Am I Allergic To Men? - Kristen Bailey

Genre: Adult Fiction | Contemporary | Humour

Release Date: Expected 3rd February 2022

Publisher: Bookouture

Lucy Callaghan - almost actress, part time party princess impersonator, Dorito connoisseur, owner of the worlds grumpiest cat and now … amnesiac.

While rushing to a last minute gig dressed as Elsa, her bike and a bus collide, and the bus wins. Waking up in hospital, it's like the last ten years have vanished and she's seventeen again. She doesn't remember becoming an auntie, or Netflix and smartphones, living through a pandemic, discovering her sexuality and her passions … or even why she has tweety-pie tattooed on her ankle.

But as she tries to piece together the past decade of her life, the friends, the jobs, the lovers - she can't help but look at her sisters lives and compare them. They're stable, secure, sure about their path - so can Lucy find the thing she's been missing when she can't even remember who she is?

"I've kept looking to this other Lucy as another person, comparing myself to her constantly, thinking I need to live up to her, become her. Maybe she's always been there."

Every time we revisit the Callaghan sisters it's like hearing from old friends - and this final instalment to the Pentalogy might be Kristen Baileys best yet. From the first line, I fell in love with Lucy - she was powerful, sassy, unapologetic and an absolute delight despite making the same stupid and questionable decisions we all have at some point.

Much like Elsa, Lucy doesn't need a random royal to save her. While the title and blurb might make it seem like this is another story about a girl who finds love and it solves everything, that doesn't reflect the story well enough at all - it's about a raw, real woman who find their place in their world on their own merit and don't fall in line with what's expected. Bailey creates such complex and beautiful characters - from mothers to lovers, doctors to dancers and each of them are strong, unique and fiercely feminist in their own right.

Now, for a minute I was worried this story was heading towards some serious bisexual erasure - but instead this ends up being affirming about just how fluid and personal sexuality is for each person

Full of laughs and tears, Bailey asks the important questions like When is it acceptable to drop kick a child? and Why haven't Disney written any songs about smoked salmon yet? all while weaving a beautifully uplifting story about an unforgettable journey and tied up as perfectly as real life can be.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Be sure to check out the other titles from Kristen Bailey on Bookouture!

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