A Night In With Audrey Hepburn by Lucy Holliday

A Night In With Audrey Hepburn by Lucy Holliday
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Unlucky in love, failed actress Libby Lomax has retreated into the world of classic movies, where the immortal lives of the screen goddesses offer so much more in the way of romance than her own life.
After a terrible day on the set of a cult TV sci-fi series where she has proved herself to be the antithesis of feminine poise and embarrassed herself in front of heartthrob actor Dillon O’Hara, she plonks herself down in front of her trillionth viewing of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Relaxing on her battered old couch, salvaged from the props department by her best friend Olly, Libby is gob smacked to find actual Screen Icon, Audrey Hepburn, sitting beside her. Dressed in her little black dress, wearing her trademark sunglasses, Audrey proffers advice to the hapless Libby between ladylike puffs on her vintage cigarette holder.
And so, Audrey becomes Libby’s confidante and friend – but has Libby got what it takes to turn her life from a Turkey to a Blockbuster? With a little bit of Audrey Hepburn magic, she might just pull it off…

A Night in With Audrey Hepburn is the first in a series of three books following the life and loves of Libby Lomax as she blossoms from Z-lister to A-lister and all of the stages in between with a little bit of help from some very special friends.


Quite an unusual story line; it was frivolous and silly in parts but I think you'd not expect a serious heavy novel from the title.

I loved Libby Lomax the central character and narrator, she was not a moaner or whinger, very human and identifiable, a bit scatty but immensely likeable as was Son of Bogdan her landlords handyman son.

The story basically revolves around an antique sofa that Libby finds herself in possession of after a mix up over actual furniture she has selected from the props department to furnish her new flat is delivered. The flat actually appeared larger when she viewed it and she quickly discovers that Bogdan the landlord has decided to partition off part of the original room and make this into two flats and not tell her. Consequently the overlarge Chesterfield that her best friend Olly has hiked up three flights of stairs is a very tight squeeze in her new flat. Worse still is the fact that the Chesterfield has seen better days, is old and smelly and the most revolting peachy colour Libby has ever seen. Tired and disillusioned after a disastrous day where it culminates in her her getting the sack after she sets fire to her hair accidentally on set in front of most of the cast, she opens a bottle of wine puts on her favourite DVD Breakfast at Tiffany's and sits in her empty flat save for the Chesterfield and packing boxes and has a Bridget Jones moment of feeling sorry for herself. Quite without warning she finds herself with company of a ghostly kind when Audrey Hepburn actually appears in her flat offering her advice and the scene is set for a very funny read.

Very enjoyable at at times a totally bonkers read, I thoroughly enjoyed this totally entertaining book and would love to read her sequel ' A night in with Marilyn Monroe' . This debut novel reminded me of the early Sophie Kinsella Shopaholic books and I feel sure that this could easily be up there in terms of popularity. There's plenty of mileage in this concept and I hope, as with the Shopaholic books, that Libby might develop in a series of books and go one to be a favorite character like Becky Bloomwood has become.

Certainly there is enough material to develop the lovesick Olly and the great secondary characters like the hilarious Son of Bogdan - I can't wait for her next one. There really were 'laugh out loud' moments that I only ever remember having with the Shopaholic books and I raced through it easily.

I have to give this a 5 star rating because this is such a promising debut novel - more Libby Lomax please Lucy I am now a fan.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.