Prosecco & Paparazzi

A lighthearted romance packed with glitz, glamour, and celebrities. 

Charlotte Young, a bold, plucky American woman working in public relations in New York City, has planned a reunion ski trip to Chamonix, France, with four of her best friends from her time at Oxford University. The girls are already excited about their getaway, but the trip gets even more thrilling when they learn that Des Bannerman, a dreamy, British romantic-comedy movie star, is in town, too. Charlotte has long considered him to be her celebrity crush, so she becomes determined to meet him. Luckily, she runs into him at a local casino’s blackjack tables; they eventually share a few fun, flirtatious moments (and even a kiss). However, things go awry when the paparazzi snap a photo of the duo and Des’ girlfriend, Brynn Roberts, sees it. She’s not happy, and she lets Charlotte know it. Suddenly, photographers are following Charlotte everywhere; then, out of the blue, she’s served with a restraining order from Des, requiring her to keep her distance. Hurt and confused, she returns home to New York, where her boss, Faith Clarkson, is determined to make the most of her employee’s brief foray into the limelight. She assigns Charlotte one vital task: to figure out a way to sign Des as a client of the PR firm. Now she must plot how to get around her restraining order (and her hurt feelings) while making new friends, taking a new lover, and having countless glamorous adventures along the way. Kennedy’s (Cognac & Couture, 2016, etc.) book is pure lighthearted fun—the kind of story that one can imagine as a glossy rom-com film. It’s packed with entertaining, vivid descriptions of some of the world’s most luxurious destinations, including the aforementioned Chamonix and Manhattan; Long Island’s East Hampton; London; Saint-Tropez, France; and Rome. It’s also filled with steamy, if gratuitous, sex scenes between Charlotte and her lover, Liam, a “gorgeous Irishman.” Although there’s no real lesson or message to be gleaned from this novel’s light plot, it’s escapism at its best.

Pure fun and pure fluff—the perfect book to read on the beach with a glass of prosecco in hand.