Once upon a time, Eden had it all; she was one of the most successful young singers in the UK, and the darling of the pop industry. Life couldn't have been better. But just two years after a sell-out tour, Eden is regarded as a has-been, better known for her drinking and the kiss-and-tell stories that a string of men have sold to the papers.
Desperate to get back in the big time, Eden begins recording a new album with songwriter Jack Steele, a man who drives her crazy for all the wrong reasons. And then she's asked to be a judge on the TV talent show Band Ambition. It's just the break she needs and she's determined not to mess it up, so falling in love with Stevie, a contestant on the show, is probably not a very good idea. But Eden has always followed her heart, and she is sure Stevie is 'the one'.
But is Eden setting herself up for another fall?
Rating: 4 Stars
Positives: So firstly it was nice to see a Katie Price that wasn't set in Brighton. Every single story before this has had at least part of the story based in Brighton, so it was nice to move away from that for once.
Secondly the character development was brilliant. My opinion of the main character Eden did a complete one eighty, at first I really couldn't stand her because she had such a diva persona, but once we see that this is nothing more than a front then I was actually able to start liking her as a character. Plus we get to see some old favourites returning; not only do Jez and Rufus turn up, but Sadie Parks and Dallas also make a reappearance. In The Comeback Girl we actually get to see a lot more of Sadie compared to how much we saw her in Crystal, and I loved learning a bit more about her character. She's a fantastically mumsy but sophisticated character, and I would definitely say that she's very protective; almost like a mother tiger.
And also the storyline was refreshing. Usually the Katie Price books feature women who have been flung into the public eye as they rise to fame, but Eden is already famous at the start of the book. Instead this focuses more on her trying to salvage her career, something which won't be made easy when she falls for Stevie. Of course as with all Katie Price books there is also a second love interest for Eden, not only does she have ladies man Stevie, but also the songwriter for her new album Jack who's devastatingly handsome lusting after her.
Negatives: Yet again what is it with the proof reading? Are none of these books checked before being published? Several times there are words missing from sentences or speech marks in the wrong places. By the end of the book this was really quite frustrating.
Speaking of endings, where did that ending come from? One of the lessons that Eden is supposed to learn over the course of the book is to not rush into anything, especially relationships just look at her track record, and yet in the final chapter she makes a life changing decision without a second thought. I know I've been a fast mover in the past, but that was way too fast.
Also there's a tiny bit of a continuity problem. We first encounter the tv programme Band Ambition in Crystal, when Crystal is one of the contestants. As it stands in Crystal the acts audition, then go through to a boot camp at their mentor's home, before they can compete on the live shows with acts being axed at every point. However in The Comeback Girl we seem to have jumped straight from the auditions to the live shows. Yes Eden joins the judging panel halfway through the series, but they are still in the auditions stage when she joins and there's no mention of Eden having to halve her acts and choose to take on to the live shows. Instead Dallas assigns her three acts to mentor and thats that.
Finally it was so obvious what Stevie's character flaw was going to be. The moment we meet him in auditions we know exactly what kind of man he is, and nothing Stevie ever did surprised me. Once Eden starts a relationship with him as well it only becomes more obvious what Stevie's end game is. Please give us a bit more mystery.
Would I recommend this book? Yes I would. If you want a light hearted summer read that doesn't require too much effort then The Comeback Girl is well worth a read.
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