Review: The Book Ninja – Ali Berg & Michelle Kalus

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this new release from Simon & Schuster, and I couldn’t have been happier because this book ended up being such a warm and funny read.

The Book Ninja follows unlucky-in-love Frankie Rose (named after the Frankston train line on which she was conceived…) who, after a bad break up, has been in a bit of a rut. Until her best friend, Cat, suggests using the books she loses herself in to find her a date.

Now, the blurb really does sound like a rom-com plot, and it’s not far off to be honest! The characters do have a bit more depth to your traditional rom-com movie and the writing style is just so gorgeous and full of heart, Berg and Kalus are such a perfect team and their wit and love of books really shines through on every page.

Frankie’s character was relatable in some ways but she is also such a quirky character that she really is a joy to read. She makes literary references almost every other sentence, likening people to characters or relationships to the romances in the books she reads. So, if you’re a book lover (which I can only assume you are to some extent given you’re here and reading this blog) you’ll get a kick out of those 🙂

Her friend-lationship (it’s a thing now) with Sunny is so sweet and unpredictable, and while it may not be ‘real-world’ believable, it was totally believable for the characters they were. Sunny was gorgeous and kooky, and almost too-good-to-be-true (although I’d also think twice if a grown man only ever read YA #sorrynotsorry).

Now, the best friend Cat. I’m honestly not sure how I felt about her through the book. At times I really thought she was being a pretty shitty friend, but she always seemed to pull through when it mattered, or her below-average friend moments ended up being not too bad. Regardless, it was a key relationship in the book, allowing the authors to explore themes of friendship and loyalty between all the fun romance parts.

Finally I just want to add that I really liked how Berg and Kalus melded traditional prose with text messages and blog posts to get us inside the story and the minds of the characters, and show some of the relationships in a different light. Plus who can resist an anonymous relationship blossoming in the comments of a blog. (Any takers, my comment box is always open for you to find your #OTP, haha)

Rating: I adored the humour and lightness of this book, so I would happily recommend it to anyone wanting a contemporary read full of humour, and with a refreshing storyline. If you’re trying to get someone in to reading who already loves a bit of cute romance, this might also be a good recommendation!

***

Have you read The Book Ninja? Or do you have any other contemporary rom-com type books you love?

M xx

Buy it here.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.