When Rosie decides to get her friends together for their very own version of Come Dine With Me she's bursting with excitement, even though her husband Stephen is less than keen. But Rosie is adamant. Four couples, each hosting a dinner party on a different night of the week, with a prize at the end for the best one. It'll be a good laugh, won't it? And a great way for everyone to get to know each other. What could possibly go wrong? What Rosie doesn't anticipate are the lengths her fellow hosts might be prepared to go to in order to claim the prize -- outlandish recipes, rare ingredients sourced from abroad, and a chocolate tart that looks just too good to be homemade...But perhaps she should be more worried about the mounting tension between the guests, as backbiting breaks out over the appetisers and a glass of wine too many leads to indiscreet flirtation. As the pressure in the kitchen rises, relationships begin to crack under strain, high-minded principles collide and the oven gloves come off...But that's all part of the fun. Isn't it?
Dinner at Mine
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Review
'As suburban chefs battle to be king of cuisine, friendships fall like soggy soufflés. Wickedly funny' --Milly Johnson
`Fans of Come Dine With Me will love this. Five stars' --Women's Own
`Fans of Come Dine With Me will love this. Five stars' --Women's Own
About the Author
Chris Smyth was born in 1980 and currently lives in London, where he works as a journalist. Dinner At Mine is his first novel.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was lucky enough to have a proof copy of this book and I laughed like a drain whilst reading it. Cooking to impress really brings out the competitive spirit and in this book the characters are determined to out-do their 'friends' at all costs with their 'Come Dine With Me' parody. It becomes more a fight to the death than a frivolous battle. Buy it, read it, enjoy it. I absolutely loved it.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Dr Gil Myers
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
What an unexpected surprise. I picked this book not knowing what to expect - it could have been a dull rom-com or another "women who like shopping" book - and was so pleased to discover a funny, slightly too accurate story of a group of familiar characters behaving awfully to each other for my amusement.
In between the genuinely hilarious descriptions of competitive behaviour and culinary one-upmanship was an interesting story that kept me gripped to the end.
I'm really glad that I took a chance on the book. Chris Smyth is clearly a talented writer. I would highly recommend her to my friends.
In between the genuinely hilarious descriptions of competitive behaviour and culinary one-upmanship was an interesting story that kept me gripped to the end.
I'm really glad that I took a chance on the book. Chris Smyth is clearly a talented writer. I would highly recommend her to my friends.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Hannah
Format:Paperback
Dinner at Mine is not my usual kind of book, to the point that I'm really not sure exactly how to categorise it. It isn't quite chick lit but neither is it contemporary (or maybe it is?). What it is is a look at the realities of modern life and what happens when you throw competitive friends with different ideas of how to behave in public together for a Come Dine With Me-esque sequence of dinner parties. I have quite a soft spot for Come Dine With Me, actually. I despise reality TV and cooking shows but this one in particular is such a car crash that you just have to watch it. Okay, perhaps not. It's the kind of show I watch when there's nothing else on but still, the premise of Dinner at Mine intrigued me. That blurb promises intrigue and many laughs.
My problem with it however is that I didn't really find it all that funny. The characters, every single one of them, are desperate in one way or another. Some to win the competition, some to have a better way of life, some just to keep things going as they are. But they're all desperate and that really overrode any sense of hilarity for me because there was so much pain and anger. As well as a couple of smug gits!
You know when you read other people's reviews and feel as though you have read a different book to everybody else? Dinner at Mine was one of those for me. I didn't enjoy it as much as I anticipated I would as I didn't.. couldn't.. feel a connection to any of the characters. They weren't introduced very well in my honest opinion, nor were they described well enough to form any kind of picture in my head, and when they were explored a little more, their flaws were so prominently on display that in most cases I found them thoroughly unlikeable. However, it did pick up a little and it was a decent read it's just not quite the book for me.
I enjoyed Dinner at Mine as a character study of middle class couples in the London area and the ways in which they lead their lives. Tensions are high and the competition does not take the direction Rosie expected it to. Far from it.
My problem with it however is that I didn't really find it all that funny. The characters, every single one of them, are desperate in one way or another. Some to win the competition, some to have a better way of life, some just to keep things going as they are. But they're all desperate and that really overrode any sense of hilarity for me because there was so much pain and anger. As well as a couple of smug gits!
You know when you read other people's reviews and feel as though you have read a different book to everybody else? Dinner at Mine was one of those for me. I didn't enjoy it as much as I anticipated I would as I didn't.. couldn't.. feel a connection to any of the characters. They weren't introduced very well in my honest opinion, nor were they described well enough to form any kind of picture in my head, and when they were explored a little more, their flaws were so prominently on display that in most cases I found them thoroughly unlikeable. However, it did pick up a little and it was a decent read it's just not quite the book for me.
I enjoyed Dinner at Mine as a character study of middle class couples in the London area and the ways in which they lead their lives. Tensions are high and the competition does not take the direction Rosie expected it to. Far from it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good
Really enjoyed this book. Was fun and easy to read. My kind of book completely. I really enjoyed it !
Published 18 days ago by Jean Adams
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as funny as I expected
After seeing Milly Johnson recommend this book I was keen to get my hands on a copy and read it as I am a bit fan of hers... Read more
Published 2 months ago by C. Gibbs
5.0 out of 5 stars
Suz
I always thought the guy on come dine with me had sarcasm down to a fine art and made the program funny, but that guy has nothing on Chris Smyth. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Book-Shelf
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dinner At Mine
I Love Come Dine With Me, so this book appealed at once. It was a good read...a few issues here and there but overall an easy read. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Vicki @ Cosy Books
4.0 out of 5 stars
Clever concept and well executed
The reader begins the round of dinner parties with Rosie and Stephen. While Rosie and Stephen are cooking, we get a brief look into what is happening with the other hosts. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Shazjera
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved this !!
Great book! Loved the wit and sarcasm shown by the writer. The characters were very believable and so true for lots of us I think!
Published 11 months ago by LBH
4.0 out of 5 stars
Funny light read
Oh my goodness! I have am definately not going to be doing a 'come dine with me' at my house. It obviously brings out the worst in people. Read more
Published 12 months ago by M. Block
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hilarious dinner party mishaps
Three couples and two singles hold a Come Dine With Me-style competition. Every week, they dine at another house. Read more
Published 12 months ago by JudithAnn
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended!
This is a highly entertaining book full of sharp, witty observations. Great characters, a wicked sense of humour and lots of fun!
Published 12 months ago by Naomi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic read
Really enjoyed this fantastic book. Couldn't put it down and laughed out loud any number of times. Brilliant and all-too-recognisable characters.
Published 12 months ago by Benjamin Olins
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