When I head Katy had netted herself a deal with Carina I was hugely excited. I’ve wanted to read Katy’s writing for a long time and was so glad we would all finally have the chance.
(Also, HOWBEAUTIFULISTHECOVER?!)
I must say I was a little dubious at first – novels about travelling or ones set in foreign climes aren’t always my favourite. I’ve never left England (boo hoo) and only managed to get a passport this year (which I still haven’t used yet) so I’m not very au fait with foreign culture, climates and customs. I have been trying to broaden my reading horizons somewhat and have read a few books recently set in countries I can only hope to one day visit, so I was hoping that Destination Thailand would not only make me eager to visit Thailand but would give rich and vivid detail so for someone like me who has never traveled I could actually get a tangible sense of what it’s like to be there.
Georgia is out protagonist who, in slight mirroring of Katy’s very own life, has just been unceremoniously jilted at the alter by her very-nearly husband. As you can imagine she’s not that pleased when this happens and spends time trying to work out what she is supposed to do with her life now everything she had meticulously planned has gone right down the drain. Her friend suggests creating a bucket list of goals that Georgia can work towards achieving and, after thinking long and hard about what she wants, decides to book a ticket to Thailand.
Georgia lands in Thailand and joins a small group of tourists led by slimy tour guide Kit and she tries to ingrain herself in Thai culture but, like most things in life, nothing really goes to plan. However, Georgia is determined to make this new adventure work…
When I downloaded this book to my Kindle I thought ‘I’ll just read the first chapter to get a taste of what’s to come.’ But, with a lack of self control I’d ended up reading over thirty percent before I even stopped to realise! I read this book in just three sittings and finished it this morning as I sat eating my scrambled eggs!
I loved this book SO much and there are SO many reasons why but I don’t want to go into all of these reasons as I could potentially end up spoiling it for some. Trust me when I say there are SO many elements to this plot and it’s not just about a woman travelling after being jilted – there are sub plots that introduce us to other characters that are linked to Georgia and will carry on with her and her journey in the next book.
Katy’s writing grabbed me instantly and had me glued to the pages – it’s the kind of writing you don’t need to think about, you can just read and instantly be lost in her world. There’s no added descriptions, confusing wording or large, unnecessary words taking up space and ruining the flow. You can glide from page to page without noticing you’ve read half the book already!
Georgia is a really, really great protagonist. She’s flawed and there were a few moments where I thought ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!’ or ‘Guurrrrrrrl, are you sure you wanna do that?’ but it just made me warm to her even more – she was real and imperfect but in the best way. Her relationships with the other characters were really well written too – especially with her friend Marie.
Another element of this book I must mention is how unpredictable the plot was. Contemporary women’s fiction gets this reputation for having samey plots and being incredibly predictable and yes, whilst there were some facets of this plot that you can predict from a mile off there were a few other things that I didn’t see coming and I loved that!
Lastly, before I make this review an essay and end up ruining everything (!) I just wanted to mention the travel aspect – I LIKED IT. I actually liked reading about another country because Katy made me feel like I was there, I could feel the warm sun on my back, hear the waves crashing onto the beach and smell the vast array of inviting foods. Having limited to no knowledge about Thailand I was worried it would all float over my head but I am glad to say it didn’t and I truly got caught up in the descriptions.
And, the most exciting part is that this is the start of a series!!! The series is called The Lonely Hearts Travel Club and, by the looks of things, our next adventure is to India and then in the third book we’re off to Chile! Eeeek, I honestly cannot wait to read these!
I cannot recommend this book enough. It is beautifully written with a brilliant plot and fantastic characters. READ IT!!
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