Nicole Trilivas

In Girls Who Travel by Nicole Trilivas, heroine Kika Shores' most important journey is one of self-discovery. This fast-paced and engaging novel has a cast of adorable characters and a surprisingly thought-provoking storyline and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a light-hearted read.

Now her yearlong globetrotting adventure is over, Kika is working a dull office job that leaves her pining for her ex-lover Lochlon O'Mahone and the freedom to travel. Not exactly the most reliable or engaged employee, it is no surprise that Kika finds herself unemployed due to her lackluster performance. But as luck would have it, she is quickly hired as an au pair for a wealthy American family living in London. Surprisingly, Kika turns over a new leaf as she begins to look more to the future than her past, but will a reunion with Lochlon force her to rethink her plans?

Kika is a sassy, smart and colorful heroine that is a bit immature at first, but slowly but surely comes into her own after moving to London. She is fun-loving but she takes her duties as an au pair seriously and the two young girls in charge begin to thrive under her tender loving care. No one is more shocked than Kika when, instead of taking short European holidays during her weekends off, she begins to save money and create a serious business plan for her on line shop.

While still looking forward to reconnecting with Lochlon, Kika is confused by her unexpected attraction to next door neighbor Aston Hyde Bettencourt. Their first meeting was quite inauspicious and their subsequent encounters are full of misunderstandings. Therefore, Kika is quite stunned when Aston rescues her from a potentially damaging meeting with someone from her past. Afterward, Kika finally clears the air with Aston and they form an unlikely friendship that has strong undercurrents of mutual attraction. However, her rendezvous with Lochlon is imminent so she keeps her relationship with Aston firmly in the friend zone. Kika's reunion with Lochlon becomes a turning point but a series of unexpected events becomes another obstacle for her to overcome.

Girls Who Travel by Nicole Trilivas is an entertaining novel that has a surprising amount of depth. Kika is a wonderful protagonist and watching her grow and mature is immensely gratifying. The storyline is quite refreshing with several unpredictable twists and turns. An all around delightful read that fans of contemporary women's fiction are sure to enjoy.… (mer)

This is a great beach-type read. I fled through it quickly, and was extremely curious to find out the fate of Kika and the various branches of life she found herself in. However I found it slightly difficult to connect to her on a personal level, with the exception of her desire to see the world on an intimate level, and I found the easiness to which she landed her opportunities a little unrealistic. But if you don't tear apart every bit of the text like I did, it was charming, if not slightly predictable.… (mer)

When I requested this book from the publisher prior to it's release date I couldn't wait to start it. As a post-college aged female who loves to travel, it had the makings of a favorite on my list. However, I have to say that I was thoroughly disappointed. Instead of being able a girl who likes to travel and is a strong female, her life revolves around the men and her life...some of which she just happens to meet while on her travels.

If you're looking for a strong female lead within a book that inspires you to travel, you're going to be greatly disappointed. It's not terribly written, but I didn't find it to be a "gripping" read either. All in all, it's just okay. Worth your while if you're looking for an easy beach-read, but I wouldn't get my hopes up about it too much.

I was provided with a free copy of this book in order to conduct this review.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM… (mer)

The timing of the arrival of Girls Who Travel to my house couldn’t have been more perfect. It was the first day of a short holiday for me and I wasn’t going anywhere. I devoured this book in 24 hours – it’s a fantastic read for the holidays, full of wanderlust, boys, humour and some of the most original insults and exclamations you’ll read all year. Don’t be distracted by the somewhat serious cover – this is a fun read that you’ll devour like it was a box of chocolates.

Our heroine is Kika Shores, who lives to travel. She likes nothing better than exploring new horizons whether it be for a weekend, month or year. After a year of backpacking around the world, she’s had to return home and join the rat race to fund more trips and get her idea for a store/blog off the ground. Naturally, she’s not liking this and after treating her work flippantly one time too many, she’s fired (after a hilarious scavenger hunt around NYC for her arch rival). But a lifeline comes Kika’s way via the Darling family – will she be their au pair in London? Kika jumps at the chance for the opportunity to have a great base for European trips and catch up with Lochlon, her boyfriend from her trip. Not to mention the adorable Darling girls, Gwen and Mina. But staying in the one spot has its downsides – there’s Aston Hyde Bettencourt the grumpy yet alluring next door neighbour, problems with Mina and a change in Lochlon.

Nicole Trilivas has an incredible way with words – it’s no wonder that she won the Wattpad Marian Keyes contest, as her style and humour brought Keyes’ writing to my mind. This girl is laugh out loud funny in the way she crafts Kika’s scenes, yet they are completely realistic. Another highlight for me was the unique insults and exclamations that Kika uses (and Gwen invariably repeats, usually at a louder volume and directly in front of the person who said insult was intended for). There’s an absolute variety, from things that your grandparents would say to up to the minute variants that would stop even the nastiest junior bitch in her tracks. I loved how Trilivas wasn’t afraid to put Kika in crazy, cringe worthy situations yet Kika always battled through, with a tart remark and a badge of wisdom added to her arsenal.

The storyline is light, funny and never dull. Despite Kika doing the unbelievable and saving instead of travelling, there are plenty of glamourous scenes in Italy and London’s fanciest areas, with flashbacks to Kika’s grand trip. It’s definitely enough to satisfy your travel craving (and potentially add a few more places to your bucket list). You also get the benefit of seeing Kika grow up – from petulant, reluctant 9 to 5 worker to engaged, confident and happy member of Darling family. The story isn’t without its twists and bumps though – some are easy to spot, yet others come completely out of left field (particularly one involving Mrs Darling and her children’s future). The characters range from adorable (Gwen) to downright baddie (I’ll let you figure that out) and there’s an element of some of the magic of Mary Poppins and Pride and Prejudice too. Overall, this is a great story for the holidays as you’ll want to keep reading because it’s so engaging. I am really looking forward to more from Nicole Trilivas – I think I’ll start to clear a shelf for her novels right now.

Thank you to Penguin Australia for the copy. My review is honest.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com… (mer)