⭐⭐☆
Reviewing a Clare Lydon book is
always a little confounding because here’s the thing: we thoroughly enjoy her
writing. We love her very Brit humour. But we aren’t big fans of her
characters. And the romance is *shrug*. But the writing rocks. So, therein lies
the being confounded part.
Jess Sharp, a Brit in Australia,
finds her girlfriend, Karen, cheating on her with her roommate. Heartbroken,
she winds up her life in Oz to return to London and start her life again. While
out for drinks with Kate, her sister-in-law’s sister with whom she has become
friends, Jess meets Lucy. Sadly, Lucy is just leaving for Oz for a few weeks. They
plan to meet when Lucy is back and Jess continues her process of getting over Karen
and getting on with her life. After a few weeks of staying with her parents,
Jess becomes roomies with Kate and takes a job in a café around the corner. She
is in a fairly happy space with BFF Julia trying her best to hook Jess up. One of
the potential candidates for romance is Ange, who is hot, a lawyer and
interested – but Jess hates her voice. That’s right. A rejection because
of voice. Well, Lucy returns, Jess and Lucy bump into each other and then start
dating…etc. etc.
We didn’t think Jess was quite
likeable. In fact, of all the characters peopling her life, she seems to be the
least giving and yet finds all these people ready to be there for her and do
things for her. Just plain lucky, we guess. Even the way she handles Lucy’s
hurt (when Lucy finds Jess kissing Ange) is less than likeable or stellar. Yet,
Lucy forgives her.
The way to really enjoy Lydon’s
books is that they should be read less for the content, definitely not for
the romance – but only for the humour. This ticks the humour box totally.
⭐⭐☆
