Today is a bumper day for blog tours! The first stop of the day is with Nina Kaye’s new novel, Stand Up Guy!
Dumped by Instagram post. Not a whiff of a social life. Can it get any worse?
After a string of failed relationships – romantic and platonic – Lea’s had enough of watching life happen without her. When she bumps into Shep, a comedian at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in need of accommodation, it feels like destiny. And voilá – Lea now has a lodger and some company.
The two get on like a flat on fire, and Lea can’t resist falling for outgoing Shep. But she knows it’s a mistake that will cost her heart – he’s just another guy passing through, after all. And with Shep’s stand-up routine edging him closer to his big break, there’s no way he’ll stick around.
Love is no laughing matter as the Fringe draws to a close. Can Lea find the confidence to step up and confess her feelings to Shep? Will he want to stay?
A feel-good, heartwarming romance for anyone desperate to break out of their shell and find their true self.
Lea lives in Edinburgh, a city known for its vibrant culture and its nurturing of talent at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. However she is not living the life that you might expect of a young woman in a city such as Edinburgh; instead of living life to the fullest surrounded by friends, Lea finds herself alone in her flat with no one to call on. A chance meeting on an day where Lea finally decides to take control of her life by venturing out into the Fringe finds her life changing in more ways than one.
Shep is a comedian who is trying his best to achieve his big break with his stand-up routine. He knows his observational comedy is good, but with so many others trying to achieve the same thing, and with a family who doesn’t support his endeavours, Shep is up against it and time is running out. When he finds himself without a place to stay before the Fringe Festival has ended, he finds himself having to consider the possibility that he will have to return home with his tail between his legs. His chance encounter with Lea however opens up possibilities for both of them.
Loneliness is a key theme that runs through this novel, and it really highlights how easy it is find yourself alone despite living in a city filled with people. Lea is purely a victim of circumstance, with her closest friends having their own busy lives, and her embarrassment over her situation only growing more, and therefore holding her back from creating new connections to fill the void in her life. Shep on the other had finds it easy to meet new people however the lack of support he receives from his family has an overwhelming impact on him in other ways. Shep and Lea really are two very different people on the surface, but this novel highlights that first impressions can so easily be wrong – sometimes all you need is someone, or something to bring you out of your shell and into the light.
There is of course an added sprinkling of romance in this novel which is always nice, but this story is most definitely centred around friendship; of course any good relationship is formed around a solid friendship but it also highlights the importance of platonic friendships, and how they really can lift a person.
I loved the setting in Edinburgh, it’s a city I definitely plan on visiting and Nina Kaye has only ensured that it has moved up my travel list more quickly! She really captures the vibrancy of the city, and advocates beautifully for a visit to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – I look forward to making it there for a visit soon!
I am more than happy to recommend this novel to you all – it’s perfect for a stormy Sunday, or a sunny warm Saturday with a chilled glass of wine!
Thank you to Canelo, Nina Kaye and Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour, and for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
Purchase Links
Author Bio
Nina Kaye is a contemporary romance author living in Edinburgh. She is author of three other books for Canelo – Take a Moment, One Night in Edinburgh, and Just Like That. She has previously been a contender for the RNA Joan Hessayson Award.
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Chapter and Cake 