Product Description

When Lindsey Parker's widowed father announces that he is to remarry, Lindsey does what any good daughter would do: wishes him congratulations then sets about trying to kill his fiancée, Karen. Fortunately, the murder attempt fails but Lindsey still succeeds in driving Karen off. It doesn’t take long, however, before Lindsey realizes that her father’s heart really is broken and the only way to mend it is by getting Karen back. But Karen already has a new man – mysterious entrepreneur. Lindsay enlists the help of an old schoolmate, now private detective, in an attempt to break this new couple up, but when on her friend’s advice, Lindsay turns honey-trapper and sets out to seduce her ex-future-step-mother’s new man, she finds herself falling in love...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #291465 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-13
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Review
'A deliciously comical novel that's peppered with characters who are so endearing you'll want to take them home and introduce them to your mum... GIRL MEETS APE is charming, funny and compelling as your favourite soap... it's a rip-roaring good read' - Heat. 'A fast-track, fun romance full of monkey business' - Daily Mail on GIRL MEETS APE. 'Nothing short of brilliant' - Marie Claire on SEVEN SUNNY DAYS. 'Very funny, hugely feel-good and the perfect antidote for anyone who worries that the only career ladder they've achieved is a run in their tights' Fiona Walker on LIZZIE JORDAN'S SECRET LIFE. 'Devour it in one go' - Company on READY OR NOT?"

Review
Praise for Chris Manby:

'A deliciously comical novel that's peppered with characters who are so endearing you'll want to take them home and introduce them to your mum . . . GIRL MEETS APE is charming, funny and compelling as your favourite soap . . . it's a rip-roaring good read' - Heat

'A fast-track, fun romance full of monkey business' - Daily Mail on GIRL MEETS APE

'Nothing short of brilliant' - Marie Claire on SEVEN SUNNY DAYS

'Very funny, hugely feel-good and the perfect antidote for anyone who worries that the only career ladder they've achieved is a run in their tights' Fiona Walker on LIZZIE JORDAN'S SECRET LIFE

'Devour it in one go' - Company on READY OR NOT?

About the Author
Chris Manby is editor / contributor to the Girls' Night In anthologies, which have so far raised more than £1,000,000 for humanitarian organisations War Child and No Strings, and topped book charts all over the world. Raised in Gloucester, Chris now lives in London. The Matchbreaker is her tenth novel.

Customer Reviews

The Matchbreaker - Chris Manby's Best Book Yet?!?
I’ve been a fan of Chris Manby’s books since reading her first novel ‘Flatmates’, and although I found her last book ‘Seven Sunny Days’ quite disappointing, I was really looking forward to reading ‘The Matchbreaker’, and it didn’t let me down.

The book tells the story of Lindsay, an only child brought up by an indulgent single father. She is totally spoiled and selfish, unhappy with her father’s choice of girlfriend, and having managed to successfully drive his three previous fiancées away she has little trouble getting rid of fiancée number four Karen – albeit in quite surprising and unexpected circumstances.

The rest of the story is concerned with how Lindsay, after losing everything, tries to redeem herself, mainly in her efforts to reunite her father and Karen. She undergoes a transformation of sorts, but not without some heartache along the way, and although not as completely believable as it perhaps should be, by the end of the story Lindsay is a much better person for her experiences.

I tend to read books quite quickly, and although this book is not short at 400+ pages, I still finished it inside of two days because the storyline is quite engrossing and very different from Chris Manby’s other books. I was surprised by the ending, some of the revelations were fairly obvious, but not all of them…although there is a slight air of convenience in the way that loose ends are tied up. Overall, I found the story quite heartwarming; Lindsay’s character is quite difficult to like at the beginning and she does things that are not morally sound at all, but through the course of the book she does seem to learn and grow up.

If you’ve read any of Chris Manby’s books before, or even if you haven’t, I recommend you read this one – it really is her best effort yet!

Beyond fantastic!
Much like the reviewer below, this was the first Chris Manby book I've ever read, and I have to say that I'm VERY impressed. I set out to read this book with the view that it would be a funny, romantic, light-hearted read - and this it was.

The Plot: Original (I've personally never read anything remotely similar before). The story was entertaining. Chris Manby has a fantastic technique of mentioning something at the beginning, something insignificant, but then it turns out to be hugely important by the end. I found the plot to be incredibly consistent. The twist at the end was (slightly) unpredictable and (very) heart-warming.

The Characters: As much as I enjoyed this book, I really hated the main character (Lindsey) during the first half the book. It was only after the first 200 pages or so that I actually came to sort of like her. She comes across as selfish, spoilt, judgemental and very inconsiderate during the first half, but in the second half she sort of realises this and sets about trying to make things right - in her own way. As for the other characters, well; they all fitted in perfectly with the plot and they were all funny in their own right.

I found "The Matchbreaker" to be an addictive, funny read and Chris Manby has failed to disappoint. I'll certainly be buying some more books by the author! I'd recommend to all.

started good but just ran out of steam!!
the book started well and was funny in places. clearly lindsay is a daddy's girl and benefits well from that, she is used to it being just her and her dad in the house. but her father is oblivious to how his attitude towards her makes her the person she is. along comes karen who i think is just hilarous and upsets lindsay's world. so after 200 odd pages her dad sees he light and throws lindsay out and she has to face the world. this part of the book is clearly the weaker section and for those who were paying attention will figure out who exactly barney is unlike lindsay. all the loose ends are tied up in true happy ending style very quickly at the end.