Book info

• Title Not Quite Nice
• Author Celia Imrie
• Year 2015
• Genre Contemporary

Theresa is desperate for a change. Forced into early retirement and fed up with babysitting her bossy daughter's obnoxious children, she sells her house and moves to the picture-perfect town of Bellevue-sur-Mer, just outside Nice. Once the hideaway of artists and writers, it is now home to the odd rock icon and Hollywood movie star, and, as Theresa soon discovers, a close-knit set of expats. There's Carol, the glamorous American and her doting husband David; the British TV star Sally; the ferocious Sian and her wayward Australian poet husband; the sharply witty Zoe with her strangely youthful face and penchant for white wine – and the suave Brian who catches Theresa's eye... As Theresa settles to the gentle rhythm of seaside life she embraces her new-found friendships and freedom. However, life is never quite as simple as it seems and as skeletons start to fall out of several closets, Theresa begins to wonder if life on the French Riviera is quite as nice as it first appeared...

Thoughts

I haven’t read a book in this sort of summer-time holiday read genre for a long time but seeing it was written by the wonderful Celia Imrie, I thought I’d give it a go. I suspect it is aimed at women slightly older than myself, but that didn’t stop it being a fun read - sort of the novel equivalent of the Best Marigold Hotel film.

Following the mishap adventures of a handful of expats in a small French village near Nice, there are elements of romantic drama, of crime and mystery as well as plenty of humour, all weaving in and out of each other as the characters try and figure out where they fit in the world.

The characters, and their interactions with each other, are where the book really shines, although I must admit to being a bit annoyed at the fact that ALL the grown up children were generally hideous. But there was also a general feeling of openness and acceptance, which was lovely to read.

Rating: 4 / 5