‘Oh My God, What A Complete Aisling’ by Emer McLysaght & Sarah Breen

Synopsis

Twenty-something Aisling – that’s pronounced Ashling – is the sensible sort.

She wears kitten heels for the sake of her arches.

And a great night out is knowing the immersion heater at home is securely switched off.

In other words, country girl Aisling likes to play it safe in the big city.

But that hasn’t helped get her man John to hurry up and pop the question.

Throwing caution to the wind an impatient Aisling tries to encourage him, only for her whole life to come crashing down.

Now no umbrella, electric blanket, nor sensibly sized heel can save her.

What’s a complete Aisling to do?

 

My Review

I read the synopsis for this book and I just knew that this was one book I needed to read, as it sounded to be an amusing read.  I loved it and then some but more about that in a bit.

Aisling is one of those girls that we can all identify with.  She is watching her weight and is following the Weight Watchers plan.  Aisling is ever so slightly obsessed with Smart Points as she seems to instantly know how many points are in a particular food item or in a particular drink.  She has a boyfriend and she is desperate for him to propose but to say that he is dragging his heels is putting it mildly.  She sees her friends getting engaged and she can’t help but be a bit jealous.  Aisling works in an office but she gets a bit peeved with the actions (or lack thereof ) of her work colleagues.  Aisling does like a night on the tiles but not on a school night….or so she says.  That doesn’t stop her getting herself into some pickles.  Aisling is very close to her parents although I do think that she would love a bit more freedom as she is in her twenties and she does know what she is doing.  Aisling’s boyfriend lives in a shared house and some of their behaviours get right on Aisling’s nerves.  Aisling sounds like just the kind of friend you would want – she’s enormous fun, she’s funny, she’s loyal, she’s there for those who need her, she’s there to help you mop up your tears, she’s a great drinking buddy and if you were having a bad time, Aisling would turn up with a bottle of wine ready for a bitching session and to put the world to rights.  Certain things that happened to her, really struck a chord with me and brought back some memories- some good and some bad.  I just wish Aisling was a real as I think that we would get along just fine. Aisling certainly reminded me of an Irish Bridget Jones.

Oh my days, ‘Oh My God, What A Complete Aisling’ is one hell of a read which takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride.  There were moments during reading this book that made me laugh out loud and made me splutter my drink all over, there were moments that made me want to cry, moments made me want to cheer and moments that made me want to shout and there were also moments where I felt like I wanted to jump inside the pages of the book to stick up for Aisling and sort certain people out.  It is no word of a lie to say that I was addicted to this book from the moment I picked it up and I just couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know what fate had in store for Aisling.  I was so focused on Aisling and her escapades that I didn’t notice the speed with which the page numbers and the time were flying past.  Before I knew what was happening, I had finished the book which I was so disappointed about.  I did like the fact that the book used occasional Irish dialect but at times I found it a bit confusing and as though I needed a translator.

In conclusion this is one of those books that should be on prescription for those with depression as it is a fun, light hearted and realistic read with the occasional serious part and serious message.  Even then, serious subjects are tackled with a dash of humour which will stick in my mind for a long time to come.  I would definitely recommend this book to other readers.  I can’t wait to read book 2.  The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 4* out of 5*.