Lisa Jewell is styled as the queen of ‘Chick-Lit’, that is, literature written for a primarily female audience. However, her books tend to cross over into other realms, and go beyond the usual chick-lit formula. This book, 31 Dream Street, is more mainstream chick-lit than some of her other books, but still has enough in it to satisfy a more demanding audience, as well as appealing to many men, myself included.
The plot is fairly simple, and one that could be easily, and quickly, worked out. Obviously there are some twists, but it’s a fairly good read. The characterisations are, as normal for Jewell, good, if a little too convenient at times. That is, people fell in love (or lust?) with just the right people. Still, it is a good read. Most twists, and surprises, occurred right at the end, when the story, which had just began to plod, suddenly picked up it’s skirts and flew.
The one great problem with 31 Dream Street is that it will be judged in terms of Jewell’s previous books. That’s not to say it is a bad book at all, and it deserves to be a hit, it’s just that some of them were truely cross-over books, but this puts Jewell back into the chick-lit genre, even if there are some dark, deep, elements to the story. Maybe it’s because I’m a man, but I’d have liked those to have been explored more. The other point is that the build-up to some love events took, in my view, far too long. On the other hand, that’s more popular in the female market, for whom this book is dedicated.
In short, a good book, and a nice read. I give it 3/5
