Title: Wallbanger
Author: Alice Clayton
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Grade/Rating: 4 out of 5
Alice Clayton is funny. There’s no other way to put it. She’s funny, and she knows it. The last time I laughed out loud from reading a book was when I read The Unidentified Redhead series by none other than Ms. Clayton herself. So, it shouldn’t have been a big surprise when I started Wallbanger that I’d do the exact same thing.
Wallbanger starts off with a bang. Really. With a title like that, were you expecting anything else? You see, new tenant Caroline and her cat, Clive, are awakened on their first night by her neighbor, who is apparently hell bent on affixing his coital partner to the wall. He’s just banging away, and we are informally introduced to our demolition man via his partner’s encouraging words:
“Oh, Simon, that’s so good! Mmm…”
Ah, yes, Simon. That is so good. Not only do we find out about Simon, whom I call The Vagina Whisperer, but we also learn that Caroline has lost her orgasm, O. It’s at this point that I’m thinking that when one door closes, there’s a wallbanger that’ll knock it down. By the time you’ve read the first page of the book, you know what’s going to happen eventually. You just don’t know when. Just like life, the journey is the best part.
The cast of supporting characters includes Mimi and Sophia, Caroline’s best friends. Thru them, we talk to Caroline. They say to her what I was thinking. Truthfully, if you lived next door to a gorgeous man who could make a woman meow (MEOW!) when having sex and you hadn’t had an orgasm in over six months, do you think your friends may wonder why you’re not testing out that specimen. No? Oh, okay. Moving on… I really enjoyed the fact that the interactions between the three friends resemble real conversations that I’ve had with my girlfriends. They are protective over each other, but at the same time are willing to poke fun at each other.
Clive the cat provides the most hilarious scenes in the book. Having cats for most of my life, I know exactly what Ms. Clayton is describing when Clive gives disapproving looks to Caroline. Just like Caroline, I too believe that my cat has given me the middle finger a time or two. One scene in particular involving Simon and Clive had me in tears. I can’t even think about it now without stopping for a hearty chuckle. He will definitely be one of your favorite characters while reading. I’m secretly hoping that he’ll have his own short story or novella. I’m talking to you, Alice. Make it happen.
Simon. He’s not dark and brooding. He’s not an ass. He’s kind of regular. No, I’ll take that back. He’s a baked goods loving, eight pack having, always hard, joking around, photograph taking, vagina whisperer. I suppose his only flaw would be the trio of bedroom playmates that Caroline refers to as his “harem.” This is the tricky part about Simon and the novel. Should we take him as being an expert lover or a man whore? Clayton explains his randy ways, and it pretty much settled the argument for me. Simon is a good guy. He’s sweet and caring. He’s always hard. I like him.
What I like about Caroline in the book is that she’s not a damsel in distress. She can take care of herself and is sure to let Simon know that. She’s self-sufficient, funny, smart, and confident enough to vacation on her own. This is what I like about Clayton’s characters. They don’t need love or a lover. They are successful on their own, but they choose to have another person in their life. Caroline isn’t looking for a man to give her an orgasm. She isn’t out on the hunt like Elmer Fudd hunting orgasm. She’s got it together. Sort of.
The entire book is spent waiting on Simon and Caroline to hook it up. There were so many times I thought it was going to happen. At one point, I started thrusting my hips in the air and laughing maniacally due to the anticipation. Did I mention that Simon made a woman meow? I could only hope for something as deliciously hilarious to come from Caroline during the throes of passion. However, Ms. Clayton makes us wait. What fun would it be in giving us what we want right away?
Alice Clayton can write sex. Not just any sex. Sex that is so funny and so good that you want to take out your tambourine and shake it like you’re in church. I may or may not have done that. (Please don’t ask why I may or may not have a tambourine in my bedroom.) The wait was worth it. Oh, so worth it. Simon has the moves. Simon says the right things. He even said the p-word! You know, the P-WORD ! And it was done perfectly. That is no easy feat to weave that in and it be sexy for me, but Simon did it. Even Caroline agrees:
There are certain things a woman needs to hear at different times in her life:
- You got the job.
- Your ass looks great in that skirt.
- I would love to meet your mother.
- And when used in the just the right context, in just the right setting, sometimes, a woman needs to hear the P-word.
Having sex with Simon – I mean – Caroline having sex with Simon is like a live action version of Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” I’ve never wanted to bake a pie so much in my life! SWEET BEEGEEBUS! Sex with Simon is like eating Pringles. Once you pop, you can’t stop. And stop they did not. As I was reading, I didn’t know how either of the characters would be able to walk after so much sex, but Clayton sorted that out. They couldn’t walk.
All of this talk about how much I love it and a 4 and not a 5. I suppose it was a couple things that brought the story down a little for me. For one, Caroline’s neighbors are pivotal for her finding out about Simon before she’s met him. They basically gave her the most important details about his life, but we don’t get to hear from them again. Sure, we know when they’re taking care of Clive, but I’m pretty sure they’d want to know what their new neighbor is doing with the guy she was complaining about. I was just waiting to hear from them again to get their reaction, but it never came. Drum roll and high hat, please. In addition, at one point, I didn’t think the story was going to end. I know it’s impossible to have a never ending story especially when you can see how much more you have to read, but I started getting a little anxioius about it not being over. Don’t get me wrong, there wasn’t any droning or blatantly uneccessary parts, but I was fulfilled at a certain point.
Clayton pokes fun at other romance novels in Wallbanger. Yes, some of the concepts have been done before and overused. Although the concepts were still there, I believe they were treated with Clayton’s tongue firmly planted in her cheek. This is why I like her novel. She actually mentions it in her book. Is it plausible that a group of three female friends can fall for a another group of three male friends and live happily ever after? Not likely unless you’re in a romance novel. Can you go at it all night light rabbits and never tire? Sure, if you’re in a romance novel. Can you eat copious amounts of baked goods and still have an eight pack and a V line? Probably not unless you’re the male love interest in a romance novel. Will you instantly get your orgasm back after having sex with a man that can make a woman meow? You’ll just have to read the novel to find that out.
If you liked The Unidentified Redhead series, the movie Bridesmaids, or the show Happy Endings, you may like this book.
Disclosure: Literati Lit was provided with a copy of the novel for review.
Absolutely brilliant review! You had me laughing and maybe even a snort or two just reading this and now I cannot wait to get into Simon’s pants either! And the tambourine…I will not dare to ask but I don’t doubt it’s location and use either. 😉
(Headboard) 😉
I too read this hilarious sexy romp of a book, and will never look at baked goods in the same way.
Clive the cat deserves a best animal character in a book award.
After I read this, I swore up and down that my cat was upset that someone revealed his secrets. Like Clive, he’s a habitual anus shower when he sees people he doesn’t like.
🙂 huge smile to my evening, and loving yr words. My eyes sang and I read this.
Thank you P.J.! Glad you liked it. I enjoyed writing the review as much as I enjoyed reading the book.