If I Could Turn Back Time by Nicola Doherty

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The Blurb:

What if you found The One, then lost him again?

Or not so much lost him as became the neurotic, needy girlfriend from hell. The girl who tried to make him choose between her and his job, and got seriously paranoid about his relationship with his best female friend...

Zoe knows she doesn't deserve another chance with David. But if there's the tiniest possibility of making things right, she'll snatch it. Even if it means breaking the laws of physics to do so...

My Review:

Wouldn't we all, at some point, wish we could travel back in time and change things? I know I would! If they ever invent time travel I will be first in line.......

In If I Could Turn Back Time, Zoe has that opportunity. When we first meet Zoe she is pretty miserable. It's coming up for Christmas, she has recently been dumped by David, her boyfriend, and she doesn't really like her job. One night before she goes to bed she wishes she could go back and change things (who hasn't).

When Zoe wakes up the next day it is a warm July day, and before long she realises that she has travelled back six months in time and she is once again going out with David. This gives her the opportunity to become the 'perfect' girlfriend and undo the mistakes she thinks she has made in the past. She can also use her knowledge of the future to impress her bosses at work, and carve out a new role.

Do things go to plan and Zoe live the life she envisages as perfect? I couldn't possibly let the cat out of the bag, but I would definitely recommend you read the book and find out for yourself.

I found that the book was funny and lighthearted in parts, but also felt a strong message coming through about friendship, loyalty, and that love is about being accepted for who you are, not who someone wants you to be. You only live once and you deserve to be loved and to enjoy life.

Zoe is a fantastic character. She is the kind of girl you can imagine just hanging out with who would always be there for you, but make you laugh lots too. I enjoyed accompanying her on her adventures. I could imagine conspiring with her over how to get rid of David's friend Jenny, or how to seduce him to make sure he fell head over heels in love and never looked at another woman again. There are some scenes set at her workplace where I wanted to dive in and play mother hen to protect her too.

There are two main male characters in the book. I instantly disliked David (the boyfriend) and felt quite angry and resentful that she felt she had done something wrong to deserve being dumped, and that if she changed she could win him back....grrrrrrr. I think that resonated with me as I have been made to feel not good enough, which made me root for her all the more.

The other male character is Max (excuse me whilst I swoon!). Max is a friend of David's and becomes Zoe's flatmate. I think I found myself another book boyfriend. Caring, funny and easy to be around...perfect....I loved the way he seemed to always be there for Zoe ad have her back.

I hadn't read any of Nicola's books before but will be heading off to get my hands on another very soon. Infact I have already gone on to read Poppy Does Paris, a novella by her which is equally as good.

If I Could Turn Back Time is a  brilliant read for the summer holidays, commuting, or just when you want to escape into a good read. I loved the way the story flowed and the writing style really appealed to me.