When a new flatmate changes all the dynamics

Synopsis

Christmas is coming… and so is the biggest rift this tiny flat has ever seen.

When Daisy and Kate’s glamorous new housemate is announced, they picture another girl.

Instead, they get Maxi.

A ridiculously handsome male model with an ego the size of Lapland, an appetite that empties the fridge daily and a nasty habit of encouraging two best friends to compete for his attention.

Before long, Daisy’s mentally picking out wedding dresses, Kate’s having far less wholesome thoughts and the flat has descended into festive warfare.

Watching every drama unfold from the safety of the skirting board is Nigel, the house’s delightfully eccentric resident mouse. Sporting an abandoned contact lens as a monocle and never knowingly short of an opinion, he’s firmly convinced humans are the daftest creatures ever created.

He’s probably right.

A laugh-out-loud Christmas comedy about friendship, festive disasters and why some housemates really should come with a warning label.

My review

Daisy and Kate are best friends, living together. They may be broke and both single, but their friendship makes it more agreeable to live in their London flat that is not really in the best of state. There is also Nigel, the resident mouse, stealing their cheese whenever the opportunity rises. And then their landlady decides to help the ladies out with a new flatmate, Maximilian Taylor, Maxi for the friends. Daisy believes that she has found The One, Kate feels more of a physical attraction but Nigel is the only one that sees Maxi for who he really is. Tension only keeps on rising even if Christmas is approaching. Could this Christmas be one filled with only disaster, and the rift between Daisy and Kate is beyond repair?

When I started reading this book, I had a different story in mind. Not that the rift between Diasy and Kate would be about something else, but at the start, I would have imagined that Maxi would truly be this amazing man, and that somehow, he would be worth of the rift he is causing between the two best friends. (not that a person is ever worth of a rift between best friends…)

Before there was a rift, I found that Daisy and Kate had a wonderful friendship. They are very different from each other, and they may not be living in luxury, but together they have a lot of fun, lots of laughs and having each other is more than enough.

I found it funny reading how they even respect(ed) Nigel The Mouse. I don’t know if I would be that happy with a mouse at my place, but as he was there before Daisy and Kate made the move, they respect him. Even if he is a cheese – thief! 😊

Even if the ladies are having financial difficulties, I liked it how they make the best out of it. Being creative with gift, recycling gift wrapping paper etc. In a way, it shows us that even when things aren’t that easy, you can make the best out of it.

So it angered me reading how Maxi’s arrival changes everything between the ladies. Especially as Nigel already understands right from the start, that Maxi isn’t all that great as he may seem!

And to be honest, I hated the guy. Not only is he a liar, but he is superficial, dishonest, sneaky and disgusting! While I can understand the initial attraction, I could not understand how bright women like Daisy and Kate could not see behind the façade.

Often people say that women can be nasty in a fight. And we see that also in this story. Not that Daisy or Kate have become evil, but while fighting, they know what to say to TRULY hurt each other…

It is hard to not spoil too much about the story, but while the approach to Christmas is a disastrous one, at Christmas day itself, with a landlady that is a bit crazy as a guest, everything will culminate in unexpected ways, exposing truths and lies, with the help of Nigel. And realizations dawns what and who truly matters in life.

While perhaps at moments the characters were frustrating, I found it also a hilarious story and yes, Nigel despite being a rodent, stole my heart a little bit! 😊 This was an easy story to read, and the length of it also made it a quick read, with the ending putting a smile on my face! 😊