An (Un) Romantic Comedy by Phoebe MacLeod

ABOUT THE BOOK

Poppy is a therapist. You’d think her parents would be proud. But Poppy is the type of therapist that makes her mother cringe – she helps people with their, ahem, bedroom problems…

Normally Poppy deals with her difficult family – two parents, one brother, a couple sisters and an assortment of nieces and nephews – by keeping a county or two between her and them. But with her little sister about to get married there’s no avoiding the week-long family holiday in Cornwall.

The trip was always going to be a catastrophe, but Poppy never imagined how much her family needed her professional skills… Nor did she expect to meet a sexy surfer on what was supposed to be the most unromantic holiday ever.

Can a nightmare holiday lead to the love of a lifetime?

MY REVIEW

Poppy is a sex therapist dreading her attendance at her little sister’s wedding. Being the pariah in her family Poppy is not expecting love and joy with her arrival. What she gets is angst, unhappiness, and unfortunately, more impromptu therapy sessions than she bargained for.

I love Poppy. She is very good at her job. A job her family doesn’t understand and thinks it’s an embarrassment. The family dynamics are volatile and confrontational at best until the practical and sensible Poppy uses her skills to unlock and resolve some significant and sometimes humorous issues, i.e. the truth about masturbation and addiction to porn, the consequences of sexting, staving off pervy wankers, and advice for virgin brides to name a few. With all of the distress of selfish siblings and bullying parents, Poppy meets a handsome data scientist/surfing instructor named Sam and his charming daughter Jessie who give her a sense of peace in a houseful of chaos.

It’s disarming at first how Poppy is treated by her spiteful mother and sisters and it’s understandable why she doesn’t want to be around them. But with patience, humor, and tough love she finally gets everyone to open up. Needless to say, Poppy’s family comes to appreciate her profession and apologize for their nasty behavior.

I found this to be a refreshing take on a dysfunctional family with comedic flair. Yes, there is romance, but as the title clearly states, it’s more about family relationships with a love story added on. I can’t wait to read more from Phoebe MacLeod.

Thank you to the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Phoebe MacLeod is the author of several popular laugh-out-loud romantic comedies. She mainly sets her books in her home county of Kent and her first new title for Boldwood will be published in November 2022. They will also be republishing her existing titles from August this year.