The premise of this feel-good debut novel is brilliant! Jo is divorced and a bit lonely, but she is very invested in her daughter Bayley’s wellbeing. She comes up with the mad idea that if she travels to the UK with a cardboard cut-out of Bayley – in a red bikini – the cut-out will attract the attention of musician Harry Styles, hoping she might be able to pair a love match between her daughter and Harry. So she purchases tickets for Harry Style’s latest UK tour and talks her sister Bobbi into coming with her.
Unfortunately, Bobbi thinks they are only going to one concert and then on to Scotland to scatter the ashes of their late uncle’s ashes. She is really just there for a good holiday, taking some time out from the drag night cabaret that she owns and runs. It’s not long before the penny drops that Jo is up to something much more, and it’s not long before their trip starts turning to custard. Menawhile, Bayley has no idea what her mother is doing and has eyes on someone else anyway…
But then Jo and Bobbi meet Adam, a teenage boy wagging school and going to all Harry Style’s concerts. When they help him reconnect with his father, it leads Jo in an unexpected direction. Meanwhile, Bobbi has eyes for Harry Style’s security man, who seems to always be able to pick her out of the vast crowd…
Written by two sisters, How to Marry Harry is a light-hearted romance that is a whole lot of fun. This is the perfect escapist read, it’s wonderfully warm and funny, the characters are engaging, and the ending is just adorable. Hopefully, one day they’ll make a movie of the story, but go and get a copy of the book in the meantime.
Reviewer: Karen McMillan
Pink Van Publishing