Review: What It Takes
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 15, 2013
Karen has always felt overshadowed by her gorgeous sisters. When handsome Danny sweeps her off her feet, it looks as though she's finally found happiness, but doubt starts to creep in and she pushes him away. Has she made the right decision? Will she ever find true love and happiness?Many of Karen's insecurities stem from her perception of herself as the ugly sister; having dull brown hair when your sisters are Scandinavian blonde beauties, doesn't do much for your self-confidence. Nor do a couple of ill-advised romantic entanglements and that awful "Spice Girls incident" at school.The network of family, romantic and work relationships around Karen feel real, with supporting characters and minor ones written with as much depth as the leads. I like the way that Karen has a slightly different relationship with each of her sisters, Ava (happily married with two children) and Saskia (owner of a successful hair and beauty salon).Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the main characters, which brings a freshness and lively quality to the story. I think Ava's first-person voice comes over the clearest and is the most compelling. Her comment that her husband says that she and Saskia are "the sort of Scandinavian beauties men fantasise about finding in the sauna, whereas Karen is a faded English rose that drooped before it even blossomed" is my favourite line.At first this story feels like an indulgent soap opera of a novel about the games people play when they are looking for love, but then it becomes apparent that there's a darker, deeper side to the tale. The two reveals, even if you've guessed them ahead of time, pack a satisfying punch.What is even more satisfying is looking again at the title of the book and the front cover illustration when you've finished reading, and seeing how apt they are. The choice reflects an author who is confident in her material and has a great sense of humour too.I'd like to thank the author for sending me a review copy.