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Poptastic
by
Bridesmaiding is a tedious business at the best of times, but as Julia discovers, the task is particularly cumbersome when one of the brides is your ex and her fiancée won’t stop sulking about it.
With the wedding threatening to dominate everything for the rest of the year, a bewildering embrace with a devastatingly attractive pop star offers a welcome distraction. Dating K ...more
With the wedding threatening to dominate everything for the rest of the year, a bewildering embrace with a devastatingly attractive pop star offers a welcome distraction. Dating K ...more
Kindle Edition, 245 pages
Published
2020
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Reading this book was like going back in time five years and seeing the lives of myself and my friends unfold again. So fun and refreshing to see a realistic representation of young urban lesbians and accurately captures that experience. A brilliant and satisfying read. I particularly loved the ending which was all I hoped it would be.

I'm twenty-two and only came out as a lesbian in the last year. This book was so meaningful to me because its the first lesbian book I've read that showed people like me. I cried so much but I was very happy to find it. I loved Poptastic and Julia's journey. I just hope Holmes writes more!
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I loved this book!
Poptastic is a super cute and relatable story following the lives of a group of twenty something lesbians living in London. The story is one of friendships, change, loss and redemption. It goes to some pretty dark places, but remains completely hilarious and ultimately delivers a solid and well executed story. I'm so pleased to have found this book and can't wait to read more from Holmes in the future. ...more
Poptastic is a super cute and relatable story following the lives of a group of twenty something lesbians living in London. The story is one of friendships, change, loss and redemption. It goes to some pretty dark places, but remains completely hilarious and ultimately delivers a solid and well executed story. I'm so pleased to have found this book and can't wait to read more from Holmes in the future. ...more

I read this book in a single day. I absolutely loved it and just couldn't put it down. The story was so gripping and real and I loved the bond between the women and the way their friendships changed over the course of the book. I'm hoping for a sequel about Lucy. Fingers crossed one will come soon!
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A story about a young woman getting her sh*t together and finding her place in the world.
I really loved sharing in Julia's journey, and thought the writer did a fantastic job of capturing how bewildering life is for twenty somethings and was reminded of many of my own experiences at that time.
Altogether an enjoyable read that maintained a light, comedic tone in between exploring some more serious content matter. I'd definitely read more by the this writer in the future. ...more
I really loved sharing in Julia's journey, and thought the writer did a fantastic job of capturing how bewildering life is for twenty somethings and was reminded of many of my own experiences at that time.
Altogether an enjoyable read that maintained a light, comedic tone in between exploring some more serious content matter. I'd definitely read more by the this writer in the future. ...more

A very funny and entertaining story. The book follows Julia and her friends for eight months in the lead up to her friend and ex-girlfriend's wedding. Julia and the other bridesmaids are all trying to sort their lives out with varying degrees of success. Their paths are painful at times, but difficult subjects are handled in a believable and honest way. I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this before and I'd definitely like to read more in the future.
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**'You can be a writer who doesn't read or write everyday.But you're not fooling opinionated and intelligent readers because it shows, rather embarrassingly in your work/writings..'
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Have to shelf this after getting to about 24%, just could not connect with the storyline --- zero premise... ...more
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Have to shelf this after getting to about 24%, just could not connect with the storyline --- zero premise... ...more

Poptastic was a really enjoyable and fun book to read. The characters drew me in straight away and the way London life is described felt really familiar and real. I felt invested in the long term happiness of main character and even though she sometimes disappoints, you can't help but root for her.
In normal circumstances this would make a great book to take on holiday. It's hard to put down though, so you may need to take another!
In current circumstances (April 2020 - mid-Covid-19-lockdown),it ...more
In normal circumstances this would make a great book to take on holiday. It's hard to put down though, so you may need to take another!
In current circumstances (April 2020 - mid-Covid-19-lockdown),it ...more

I enjoyed reading Poptastic a lot as this book accurately reflected the online dating experiences many lesbians have gone through nowadays and also reminded me the excitement, happiness and of course some disappointment I personally experienced. I especially like the vivid characters Victoria Holmes depicted, and the liveliness of London was well presented in this book too.
This rom-com is highly recommended!
This rom-com is highly recommended!

Quite simply brilliant
I can’t say enough how much I loved this book.
I laughed, I cried, I was right there with Julia and her friends every step of the way.
Poptastic follows a group of bridesmaids getting a ready for the wedding of their friend, but it was much darker and more sophisticated than your average wedding romance. Julia finds herself truest torn, and picking up the pieces isn’t always easy, but I loved my time sharing in her journey!
I can’t say enough how much I loved this book.
I laughed, I cried, I was right there with Julia and her friends every step of the way.
Poptastic follows a group of bridesmaids getting a ready for the wedding of their friend, but it was much darker and more sophisticated than your average wedding romance. Julia finds herself truest torn, and picking up the pieces isn’t always easy, but I loved my time sharing in her journey!

I finished this book in a day! Admittedly I am currently off work due to the lock-down, but once I started I couldn't stop!
There were several twists and turns that I really didn't see coming, and quite a graphic scene that I won't divulge, that hit me for six.
As I was reading the book I was so wrapped up in the characters that all I wanted to do was inhale the next page. However, after I had finished it and had a chance to digest it I couldn't help but wonder if the author was actually trying t ...more
There were several twists and turns that I really didn't see coming, and quite a graphic scene that I won't divulge, that hit me for six.
As I was reading the book I was so wrapped up in the characters that all I wanted to do was inhale the next page. However, after I had finished it and had a chance to digest it I couldn't help but wonder if the author was actually trying t ...more

I haven't read much LGBT literature but I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't help but compare some of the characters to my friends and the dating experience rang very true of the London scene.
I won't give away any spoilers but there are a few dramatic instances which show the grittier side of London as well.
It was really nice to read a book where I could really relate to the characters and the story and feel represented on the page. The author has really captured what it's like to be a twenty ...more
I won't give away any spoilers but there are a few dramatic instances which show the grittier side of London as well.
It was really nice to read a book where I could really relate to the characters and the story and feel represented on the page. The author has really captured what it's like to be a twenty ...more

I really enjoyed reading 'Poptastic' as it was both funny and charming, and almost made me feel nostalgic for the crazy times and memories the story evoked. I liked the writer's style as it easily engaged and transported me into the whimsical world of Julia. Her journey is a messy one, poignant yet heart warming. A great read indeed.
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Victoria Holmes's first novel Poptastic is a real challenge for me to review. Because I'm the absolute contrary of the MC Julia and for that, I didn't always understand her behavior.
The story is an entertaining novella about a group of lesbian mid-twenties who know each other for many years. It is told from Julias POV. She doesn't like to be one of the bridesmaids for one of her friends and doesn't like her job either. Instead, she is more interested in following celebrities on social media. She ...more
The story is an entertaining novella about a group of lesbian mid-twenties who know each other for many years. It is told from Julias POV. She doesn't like to be one of the bridesmaids for one of her friends and doesn't like her job either. Instead, she is more interested in following celebrities on social media. She ...more

Fast paced and entertaining.
This is Holmes’ debut novel and I enjoyed it. The story was fun and entertaining with lots of unexpected twists and turns. The main character Julia, a 27-year-old single woman, has not much interest in her job, not much luck in finding a new girlfriend and in general she's a real mess. With a strong desire for finding love, she was pretty active on online dating. Unfortunately with not much luck. While being a bridesmaid for her friend Freya, something that she didn't ...more
This is Holmes’ debut novel and I enjoyed it. The story was fun and entertaining with lots of unexpected twists and turns. The main character Julia, a 27-year-old single woman, has not much interest in her job, not much luck in finding a new girlfriend and in general she's a real mess. With a strong desire for finding love, she was pretty active on online dating. Unfortunately with not much luck. While being a bridesmaid for her friend Freya, something that she didn't ...more

I very much enjoyed this book. There are twists and turns that were unexpected. The characters were well defined and flushed out. The book was very well written. I didn't realize it was her first novel. Based on this book I see other great books in her future. This is my first by this author but I'm sure it won't be my last.
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Lots of character development, vivid situations, and an oh-my-god-what's-next page turner. I look forward to the next novel from this author.
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After studying for a degree in Theatre Studies at the University of Warwick, Victoria pursued an MA in Social Work at the University of Manchester, and spent many years working with young offenders in Tooting.
She now teaches English as a foreign language, allowing her the opportunity to travel and write. Following stints in South Korea, Thailand, Italy and Slovenia, she is currently based in Taiw ...more
She now teaches English as a foreign language, allowing her the opportunity to travel and write. Following stints in South Korea, Thailand, Italy and Slovenia, she is currently based in Taiw ...more
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“She recognised many of the same faces from the last time she'd been single, and the thought that she was close to running out of lesbians in London depressed her greatly.”
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7 likes
“In the interests of full disclosure, I feel I should let you know that I do have a boyfriend.
He's cool with me doing whatever, though.”
—
5 likes
More quotes…
He's cool with me doing whatever, though.”