up you will read this if you love the chick lit genre full of romance and a cast of quirky yet loveable secondary characters. Yet, there is more to this tale with its themes of forgiveness and unconditional love and growth.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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