What’s Your Sign? Review of Nicola May’s “Star Fish”

When I saw this indie book advertised I got very excited.  I always try to mix in indie books in pile of to-read reading material and this one seemed just the thing to break up the literature.  Amy has struck out in the dating scene in every way imaginable and decides it’s time to call in a professional.  As an avid reader of horoscopes she chooses Starr and Sun dating agency, one that is perfectly in-tune to her astrological charts, as it sets you up based on star signs.  Amy decides she’s going to date her way through the stars until she finds the sign that’s the perfect match for her Piscean self. 

I have to admit I enjoy light hearted chick-lit.  It’s not good literature, I won’t even try to defend that, but a cheery fluff-novel with some romance mixed in is good for the soul every now and then.  Unfortunately that’s not even close to what you get with this book.  Amy may say she’s looking for her soul-mate but what she’s really trying to do is sleep her way through the zodiac, taking all of her dates (well, the ones she finds attractive) into the bedroom just hours after meeting them.  She even breaks up with and relentlessly mocks one of her dates who refuses to sleep with her after only going on two dates.  She then repeatedly sleeps with a married man who lied to her about his identity the first time, and once on the grave of his dead brother…during the wake.  As if that isn’t enough to make you hate this supposedly “lovable heroine” she also throws over the rest of her lovers for her currently married high school sweet heart (who, of course, lies about his marital status) and throws over the only decent character in the whole book.

While this kind of moral depravity might make for an interesting book May’s writing style does little to make up for her character’s flaws.  The first half of the book May switches from first to second person narration for no particular reason (except maybe lazy editing) and a few of the chapters seemed to be in the wrong order (especially chapters 19-21).  That, paired with numerous spelling, grammar, formatting, and editing errors made this book difficult to get through. Even overlooking the proofing and editing errors May’s writing leaves a lot to be desired with a primary character you can’t help but hate and secondary characters that are nothing but stereotypes.

This book has a funny, intriguing premise and I was looking forward to a lighthearted, comedic read only to be totally and completely disappointed.

I couldn’t think of what kind of video to post for this book and it doesn’t have a book trailer, but if you’re in the mood for something fun, why not check out your horoscope instead?