Thank you to Heather Fitt for organising this blog tour and to Mark Stay and Mark Oliver for a copy of this book in return for an honest review
Synopsis
Jo’s world is about to change forever, and it’s about time
Her marriage is on auto-pilot, daughter hates her, job sucks and it’s not even Tuesday.
As Jo’s life implodes, a freak event hurls her back to ‘90s Los Angeles where, in a parallel universe, she’s about to hit the big time as a rock star.
Jo has to choose between her dreams and her family in an adventure that propels her from London to Hollywood then Glastonbury, the world’s greatest music festival.
Jo encounters a disgraced guru, a movie star with a fetish for double-decker buses, and the biggest pop star in the world… who just happens to want to kill her.
Back to Reality is a funny, heartwarming story about second chances, with a heroine to rival Bridget Jones and the rock n roll nostalgia of Keith A Pearson.
The novel from the Bestseller Experiment podcast presenters Mark Stay and Mark Desvaux. The Two Marks went to more gigs in the ’90s than in any other decade and are currently working on a time machine to see Prince in concert.
My Thoughts
What a wonderful way to completely lose yourself and escape everything that’s going on at the minute. Turn off the news, leave social media behind for a while and allow yourself to be transported back to the 90s (my decade) for a bit of nostalgia in this wacky and adorable time travel novel.
A freak accident throws Jo back to a time where she is on the verge of being a rockstar. She’s horrified as she is able to witness what her life could have become and is somehow drawn into the life of Yohanna – her parallel self.
Both characters are written with realistic flaws and personalities which makes them both so lovable and adorable. Told from the perspective of both women (identified by shoes – trust me, it’s clever) the reader gets a real insight into both worlds. The parallel world isn’t hugely different but the writers have added lots of little touches to create so amusing and subtle differences. Be warned though, there are parts that are deeper and more touching.
The narration was entertaining and I loved the characters’ accents. It was clear to hear which ones were speaking once you allocated accents to characters and the whole story was a joy to listen to.
Highly recommended for complete escapism and a heartwarming story.
Authors Bios – Mark Stay and Mark Oliver
Mark Stay co-wrote the screenplay for Robot Overlords which became a movie with Sir Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson, and premiered at the 58th London Film Festival. Author of the fantasy novel The End of Magic, he is also co-presenter of the Bestseller Experiment podcast and worked in bookselling and publishing for over twenty-five years. He lives in Kent, England, with his family and a trio of retired chickens. He blogs and humblebrags over at markstaywrites.com
Mark Desvaux writes fiction as Mark Oliver. He also authors inspirational non-fiction and online courses, and is a professional speaker in the fields of self-development and spiritual growth. He is chairman and co-founder of the charity Foodshare. As a bestselling recording artist (Urban Myth Club), Mark’s two critically-acclaimed albums have led to appearances at festivals such as Glastonbury (which he tries to mention on every podcast). He lives on Vancouver Island with his family, surrounded by the beautiful mountains and seas, with chickens, bees and very tall trees.
Herding Cats 