KEY POINTS:
This is a delicious and light read - exactly what the chick-lit genre promises - but one which often fails to deliver. Holman hails from West Auckland but now lives in Waikato and this, her first attempt at writing fiction, offers the reader plenty of fun. Bonkers draws you into the wildly improbable dilemma of single, straight-laced school teacher Lisa, who dies in a car crash and hurtles up to heaven.
There she is spared by a caring angel who sends her spirit back to Earth, but unfortunately puts her in the wrong body - one that happens to be the other driver in the accident, who is (of course) gorgeous, rich and married to a successful doctor.
It's an entertaining story as Lisa struggles with her new identity and marital status, all the while pining for her family who believe she's gone.
The momentum picks up when she starts trying to prove who she really is to her loved ones and newfound husband. Holman scatters Kiwi references along the way with mentions of pohutukawa, shopping in Newmarket, and North Shore beaches.
Bonkers is a fluffy, feel-good fairytale which, despite its implausible plot, is filled with family personalities and dramas we can all relate to. Holman's down-to-earth style makes this an entertaining indulgence.
HarperCollins, $26.99
- Detours, HoS
