The Regulars was a lot of fun. The premise might sound a bit silly to some readers but the reality of the book was anything but - the strength of the writing made it seem totally believeable. I read a fair chunk of this on the train and rather than wishing for the journey to be over I wanted it to last longer so I could keep reading. It put me in mind of books by Sarah Addison Allen and Joanne Harris and made Georgia Clark an author I'll look out for more from in future.

I guess that there is nothing more perfect than a title that matches your opinion of a novel. This is pretty regular, it's a deliciously trashy read with a few 'beauty is only skin deep' undertones to keep it from being 100% tabloid style fiction. I liked it, not what I expected but enjoyable nonetheless.

I won a beautiful hardback copy of this book in a Twitter giveaway run by the publisher. I was immediately intrigued by the plot which is effectively that of an adult fairytale, albeit quite sinister, where three women are given the chance to change themselves so that new opportunities to progress their careers and love lives come easily to them. Part of what intrigued me most about this book is how relevant it is to women today facing some of the same issues as the characters and how far they are driven to succeed.



There are three main characters - Evie, Krista and Willow, three friends who are all facing similar challenges in their relatively young lives. Each of the girls try "Pretty" and while the transformations are violent the ultimate result is that of incredible beauty which opens many of the previously closed doors for each character.

Willow has low self esteem and Pretty gives her the boost of confidence she needs but soon discovers darker traits within herself when it comes to her relationship. Krista's experience seems to give her everything she's ever dreamed of however she's outrageous in her alter-ego and everything swiftly backfires. Evie, held back at work - I kind of thought of her character in the same vein as the character Kate Hudson played in How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days - finds her new beautiful self out-going and her ideas are willingly accepted, however on the flip side the fact that she's lying eventually becomes something she struggles with.

Pretty made each of the girls beautiful, no doubt about that, however it also seemed to heighten some of their personality traits - the good and the bad - and while it seemed like the perfect solution to their unhappiness the alternative life that Pretty shows them is tainted from the beginning.


The underlying, and important, message is obviously that of embracing who you are and learning to find happiness within yourself and that life isn't easy but it can be worth the effort.

Friends Evie, Krista and Willow are muddling through life in New York and facing the usual dramas of a twenty something: corporate climbing, online dating and making rent.

When a chance encounter introduces Krista to the existence of Pretty, she can’t wait to share the news with her BFFs. Pretty is a magic tonic that with a single drop will make the girls drop dead gorgeous for one week. Presented with the opportunity to make their fantasies a reality the girls find it an offer they just can’t refuse.

But is being pretty all it’s cracked up to be?

I started this book thinking it had an interesting premise and hoping the author could do it justice. Unfortunately, she couldn’t!

Firstly, I must say this book nearly lost me as soon as the potion was taken and the girls started to lose control of their basic bodily functions. Regrettably I am the persistent type and carried on, dragging myself through every sorry chapter hoping against hope that it would get better.

The characters were so unlikable, in regular or pretty form, that I found it completely impossible to feel any empathy for them. Instead of using their new found glamour for good as I first suspected, their deeds became more ridiculous and shallow.

If you’re looking for an empowering, sisters are doing it for themselves novel with a warming moral keep looking because you won’t find that here.