Customer Reviews

The Chocolate Run

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This cute book is about Amber Salpone, who is pretty apprehensive about committing to a relationship- why bother when you have chocolate, right? But her gorgeous best friend Greg tells her he's in love with her, and she decides to give it a shot. The conflict is whether or not Amber will be able to overcome her fears based on a less-than-perfect childhood and fall in love.
For fans of the Bridget-Jonesian, neurotic-English-girl style of novel, this will be a fun read, although it isn't as funny as many of its comrades in that genre. Amber is a self-aware, rational heroine (except about men), which makes for a more meaty read.
I did enjoy the way Amber compares everyone to chocolate (the ultimate insult appears to be calling someone "toffee")- Jen, her best friend, is high-quality white chocolate; Greg is compared to all manner of sweets. It will make you want to go out and buy See's or Cadbury's. Its also interesting that despite the chocolate obsession and some vague acknowledgement of a curvy figure, Amber is not hung-up on her weight. A refreshing change.

Dorothy Koomson is a wonderful character writer, and humourous to boot. In Chocolate Run she introduces you to Amber Salpone, and Greg Walterson (named after Gregory Peck), now it's your typical plot. Girl meets boy, girl knows boy is a man .... and he so is, and for three years life is good. Greg after all is the best friend of her best friends man, so what if one night she and Greg get to taste each other's sweets.

It's not going anywhere after all...she's seen him flirt, and how's that going to change. Well Koomson has Greg give it his all for a real relationship the man parted with his 'black book', the scene was hilarious, you could almost hear Greg's heart palpitating at the enorminty of the moment.

Life is like a box of chocolates (Forrest Gump), you never know quite what you're getting, and the story takes off. A one night stand leads to relationship entangled in friendships, and secrets which will be revealed. The heart of the book was Greg, the bloke did stupid, but I found I could'nt stay mad at him because he was just a man....and the petals on the bed, well that melted my heart. I'll give this book five stars for plotting, romance and angst, and how real you felt the character of Amber was as she muddled through with chocolate, her past family relations which impacted her present in so many ways, as did the Greg's past. Now was I satisfied after the read, well it definitely was a chocolate marshmellow treat with a few added nuts of angst, what's not to enjoy. Totally did.

Where to begin? I have all of Koomson's books except for The Cupid Effect (waiting for the price to drop). Everyday I monitored Amazon hoping and praying that someone would put TCR up at a cheaper price. Oh happy day! I got an import for $1.87! Yay me. Everyday I checked my mailbox and then suddenly...it was there. Wrapper torn off...a gift for me!
I loved My Best Friend's Girl. Loved it. Marshmallows for Breakfast...I'll give it a 3 and a half. Not enough love. But this book took the cake...or chocolate so to speak.
The characters were completely realistic. We have our main character film enthusiast Amber who runs from commitment because she is terrified of being left. Her bestfriend Jen who is yearning for commitment from her borefriend Matt. Then there's Matt's bestfriend, Amber's second bestfriend the delectable Greg. Greg is a playboy who sleeps with random women and never looks back. Then he and Amber share a moment. And suddenly all he really wants is for Amber to take his intentions seriously.
The main plot revolves around Amber and Greg (fine by me) with supporting roles going to Jen and Matt. This is a story I think everyone can relate to--parts at least. While Amber is trying to figure out if Greg is the real deal, she has to face the fact that she and Jen are drifting apart. A huge secret looms between the two girls. The reader finds out pretty early in the book but I won't ruin it for you.
The only downfall--there were way too many references to chocolate. Way too many. Cannot stress that enough. Koomson saw parallels with chocolate and people that I would never have thought of. Hard and brittle like toffee? WTF! Very random.
Overall though, I still give it 5 stars because at the end of the day it's a realistic romance that reminds ppl that while the past is forged in stone...the future is still up for debate.
Next book please, Ms. Koomson!

I really liked this book. I found it fun and funny. Amber Salpone is a complex character, though Greg is more so, in my opinion. There were some twists I didn't see coming, and except for a few words more familiar to British people (owt and nowt,)a very good read. Well written first person fun.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! It's the first book I've ready by Dorothy Koomson, and I can tell you it will not be my last! This book is going on my keeper shelf.

This book starts off with a bang and then doesn't let you go. I don't want to give too much away but it has one of my favorite premises, which is friends becoming lovers, but Ms.Koomson does it such a way that it's fresh. She also does an amazing job with the characters. Both Amber and Greg have their issues, but it's those issues that have kept them from settling down with any one. And each has reacted differently. Amber has decided she will never marry and to stay single, while Greg has turned into a man-slut, for the lack of a better word. (Sorry if that words offends anyone!) So you've got an unlikely couple, add their respective best friends Jen and Matt, who have been involved with each other for three years, and you've got a very juicy story.

I'd recommend picking this book up when you've got free time, because once you start, it's extremely hard to put it down. You'll want to know what's happening next. I'm off to see what other Dorothy Koomson books I can read next!

I have read this book in its entirety at least 10 times in the year since I've owned it. I love almost everything about it. I loved the humor, I loved the progress and build of the story, I LOVED the characters and I love the writing. This was my first experience with Chick-Lit, but it's got me wanting to read more. Great job!

Loved Loved Loved it! Mrs. Dorothy can write! She NOW MY FAVORITE WRITER. I loved how the characters were so normal.I liked how the lead male was good looking and not some older ok looking male. I picked this up and could not stop. I was so into it, i even threw in an accent while i was reading!..lol...I will be re-reading this soon!

great read!!

At first I was disapointed with the seller because it had been a month and I hadn't received the books I ordered. Once I contacted them, they responded quickly and mailed out my missing books which I received very quickly. I'd purchase from them again!