Blokes, Beers and Burritos by Jo Blakeley – Review and #Giveaway

Blokes, Beers and Burritos is a new concept of book altogether. Jo Blakeley combines a self help book with a fictional story. I have to admit the concept intrigued me so I was only too happy to review this one.

Blokes, Beers and Burritos: Back

Cover

Cath Brown is an ordinary twenty-something who is fed-up with her job, eats and drinks too much, and continually falls for unsuitable men. Even though she knows she should quit them all, she can’t. Being cruelly dumped on her birthday is the final straw so she abandons her life in London and flies off to Mexico for a year’s adventure.

As her journey begins Cath receives mysterious emails from a stranger who knows too much about her to be a coincidence. The Bliss Expert promises to reveal ten steps to bliss, which will give her everything she has always wanted; purpose, love, hope and happiness. Will Cath follow the advice and change her life?

Join Cath in her wayward travels as she explores new lands, new blokes and opportunities to unleash her inner self. Can she finally stop repeating the patterns and find true love and happiness?

You too can change your life. Follow the ten steps to bliss with Cath and discover the powerful effects they can have to find your own bliss and become the best version of yourself.

Blokes, Beers and Burritos: My Thoughts

As I mentioned above, I really liked the idea of self-help meets fiction as a concept, and I think, to an extent it worked.

The insight into Cath’s thought processes as she works through the steps is interesting and something I think is often lacking in more traditional self help books.

The self help side of things was pretty standard- advice on how to change your thought processes and recognise the triggers for self destructive behaviour and how to replace those negative thoughts with positive ones. I really think those steps could help anyone who is stuck in a cycle of self destruction and really wants to change and find happiness.

At first, when I started reading Blokes, Beers and Burritos, I felt sorry for Cath and I was rooting for her. After about a quarter of the book, I wanted to shake her. She is self destructive to the point where she is quite an unlikeable character and to be honest, by the end, I kind of felt like I didn’t much care one way or the other whether or not she got her happy ending.

Although she does have some redeeming features, she tends to act like a spoilt brat and then blames everyone but herself for her actions. But I guess she kind of had to be like that for the story to work alongside the steps, otherwise, she wouldn’t have needed to change her thought processes.

I found the travel side of the book really enjoyable and it kept me reading long after Cath had started to annoy me. I did finish the book, because I was as intrigued as Cath was as to who her mysterious emailer was.

I won’t spoil the ending by telling you, but I will say that I felt like the ending was a bit of a cop out. It felt like the steps were over so the book had to be wrapped up any old way and I was pretty disappointed.

Other than the ending, the book is well written and you really do get a good sense of Cath and the places she visits and the people she meets along the way.

Blokes, Beers and Burritos: Conclusion and Rating

The book was ok.

I think if you’re looking for a good story with a bit of self help thrown in, it might be a bit of a disappointment. However, if you’re looking for a self help book that has a story to it rather than just a series of instructions and mantras, then this could well be the book for you. 3/5

If you don’t want to wait until the giveaway is over, you can grab your copy of Blokes, Beers and Burritos now.

Blokes, Beers and Burritos: Giveaway

I have a copy of Blokes, Beers and Burritos to giveaway to one reader.

Entry is easy – just complete the entries in the box below.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

T&Cs

• The giveaway is open worldwide
• The giveaway will end at 11.45pm (UK time) on June 7th.
• The winner will be notified via email. They will have forty-eight hours to respond. If no contact is made, then another winner will be selected.
• You must be willing to provide a postal address for your prize to be shipped to you.
• I am in no way responsible for any items lost in the post.
• By entering the giveaway, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions of entry.

Do you think the concept of Blokes, Beers and Burritos is a good one? Is it something you would read? Let me know in the comments 🙂

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Disclaimer: I was gifted a copy of Blokes, Beers and Burritos in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and as an avid reader, I would never recommend a book I didn’t enjoy.