Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen

Synopsis:

"Aisling is twenty-eight and she’s a complete ... Aisling. She lives at home in Ballygobbard (or Ballygobackwards, as some gas tickets call it) with her parents and commutes to her good job at PensionsPlus in Dublin.

Aisling goes out every Saturday night with her best friend Majella, who is a bit of a hames (she’s lost two phones already this year – Aisling has never lost a phone).

Aisling spends two nights a week at her boyfriend John’s. He’s from down home and was kiss number seventeen at her twenty-first.

But Aisling wants more. She wants the ring on her finger. She wants the hen with the willy straws. She wants out of her parents’ house, although she’d miss Mammy turning on the electric blanket like clockwork and Daddy taking her car 'out for a spin' and bringing it back full of petrol.

When a week in Tenerife with John doesn’t end with the expected engagement, Aisling calls a halt to things and soon she has surprised herself and everyone else by agreeing to move into a three-bed in Portobello with stylish Sadhbh from HR and her friend, the mysterious Elaine.

Newly single and relocated to the big city, life is about to change utterly for this wonderful, strong, surprising and funny girl, who just happens to be a complete Aisling."

About the Book:

So to begin discussing this book in-depth, I should first probably help with these Irish names and their pronunciation for those of you who aren't Irish and realise how bizarre we spell things!

So, there's really only two names here that may need some phonetics: Aisling and Sadhbh.

• Aisling - Ash-ling

• Sadhbh - Sigh-v

And that's it really. Both are beautiful Irish names though, in my opinion.

Anyway, back to it:

The synopsis of the book fills out the storyline very nicely without giving much away. It's a girl from the shticks (country) - or a culchie for some Irish slang - working in Dublin and dating some handsome fella. However, as the synopsis states, when Aisling doesn't get the proposal that she's been hoping for, she ends her relationship and moves to the city with her colleague and friend Sadhbh. From there, an adventure of her new single city life ensues. I must admit, I absolutely loved this book. It was so amazing to be able to read a book where I know and have been everywhere that takes place in Ireland in the book, and also when I can understand all of the slang thrown around by the characters! It just felt like home. Cause what do we say here? Once a Dub, always a Dub.

My rating here is 7/10.

Initial Impression:

I'll be honest here: I didn't know that this book existed until my boyfriend's mam had asked me if I had read it and, upon saying I hadn't, having all three books of the series being handed to me to bring home to read. What a brilliant woman. And so, I started reading, completely phasing out my boyfriend playing his PS4 next to me, and kept on reading. I'm not lying when I tell you that I was laughing from literally the first sentence of the first page. Now I am aware that there is a lot of Irish slang in the book that can be the centre of the jokes, so just let me know if any of you guys out there who don't understand need an Irish Slang dictionary to be posted!

From what's said above probably indicates that I had a good first impression of this book. Everything was straightforward, there wasn't anything overly complicated - both in terms of what was happening and the writing - so I'd say that our co-authors did a brilliant job of setting the stage for this story!

The Characters:

There are numerous characters presented throughout this book, each of them having a significant role in the protagonist's life. You'll find that each character has their own very real personality, life, way of speaking, history - everything a real character should have. While reading this book, I felt like I personally knew these people - that they were a part of my life in the world outside of my books. Of course, seeing as though these characters are probably some of the most Irish people you will ever meet (honestly, people in Ireland are like this) then it's bound to feel realistic, especially for all you Irish readers out there. So without further adieu, we have:

• Aisling - Obviously Aisling has to be the first character mentioned here. She is our protagonist after all. This book pretty much sets Aisling up as a person. We figure out who she is, what she likes, how is she around other people, what she likes to eat and drink, how she talks and so much more. If I were to take a guess, I'd most definitely say that this is what our co-authors were aiming for. Because it's the first book, they set us up to get to know - and fall in love - with our beloved Aisling. All the while, Aisling is also trying to get to know herself.

• John - John plays his part in the book as the biggest influence over Aisling's life in the book. This is because, as stated in the synopsis, when John doesn't give Aisling the ring that she wants on her finger, she sets off on her new adventure - a single life in the city. As a character, John most definitely reads as a typical Irish sportsman. Playing for his local hurling team, John is the sporty, burly men that Irish women fawn over.

• Majella - Aisling's best friend, Majella is the physical incarnate of the Irish stereotype when it comes to "Going Out Out" aka going on the lash - drinking alcohol in the club or the pub. She's a main source of the typical Irish comedy, constantly losing her phone, talking non-stop and making jokes. She's definitely a loveable character and someone you'd want as your best friend.

• Sadhbh - As well as being Aisling's work colleague at PensionPlus, Sadhbh soon becomes Aisling's new roomie after moving to Dublin and provides aid to Aisling in her new life. She's definitely a stylish, caring involved friend that everyone would want to have at some point in their life.

• Elaine - There isn't very much to say about Elaine. Her character mostly stays shrouded in mystery throughout the book. Despite always being around the home and interacting with the girls, soon to be called a good friend, Elaine's story remains cloudy.

• Mammy - Guys, seriously, Aisling's mam is the definition of an Irish mammy!! Always fretting over small things, taking care of everyone that enters the house, cooking and baking away, literally everything about this character screams every Irish mammy in the country! I must applause McLysaght and Breen on this because it would be some job to produce every trait of the typical Irish mam and create a physical character out of them. Job well done!

• Daddy - Now, where I say that Mammy is the typical Irish mam, then Daddy has the same story. Daddy is literally the typical Irish country farmer dad of Ireland. Up every morning early to do the farm work and by the late evening sitting up on his favourite chair with a cup of tea and biscuits watching the telly, always worrying about his little girl. Once again, I must say a job well done!

Each character is very well developed and has a story and well developed personality of their own. Characters have really never felt so real to me. With this in mind, I'd give the characters an 8/10.

The Writing:

The writing in this book is perfect. The story is told in a simple way that you're not left questioning what the authors are saying or what is happening. Sure, some of it may be Irish lingo, but really, it's very easy to understand. The story is written in first person, giving you a direct bond to Aisling and how she feels, thinks and reacts to things, which helps with the author's aim to develop Aisling as a character and enable us to get to know her in the best way possible. So, if you love nice relaxing books that offers in-depth perspective from the protagonist, this book is for you.

I rate the writing at a 7/10.

The Atmosphere:

There is a very high-spirited atmosphere throughout this book - there is always something happening. Whether it be happy, sad, annoying or any other emotion that you may feel while reading, it's all there. The atmosphere was written with particular attention to every location that is visited during the story, each one seeming to have a life of its own. For example, the atmosphere is different when Aisling is in work compared to when she's out in the local pub with her friends. Where her workplace's atmosphere is calmer, cleaner, more elegant, the atmosphere in the local pub is lively, messy, loud. Each atmosphere is personified in a way that it feels like you're standing right beside each character in every location. With this in mind, the atmosphere in the novel gets a 7/10 from me.

Now, the reason why the rating isn't a higher is because the book focuses on a few select locations throughout the book, as Aisling mainly travels from work to home to the pub and back again, not leaving many new places to be explored. However, I still very much enjoyed it.

Logic:

The logic of this book is certainly sound for a novel focusing on romance. I can bet that many people followed the same routine after a breakup: the mourning period, the acceptance period, and the moving-on period. The logic behind this is one of second nature at this stage. While the book followed logic through the most part, there were a few experiences in the book that may not happen to most people. What I mean when I'm saying this is that where Aisling takes a certain route, maybe even to extreme measures with her friends, not everybody would see this as from a logical standpoint, but maybe more so of impulsive actions made by Aisling. Though, in reality, to each their own, right? Where I wouldn't find this action logical, maybe some of you guys would. After all, we each have our own opinions and interpretations. Anyway, even if I didn't find it very logical, I still thought that it was quite enjoyable. For this, I rate the logic at 6/10.

Intrigue:

One thing I'll admit is this: I always find it very interesting to see how people react to similar situations that I either could find myself in or have experienced in the past. This, plus the local scene of the book, it what first intrigued me. It's not very often that you come across a book where you already know everything about the locations and language within. The characters also intrigued me. I was interested to see how these people would be portrayed in the book. And to my delight, they were portrayed fabulously! But putting my nationality and curiosity aside, and speaking from the views that you guys need, this book has enough intrigue to get you reading from the first page. However, there are parts within the book where you maybe find that the pace has slowed down and you're not as interested in what's happening. And that's fine. It happens in nearly every book. So if you're a person who finds that they might get bored a little too easily, this book might not be your cup of tea. But, if you see yourself as the type of person who doesn't mind maybe a chapter or a few pages of nothing overly exciting happening, off you go reading!

If I were to be very critical over this point of the novel, I'd rate it at 6/10.

Enjoyment:

I very much enjoyed this novel. I finished it in less than a week. And honestly, it's definitely in my Top 10 books list of books that I've read. The characters and the story was funny, emotional, interesting, and more. I felt like I was a part of Aisling, or like she was part of me. And I will admit, the fact that I knew everywhere and didn't have to do any research regarding location or language or local slang really had me hooked. It truly is a great book if you're looking for something relaxing that will give you the feels, curled up on your sofa or in your bed after a hectic day. My enjoyment was definitely an 8/10.

Overall Rating:

"Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling" by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen quickly became a favourite of mine. I found it very comforting to read a story where someone is experiencing something that so many of us have had to deal with in our lives, and how we had to try and find ourselves after. It enabled me to connect to the story on a level that made me happy and sad at the same time. I felt like our co-authors understood me, as a person, rather than the characters on the page. It relaxed me, comforted me, made me feel at home.

So with that said, my overall rating 7/10 and a 4 star rating.

Enjoy!