The Rules of Backyard Croquet

This post will be published at the link below and on Goodreads on 17 February.

In brief ★★★★

After the success of The Dangers of Truffle Hunting, Sunni Overend's first novel (then self-published titled March) has been refreshed as The Rules of Backyard Croquet - a perfect title for this light, romantic read with feminist undertones. The plot - following disgraced fashion designer Apple March's re-discovery of her passion - is compelling and fun, and the cast of characters is populated with some impressive, strong women. A perfect summer poolside treat.

I received an advanced e-book copy from Harper Collins Australia via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In depth

Plot: Apple March is a young woman cowed by her circumstances - after two consecutive bad experiences at fashion design school, she takes a job at the high-end clothes store Loom on Collins Street in Melbourne, hiding her designs under the bed and not looking back. But Apple's newly engaged, younger sister Poppy wants a dress designed by her, and when she's thrown in the path of the fabulously wealthy (but taken) Charlie Beauchamp and his alluring friend Noah, the scene is set for romance, drama, croquet and some seriously beautiful clothes. The story hits all the right plot points at the right times - it's therefore a bit predictable, but the lively characters make the journey worthwhile.

Characters: I characterise Overend's writing as 'chick-lit plus', as she seems to add more depth than your average summer quick read. In this book, the depth comes from some seriously kick-ass female secondary characters, whose strength, persistance and flaws support Apple's character development. Overend very quickly has us on Apple's side, and we spend the novel cheering for her to shake off the past and step up. Of course she lets us down at intervals, but she is principled, creative and kind, which makes her story enjoyable to read. She's surrounded by shop assistant Ella Jackson (the 'devil-may-care' foil), septegenarian style icon and Loom owner Veronica (the success story foil), her mother Ginny (the I-don't-need-a-man foil), and sister Poppy (the I'm-more-lost-than-you foil). I described this novel as having feminist undertones in the summary, and one of the reasons is the depth of the women in this story, compared to the men. Charlie and Noah are reasonably well fleshed out, but the rest are just stylish accessory (Henri) or troublemaker (Joel) tropes. Which, to be honest, is a refreshing change from the usual balance.

Themes: This is very much a story about facing adversity to achieve your dreams. It has messages about looking beyond the surface of others' lives, and kindness (exemplified by the Beauchamp family members), as well as the empowerment of independent women.

Writing: Overend's writing is so easy to read, with great dialogue and a Goldilocks amount of descriptions (in a book focused on fashion and therefore the visual, she gets the balance just right). My main criticism is that she does bash the reader over the head with things at times (e.g. characters stating their own traits in dialogue, rather than revealing them through action), and the frequent swearing may not suit all readers, but otherwise the writing feels effortless and breezy, exactly how it should in this genre.

Recommended if you liked: The Dangers of Truffle Hunting, A Hopeless Romantic