Little White Lies and Butterflies by Suzie TullettMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Little White Lies and Butterflies Lydia Livinston is flouting the modern day ‘having it all’ norm. She’s going against the feminist grain and refusing to juggle career and family. She’s plumped for simply being a wife and mum – preferably to five children, cue gasps of horror. Ideally, she has to find Mr Right first. And Mr Right has to be just right, ticking all the boxes on Lydia’s list of criteria: handsome, romantic (into B&W films) and solvent enough to support five children to name but three. Fast approaching thirty, Lydia’s beginning to realise her family might be right. She is barmy. He doesn’t exist. Her search for the fairy-tale ‘happily ever after’, which in itself has been a career, has been fruitless. Lydia now has to change her change her game plan and thus sets off to take stock on the beautiful Greek island of Kalymnos, where she meets the Fatolitis family, who, though more effusive in their affections, peculiarly mirror her own.
Rather than admit to being sadly single when persistent Sam the climber appears on the scene, Lydia decides to reinvent herself. After all, what harm can it do? She’ll never see him again. Reinventing herself as a professional chef sampling the local cuisine when she can’t boil an egg was perhaps not the best of ideas, she realises, as annoying Sam the climber announces it to the whole restaurant. Said restaurant owned by the Fatolitis. Oh, and Sam does more to catch Lydia out in her little white lie, but to tell would be a huge spoiler. Suffice to say, it made me chuckle. I think I would have ditched the foliage and skidded out of there, too. One little white lie of course leads to another, and suddenly Lydia finds herself being blackmailed. I have to say, I liked Sam straightaway. When he and Lydia chatted in Paradise (no spoilers), I just wanted to pick him up and love him. Go, Sam! The plot thickens, Lydia’s little lies leading to a series of cringe-making events that have you wanting to slap your hands over your eyes. How is she going to keep her family, who’ve arrived dressed in their British best, out of the mix? How the hell is she going to cater for a Greek Wedding?
Little White Lies and Butterflies (love that title) is a fabulous romantic comedy, with just the right of romance and humour. The two families, characterised beautifully – colourful, embarrassing, “madder than mad” – are a perfect backdrop for the story. You just can’t help but love them. We all have one!
Suzie Tullett writes with a style that flows beautifully. She’s obviously done her research, too. Her description of the gorgeous Greek landscape and culture immediately transports the reader there. Personally, I was rooting for Sam throughout, but is he all he appears to be? Read the book and find out. It gets a feel-good-factor of FIVE from me.
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