Review: One little white lie
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 21, 2013
This romantic novella features a girl jaded with men and a man leery of women after his fame, set in Sydney. Henry has written a young adult trilogy. Kate on the other hand is slogging through a PhD and keeps getting set up by her pal Lisa with heavy-drinking men, so she finally lies and invents a boyfriend. Henry, incognito, has spotted her at a club and Lisa mischievously arranges for him to claim to be Kate's boyfriend - in front of her ex-fiancé.Since Kate had changed her social site status and told friends she was seeing someone, she doesn't deny Henry's claim right away. If she did want a boyfriend, he'd be a fine choice. But getting set up feels like a practical joke so she quietly tells him she's not interested. Her ex slinks up to Henry and badmouths Kate, saying she just uses men; Henry doesn't even think twice about decking him.From there the story smoothly moves to scenic spots such as a bistro with a view of the Opera House, and Bondi Beach, with Henry still keeping his identity secret and Kate still suffering character assassination. This is a fun read and Loretta Hill paints a civilised, romantic picture of Australian city life, where a glass of wine and a view are all you need to enjoy the warm evening.I didn't think much of the apparent social pressure to be in a couple or blind dating, and Henry's falling for a girl he bumps into and doesn't talk with is unlikely, given that he's a serious writer; he would be more likely to fall for her after a conversation about her PhD, which she doesn't really discuss in the book at all. Intelligence likes intelligence. The twists were obvious and Kate was a bit too easily manipulated. However all we're looking for is a light read of the city dating scene, and it's okay to relax with.