Genre

COMEDY, ROMANCE, MATURE AUDIENCE, DRAMA

Brief

Led by a dedicated tour manager, a diverse group of horny British singles head to Antigua, where relationships form, animosities take shape, and secrets come out.

Overall Rating

FAIR

Point of View

THIRD PERSON

Narrative Elements

Authors Writing Style: FAIR

Characterization: FAIR

Commerciality: FAIR

Franchise Potential: FAIR

Pace: FAIR

Premise: FAIR

Structure: FAIR

Theme: FAIR

Accuracy of Book Profile

Yes, it does a fair job. If anything, more can be done to signal how much sex is included.

Draw of Story

What draws the reader in immediately is how fast-paced this work is. It feels like the author is daring you to keep up and to keep track of the many characters. In a sense, the reader is thrown into the chaos of traveling and meeting many new faces, just as each of the singles do.

Possible Drawbacks

There were a few things. For one, while the fast pace at first feels fresh and challenging, it quickly becomes dizzying and tiresome. It feels like we are spread too thin-- asked to invest in and care about too many characters without having proper characterization to earn it. Before long, the reader gets spun out, jarred by the relentless, montage-like structure of this work. The many sex scenes feel quite gratuitous, pandering to the audience as opposed to actually serving the narrative or the characters. Most sex scenes seem to go on for far too long, and subsequent scenes for each couple end up feeling entirely redundant to what has come before. Moreover, there are many sections that veer right into erotica territory in how excessive and graphic they are rendered. Other times, it feels uncomfortable and borders on self-parody, like when one character seductively licks the ear of another. Last, more could be done to earn sympathy for the characters. Granted, they have desires, but it feels like little is done to make us want to root for them. They often come across as rather ordinary, self-interested people. The author is sure to make us feel pity for the characters on occasion, but that is not the same as earning sympathy for the audience to actively root for them. Even given their flaws and complexities, we have to like them or at least find them interesting-- at least more so than the average person.

Use of Special Effects

THE STORY DOES NOT RELY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

Primary Hook of Story

This book seems dead-focused on appealing to a 40-and-over, likely single crowd. It is uniquely suited to this demographic's experiences and perceivably what might galvanize them thematically-- sexual re-awakenings, second chances at love, and coming to grips with one's secrets and insecurities.

Fanbase Potential

It is doubtful. As noted, this work seems to be zeroed in on an over 40 or 50 demographic, particularly appealing to singles within this demographic. It's foreseeable that the further an audience member is outside of this demographic, the less they have to gain from the story.

Awards Potential

No, this is not an awards-type project as it veers more toward melodrama and sex comedy, even despite its thoughtful thematic backbone. This work seems wholeheartedly committed to being more of a trashy-fun, summertime type of project.

Envisioned Budget

MEDIUM BUDGET

Similar Films/TV Series

COUPLES RETREAT, A BIGGER SPLASH

What’s New About the Story

It feels original in that it zeroes in on an often under-utilized demographic. Not only that, but it is quite heavy on sex and desire themes, which is uncommon for this above-40 crowd. Some of the drama in this work feels familiar, as in one can sense elements are derived from other works of this ilk. Perhaps more can be done to differentiate this work as far as the long-lost son and cheating spouse story elements are concerned. It all works fine and well, but what can be done to make it more compelling, more unexpected? What can be done to subvert some of the melodrama tropes in this work? What can be done to reinvent these traditions? These are questions that are worth further consideration.

Lead Characters

Eve is a workhorse and a problem-solver, which makes her sympathetic. She is further strengthened as a character in that she has endless problems to solve-- She is constantly on a constant mission, all while trying to juggle personal relationships. All in all, the time we spend with Eve is the most compelling and forward-moving in this work.

Uniqueness of Story

It would be hard to argue that there are not some intriguing aspects conceptually, and it is fair to say that credit is due for the author's commitment to this story's age group and to the experience of being single. However, this work is encumbered by is erratic pacing and largely populated with underdeveloped, sometimes redundant characters that would be better off sidelined so that we can spend more time with Eve, the single most well-rounded and compelling character. Moreover, the sheer amount of sex comes across as extreme, and the graphic nature comes across as excessive. It feels like these scenes are serving the audience more than the story, which makes them feel often hollow. The notion of less being more applies here.

Possible Formats

Film - Studio, Film - Streaming, TV Series - Cable, TV Series - Streaming

Analyst Recommendation

WORK IN PROGRESS

Justification

As noted, more can be done to make the pacing more palatable. What starts out as fast and challenging quickly becomes dizzying and tiresome. The audience needs more reprieves, more breathers. When everything is dramatic and exciting, nothing is. Moreover, there seems to be a bit of bloat in this work-- Some of the characters and especially some of the sex scenes feel redundant. There are many scenes--sex and not--that go on for longer than they should, and they function to bog the reader down and to encumber what is perhaps the strongest character and story thread in Eve's.

Tips for Improvement

Subsequent passes to smoothen out the pacing and to endow this work with more of a squeeze-and-release structure would be welcome. Also, there is much room to cut, condense, and simplify this work with its rampant sex scenes and seemingly endless supporting characters. Every word and every character should be of utmost importance to the final product. This adage does not feel like it has been as honored as much as it could be in this work's current form.