Author of numerous best-sellers, both for adults and for young people, Catherine Bourgault imagined that a woman whose spouse is in a coma agrees to play the role of a lover to restore the public image of an individual. undrinkable in his new novel, 30 days to hate you. Léa Plante, heroine of this new story, will be on her side.

Life is not easy for Léa Plante. Following an accident, her husband James is plunged into a coma and his chances of recovery are almost nil. Fortunately, she can count on the moral support of her best friend, Alice.

But when she asks him for a service of the utmost importance, things get complicated. Alice is a lawyer and one of her clients has to rebuild his public image to become the head of a company. Léa, reluctantly, agrees to play the fake lover for the next month and multiply public appearances in her company.

Her false lover, Adam, is contemptuous and haughty. Léa undertakes to appease the beast, but it will not be an easy task, because she finds him very attractive. She gives herself a clear mandate: 30 days to completely hate him, put aside any romantic plans with him and return to James.

Humor and drama

In this new novel, Catherine Bourgault wanted to combine vulnerability and humor somewhat, she explains in an interview. “I do a lot of humor with my Danger and SOS series. I do more heartbreaking romances, with L’appart and Je t’aime... moi non plus. I wanted to “mix” the two.

“There is a touch of humor, which is my signature, but also romance and vulnerability. There are times when you want to cry and times when you want to laugh and smile. I started with this idea and instead of doing a classic romance, where there is a rise in emotions, it's a bit the opposite. »

She explains. “Léa's spouse has been in a coma for several months. She lives with it. Adam, you could take him for an arrogant spoiled child who doesn't seem to do much with his life. A drooler. We realize that both are very vulnerable, in their own way. Adam is taken to take over the family business, but he is not tempted. »

Léa finds herself hired to play the role of a blonde who must restore Adam's image.

“She has to spend 30 days, theoretically, with him. From the start, she knows that there is an attraction between them and tells herself that she has 30 days to hate him, otherwise she will never be able to leave him and she must return to the bedside of the spouse. »

Internal debates

Catherine Bourgault adds that other information is presented throughout the story, which sheds light on difficult situations, feelings of guilt and inner debates.

“The two characters will bring a lot to each other and that creates tension. »

The novelist liked to explore the tensions, the moral dilemmas. “Me, I am really a faithful person, in life, and I myself was torn by what Léa had to live. I let myself be carried away by the story and I got caught up in the game.”

She watched several coma documentaries to write her novel.

“I also read a lot about it. There are a few movies about it. Léa feels a lot of guilt about what happened. It's a serious subject, but I didn't approach it in a melodramatic way. »

♦ Catherine Bourgault has published several best-sellers including Je t'aime... moi non plus, L'appart de ma nouvelle vie and L'appart des amours perdus, the series Les Voisines and several other titles.

♦ She also writes the hit children's series OMG!

“How would you like to spend a month in Montreal? Alice offers with inordinate enthusiasm. I roll my eyes. She always has this way of talking without saying anything. - But still ? — I have a client who needs to redo his public image. I need you to be his girlfriend for a while. »