Audiobook Review: Sleeping Arrangements by Madeleine Wickham

Sleeping Arrangements
Author: Madeleine Wickham
Published: January 1, 2002
Genre: chick lit
Audiobook 7 CDs
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 2.5 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): Two families, one holiday villa – who’s sleeping with whom? Chloe needs a holiday. She’s sick of making wedding dresses, her partner Philip has troubles at work, the whole family wants a break. Her wealthy friend Gerard has offered the loan of his luxury villa in Spain – perfect. Hugh is not a happy man. His immaculate wife Amanda seems more interested in her new kitchen than in him, and he works so hard to pay for it, he barely has time for his children. Maybe he’ll have a chance to bond with them on holiday. His old friend Gerard has lent them a luxury villa in Spain – perfect. Both families arrive at the villa and realize the awful truth – Gerard has double-booked. What no-one else realizes is that Chloe and Hugh have a history, and as tensions rise within the two families, old passions resurface. It seems that Gerard’s ‘accidental’ double booking may not be an accident after all.


My Thoughts: Madeleine Wickham, aka Sophie Kinsella, is my go-to audiobook author. Her work is funny, light, and a great listen. While parts of Sleeping Arrangements had it's funny moments, it was just a little too much for me to enjoy. Following two families who are accidentally booked at a friend's villa for the same week, you come to learn that Chloe and Hugh, who are with different partners now, have a history. It never seemed like much of a history for me, though, and Hugh seemed to overplay their relationship in his mind (at least, that's how it felt to me). The chemistry between the four adults was off and wasn't what I've come to expect in Wickham/Kinsella novels. To me, the best part of this book was Phillip and his job. His company was recently bought out and he will find out when he comes back from vacation whether or not he still has a job. As it turns out, Hugh works for the company that bought Phillip's company. I thought this could have been explored more and made for a more complete plot.


While I certainly won't stop reading Wickham/Kinsella novels because of this one, it does make me a bit skeptical to pick up another Wickham novel. I think they are a bit more serious than the Kinsella ones.