Review: One of the most enjoyable books I've ever read!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 18, 2014
The Guestbook is a fun and heart-warming story about Annie Butterworth, who owns Willow Cottage, a little seaside guest house that takes in a wide variety of patrons. From the young and in love to the down-right weird. But all the guests leave little snapshots of their lives in the guest book – as does Annie. Oliver Black, number one crime writer, is also a regular guest at Willow Cottage as he is the brother of Annie’s dead husband and her best friend who helped her through the toughest time in her life. Annie and Oliver have their own story to tell and with the help of Annie’s infamous guestbook, secrets get revealed and truths begin to surface and the lives of Annie, Oliver and all the guests are written down – quite literally – for everyone to see.This was honestly, 100% one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read – I devoured it in 2 sittings! Holly’s writing style is so easy and fluent it gets hard to stop, and before you know it you’ve read 200 pages and completely forgot about dinner. I also thought this book was incredibly funny. It has very witty and on-point humour right from the start and most of it is just naturally funny without even meaning to be. The whole book is written in guest book entries from Annie and each of the patrons. I really wasn’t expecting that at first and although it’s a very unusual and different way to tell a story it worked so well and Holly makes sure you get a sense of all the characters personalities and stories just from the different ways in which they write. Bringing out each characters traits just from a diary entry is extremely talented. The main story which was about Annie, Oliver and their past and relationship was very well told through Annie, Oliver, and various other patrons thoughts, words and general ramblings in the guest-book and in unravels really nicely throughout the book. The entire story very indirectly reveals itself right before your eyes and before you know it, you have the whole picture right there in front of you without even realising it had happened.There was a very diverse and interesting mix of characters all of whom were wonderful and resembled quite ordinary guests you’d probably find in a guest house – including the infuriating Mrs Applecroft who constantly moaned about everything! We all know one of those don’t we? The newly weds, Rosie and Jake Hamilton were so sweet and the creepy Verity Forbes. There was such a diverse mix of people from children to pensioners, couples, families, a group of girls on a hen night and even a crazy animal lady – who was my personal favourite. Every few pages it’s something new and different and once one guest left I couldn’t wait to see who Holly was going to introduce us to next. Annie Butterworth, our main girl and guest house owner is so loveable and adorable, she makes you wish Willow Cottage was real! I know in real life it’s unlikely you’d ever get a guest book in which people spill the entire contents of their lives out on to but this book definitely has a sense of ‘you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors’. I also loved that this book was set on familiar grounds as the Norfolk Broads and Great-Yarmouth are mentioned in it. I’m only a few hours away from Great-Yarmouth and I know what a lovely place it can be, so it really helped me get a good picture of Willow Cottage and the surrounding areas in my head.This book really is one of a kind, readable, relatable, unique and everything a book should be. It a perfectly well-rounded story and the ending made me squeal in happiness. There’s not a single thing I can criticise as Holly got every aspect spot-on. For the entire duration of time I was reading this book I literally didn’t want to do anything else and I could have read about the lives of Annie, Oliver and the weird and wonderful guests of Willow Cottage forever.