Don't Stop Me Now
Don't Stop Me Now - Colleen Coleman
Blurb: Poppy Bloom has a Life Plan: PhD in psychology, research job at her university, and a life of domestic bliss with handsome boyfriend Gregory.
But then she finishes her PhD with no job offer, no relationship, and nowhere to live. Being unemployed and living back at her mum’s house in her vampire-themed childhood bedroom was definitely not the plan.
Poppy is back to square one and miserable, so when she runs into childhood friend Leanne she jumps at the opportunity to catch up. The chance to run into Leanne’s gorgeous brother Tom is just a bonus…
Soon Poppy’s scored an internship at a radio station, a boyfriend, and a whole netball team of friends: things are on the up.
But life has a way of tripping you up when you least expect it, and Poppy soon has to decide where her priorities lie… With new friends, a new career and a new romance, can Poppy keep everyone happy, or is everything about to tumble down around her?
Rating: 5/5 stars
My Review:
First Impressions: Well for starters it was the name that caught my attention! I mean, everyone looks at the words "Don't Stop Me Now" and then starts singing Queen! (If you don't then, please start :D) Next thing you know I had the song stuck in my head the whole time (ahahaha) but also because the song is constantly referenced in the book! Another thing that caught my eye was the actual book cover! The yellow pastel background with bright coloured elements made me feel giddy and happy!
The main character Poppy is such an amazing character to love and relate to! As a student myself, I know what it feels like to work hard for something and then get it snatched away from me, so she is definitely a relatable character! She has a wonderful family behind her to help support her in whatever way they can and I love it <3 Another thing I love about her character is her outlook on things. I like that she can be negative (like a real person) but then also see the positive side in things. She understands that she is has been thrown into the real world but she gets through it. Also, she is really smart... but it's not intoxicating! It's a type of smart you can relate! She definitely thinks her life is over, but she understands how to get it back on track and that is a really important message we should all be taking in. Just because one thing didn't go your way it doesn't mean its the end of the road. When one door closes, another one opens. However, she also doesn't see the best in everything and it takes a lot of hits from real life before she realises she needs to get a move on.
"But if you want to be fully functional and fully human, I think you need to learn to live with regret"
Also, she is 29... so at that age you are usually expected to have a stable job, married and not be living with your parents! Also when you finish school you are expected to know how to be an adult, but this isn't the case. I think the main message here is to find yourself, getting out of your comfort zone and living in the moment. Also that society expects you to be amazing at every aspect of life and that there is no time for failure. You are expected to succeed in your jobs, friendships and what society expects of you. So it's a nice reminder that you can fail sometimes and get on a better path and lead a better life for yourself.
Now onto the best thing about this book! The characters! Seriously all the supporting characters were amazing and played such a big role in the book and Poppy's life. She left some negative people behind, reconnected with some old friends and got into a relationship! Poppy grows as a person and her friends are the people who gave her the push and made her feel worthy. We all have bad days/weeks where we think nothing is working, but our friends are always there to cheer us on! Through her friends, we get a laugh and some insights to what adult life is!
"Objective reality: I am breathing. I am safe. I am warm... no, I'm not warm, they only ever heat this box room for Christmas. Okay, anyway I'm healthy... Subjective reality: I AM FAILING AT EVERY CONCEIVABLE LEVEL"
Now here is the element of the book I thought would scare me off... the romance... Now I'm not a fan of books solely based on romance so when I saw that it was a Romcom I was a bit sceptical. So reading this book was a whole new level for me. Now when I was introduced to Tom and their new relationship I was hoping that it wouldn't end with Tom saving the day... and oh boy was I wrong! The relationship was refreshing because she didn't rely on Tom to save her because she was doing everything herself. Yes, Tom did support her but he didn't do anything if she could do it herself! So well done to Colleen Coleman for creating a real relationship and proving that you don't need a prince charming to save you.
Another thing that I really enjoyed about this book was the journey we were following. We were following Poppy fall and get back up. It was honestly really inspiring and made me look back at my own life. It made me think about my friends and family and where I'm going in life. And I love a good book that I can relate to and question.
"You've created this distance not because your community rejected you but because you felt you were not worthy of being part of it. This is an easy trap to fall into, Benny. Believe me, I've done it myself. For a long time, I labelled myself shy and quiet, until I started to realize that I'd outgrown that label. I wasn't that person anymore. And my label was keeping me from things I wanted to do, people I wanted to get closer to."
So in conclusion, I love this book and the message it portrays. It makes you dream more and want more for yourself but it also shows us what life can really be like. You don't have to always be on the right track because sometimes taking the wrong turn can lead you to something better. It has become on of my favourite books because of how inspiring and lovely this book is! I definitely recommend reading this book if you want a laugh and something inspiring to read.
One last thing. The author - Colleen Coleman - is such a wonderful person because a percentage of the sales from this book will be going to mental health charities. This is so important because mental health is sometimes ignored. So thank you for helping even more people out there!
