Shake It Up, Beverley by Suzan Holder

As soon as I heard about this book, I wanted to read it. It’s got a fun cover, the blurb sounds great and it says it’s perfect for fans of Milly Johnson, which I am! I also loved that the main character, Beverley, is in her fifties like I am.

So, onto the story…

Beverley Wilson is from Liverpool, a widowed mum of three grown up sons and a part-time estate agent. She is also a huge fan of The Beatles and has just bought Paul McCartney’s childhood home in an auction. This has catapulted her into unwanted fame, the tabloids calling her Beatles Bev.

Meanwhile, encouraged by her friend Jools, Beverley decides to try online dating. Having tried this myself, I could definitely relate to her experiences. But then she meets Scott Smith, who also adores The Beatles. Could she finally have found her perfect match? Obviously, you’ll have the read the book yourself to find that out…

The book is written in the first person, so we hear Beverley’s voice and understand her well. It’s a lovely chatty style of writing, which makes the book very accessible and easy to get into. It’s very funny, witty and relatable. (We’ve all been there with our full wardrobes, but nothing to wear!) It does tear along at quite a pace though and sometimes you just want to tell Bev to shut up for a few minutes! 😀

The other characters in the book are well-written too. Jools is just lovely and I thought Tina in the clothes shop was spot on, beautifully observed! We’ve all met a Tina in a clothes shop!

I enjoyed the Liverpool setting, especially as I was there earlier this month for the World Gymnastics Championships. (We took photos at The Beatles statue on the Pier Head, which is mentioned in the book!) This meant I connected well with the places in the novel and enjoyed reading about some familiar streets and landmarks. If you’re a fan of The Beatles, you’ll love this book, as there’s a lot of great detail in it about their lives.

A fun read with lots of laughs throughout.

BLURB

The perfect, laugh out loud read for fans of Milly Johnson, Cathy Bramley and Jill Mansell!

Beverley Wilson has always loved the Beatles but kissing a poster goodnight isn’t really an option when you’re a fifty-something mum of three. So when she decides it’s time to get back into the dating game, she turns to a dating agency for help.

But the long and winding road to real love is littered with dating disasters – the pantyhose pervert being the real low point and in Bev’s opinon it’s all too much. But meeting fellow Beatles fan Scott Smith changes everything…

This hilarious romantic comedy explores life, love and lonely hearts in the suburbs of Liverpool. Is Bev’s attempt to shake things up foolish…or the bravest thing she’s done?