
Back to Reality: A Novel
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Buy Now for £18.99
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Narrated by:
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Kim Bretton
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By:
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Mark Stay
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Mark Oliver
About this listen
A story of second chances that's impossible to stop listening to.
Jo's world is about to change forever, and it’s about time. Her marriage is on auto-pilot, her daughter hates her, her job sucks, and it’s not even Tuesday.
As Jo's life implodes, a freak event hurls her back to ‘90s Los Angeles where, in a parallel universe, she’s about to hit big time as a rock star.
Jo has to choose between her dreams and her family in an adventure that propels her from London to Hollywood and then to Glastonbury, the world’s greatest music festival.
In her desperate quest, Jo encounters a disgraced guru, a movie star with a fetish for double-decker buses, and the biggest pop star in the world...who just happens to want to kill her.
Back to Reality is a funny, heartwarming story about last chances, perfect for fans of Rowan Coleman and Helen Fielding.
Praise for Back to Reality:
“Heartwarming, inventive, and funny. Like if Nick Hornby wrote a time travel, body swap adventure!”(The New York Times best-selling author Mimi Strong)
“Written with an authentic touch and plenty of good humour. A tough book to put down.” (Mark Dawson, USA Today best-selling author of the best-selling John Milton series)
“A compelling story where the comedy compliments the drama and keeps you turning the page... A delight.” (Caimh McDonnell, best-selling author of The Dublin Trilogy)
“I love it! It's Back to the Future meets Freaky Friday.” (Number one Kindle best-selling author of Hot Mess, Lucy Vine)
“Everything the world loves about British comedy. For those who wished Simon Pegg wrote novels, you now have the Two Marks.” (USA Today best-selling author Shannon Mayer)
“Crackles with all the addictive energy of a pop hit, and the heart of a soul classic.” (Samantha King, bestselling author of The Choice)
“Like a book version of Hot Tub Time Machine with fabulous female characters and great music.” (Kate Harrison, author of the bestselling 5:2 series)
“If you love time travel and rock and roll, you'll love this book!” (Julie Cohen, author of Together)
“Sliding Doors meets Back to the Future in a story to make you sing with joy.” (Karen Ball, Speckled Pen)
“A magnificent book! Loved every page. Beautifully written.” (Callan McAuliffe, actor in The Walking Dead)
©2017 Mark Stay and Mark Desvaux (P)2019 Mark Stay and Mark DesvauxThis feel good story initially starts out following the unhappy life of Jo, her dull life degenerates further, but then Yohanna turns up and things get weird! It’s certainly a page turner, as Jo deals with a comedic level of problems. Despite the scale of the protagonist’s problems, somehow the two Marks manage to maintain a light tone and some great humour.
Be warned this funny story also has character depth, interesting scenes all wrapped up with some heartfelt profundity. This good mix of fun and seriousness helped with the books pacing, I was intrigued to know what would happen next. In the spirit of this books good use of nostalgia, the story has a Play Your Cards Right feel: “Is the next scene’s emotion higher or lower than a 7?”
I recommend this fun read, particularly to anyone wanting a good balance of joy, sadness with a good sprinkling of gravitas about life choices. I rate this book a caterpillar cake, definitely worth consumption.
Excellent Performance of a Fun story
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As a central character, I related really well to Jo. She is very down to earth and although she makes mistakes, she is just trying to live a normal life with her husband and daughter. The authors also introduce a colourful supporting cast, and between them, they provide several moments of humour.
The plot of Back To Reality is highly engaging and I was drawn into the story really easily. There are some elements of the story that felt a little implausible, but the humour means it's very easy to forgive!
As the novel reaches its ending, there are some poignant moments which made me think more carefully about some of the messages in the book and added an emotional layer to it.
I loved Kim Bretton's narration, as her bubbly voice conveyed the lighthearted nature of the majority of the book really well. She kept me engaged from beginning to end.
Review
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A lot of fun!!
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fab story
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Funny, well composed and well told
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A modern twist on Freaky Friday!
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not my kind of book
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