Secrets and Fries at the Starlight Diner by Helen CoxMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Time taken to read - 2 days
Pages - 270
Publisher - Maze
Blurb from Goodreads
What brings Bonnie Brooks to The Starlight Diner? And why is she on the run?
As the front-woman in a band, Bonnie is used to being in the spotlight, but now she must hide in the shadows.
Bonnie only has one person who she can turn to: her friend Esther Knight, who waitresses at the Fifties-themed diner. There, retro songs play on the jukebox as fries and sundaes are served to satisfied customers. But where has Esther gone?
Alone in New York City, Bonnie breaks down in front of arrogant news reporter, and diner regular, Jimmy Boyle. Jimmy offers to help her. Can she trust him?
When the kindly owner of the Starlight Diner offers Bonnie work, and she meets charming security officer Nick Moloney, she dares to hope that her luck has changed. Is there a blossoming romance on the cards? And can Bonnie rebuild her life with the help of her Starlight Diner friends?
My Review
Bonnie is a singer in a band and finds herself in a spot of bother. Changing her appearance and going from the spotlight to hiding she heads to the Starlight Diner to find her old friend Esther. Esther may not be so delighted to see Bonnie but Bonnie has no choice, in danger and with nowhere else to go Bonnie breaks down in front of Jimmy, a disliked local reporter. Before long Bonnie has reestablished her friendship with Bonnie, met a new guy called Nick and making friends in the diner but you can't outrun your past or the people chasing you as Bonnie will soon find out.
It took me a wee bit to get into this one, not because I didn't like the writing, more because we know someone is after Bonnie but it takes a bit to find out who or why. I get quite irritated by that as I am so nosey and want to know, it does make for compelling reading though as you want to know what it is all about. I loved the diner, the music takes you back to the golden oldies days which in itself sparks some wonderful memories. I always love those diners and the book is written with such vivid scenes you can picture yourself within it and a few scenes made me hungry!
The story has a mix of thriller, girl on the run someone is after her, relationships, self preservation, personal growth, love, betrayal and friendship. This is my first time reading this author, I would certainly read her again. This is the second Starlight Diner book, I hadn't read the first and don't feel I lost anything having not read it before hand although I liked this one so much I will get the first. The ratings on here only allow for full stars so for me it is a 3 however I would say it was 3.5 out of 5 for me. Well written and creating characters you want to know more about, thanks so much to the publishers for sending me a copy and introducing me to a new author.
I tend to like stories that have music or band related elements.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Goodreads needs to allow for have stars. There is not enough of a range with the current system.