Trouble in Tinseltown - Aimee Duffy

Trouble in Tinseltown by Aimee Duffy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 
Part 1 of Summer Flings - a fun, flirty and laugh out loud rom com series of short stories.

Armed with a degree from Oxford that she doesn't have a clue what to do with, Ciara Bree convinces her two best friends, Elle and Gem to spend their first summer of freedom backpacking across the globe. Now it's time to shop, sunbathe, think about boys for a change, and party hard...

First stop: LA!

The girls hit Tinseltown for a few days of shopping, star spotting, and even a movie premiere!
But their plan to sneak into an exclusive celeb party in West Hollywood backfires. Elle's gorgeous older cousin, Zack, is called to the rescue and despite knowing she should stay away, Ciara just can't seem to resist him.

The ideal summer treat for those relaxing days soaking up the sun!

Trouble in Tinseltown is the first in the Summer Flings series by Aimee Duffy. This is the first I have read by her and I enjoy her writing style.

This is a very short novella at around 40 pages and made this a perfect read for me travelling. I enjoy novellas that allow me to immerse myself in and I fell like the story has been concluded during a short period. Lately I have become quite busy and it is hard for me to find the time to read a book cover to cover. Novellas I find allow me to do this.

This story is about three girls who are off to travel the world and enjoy life while they are young. Elle has a rich grandfather who has many properties around the world and has allowed Elle and her friends to stay. Ciara is the more down to earth girl and comes from a different background to Gem and Elle.

I would say being so short we really get thrown into the action of the story, which I loved. The downside of this though I felt I didn't know the characters that well, however as the story developed I felt I got a better 'feel' for who the girls are.

This little novella packs a lot in. We have relationships, friendships, brushes with the law,and drama.

As the novella is so short I don't want to say too much about it, other than this is one to have on you for that commute or on holiday. I cannot wait to read the next instalment and follow the girls around the world. (Wishing I was with them!)

I would like to thank Aimee for sending me this in exchange for an honest review.

Millie and the American University by Annabel Scott

Millie and the American University by Annabel Scott 
My rating: 4 of 5 stars.

'Millie’s always dreamt of being American, thanks to an obsession with US Television shows. As the only English girl on campus, she realises that she could live her very own American dream: joining a sorority and bagging an all American boyfriend. Only when Millie finds a friend in Kristen, she alienates Casey and Jen, the sorority girls who’d taken her under their wing. Millie discovers that Casey is not a woman to be crossed, and she soon finds herself living an American nightmare with her scholarship under threat, and the all American boyfriend ending things before they really start.


The prequel to Millie and the American Wedding, find out where it all began, and join Millie, Kristen and Rob at an American University.'



This story is about a girl (Millie) who goes to an American University as an exchange student. She joins half way through so is not a freshman and finds it hard to make friends, as everyone already has their groups and sororities.  Two girls are told to look after her, Casey and Jen. To begin with Millie thinks these girls are genuine and want to be her friend, however as time goes on she realises this is not necessary the case. 

Millie finds it flattering at first when guys say ‘can you say that again? I love that accent.’ But after a while this gets wearing and girls seem to dislike Millie as they see her as a threat. Casey and Jen also just use her as a puppet, to get into parties and meet people. 

Millie went along with this, (let’s face it she didn’t know anyone else!) but when she invited a guy along to one of these parties that also didn’t know anyone; Casey and Jen had a problem with this as it was a ‘closed party’. Millie was forced to let him down and say he couldn’t come. Luckily Millie attends many parties and next time meets a new friend Kirsten, Casey and Jen have history with her and Millie is basically forced to choose between them. 

During Millie’s time out in America she writes email back to her friends who didn’t attend the exchange. I enjoyed reading Millie’s emails and I think it would have been good if we had more input from Millie’s friends from the U.K, it would have been good to hear what they thought of it all. 

Millie struggles with juggling her new mountain of work (that she never had in the U.K) and a life full of partying every night. She also discovers as being the only English girl, she stands out and must be careful not to get a reputation. 

I did enjoy this story, however I felt it was a bit repetitive, Millie seems to just go to parties every night. It maybe a different type of party such as a beer pong, hotel or a crawl, but it is a party. As the book progresses Millie does begin to get braver and experience other parts of American Culture, she visits an American Football game.  

The other thing I found hard to believe is that Millie meets the same guy Rob about three times before she remembers who he actually is. Even if she couldn’t remember his name, surely she would recognise him and ask him something?? These are the only negatives I have about this book; Millie’s American Wedding is the sequel to this and I will be reading that at some point, if you have already read Millie’s American Wedding, this is perfect to find out how it all began. 


This is a fast paced book and it will have you laughing out loud, cringing and wanting more when it is over. This book will be over far too quick but its brilliant on a rainy day (like today) to cheer you up. :D

I would like to thank Annabel Scott for sending me this to review.