Chicklit Club
 

DIGITAL DOMAIN

 
 

Hero or Zero - Julie Shackman (2014)

 

Twenty-something Chloe Jones is a single mum and the most important thing in her life is her young son, Danny. However, when she's not busy taking care of him, she allows herself to dream away every now and again and usually handsome actor Ethan Blake makes an appearance in those dreams. Chloe knows it's just a silly crush on a TV heart-throb, but she would love to meet Ethan someday and see whether he's as perfect as she imagines him to be. When she enters a magazine competition to win a chance of having Ethan come and live with you for a month, Chloe never expects to actually win. But that is exactly what happens: Ethan Blake is on his way to her apartment and will stay with her for a whole month. Chloe can't believe her luck, but will Ethan be able to live up to the image she has created of him or will he turn out to be someone else completely? The main storyline is something I think most of us will have fantasised about sometime in our lives: meeting your favourite celebrity and him/her becoming your best friend or perhaps even falling for you. This is exactly what happens to Chloe, when her favourite actor becomes her roommate for a month. Chloe is a wonderful heroine; she's down-to-earth, warm, and really easy to relate to and her thoughts had me laughing out loud many times. The story is told from multiple perspectives, and there are also a few flashbacks, explaining little things that happened in the past, which was great because it provides the reader with a chance to see where the characters come from and why they are who they are and do what they do. It personally took me a bit of time to really get into the novel, but as soon as I was immersed in the story I thought it was a really enjoyable read and I couldn't wait to see how everything would end for Chloe. (JoH)