I think if I had read the first book in this series, The Square, first, I would have enjoyed this story more and had a better understanding of the characters and their perspective. As best as I can gather, this story picks up not long after the first book ends and the events in the first book play heavily in this story.

I absolutely loathed Jane. I found her to be the most shallow and selfish person I have crossed paths with in a very long time. She is one of those people who would likely die or kill for image and she absolutely values her own advancement and her image over everything else. Her marriage and her child take a backseat in Jane’s life. Hiring a teenage neighbor to accompany them on a family vacation to Ibiza for babysitting illustrates for me a woman who only cares about herself. When she finds out two of her neighbors are going to be filming a reality show on the island, she is positively livid that it isn’t her and she goes out of her way to insinuate herself into the show every chance she gets.

The supporting characters of Jane’s husband, Patrick, and her son, George and their babysitter, Belle, were likable and the contestants and crew on the reality show brought an interesting aspect to the story.

This book moves at a fairly quick pace and is easy to follow and in spite of my aversion to Jane, I laughed out loud many times. I enjoyed the detail the author gives to the island of Ibiza which gave me a real sense of being there.

My Final Verdict: Overall, I found this book to be OK. If you choose to read this, I recommend that you read The Square first. Readers who like their books full of wacky characters and over the top behavior will enjoy this story.

Thank you to the publisher, Trafalgar Square Publishing, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

Great idea for a book and really well executed. A thoroughly good read. Highly recommended. .

The Brazilian is a fun, light read; a great book to take to the beach. Millard created the perfect storm in Ibiza, and I was laughing the entire time. Well worth the read!

Funny, light, and entertaining, this one combines a family trip to Ibiza with a reality show. Wow. Jane is not the most likable character (she's a bit obnoxious) but we all know someone who will do whatever it takes to get what they want so she's quite relatable. There's a bit of the madcap about the plot but if you are an aficionado of reality tv, you'll recognize the types. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Try this for a quick laugh out loud read.

What a great summer read; though you should be warned that you will probably get a few strange looks when you snort out loud at some of the antics contained within its pages. The title gives you fair warning. Sun, sea and lots of fun all rolled into a quick, delightful read. All beach bags should have one of these tucked inside!

Passing on this one as it's not my sort of read, but thanks anyway

This book was a vacation from the darker, more serious books I usually read. Gather a bunch of "celebrities" from different backgrounds, put them in a house in an exotic locale, and watch them battle it out for prize money. I liked the idea of the reality show, but I think the contest should have lasted longer. I would have liked to know more about the contestants, and less about Jane, the most unlikeable character in the book. I was intrigued by the locale, and loved the description of the house by the ocean. If you are looking for a light summer read, "The Brazilian" is the perfect book for you,

The Brazilian
Rosie Millard
Available: November 1, 2017
Thank you to NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
With most of the colorful characters from “The Square” on vacation in Ibiza, Rosie Millard writes a fun little tale about a reality show in an amazing destination. While the show seems really far-fetched (they promote the winner prior to the show being on TV?) the adventures of Jane, Alan, others take center stage for an amusing story.
What I loved: Jane – she is such a contender for “Mother of The Year” and not in a good way. I feel better about my own parenting skills whenever she’s around. While I think her heart’s in the right place (?) she fails more than she succeeds and I enjoy laughing at her attempts. And laughing at her in general, but that’s just me.
What I didn’t love: I would have liked to see more of the reality show contestants actually doing “reality” things instead of all of the in-fighting. More Gilda would have also been a plus – she’s like an senior-citizen Helena Bohnam Carter in my mind and just adds to every scene she is in.
What I learned: You can’t get away from your neighbors, even while on vacation.
Overall Grade: B-

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Like Slowly Driving Past An Auto Accident

After reading the first few chapters of this book and getting really quite as much of Jane as I needed I was tempted to quit and look elsewhere. But, there were hints here and there that other characters might be interesting, and that the reality show antics would be unpredictable and more than just shallow slapstick. Plus, for every clichéd cheap shot there were one or two other more knowing, and sly, throwaway lines that suggested that this book was going to just keep getting better and better. Good call. Each chapter is like a big handful of crunchy potato chips/crisps, and you keep telling yourself - "just one more" - until you're committed and you have to find out how it all plays out in the end.

It helps that almost every character is more shaded and more playfully manipulated by the author than one might expect. Our author does a marvelous job of shifting each major character from ridiculous to sympathetic and back to ridiculous, and it's actually a bit unnerving as a reader to realize how easily we can be manipulated by an author once we've been snared by a book. It certainly helps that Mallard can be wicked, rude, a bit ribald, and refreshingly honest, often all on the same page.

We often follow the thoughts of Simon, the small time producer of this small time reality show, as he figures out what he can work with, what can be edited, who can be led where, and how a hit can be coaxed and produced from this raw human material, and at some point you realize that the author is doing the exact same thing, but with complete control over the project. It was when I realized that truth, and decided I liked the author's evenhanded approach to handing out snarky observations and sly throwaway takedowns, that I decided to just relax, go with the flow, and see this through to the end.

So, the book is episodic, fast paced, a bit edgy, sometimes wise, and always just a touch vinegary. Everyone keeps crashing into everyone else, and I just couldn't look away. A surprise, and a tasty treat.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)