The Wish List

The book proceeds at a frantic pace, detailing the trials and tribulations of pals Lucy, Meg, Chloe and Tom. Main character Lucy is a sassy, witty, struggling actress with a weakness for shagging Tom. This would all be very well if Tom was more committed to Lucy, but Tom is a cynical kinda guy, and finds it hilarious to buy Lucy appalling flowers. Meg is a confident corporate lawyer, known for her no-nonsense attitude and cutting comments. She’s the original loner, and is quite sure that she doesn’t need a man in her life. Sweet Chloe is having trouble exercising her authority at work. She helpfully decides to sign the whole gang up for a team-building weekend, on a camping trip with new age guru Hank and a few random campers. This leads to side-splitting interactions with some of Australia’s top weirdoes around the campfire. There’s another hilarious scene in the book when the girls crash Tom and his “man’s night out”. Tom gets all prissy and uptight, while the girls get rowdy and start drinking the boys under the table. There is a lot of (understandable) lust for fellow Australian Hugh Jackman throughout the book. Lucy laments to Tom that Deborah Lee Furness is the owner of the meaning of life. This is because Deborah is married to Hugh Jackman, and he IS the meaning of life as far as Lucy (and La’Brooy) are concerned. La’Brooy’s style of writing is incredibly easy to read. She’s obviously got a wicked sense of humour, and has a fantastic turn of phrase. I particularly liked the bantering between characters in The Wish List. I loved Lucy’s reaction when she finds out Meg and Chloe have been placing bets on her sex life with on again/off again Tom. Lucy snaps, “Stop talking about me like I’m a greyhound”, to which Meg replies; “Lucy can’t be a racehorse. Tom will be riding her and he’s too tall to be a jockey”. Comments like these make the book a memorable read. The main character, Lucy, was great. Despite viewing the world through rose-tinted glasses, she does go through a transformation of sorts towards the end of the book. She has a neat perspective on life, even though she has a morbid fear of curtains. Overall, The Wish List is a guaranteed smile fest.