Review: Stay Up With Hugo Best by Erin Somers

June Bloom is twenty-nine, broke, and an aspiring comedy writer.

Hugo Best is a beloved late-night chat show host - and notorious womaniser - who invites her to his mansion for Memorial Day Weekend.

Charting the four days June and TV icon Hugo Best spend together, Stay Up with Hugo Best is both a smart and timely exploration of sexual politics in the #MeToo age, and the hilarious and poignant story of one young woman's stumble into adulthood.

Review

I have to admit that I almost gave up on this one, but curiosity kept me reading and I'm glad I persevered. It's such a short read that my pride wouldn't let me give up - and just look at that fabulous cover!

The premise is simple - June Bloom is a writer's assistant on the late night talk show Stay Up With Hugo Best. The team have just finished recording their last ever show, and June is wondering what to do next. So when Hugo Best himself approaches her and asks her to spend the weekend with him - 'no funny business' - she accepts. He's sixty five years old I might add... What follows is a quirky account of June's experiences that weekend, her insight into the highs of fame and the devastating lows. The money, the mansions, the cars; the loneliness, the ruthlessness of the industry, the impact on friends, 'friends', and family. June is at the start of her career, Hugo is at the end of his, making for an interesting relationship dynamic.

I did enjoy this story, I think. But for all of the book's focus on stand up comedy I didn't really get the humour. Maybe it's a transatlantic thing, maybe it's just not my thing - it's quite cynical and wry in tone. That said, if you're after a relatively easy, thought-provoking, character driven read then I'd definitely recommend this one!

*Thanks to Rosie Margesson at Headline for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a review! *