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TinaNoir

Tina's Reading Books

Genre fiction lover:  Romance, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Mystery, Urban Fantasy

The Chocolate Run - Dorothy Koomson I admit I read the ending first.

After my last Dorothy Koomson book Goodnight, Beautiful, I really wanted to read more work by the author but I did not think I could handle another emotional ringer like that book was. So I deliberately looked to find something that was much lighter. With this book I can see why she is classified as a chick-lit writer because this is pure chick-lit.

Amber has been best friend with Jen for just about ever. So when Jen invites Amber to meet the new man in her life Amber goes for dinner determined to like this guy. Jen's new guy Matt brings along his best friend Greg as well, wanting him to get to know Jen. When Amber first sees Greg she is struck by 1)how incredibly beautiful is and 2)how much he knows it. Although Amber doesn't take to Matt very well, she and Greg strike up a great friendship. It is an immediate friendship that deepens as if it has been going on for years. It is the type of friendship where one would call the other to bail them out of jail -- a very funny bit in the story that had me smiling out loud.

The two manage to tumble into bed together. This is frought with problems as Amber has serious issues with commitment -- she thinks everyone will leave eventually. And Greg is a slut. He is good-natured, fun and beautiful and a sex magnet. But Greg is determined to change his ways for Amber. She desperately wants him but doesn't trust him. Is she right? Will he revert back to his old ways? Can she believe all the things, all the right things, he's telling her.

I got a real kick out of this book. I think I loved the fact that Greg was so completely flawed. He could have easily come off as a jerk but somehow the author managed to make him charming. Amber has major issues and I think she sabotaged her relationship a bit with him. I totally got why she had trust problems with him in particular but it will turn into almost a self fulfilling prophecy to constantly ask your boyfriend when he's going to cheat on you. I do have to give the writer credit though that even given Greg's colorful past i never felt that he would betray Amber. It was just the vibe and the way he was written.

Friendship is a major theme in this book. Jen and Amber's friendship is a central aspect and plays a huge part in the unfolding of Amber's relationship with Greg. But there is also Greg and Matt's friendship as well as Amber and Greg's friendship. These four are all negotiating a maze of interconnectedness that both reveals and conceals. The comfort and necessity of friendship is explored as well as the darker aspects of the bond -- how far people will go to keep secrets and how too much dependency can be destructive.

All in all a very good read. I am not a chick lit person, per se but I do enjoy this writer.
Goodnight, Beautiful