This novel has echoes of Bridget Jones and I was a bit, ‘well, it’s been done before…’. I adored Bridget Jones and rolled on the floor laughing (ROFL, I’ve been told) when I first read it. Then it dawned on me, BJ was published in 1996, and that’s a seriously scary thirty years ago (give or take 4 months) and so I guess a new audience awaits a novel which considers the dilemma facing all single 30-somethings – life!

The novel begins as Alice sets her seven manifestation goals, that is she writes down the seven things she most wants to happen, in her new manifestation journal. The narrative then backtracks to the works Christmas party - always good for gossip - and the day after, the Christmas Eve wedding of Alice’s ex to a much younger bride. Cue disaster, for Alice at least. A microphone which was not switched off did not help!

Alice is the narrator of this insight into her life and, it appears, she is usually the architect of her many catastrophes which become more and more bizarre. It is the family Christmas and Alice finds herself sleeping in the second guest bedroom, aka, the garage: happy days - not! She may be the youngest of three siblings, an annoying little sister, but she doesn’t appear spoilt, more pitied by them all, perhaps with good reason given their success and her obvious inability to achieve anything. The endless criticism and antagonism towards her do inspire some pity on the part of the reader. No wonder she has made so many mistakes with such goading and baiting by those who are supposed to love her. But as usually happens, Christmas and the New Year, what little she can remember of it, passes thankfully into the annals of history and we watch on as her life continues apace. Will the Universe accede to her manifestations?

Alice is approaching 40, well, 37, with no husband (though no lack of boyfriends), no home of her own, no money, despite a decent enough job in children’s publishing, and is still to find her feet. It seems the life of someone single, nearly forty and definitely naïve, is not always easy to navigate – especially with such a reliance on margaritas; other cocktails do exist, as Alice can tell you.

No wonder she has made so many mistakes with such goading and baiting by those who are supposed to love her. But as usually happens, Christmas and the New Year, what little she can remember of it, passes thankfully into the annals of history ...

So, manifesting: what actually is it? Well, first, it’s not necessary for those who already have everything but for the rest of us, it is the belief in yourself and the universe, that if you really want something badly enough, you will eventually get it. Harness the positive. Hmmm, well, belief is important, the success rate more questionable, although Alice quickly discovers ‘little green shoots’ are in evidence and pursues this new course of action with increased vigour. Of course, when manifesting, you must be careful what you wish for, be precise and don’t forget to watch out for the obvious: both pitfalls and pleasant surprises. Oh, and a bit of honesty doesn’t go amiss!

There are lessons to be learned, not least that eavesdropping is dangerous, especially when what you hear is about you and, more importantly, you only hear half of it.

I approached this novel somewhat cynically, got very irritated by Alice at times and exceedingly irked by her family. I obviously looked down my nose at the whole manifesting thing and privately agreed with Matthew (a very important character with whom I, like everyone except Alice, was smitten) that it was like ‘buying magic beans’ and that the publishers of ‘The Guide’ were ‘exploitative’ but I have to confess that not many chapters in, I found myself totally hooked. I wanted to know what was going to happen. I bought into the chaotic life of Alice, the real stress of the business merger which would see some of them lose their jobs, misogyny in the work place, competition and camaraderie between colleagues, the need to escape despite appearances, the reality of a mid-life crisis, the need to be loved or at least appreciated. Little touches like Alice being called Alison by almost everyone at work because someone got it wrong and a name badge doesn’t lie, were poignant. Family dynamics are tested to the limits. That even Alice’s parents seemed to put the needs of everyone else before her, left her with nowhere to turn so no wonder she appears rootless at times and in desperate need of her friends – and more of those margaritas.

It's a rom-com and there are lots of silly moments to make you laugh but there is dark humour in evidence too. There are lessons to be learned, not least that eavesdropping is dangerous, especially when what you hear is about you and, more importantly, you only hear half of it. Although Alice's life is a mess at the start, she knows she’s a bit of a disaster. She’s committed to change and decides to take control. She is actually far more capable than she (or her family) think, and she goes on to prove that she can sort her life out without anybody's help – or maybe she just proves the worth of the manifestation journal after all. 


Alice Carver Manifests her Perfect Life is published by HQ