View source for Grass Stains by Kirsty Robinson

{{infobox1
|title=Grass Stains
|author=Kirsty Robinson
|reviewer=Catherine Bakes
|genre=Women's Fiction
|summary=A novel about music festivals, drugs and love for the modern woman.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=304
|publisher=Vintage	
|date=June 2010
|isbn=978-0099541196
|cover=009954119X
|aznuk=009954119X
|aznus=009954119X
}}
Being the editor of a style magazine has its perks: free tickets, free gigs, endless parties, alcohol and drugs. And that is what Louisa's life consists of – one continuous binge. Louisa spends her life going from one party to another, but it's not all it's cracked up to be and her life is starting to fall apart.

Her bad-boy husband, Dan, is off his face on drugs all of the time, and has a nasty temper: he's not the man she married. The man who loved Saturday Kitchen and graphic novels has disappeared, spending all his time with his druggy friends. Louisa is losing him to his lifestyle but she is determined to make it work. As well as this the cracks are starting to show at work - missed deadlines and a boss that's always on her back.

Louisa's work sends her to a music festival for the weekend. Armed with a backstage pass and her bad-boy husband in tow, she's determined to make this weekend work and put everything right. Surrounded by her best friends, copious amounts of drugs and alcohol, and good music, nothing can ruin this weekend, right?

That is until Dan loses his temper with a security guard, ending with the security guard in hospital, fighting for his life. Now, Louisa has to face up to her life, what it has become, and more importantly, what she's going to do about it.

I felt sorry for Louisa, but couldn't help getting angry with her for letting her life get in such a state, for not leaving her husband and sorting herself out. I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and give her a good shake. This is the sign of a good character, that I cared enough about her that I wanted to see her sort things out and be happy. Dan is also well written, and although he is a complete idiot, I couldn't help but feel for him too. Well, when he was being nice.

The plot is good, it doesn't break any new ground, but then I didn't expect it to. However, being a young female myself, I enjoyed this book thoroughly. It's accurate with its portrayal of the modern generation of festival-goers, drug-taking, and binge drinking. This is definitely a novel for the modern woman, and I can see this kind of plot taking over in years to come from the old-hat tales of novel women and stable boys. This is the future of chick-lit.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

Further reading suggestion: If you enjoyed this book then I recommend [[The Nanny by Melissa Nathan]] or [[The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger]].  We think you might also appreciate [[Five Days Left by Julie Lawson Timmer]].

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