The Great Love Story of All Time - by Lucy Robinson

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

Fran is rotting in bed. She has been rotting there for nearly three weeks, ever since her extremely handsome and talented boyfriend took her out for a special birthday dinner with a ring-shaped bulge in his pocket and, taking her face lovingly in his hands, told her that he didn’t think he wanted to see her again. Fran has launched a complex stalking campaign to undercover the truth behind her unceremonious dumping. But the deeper her investigations take her, the more horrid her discoveries. To make matters worse Fran is juggling a career crisis of quite epic proportions, a Mother whose afternoon G&T habit has got woefully out of hand and a cat whose life’s mission is to destroy her. Then Fran’s rather odd group of friends step in to save her with an elaborate plan. Probably the worst plan Fran’s ever heard of. But, as they explain in no uncertain terms, Fran has no option other than to give it a shot…

Or

It's Fran's thirtieth birthday and things are good . . .

She's bluffed her way into a Very Posh Job and her outlandishly handsome and talented boyfriend Michael is escorting her to the Ritz with a bulge the shape of a ring box in his pocket.

But something has gone wrong. Very wrong. By the end of the evening Fran is howling in bed with a bottle of cheap brandy and one of Michael's old socks.

In her quest to figure out why her life has suddenly gone down the pan, Fran comes up with a failsafe plan: live like a badger, stalk a stranger called Nellie and cancel her beloved Gin Thursdays in favour of drinking gin every night. But then Fran's friends force a very different plan on her and it's nowhere near as fun. How could eight dates possibly make her feel better?

But eventually she agrees. And so begins the greatest love story of all time ...

My Opinion:

When Fran meets Michael I really thought they were meant for each other, but it turns out ...

After almost two years of relationship Michael wants a three months break, Fran thought he was going to propose.

Now she is sad, lying around and doesn’t want to get out of her flat.

It is interesting to read how Fran met Michael and you gotta love her three friends: Leonie, Stefania and especially Dave.

They’ve got a plan to send Fran on eight dates (the last one, has to be the perfect date..., but we only hear towards the end, what that really means).

Fran misses Michael and starts stalking him, or his „girlfriend“ Nellie. However, it all is a big misunderstanding and everything turns out to be really complicated.

I find the scenes hilarious, when Fran is acting all strange trying to find out more.

When Michael finds out, that she is dating, he sends her messages again. His best friend Alex is a nightmare at work and then everything about her mam is released in the press.

Freddy, one of her online dates, seems to be a great guy, but when Michael wants Fran to go to Paris to meet him, she cancels the date with him.

Leonie is with Alex now, which seems to complicate the situation even more.

In Paris, Michael and Fran talk a lot and they want to get back together again (Michael also tells her why he wanted the separation), but then Leonie calls and tells her the whole truth...

Was Michael really playing with her, this whole time? 

I was really disappointed in Michael, I never thought that was possible, he seemed like such a nice guy. Well, that made the whole story even more interesting and took it to a whole new level.

Alex is a good friend now and Fran has real success at work. But what about Freddy?

Dave tells her, that he is leaving... Only when it is almost to late and with a little help from her friends she realises who Freddy is...

Will she get her happy end?

This really is a great love story. It has an unexpected ending and you can really dive into the story. I love Fran’s mad moments and the stalking thing is just hilarious. LOL-moments guaranteed!!! And it is also romantic, gripping and entertaining!!! Lucy really understands to make a story interesting, vivid and sparkling and the love scenes: perfect ;) ♥

Rating: 

My possible cast:

Frances: Christina Applegate

Dave: Patrick Dempsey

Michael: Ian Somerhalder

Stefania: Natalia Vodianovs

Alex: Markus Rosenberg

Leonie: Mandy Bork

Lucy Robinson on Twitter: @Lucy_Robinson

Website: http://lucy-robinson.co.uk