Rachel’s Holiday
Author: Marian Keys
Jodi Bibra is the woman behind the TanGO cloth, a specially designed cloth which allows you to remove your spray on tan without the use of chemicals. We asked Jodi about her favourite book of all time:
I read Rachel’s Holiday 3 years ago when my cousin was staying with me. She is an avid reader and had read this novel many times. This was the first of many Marian Keys novels I then followed on to read. However, Rachel’s Holiday was my absolute favourite, from the moment I started reading it I was hooked.
This book appears to be your average chick read however it really gets into the mind of an addict and the devastation it can cause.
Rachel’s holiday is about Rachel Walsh, a 27 year old Irish girl living in New York, with her best friend. Her biggest problem is she likes to party a little too much; eventually she ends up in hospital after an accidental overdose which looks like a suicide.
Her family step in and decide to send her off to Cloisters – a rehabilitation centre in Ireland. Rachel agrees to go as she believes it will be a great holiday. She looks forward to facials, Jacuzzis, using the gymnasium and a possible sighting of a burnt out rock star.
Rachel soon learns the harsh reality of Rehab. She spends her time in group therapy with people who have “real problems with drugs”, unlike herself who just uses recreationally. She has to clean floors and serve food – not what she had in mind! Her Family and friends come and visit her and tell her of the devastation she has caused. You soon learn the largeness of her problem and how the mind of an addict works.
You follow Rachel through her ups and downs and of course romance with a gorgeous man. It’s funny, truthful, sorrowful but filled with hope. Rachel finally admits to her addiction and then must come to terms with how she will cope in the real world without any extra help from drugs and alcohol.
The reason I loved it so much was it portrayed a time in Rachel’s life when she thought she had it all together but really she was falling apart. It showed the importance of family and friends. Rachel’s Holiday is humorous yet touches on the harsh reality of addiction. I loved it the first time I read it and I continue to love it every time I re-read it.
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