After reading Annie Lyons' book, Not Quite Perfect, last summer, I knew that she could make me laugh but also think about life and how to appreciate what we have. But with Life or Something Like It, Annie Lyons has overdone herself. She has created a fantastic character with Cat. She was a real workaholic at the beginning and regarded her nephew and niece as strange creatures that she had to avoid at all costs. But under all this you could easily see she was smart, generous and had a lot of love to share.

It was no surprise then to see this new version of her flourish during the story, especially when they went on holiday (she became, new and improved HollidayCat). I loved how her interactions with the kids slowly became easier and their bond grew. And the kids themselves were a joy to read, especially Ellie. This young girl had such a fantastic personality! She always said what she thought and more than once, her innocent comments were spot on. Without a doubt, she was my favourite character on the story. Although her older brother Charlie was really cute (sometimes). He was quite closed and moody (what can you expect from a pre-teen?) but also very protective of his sister. You could tell he loved her fiercely.

In the story there was a romantic line too, but I liked that it didn't take the main stage in the book. For Cat, what really mattered was this new found love for her family and her new love interest just added the perfect spark to the story. A story that will make you reevaluate your life for sure.

Life or Something Like It is a fantastic summer read. Half of it was set in a lovely coastal village in Suffolk and the descriptions were wonderful. It made me want to take a little vacation there myself. And it was the perfect spot for Car to rediscover herself.

I highly recommend this read for some laughs, especially at the first half of the story when Cat and the kids still don't understand each other, but also for a whole lot more of emotions!

Thirty-something Cat Nightingale is more than happy with her lot in life, thank you very much. Running a successful PR company with her friend Jesse, Cat would much rather be a workaholic who can enjoy the finer things in life than settle down and start a family. She would take social media over screaming children any day and on her list of important things in life designer handbags come up much higher than being a mother.

However, disaster strikes at work and Cat finds herself temporarily suspended from her job. But that's ok - she'll soon be back to the glittering world of PR that she loves so much. But things seemingly go from bad to worse when her brother Andrew calls upon her to look after her niece and nephew. Despite children being pretty alien to Cat, with all the extra time on her hands she has no choice but to agree, although I think even she is unaware exactly what she's letting herself in for.
There are tantrums, vomit, and accidents aplenty (too much sugar can make children sick - who knew!?) as Cat struggles to become some kind of Super-Aunt. She consoles herself with the fact that she's only looking after Charlie and Ellie temporarily and she'll soon be back to being super-organised, perfectly groomed, successful PR manager Cat Nightingale very soon...

Life or Something Like It was one of those books I was hugely looking forward to reading. I absolutely loved Annie's two previous novels, especially Not Quite Perfect and Life or Something Like It sounded brilliant. I always tend to enjoy stories where characters are taken out of their comfort zone for whatever reason, whether it's swapping lives with someone else or finding themselves in unusual circumstances. It always makes for a great story seeing how they cope and Life or Something Life It lived up to all of my expectations and much more.
I really liked the character of Cat. Ok, so she wasn't maternal - lot's of people aren't. I actually felt quite sorry for her, what with the way that everyone was constantly asking her about starting a family and always trying to set her up with someone. Give the girl a break. She may not have had the most likable of personalities to start off with but I truly loved watching her transform before my very eyes throughout the novel. It's not so much the fact that she started off not really liking children, it's more the fact that she learns about what's really important in life.
She always tried her best with Charlie and Ellie, despite being so out of her depth at times it looked as though she was about to drown...
I also loved her relationship with Finn (who is the uncle of one of Ellie's friends, Daisy) which doesn't get off to the best of starts, in fact as time progresses it looks to be getting worse... There's no denying that he is great with kids and at the start of the story you can completely see why Cat finds him smug and annoying. However, don't forget that opinions can easily change...

Charlie and Ellie were brilliant characters and shone out as the real stars of the story for me. I adored Ellie especially - she was wise way beyond her six years and comes out with some classic one-liners. I love her honesty and innocence, she was just such fun to read about. The relationship that Cat forms with her niece and nephew will warm the cockles of your heart.

Annie's writing is such a joy to read. She is a first class storyteller, creating warm and realistic characters who are such fun to read about. Her stories make you appreciate the importance of family, friends and love and there is so much more to this story then purely romance. There's a gorgeous setting and some laugh-your-socks-off hilarity, all the while reminding us to never lose sight of what's really important in life.
If you're looking for a gorgeous read that will give you warm, fuzzy feelings aplenty then Life or Something Like It is definitely a read for you...