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Should I Stay or Should I Go?
When Alice met Nash, she fell head over heels. Two years later, she can't quite remember what it was that had seemed so brilliant about him. All they do is argue - especially about money. In a last-ditch attempt to save their relationship, they agree to leave rainy England behind and emigrate to Australia.
But when Alice finds out that Nash has been unfaithful, their plans are ruined and she decides to go to Australia alone. Packing what she can into four suitcases, she heads to Bondi to stay with her cousin.
Australia is a very strange place where everything seems upside down and anything over two syllables is abbreviated. Will Alice ever be able to lose her English inhibitions and relax into the Aussie way of life? Can she ever find a proper job? And, more importantly, will she be able to control herself around Joel, her extremely attractive Australian cousin...?
But when Alice finds out that Nash has been unfaithful, their plans are ruined and she decides to go to Australia alone. Packing what she can into four suitcases, she heads to Bondi to stay with her cousin.
Australia is a very strange place where everything seems upside down and anything over two syllables is abbreviated. Will Alice ever be able to lose her English inhibitions and relax into the Aussie way of life? Can she ever find a proper job? And, more importantly, will she be able to control herself around Joel, her extremely attractive Australian cousin...?
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
2 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Adams
125 books48 followersJessica Adams is an astrologer and author. Her books include 2020 Vision, Handbag Horoscopes and Astrolove (Penguin) and Essential Astrology for Women (HarperCollins). Her recent book 2020 Astrology: Your Five-Year Horoscope Guide, was a #1 Amazon bestseller in America and Australia. Jessica has worked as a team editor on the Girls' Night In and Kids' Night in series, for Penguin and HarperCollins, with contributors including J.K.Rowling, Stella McCartney and Nick Hornby. She is the Editor of The Holiday Goddess Guide to Paris, London, New York and Rome (HarperCollins). Jessica lives in Australia and her astrology has appeared everywhere from VOGUE (Japan) to GQ (Great Britain). Her latest book is Your Birthday (Hachette/Running Press) with Rachel Wells. She is the astrological consultant on The Aries Billionaire by Rachel Wells (Audible UK).
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 28, 2010
Alice has agreed to move all the way to Australia with her boyfriend Nash, but there is a small problem – Alice isn’t all that sure that she wants to be with Nash anymore. They don’t get on anymore, they get on each others nerves and Alice is a bit fed up. So when she finds that Nash has been unfaithful, she knows her decision is made and decides to go to Australia by herself. Alice is a bit nervous and unsure of herself but with the help of her cousin Joel, she finds somewhere to live and begins to try to settle in Australia.
But there are certain things Alice can’t get her head around – will she be able to let go of her English-ness and embrace her new culture, and will she be able to control her emotions towards her hunky cousin Joel?
I’ve never read any of Jessica Adams’ books before so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one which is usually a good thing for me! She’s written 5 previous novels which have all sold well on Amazon, so I was hoping for some good things from her sixth novel. Jessica divides her time between Australia and England, so I knew that when she wrote about Australia it was going to be with experience and authenticity so I really looked forward to the read. The cover is quite eye-catching, with a bold picture of a woman and the title in red text, and I think it looks like it fits firmly into the “chick-lit” genre. I started it one evening and quickly found it’s one of those books you don’t want to put down once you’ve started it!
The idea behind the story is very good – a couple about to emigrate yet break up just before they go. I fully expected Alice not to go but of course this wouldn’t have made the story very long and ended it a bit abruptly! Alice was a fabulous character that I really warmed to immediately, and I think she was a great narrator for the story. She is very likeable and real, you can see yourself struggling with the decisions that Alice has to make and that enables you to like her and care about what direction the story takes and how it moves through the book.
The other characters are all well written as well. Nash is horrid and I don’t know why Alice was with him at all really. He does pop up throughout the book which keeps Alice’s links to the UK alive and you can see the deterioration of their relationship too. I loved the character of Heidi although I do wonder how much of an exaggeration she was compared to real Australians. Alice’s mum is fabulous and I loved the whole thing with “the Google” (you’ll get it when you read it!) and her scenes made me laugh whenever they appeared which was brilliant – I wish we had seen more of her! Joel was just the perfect hero, everything Alice needed throughout the book and the developing relationship between them was written so well.
I really enjoyed the part of the book set in Australia. It’s somewhere I haven’t been but would love to go, so to read it from an English persons point of view was fun and interesting. Adams seems to grasp the sense of feeling out of your depth in another country and you sense Alice’s intrepidation and uncertainty through her writing. Adams has written in the book in the first person with Alice as the narrator, and consequently we get all of her feelings on everything, so it’s essential for the reader to like her, which wasn’t a problem for me. I loved every page of this book, and I loved the shocking twists and turns along the way, one of which was gripping reading and took the book in a totally different direction for a while. It’s an excellently written book with brilliant character, great narration and a story that hooks you in from the first page until the last. I loved it, and will definitely be reading more of Jessica’s work! Highly recommended.
But there are certain things Alice can’t get her head around – will she be able to let go of her English-ness and embrace her new culture, and will she be able to control her emotions towards her hunky cousin Joel?
I’ve never read any of Jessica Adams’ books before so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one which is usually a good thing for me! She’s written 5 previous novels which have all sold well on Amazon, so I was hoping for some good things from her sixth novel. Jessica divides her time between Australia and England, so I knew that when she wrote about Australia it was going to be with experience and authenticity so I really looked forward to the read. The cover is quite eye-catching, with a bold picture of a woman and the title in red text, and I think it looks like it fits firmly into the “chick-lit” genre. I started it one evening and quickly found it’s one of those books you don’t want to put down once you’ve started it!
The idea behind the story is very good – a couple about to emigrate yet break up just before they go. I fully expected Alice not to go but of course this wouldn’t have made the story very long and ended it a bit abruptly! Alice was a fabulous character that I really warmed to immediately, and I think she was a great narrator for the story. She is very likeable and real, you can see yourself struggling with the decisions that Alice has to make and that enables you to like her and care about what direction the story takes and how it moves through the book.
The other characters are all well written as well. Nash is horrid and I don’t know why Alice was with him at all really. He does pop up throughout the book which keeps Alice’s links to the UK alive and you can see the deterioration of their relationship too. I loved the character of Heidi although I do wonder how much of an exaggeration she was compared to real Australians. Alice’s mum is fabulous and I loved the whole thing with “the Google” (you’ll get it when you read it!) and her scenes made me laugh whenever they appeared which was brilliant – I wish we had seen more of her! Joel was just the perfect hero, everything Alice needed throughout the book and the developing relationship between them was written so well.
I really enjoyed the part of the book set in Australia. It’s somewhere I haven’t been but would love to go, so to read it from an English persons point of view was fun and interesting. Adams seems to grasp the sense of feeling out of your depth in another country and you sense Alice’s intrepidation and uncertainty through her writing. Adams has written in the book in the first person with Alice as the narrator, and consequently we get all of her feelings on everything, so it’s essential for the reader to like her, which wasn’t a problem for me. I loved every page of this book, and I loved the shocking twists and turns along the way, one of which was gripping reading and took the book in a totally different direction for a while. It’s an excellently written book with brilliant character, great narration and a story that hooks you in from the first page until the last. I loved it, and will definitely be reading more of Jessica’s work! Highly recommended.
June 13, 2011
Vintage Alice lacks any real depth, but is a light, if odd ,chic lit read. Alice and her boyfriend, Nash, are planning to emigrate to Australia from England, hoping the 'lucky country' will deliver better weather, more opportunities and reinvigorate their waning relationship. As the date to leave draws near Alice wavers back and forth, reluctant to leave her mother and friends. When Alice discovers that Nash has cheated on her, and that he intends to take up a new job offer that will keep them in the UK, Alice breaks off the relationship and with gentle encouragement from her cousin Joel decides to go ahead with the move and finds her world turned upside down.
I didn't find Alice immediately appealing, I struggle to sympathise with characters who make little effort to take responsibility for their own lives. Alice martyrs herself to her appalling relationship with Nash, daydreams about creating her own clothing label (Vintage Alice) while ignoring the opportunities she is given to develop it and seems to determined to sabotage herself at every turn. It's not until she leaves the employ of the kennel despite having no real back up plan that I become more comfortable with her, but I have to admit that is tainted by the slight ickiness of her growing relationship with Joel.
Even though they are cousins in name (not actually blood relatives)the romance was more creepy than sweet, perhaps because at every opportunity Adams stressed the cousin relationship. The relationship developed at suitable pace, it just wasn't a pairing that worked for me.
I wanted Alice to develop some ambition and independence. I kept expecting Alice to move ahead with her Vintage Alice dreams but there is no real follow through. I was also disappointed by the plot convenience of a large inheritance when her mother meets and marries a millionaire in a matter of weeks.
I wanted to like Vintage Alice much more than I did but for me the premise was skewed.
I didn't find Alice immediately appealing, I struggle to sympathise with characters who make little effort to take responsibility for their own lives. Alice martyrs herself to her appalling relationship with Nash, daydreams about creating her own clothing label (Vintage Alice) while ignoring the opportunities she is given to develop it and seems to determined to sabotage herself at every turn. It's not until she leaves the employ of the kennel despite having no real back up plan that I become more comfortable with her, but I have to admit that is tainted by the slight ickiness of her growing relationship with Joel.
Even though they are cousins in name (not actually blood relatives)the romance was more creepy than sweet, perhaps because at every opportunity Adams stressed the cousin relationship. The relationship developed at suitable pace, it just wasn't a pairing that worked for me.
I wanted Alice to develop some ambition and independence. I kept expecting Alice to move ahead with her Vintage Alice dreams but there is no real follow through. I was also disappointed by the plot convenience of a large inheritance when her mother meets and marries a millionaire in a matter of weeks.
I wanted to like Vintage Alice much more than I did but for me the premise was skewed.
June 8, 2016
Jessica Adams writes in an engaging and endearing fashion ... I quite like her ditzy heroine, Alice. BUT why, why, why write a book with the title of Vintage Alice - about creating a vintage fashion label - when it barely rates a mention in the book? I don't understand it. Clearly that's what Jessica intended with the plot when she set out writing it ... so why then does Alice (and therefore Jessica) shoot herself in the foot EVERY time she has an opportunity to do something creative??
I spent the whole book silently cheering Alice on, waiting for the time she would stop moaning and start creating. I wanted her to achieve something. But she never does, realy. She only almost does.
So I only almost awarded this 3 stars. It's just fluff, but it could have been GOOD fluff. Why did you do it Jess - why?
And p.s. - her romantic interest sucks.
I spent the whole book silently cheering Alice on, waiting for the time she would stop moaning and start creating. I wanted her to achieve something. But she never does, realy. She only almost does.
So I only almost awarded this 3 stars. It's just fluff, but it could have been GOOD fluff. Why did you do it Jess - why?
And p.s. - her romantic interest sucks.
May 25, 2012
This is exactly how I felt moving from Alaska to Australia! It was perfect timing reading this book because I'm due for a visit back home and have mixed feelings. The idea of re-visiting old places that now harbor bad memories and making new good memories in those places is such a fabulous thought! "Wrong way round, long way round. It usually works in the end."
June 24, 2019
Quite a good read. Has some excitement in the story, which added to my enjoyment. Started off well, then sped up too much, seemed to miss some chunks of the tale, which would have been worth putting in I felt. I would have liked to see Alice fulfilling her dream, but she is far too busy travelling about, not really getting started on her new life. You were bounced from place to place, and it was almost like reading a diary towards the end. Definitely needed to slow down a bit, in the latter part with more description of feelings, the places she went and so on. Otherwise, a good book to read. Jessica Adams writes extremely well. Perhaps it was over enthusiastically edited?
February 10, 2013
Alice agrees to go to Australia with Nash, but then things turn out a little different. This book inspired me to visit Australia and to take up sewing! A very easy to read book which sometimes is exactly what you want to help you chill out. I will defiantly be reading some of her other books.
August 5, 2010
It was an ok read but if I'm honest I got bored with the characters and felt the cousins falling for each other a bit weird for me!
January 30, 2011
One of the best books I've read!
Funny, Moving and.... Entertaining! Get a copy! :D
Funny, Moving and.... Entertaining! Get a copy! :D
May 10, 2011
3 and a half stars.
Highly enjoyable.
J.A. is wonderful but this one is not as legendary as her Single White E-mail and Cool for Cats.
Highly enjoyable.
J.A. is wonderful but this one is not as legendary as her Single White E-mail and Cool for Cats.
Read
August 6, 2011Disappointing, but liked the Aussie references.
Read
October 10, 2011B21690253F
November 11, 2011
Nice story about a english girl moving to Australia & the process of her life. Easy read.
October 18, 2014
She is deep and funny. She makes you believe in her characters. She took me to Australia.
October 29, 2014
It was a good book but I can't say it was one I couldn't put down. It caught my attention but didn't chain me to the chair.LoL
November 13, 2016
Definitely not my jam.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews