Blurb; ‘Could there be a world of interest and adventure beyond the Midlands? A world of confidence, sex and excitement? A better life – a better me?’ These are the questions Gerard Philey grapples with over New Year, 1995. Sitting in his rented Black Country room, reflecting on his thankless teaching job and miserable love life, he courageously decides to abandon his humdrum existence and embark on a quest for Euro-fulfilment, fun and fitness on the Continent.
After a shaky start in Brussels, events manoeuvre him to Amsterdam where chance encounters shift his world well and truly into fifth gear. He samples the trials and tribulations of new relationships, alongside managing a sex shop in the city’s Red Light Area – on top of the challenges of fat-free living and international travel!
Through his bittersweet diary, we see how Gerard steers a laugh-out-loud course through farcical episodes and fanciful characters…and how entanglements from past and present draw him unwittingly into a criminal underworld where events ultimately take their toll.
My Review; Now I’m going to be honest here if I wasn’t on this tour this isn’t a book I’d choose for myself. BUT I am so glad I got to read this short read. Loved the diary format of the story so easy reading note it’s called a diary duhh. Loved the main character Gerard who’s just had enough of the same things everyday and being a teacher so off he goes on his adventure. Now parts had me giggling away. This story really has it all. Gay best friend. Dodgy dealings. Romance. Even a sex shop. A story that made me smile with a very likeable main character. This will stay with me a long time, pretty hard to forget. Enjoyed every page and diary entry. A well deserved four stars from me. Highly recommend. Glad to be on the tour for this one otherwise I would have missed this gem.
Between The Pages Book Club 
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