Review: India's Summer by Thérèse

Title: India's Summer
Author: Thérèse
Publication Date: January 18, 2012

Synopsis:

INDIA’S SUMMER by Thérèse is the story of India Butler, single and about to turn forty, who travels from London to LA to reinvent herself. In a world illuminated by the flashbulbs of the paparazzi, she discovers the true meaning of “having it all’ while spending the summer with her sister Annabelle, a famous Hollywood actress, and her brother -in -law, a legendary rock musician.
They welcome India into their opulent, fast-paced lifestyle, whisking her from fabulous fundraisers to parties each more opulent than the last. This does nothing for India’s confidence and she maintains a wry detachment until she begins dating Adam, a gorgeous A- list actor. In an attempt to appear more successful she lies to him about her career.
Disaster strikes and India is drawn behind the veneer of Hollywood glitz and glamor and into Hollywood’s private lives. As her illusions about the perfection of their LA lifestyle fade away, India has an epiphany about her own real talents. .
India is in her element until her new life in LA unravels.

My Thoughts:

India Butler is a likable character. She is very smart, funny and has a great sense of humor. Even though she may have been a little dishonest about her career to Adam, her love interest, and her sister Annie's friends, she was still very honest when it came to their relationships. She was there for everyone when they needed her and she genuinely cared about what was happening in their lives. She didn't take anyone for granted, which was really important especially since she was surrounded by celebrities with far better means than her own. She worked hard and did her best.

As for the other characters, I enjoyed them for the most part. The author did a fantastic job of creating believable characters who came off as very real and human. Just about all of them, India's best friend Sarah being the only exception, were celebrities and the author did a fantastic job showing the readers that even though they may have more money than most of the world, they can still struggle just like the rest of us. Their struggles were just as real as ours and something that everyone can relate to.

Most of this story took place in L.A. and the surrounding area, and although I've never been, I could still picture it quite clearly in my mind. The beaches, the parties and the houses were all expertly detailed so I had no trouble following India or Annie as they made their way through town and from scene to scene. The author also did an excellent job relaying smaller details, such as body language and clothing, without weighing down the story and giving you everything you need to know to create the scene.

As much as I loved the book, I still had a small issue with it. The story itself is wonderful, but there were many typos. I couldn't look past the many exclamation points that seemed to be out of place. Sometimes they would appear in the middle of a sentence, only to appear again at the end, or sometimes they just didn't appear at all. Most of the time I was able to ignore them, but it did make reading a little hard at times because I wasn't sure if India was actually saying these things or just thinking them. Thankfully though, most of these typos seemed to take place in one specific area of the book and was mostly cleared by the next chapter.

Overall, I really enjoyed India's Summer. I think everyone, at least us ladies, imagines what it would be like to be famous and fall in love with that dreamy actor, or to just see what it would be like to live like a celebrity for just a few months. India's Summer is a fun story of love, life and taking that big chance to become everything you always wanted to be. I recommend this to anyone who loves Chick Lit or who is looking for that perfect, fun and quick paced end of summer read.  


For more about Thérèse or India's Summer, check out her website.

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