Admittedly, I'm a big fan of the Isabel Bookbinder series. It took me no more than a day to get through the first in the series, titled The Glamorous (Double) Life of Isabel Bookbinder, and from that point I was hooked. Despite a couple of minor peeves, the follow-up (The Fabulously Fashionable Life of Isabel Bookbinder) was equally fantastic.
And now, after months of waiting, Confetti Confidential, the third in the Isabel series, has hit the shelves. Cue me in an excited frenzy! Holly McQueen is a talented writer with the ability to write downright hilarious and addictive scenes, not unlike a certain Ms Kinsella. But was the third offering as good as we'd hoped?
Well, almost!
I'll begin by saying that, although having loved the previous books, the main problem was Isabel Bookbinder herself. The whole story begins (in Glamorous Double Life) with Isabel deciding that she's going to become a bestselling novelist. She's planned everything out, from her book signings to her magazine interviews and slots on daytime television. Okay, so she hasn't started her novel yet - nor is she even good at writing - but a girl can dream, right? What follows is a series of mishaps and hilarious debacles leading Isabel to try and fulfil her dream.
Fast-forward to the second tale, in which Isabel has finally decided to give up her dream of novel-writing, and has instead settled on becoming a fashion designer. Again, Isabel's dreams of her designs being worn by red-carpet stars and her own perfume range are somewhat quashed when her application to a top design school is declined. So what if she can't sew or even sketch a design? Top Fashion Designers don't sew!
Despite Isabel's naivety causing so many funny scrapes, her stupidity soon became annoying, and seeing as Isabel is in her twenties, the character didn't ring entirely true. Isabel seemed so deluded, to the point that she may have some sort of mental issue, that the novelty wore off in book two. It was a love-hate thing. A ditzy character can create some great comedy moments, but too much can ruin the story. The books also relied very heavily on coincidences, which in turn doesn't actually teach Isabel much. Meaning that during each book, Isabel will screw up, land a job by a miracle, screw up again, accidentally get something right and thus the day is saved.
I was expecting something like this in Confetti Confidential, but was pleasantly surprised. Okay, it was still heavy on the coincidence factor, but it felt as though Isabel had changed for the better.
After her other career choices have fallen flat, Isabel Bookbinder has now landed a job as an assistant for top wedding planner Pippa Everitt. However, after a wedding-day disaster involving two lost brides, she's immediately fired. But it's only just beginning - Isabel decides to start up her own wedding planning business - Isabel Bookbinder, Individual Weddings. By stroke of luck, Isabel not only lands future sister-in-law (and best friend) Lara as a client but also former pop singer Summer Shelley.
Having two weddings to plan is a dream come true for Isabel and her brand new company. Well...kind of. The problem? She hasn't exactly been truthful about being fired. Not wanting to admit that she's no longer part of Pippa Everitt's renowned business and risking losing her clients, Isabel decides to carry on and simply pretend.
Which doesn't exactly go to plan.
With countless bride-related duties to attend to, Isabel's life is hectic, and it doesn't help that her family still see her as a bit of a black sheep. Especially seeing as Isabel isn't even engaged yet. But with the discovery of a ring hidden in a cupboard, that might just be about to change...
Can Isabel finally succeed at her career choice? And will she be able to fight off her feelings for gorgeous photographer Dan? Can she carry on working under Pippa without being outed as the WAG wedding destroyer? Everything seems to be running smoothly at first, but this is the life of Isabel Bookbinder. And we all know disaster's only round the corner...
To be honest, I loved Confetti Confidential. Okay, so the whole career of wedding planning really didn't interest me as much as the previous two, but that's just a personal thing. But Holly has still brought us a fantastically addictive tale filled with some funny moments and great twists. However, there was a little something missing in this book, and I cannot work out whether it's simply due to the wedding theme or the change of character. I think that Holly has toned down Isabel's naive nature, which works well. Despite still continuing to put her foot in it, Isabel definitely comes across as more mature and independent in this book and without giving too much away, finally works towards succeeding.
This was a very pleasing third book and I hope Holly McQueen continues to bring us some more fabulous offerings!
Rating: 4/5
