by Natalie Watson & Nina Holmes
Rating: ****
#Rejected Goddesses introduces the reader to best friends, Robyn Ryan and Catarina Romano, and their rollercoaster lives. Both women begin the novel stuck in a rut; Robyn with a failing bakery and Cat, an unsuccessful writer who has recently been demoted in her day job. And just don’t mention their love lives…
Confession time; rom-com is not normally a genre I read but I really enjoyed #Rejected Goddesses, it was a breath of fresh air; I read it in one sitting curled up in the gloom of a January afternoon in London and found it thoroughly entertaining.
Following an introduction, the chapters switch between Cat and Robyn’s daily life. It’s a good tactic, keeping the narrative fresh, moving and the reader also gets a view of each woman from the other, adding dimension to both main characters and a touch of foreknowledge.
Occasionally, the women’s voices are a little similar although Robyn is the slightly more thoughtful and restrained out of the two. Their bond is clear from the beginning and there are enough differences in their backgrounds for comparative interest without making them obvious opposites.
Immediately you begin #Rejected Goddesses, you are transported into Cat and Robyn’s lives. It’s incredibly relatable with some funny moments, familiar moments, and moments we would all rather forget. It certainly taps into the cringe factor in a good way!
The novel has been cleverly pitched, not only have the Authors clearly had a lot of fun in writing #Rejected Goddesses, there has also been a lot of care in constructing and crafting the narrative. I especially liked the way that events in both women’s daily lives ran broadly parallel to each other albeit with a contrasting set of characters.
It’s not easy to maintain light, humorous prose and the story is deceptively well-structured to ensure it gives the reader what they want but with a few careful twists that remain entirely credible. Elements of the plot are reassuringly predictable without being superficially fluffy or ridiculous, and sometimes that is exactly what a reader requires.
Personally, it was a good move to ensure #Rejected Goddesses is not overlong, it maintains the brisk, engaging pace and enjoyable tone without becoming exhausting, although given the strong foundation laid with Cat and Robyn, I can see this being a series, and one that would definitely work.
#Rejected Goddesses is a well-written and delightfully fun slice of sweetly satisfying escapism. Highly recommended.
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