‘The Chocolate Box’ by Isabella May got me immediately with the cover! What a fantastical creation that is. I just hoped the pages held as much as the cover. I am happy to report they do. A story that I found to be a bit of a mix, just like a box of chocolates, but one that has you immediately.
Eleanor Finch has spent her life feeling invisible and having quite low-esteem, determined she is going to get over these issues. Part of her plan to do this is by gaining a job as HR in a slightly posh travel agency. The next part of her plan is WHY she chose that particular agency. The owners of said agency are the Westwoods, brother and sister – Clementine and Barnaby. These siblings she has been acquainted with from school, Clementine her personal mean girl bully and Barnaby her life long crush, who only spoke to her for a bet with his friends.
Eleanor has, ten years on, acquired a new name, Sanchez (ex-husbands help) and has her new sleeker look. She plans to become Barnaby’s wife and a new best friend to Clementine… six months on, they still have no clue who Eleanor actually is! Undeterred, she bonds with the eldest sister Brooke and the company gets to a point of being short of working capital. Eleanor insists upon everyone going for a team-building retreat together. Her plans to get revenge don’t go as she plans and things go slightly awry!
I went into this book expecting a rom-com and ended up reading a book with more dark humour and black comedy. I enjoyed myself with the internal thoughts of Ellie and we see her back story with her parents which do help the reader understand her issues and motivations for her plan. I thought Eleanor’s journey and her realisation of herself as the story developed was good to see. Ultimately we see her plans fall apart and she needs to decide does she want people to like her for herself? Or for the mask she is wearing, so always pretending. Much more than I expected and I recommend this entertaining read.
Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources and Isabella May fvor the copy of the book for my review today.
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