The Debt and the Doormat By Laura Barnard

Blurb

Poppy and Jazz have been best friends from the first week of uni. Whenever these two get together trouble isn’t far away and things haven’t changed much.

When Jazz gets herself into financial trouble Poppy, being a good friend, offers to help. She instead ends up being talked into swapping lives, with Jazz insisting it will help her get over her broken heart.

Poppy is thrown into a new life, full of crazy housemates; there’s fitness freak Izzy, beautiful bitch Grace and the slightly gorgeous, if not incredibly grumpy Ryan. Quickly, with the help of Jazz, her life is thrown upside down. Madness ensues and her need to please everyone gets her in more trouble than she could ever imagine.

Before she knows it she’s got a fake boyfriend, a bullying boss, a sex crazed colleague, a mental mother and three brothers each with their own dramas. Life has gotten pretty difficult for Poppy. And all of this would be much easier, if she could just stop falling over.

Will she get her life back to normal before her brother’s upcoming wedding? And will she want to?

Review The premise is okay, though the swapping lives thing has been rather overdone. However, there are always new takes and angles, so I was more than happy to give this a go. Unfortunately, I couldn't get to grips with the writing style – I felt it a little simplistic, and the whole thing could have done with a darned good edit. Not too keen on the characters either, Poppy especially. She was a little immature for my taste.

About the Author Laura Barnard lives in Hertfordshire, UK and writes romantic comedy or 'chick lit' as its so often described. In her spare time she enjoys drinking her body weight in tea, indulging in cupcakes the size of her face and drooling over hunks like Jamie Dornan, Ryan Gosling and Leo Dicaprio. She enjoys wearing yoga pants and reading fitness magazines while sitting on the sofa eating chocolate. She's a real fan of the power nap and of course READING! She writes not to get rich or famous, but because she LOVES writing. Even if one person tells her they enjoyed her book it makes the midnight typing worth it! www.laurabarnardbooks.co.uk Winner of Favourite British Author - Two Peas in a Pod Reader's Choice Awards