From Notting Hill with Love...Actually

September 15, 2012
In McNamara's fun tribute to the pictures, cinema lover Scarlett O'Brien doesn't have anything to run from, exactly. She has a successful fiance and a business she owns with her father. But lately, her tendency to daydream is worrying those closest to her. Scarlett's friends and family agree that some time away from sleepy Stratford-upon-Avon could help bring Scarlett back to reality before her imminent wedding to David. Scarlett jumps at an opportunity to house-sit in posh Notting Hill, excited to prove that her love of movies isn't a hindrance at all, because real life can be just like all her favorite romantic comedies. In London she quickly befriends her colorful neighbors and, before she knows it, loses count of the times her new life mimics a scene from Bridget Jones' Diary or The Holiday. Complicating matters, however, is neighbor Sean, about whom Scarlett can't decide how to feel and who helps her unravel the mystery of the mother she never knew. Readers will guess to the end and enjoy the sweet setting and abundant rom-com references.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)