Review - Dead Sexy by Kathy Lette

Dead Sexy: A Novel by Kathy Lette
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Blurb From Goodreads

Why do men like intelligent women? Because opposites attract.

That's what shy London music teacher Shelly Green thinks when she meets hunky, boisterous American, Kit Kincaide...on their wedding day. Thrown together on the reality show Desperate and Dateless, they were predicted to be the perfect match--physically, emotionally, and intellectually. Proving their compatibility on at least one score (in the backseat of a limo), there appears to be some hope for this manufactured marriage...until their honeymoon on the tropical island of Reunion, where Shelly realizes that men and women have slightly different takes on the meaning of commitment. For Shelly it means love, kids, and happily ever afters. But for Kit it's a meaningful one-night stand. Or is it? What exactly is her husband trying to hide?

Will Shelly discover the truth about Kit? Will she find romance in spite of a civil war, a natural disaster, and a crew of dubious television lowlifes? Do she and Kit have a chance for a real marriage in the hyped-up, surreal world of reality TV?

Love may be blind.

But marriage is a real eye-opener.


My review

Oh My! Two people brought together in marriage via a television dating show, says it all really. Normally I would love this kind of book. The people don't meet until just before the wedding, they share a limo, some bottles of champagne and exchange some info. The computer has matched them up on the information they provided and if they get married and go on the honeymoon (all being filmed of course) and stay together for at least a year they get more cash incentives as well as other bonuses. What follows is utter mayhem as the two attempt to get to know each other and find out how much they didn't know and don't like about the other.

Shelly and Kit are worlds apart, she is a teacher and seemingly a plain Jane whilst he is buff, beautiful and too good to be true. As the story unravels though it becomes more ridiculous and unbelievable, things going from silly to down right outrageous.

Shelly's character becomes very unlikeable as she comes across as pathetic, begging for Kit's attention, believing or forgiving everything he says and does all in aid of attention. She comes across as a very weak female who is at the mercy of her wants of her body and has left her brain, and self respect, at home with her job. Kit flips from being a nice lovely sweet talking guy to an insensitive moron who expects women to fall at his feet, although with Shelly's behaviour you can't really blame him too much.

Some of it I laughed at, cringed at or rolled my eyes and sighed at it. It was just far too silly for me and the annoyance at Shelly being painted so pathetically really put me off it. Two quotes I must share with you from the book that may sum up what I am trying to say better than I am doing are

"Every time i see you a smoke-alarm goes off in my boxer shorts." and

"Hell, it was so magical, she wouldn't have been surprised to learn that Gandalf was behind it." Cringe, funny, embarrassing to name just a few words this book conjurers up. I have read Kathy Lette before and really enjoyed her, not sure what happened this time but this book wasn't for me, 2/5 this time.

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