Goodness, Grace and Me by Julie Houston

When best friends, Harriet and Grace, were at school together their lives were made a misery by Head Girl, Amanda Goodners, also known as Miss Goodness.  However, school days are long past and both women are now teachers themselves and have virtually forgotten all about school.

That is until Harriet’s devoted husband, Nick, wants to leave his secure job and invest money (that they don’t have) in a new business venture with the entrepreneurial, David Henderson.  Not only is this extremely risky during a recession but it will also mean that Nick will need to work closely with David’s wife, Mandy.  As well as being stunningly attractive and outrageously
flirtatious with Nick, Mandy turns out to be the former Miss Amanda Goodners.

Now that she is back in their lives does she really still have the power to cause havoc for Harriet?  Also, can Harriet carry all their financial burdens during Nick’s ill-timed risky business venture?

I am always a little put off when a book is described as “an hilarious, laugh out loud romantic comedy” as this one was.  I have read several books with that type of description that have barely been able to raise a titter from me.  So, I was very pleasantly surprised that this book genuinely was funny and I did indeed laugh at loud on several occasions.

Harriet is an hilarious character who I could so easily identify with.  She was easy to engage with and I expect anyone who reads this book will see a little of themselves, or at least someone they know, in her. Thus it was very easy to empathise with Harriet and the ensuing chaos around her.

What I admired most about this book was it’s unpretentious quality.  By that, I mean Ms. Houston was able to establish such a connection with me as a reader that I felt more like she was telling me this story over a cup of coffee than that I was reading a novel.  The author’s skill lies in the way that she can portray everyday happenings in such a natural, easy writing style.

The plot was both believable and entertaining, the characters well developed and the twists and turns along the way made for a captivating read.  I am really hoping that Ms. Houston has more novels planned as she is an author that I would read again.

This book is available as a paperback or in Kindle format and it costs only 99p at today’s prices for the Kindle version.  I don’t think anyone would feel they had wasted their money and I guarantee it will put a smile on your face.


ISBN:  978 1492143956

Publisher:  Create Space Independent Publishing Platform

Price:  99p (Kindle) - I was given a copy by the author.

Savings so far:  £123.93